He seems to be swimming straight. He looks totally healthy. His color is normal, nothing wrong with him that I can see. If I hadn't seen him laying on the rock, I'd never have thought twice about him because he looks and is acting completely normal - other than the rock laying thing. He doesn't seem to be breathing funny, either. He just seems...agitated at times. Moving his fins and body around fast, but staying pretty much in one spot.
Right now both clowns are away from the rock. He's swimming around a big piece of coral, seems to be able to go any direction he wants to. He's swimming around very close to the coral, like he's brushing up against it, but not in a 'scratching' way - more like he's doing it as a behavior. Now as I'm watching him, he is doing a lot of head up swimming rather than being horizontal - but he's swimming horizontal, too. It's so hard to tell since they always swim like they're half drunk.
The female fish is also swimming closer to things than I've noticed before - usually they like to swim by the glass and they're keeping close to the items in the interior of the tank now for the most part.
Where's a fish whisperer when you need one?
I'm really thinking this is some kind of mating/egg laying behavior. They are young clowns - I just noticed the size discrepancy being obvious in the last couple of months and I've had this pair since the end of October. They were very small when I got them and about the same size. That's why I'm pretty sure they've 'morphed' into a boy/girl pair. Surprisingly, we named them correctly at the beginning.
I *really* need to do a water change, but I guess I'll wait another week and observe in the meantime.
Thanks for your reply. Please let me know what you think about the added info. (I just glanced over and he's laying on the rock again - he lays totally motionless for about 8 seconds, then starts moving his fins again. After awhile he swims away.)
Jodi