True Perculas

[Guest]

Ok, I am at a loss, I got two small TP's yesterday and I have yet to get them to eat. They look very happy all wriggly and such.

I am trying to feed them crushed up krill, flake, spirulina, frozen brine, fd brine, you name it I have tried a little bit of each one. No Luck.

I asked the LFS about them because they were ordered for me, and she told me that they definately were not tank raised. she would not order them if they were. Her analogy was, it takes away from the meaning of being a clown. I guess meaning hosting and such. anyway, The point is, they aren't eating and it is scaring me... Lot of money and such...you know..

 

[fishfreek]

she told me that they definately were not tank raised. she would not order them if they were.

WHAT!

U gotta be joking me. Has she never heard of something called aquaculture and preserving the natural habitat?

Anyway back to the question at hand.

I suspect the clowns are not eating because of the stress of the capture and the transport to the distributor and then to your LFS and now to your tank. If they look healthy and dont appear to be to skinny and transparent then I would say they can go several days with out food with out risking anything.

Keep offering small bits of food every day or so. They should come around eventually.

 

[loganj]

It took mine about a week and a half to really start eating. Now he can't seem to get enough. Eats like a little hog. They'll probably come around in a few days.
Logan J

 

[Guest]

Thank you guys for the re-assurance

 

[New2Salt]

Ours are tank raised and got them at Petco of all places, but we feed them Nutrafin flake and they go crazy for it, I think they were used to getting their food from the top, they also like eating the zooplankton that is floating in the water after feeding the pipe organ and feather. Ours eat like little hogs too Good luck hope they come around.

 

[clownfish]

First off, Agree with with Fishfreek.

Has she never heard of something called aquaculture and preserving the natural habitat?

I kinda of liked know my tank raised were not plucked from a very different home. But, not trying start a discussion on that topic...

My tank raised started by eating only frozen brine, now they love flake, fd brine and will nip at some krill if they can get before my peppermint shrimp....

Also, try offering food at different times of day. I know mine are less interested (still interested, just less so ) right after the light comes on. Guess they need to wake up. Evening around our dinner time is the best, they really pig out then.

 

[Guest]

I understand and agree with saving the habitat of the ocean however, I think there is a real BIG debate on whether or not tank raised clowns host anenomes as opposed to wild ones. I don't know this to be true or not, I just read and hear a lot of stories from varied sources.

I spoke with the LFS again and she advised me that she has not had good experience with customers buying the tank raised clowns. They buy them and then they won't host anything. Just as if they were just your normal fish. Then thye complained to her about that and she would take them back only to sell them to another customer and get the same info. She started to purchase wild ones and have better results in hosting which is in her opinion what people buy clowns for. To watch them as closely to natural hab as possible. I guess from a LFS point of view, happy customers means more money in the long run. For us, saving the environment is our concern. I am going to keep these this time, however, when I buy more, and I believe I will, I am going to buy tank raised just to see if the theory is correct.

phew that was a mouthful..

 

[fishfreek]

Hm, clowns hosting in anenomes...

That just brings up the whole debate as to if anenomes should even be in a tank unless they themselves are tank rased.

The life span of an aquarium ketp anenome is only a small % of its possible natural lifespan.

But I agree the LFS's view is to provide what the customers are wanting and demanding as its a kill or be killed world in retail. BTW I did not mean kill as in kill fish.

 

[Guest]

Ok FF,

even if they host in corals, the corals had to generate from somewhere in the Ocean....Just not yesterday.... Same goes with tank raised fish and inverts.

 

[Hara]

Ok FF,

even if they host in corals, the corals had to generate from somewhere in the Ocean....Just not yesterday.... Same goes with tank raised fish and inverts.

I had this identical discussion over seahorses. If stores continue to sell WC species, then the general public accepts it as kosher. There is no public awareness, or very little. Yes, the first ones have to come from somewhere, but sense tells you that if those are the only ones removed, then the problem becomes a mute point. Right now it is a situation where people think, well, if everyone else does it, it cant be THAT bad...everyone needs to do their part or you will eventually be witness to the demise of the worlds reefs...plain and simple. Furthermore, aquacultured specimens have a much higher survival rate, why buy something that is doomed to die? I value my dollars too much for that.

 

[kribbz]

i have two tank raised tomatoes and they hosted my Bulb tipped anemone whithin a few days of placing it in my tank. thats just my experience though. also as far as tank raised specimens. i would imagine that it would make the animal a little more hardy because it has adapted to some of the common aquarium diseases. please correct me if i'm wrong though. this is just my understanding.

 

[fishfreek]

I avocate if at all possible to purchase tank rased specimens. Be that fish or coral frags. Purchasing coral frags or even trading coral frags is a great way to get new corals and in that purchase/trade there is no negitive impact on the coral reef. Since your taking a already caught/harvested specimen and then subsequently splitting it off or breeding it so that its children are tank rased not taken from the wild.

Its my goal to contribute to the aquaculture movment by avocating such conservation methods and also participate in selling/trading of coral frags myself.

 

[Guest]

I am seeing things in the same way, I would like to say that if I had not already purchased the clowns, it would have been better.

I used to be a commercial fisherman and I know what it is like to destroy wild life in the ocean. then again, there are degrees in how much you can take from the Ocean and not create a devestating impact. Both deal with monetary value and sad to say it will not stop. I do not work for Green Peace and I will not go into anymore discussion about Tank raised or wild. It really is a mute point. My fish will hopefully be ok and things will work out. Again I thank you for the re-assurance on the fish.....

 

[reefrunner69]

Hey Tim, I won't get into the TR V WC debate (from your posts it seems like you've had enough), I would like to know how large the clowns are?? Adult WC fish, tend to have a harder time acclimating to new diets...sometimes starving themselves. Not to scare you too bad, I have not known this to be as prevelant in clowns as in other species, but I have seen it.

 

[Guest]

I would say about an inch or inch and a quarter. They still won't eat and I am kinda sad for them, I sure hope they come around and make me feel better.

 

[reefrunner69]

I'd say they have an excellent chance of taking to a new diet at that relatively small size.

 

[fishfreek]

I just want to go on record and say that I was in no way judging timbo2 about teh whole tank rased vs wild caught items.

I was more directing my comments toward what the LFS had reported said.

With that said I agree they have a good chance of comming out of this just give them time.

 

[Guest]

I know you were not judging me, I felt bad enough to hear all of the Safe the Reef stuff. I am an advocate of keeping our natural reefs and the ecosystem alive.

 

[Guest]

OK, going on 7 days now and no eat.....don't know what to do. They are looking kinda frail..Sunken bellies and such.. So sad....

 

[Hara]

Have you asked the store where you bought them, what they were feeding them? Did you see the ones at the store eat?