Okay...really getting tired of this...

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Salty Dog

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Mar 17, 2004
Messages
68
Location
Florida USA
Well, after my first pair of clowns died(one wild and one tank raised), I wanted another pair. So I went to the LFS and got two more clowns, both wild. I originally didn't want wild ones because I heard they don't do well in aquariums...but the LFS said there wan't much difference between them and they're both just as hardy. Well, I'm starting to believe that no clown is hardy. I do everything everybody says to do before you buy them including watching them eat, making sure they have been there for a week, watching them swim, etc....the guy even moved them into another tank so I could see how they handle change. But then it's like the second I put them into my tank they begin to show signs of stress and disease. All my other fish, including a clown goby, royal gramma,and pygmy angel are doing excellent. My LT anenome is doing well and my blood and cleaner shrimp...Just recently my clowns stopped eating just like my first two did...PLEASE tell me what I'm doing wrong...I've done water changes, checked pH, nitrite, ammonia, nitrate, and salinity and all are perfect.

I would really appreciate some help, I'm kinda frusterated that this won't work for me, clowns are one of my favorites... :cry:
 
How big is this tank? It sounds pretty well stocked. Do you see any signs of agression from the other fish? When you say params are perfect, what are the numbers? Is there enough hiding places for the clowns? What kind of clowns are they? If they were wild cought, from where? Did they use nets or cyanide? If they were cought with cyanide, they wont live long in the aquarium. Please list as much info about your tank as possible, (size, filtration, rocks, plants, water params, etc.)
 
Sorry to hear about your loss of fish. You haven't mentioned the procedure in which you transfer your fish into your tank. Are you using the drip method? If your are, are you making sure the water paramaters (PH, Salinity,Temp...) in the transfer bag are as close to your tank? All these factors are very important to fish acclimation to new surroundings. What size is your tank and how do the other fish react to their "new" neighbors?

You should also consider a QT.

Hope this helps.
 
are they showing signs of agression towards each other? if you get them from different tanks, they could both be females and fight each other to the death.
 
Okay well, it's a 20 gallon (long), I have about 20-22 ilbs. of live rock, clown goby,cleaner shrimp, blood shrimp, pygmy angel, and royal gramma and LT anenome as I said...I used the drip method (at least now I do after the first two clowns died) I do not know how they were caught(I thought they couldn't use cyanide anymore?) The LFS said I have my tank is stocked, but it should be just fine, also the fact that none of my fish are aggrressive in nature...the clowns pick on each other more than the others pick on them..Sorry, I don't knoew the exact #'s of the parameters, I didn't want to mess something up so I took a sample of water to the LFS, and they did it. He said everything is perfect.

They are oscellaris clowns...I have an aquaclear for a filter...temp ranges from 76-78/79...ther seems to be plenty on hiding spaces, there is one area under a rock that the royal gramma has claimed and makes sure other fish know it, butnever actually touches them, he just opens his mouth as wide as he can to show who's boss, but he usually gets scared and swim away when the other fish gets too close...so there really isn't major aggression.

I would think that if the parameters were wrong the other fish wouldn't be doing well either...right? Or even a disease. One of the clowns had some mouth fungus...but it's pretty much cleared away after using Melafix a few days...hope this info helps...
 
They were both from the same tank, they seems to be pretty close, they don't swim more than 2 inches away fom each other and sorta nibble on eachother like they were paired.

When the one got the mouth fungus he stopped eating and the other was still...just recently the other one wont eat.

By the way, this mouth fungus, the guy at the LFS said it wouldn't spread to the other fish and it's really nothing too serious...It hasn't spread and it has cleared up significantly, so I don"t see why it would have that much affect.
 
seems as though they were a wild caught pair. what type of clown? how long have you had them? when we got our pair of true percs, it took them almost two weeks to start eating. now they eat like pigs. they may not be used to the food you are feeding and dont recognize it as edible. try feeding some other foods, preferably the same food they ate at your lfs. you have to kind of train them to eat your food until they realize it is edible.
 
As soon as I put them in the tank they ate like pigs...it was only a few days until they stopped, but I'm pretty sure they know what is food... I'm feeding them whole bloodworms and frozen brine shrimp...teh LFS said that the wild ones usually don't recognize the food but to feed them live brine for a while, tricking them into eating the frozen, as you said. But they never did have a problem with eating the frozen stuff....should I try live brine? They are ocsellaris clowns and I've had them for 6-7 days.

By the way, does anyone else have wild caught clowns :?: If so, how did they do with the adjustment?
 
I have 4 tank raised percs and they are doing great. Bought them young and the dominant female has emerged and the others have all fallen into their place. A little fighting, but nothing serious. Even lived through a bout with velvet. Try a pair of "young" tank raised. This way they can develop their own hiarchy . Also do you use qt?
 
Also try using a little garlic juice in their food. It can stimulate a feeding responce.
 
Thanks. Yeah, I have a QT, but it's empty and hasn't been used yet. I really haven't neede to use it yet, do you think I should. Their fins aren't clamped or anything, so I guess that's a good sign. When you say young, how young do you mean?

Even if I did use the QT for them, I wouldn't know what to treat or even if they're sick. I guess I will try the garlic, but do you think I should try live brine too :?: What else could be associated with them not eating as apposed to them being sick :?:
 
Mine were about 1 1/2" long when I got them.
Live brine might get you started, but I would keep up with other, better foods. Brine has no nutritional value.
Maybe qt ( isolation) might be a good I Idea, until you get them squared away. Don't want to sacrafice your other stable fish.
Maybe its just stess. Do they have any physical marks, spots etc?
 
No, they really don't have any physical markings or hints of stress. Their fins aren't even clamped and they're swimming pretty good, not as active as they once were, but not as unactive as my others became.

The only reason the guy said to use brine is to stimulate eating, and at least they would have something in their stomachs...
 
Well, I just tried mixing in garlic juice with their food, and they did seem a litlle more interested in it, but no luck with them eating it...
 
How long have they been not eating? I have had a few new fish that didn't eat for several days after bringing them home.
 
Well, they ate the second I put them in the tank..which was a great sign for me, because usualy they don't eat for a couple of days like you said. They haven't eaten for about 4 or 5 days...
 
From what I understand, they can go a week or more without eating.
Would your lfs take them back?
Seriously I would try the tank raised, they really do much better and are hardier. All 4 of mine have eaten like pigs from day one. Tough little sucker too. They are the first to greet me at feeding time.
Just my opinion based on my experience with these guys.
Anyone else want to chime in??
 
Thanks to all of you for your input and great advice...I just put them in the QT...I did see the other fish start to pick on them...I'll see what happens from there, hopefully they will be okay. :roll:
 
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