Clown behavious odd

[snafu38]

Hi, 2 weeks ago I got a breeding pair of clowns, not sure if True or False, she is black, he is typical 'Nemo' colour.

It was a sudden chance buy so my tank wasnt perfect, ammonia was a bit high, temp around 30c

They started to behave odd, rubbing chin gently on ground, odd spasms throughout the body (sometimes followed by a poo), occasional darting, but no physical changes.

They have also gone off food a bit (frozen BS & a crumble). On Sunday they laid eggs, though some have dissapeared, Im guessing they got rid of unfertilised ones.

They are still acting a bit odd & was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to whats bothering them or if its normal. Also, any hints on raising the fry when they come.

Thanks heaps,

Stan
[email protected]

 

[Krish]

Welcome to RF Stan! I'm not really sure what to tell you here, but I'm sure Ilham (Elmo18) will know. He has a workshop here on the forum dealing with Clowns. He's the best when it comes to them and I'm sure he'll be able to help you. Here's a bump for you on the thread in the meantime incase someone else may be able to offer you some form of info

 

[steve-s]

Ammonia and temp are a concern, but the "dancing" behavior and biting at the laying surface would be typical for clowns about to lay eggs. Please be sure to do a few good sized water changes with well aged & aerated SW. As for the temp, get that lowered towards 27. What was the actual NH3 reading?

Are the feces normal in color (dark) or white and stringy? Any discoloration or white material coming from the body of the fish?

Cheers
Steve

 

[snafu38]

Clown troubles

Hi Steve,

its not the dancing behaviour I am worried about, it is the darting & the laying on their side then shuddering (away from the other most times) Im concerned about, unless this is the dancing.

They seem to have cleaned away maybe 10% of the eggs, the rest have become black & appear to be growing.

Temp has been down around 26-27 most of the time, except the day I introduced them to the tank.

The NH3 is down to about 0.1, not sure what it was originally as the colour wasnt on my chart, but I guessed around the 2 mark. I did a few large water changes when I saw that, & a few smaller ones since.

The faeces seems to be light in colour & is not like normal fish ones that are long & continuous, rather clumps. I havent noticed them do that for about a week, but I dont watch their bodily motions all day either.

Thee is nothing coming from their bodies, nor any physical changes or anything Id consider abnormal.

My biggest concern now (apart from their behaviour) is what to feed the fry.

Thanks heaps,

Stan

 

[Elmo18]

Hi Stan. I got your PM. I thought i'd post here instead of a PM back

It is very rare that a proven 'mated' pair of clownfish will spawn so fast in another tank when it is moved, unless of course it was holding eggs at the time of the move. Always that certain individual pair that goes beyond the odds, but there are some things you can watch for as they are still 'new' to their surroundings.

For one, it is obvious that their regular egg laying 'substrate' is now gone, and they have needed to change and clean a new place to lay their eggs on. In my opinion, this causes frustration for the pair, and from experience, before a pair lays eggs, usually a couple days before they will go nuts cleaning an area, until at times their mouths may have blisters from biting the hard surfaces of rocks, or other hard surfaces to eventually be clean enough to lay eggs on.

Clownfishes lay eggs on a varied type of water temperatures, but as always, it is stable water conditions that will keep them spawning. I keep my separate tanks somewhere between 79-83 degrees Fahrenheit range (looks like you're in AU, and would need to conver to Celcius ) That type of exposure is not in one tank, that is in one tank i may have the water at 79....in another tank...it may be 82..., so 79-83 is not a temp swing, but rather a range...that I prefer to keep my fishes in. I don't keep them lower temps because I feel it is not like any coral reef temps...which are likely to be higher.

Water quality maintenance is important. Clamped fins...or swallowing foods, then spitting them out again is a sign of bad water quality(and possibly clowns who have been already fed). Change 20% per week and go from there. If that sounds too much, change 15%. It is my opinion that weekly changes are better than monthly changes of the same percentage.

THeir behavior is typical of spawning pairs. They will jostle each other not really fighting each other, but rather at times, the male may not be ready to help in spawning just yet...and the female well is frustrated. This can be seen in first time egg-layers. They will do their cleaning..for days or weeks, and the female is ready, but the male just isn't, so the egg-laying is postponed. I would avoid attempting to raise eggs until you have a good grasp of them, and until they are on their regular schedule of egg-laying.

Best,
Ilham

 

[snafu38]

Clown behaviour

Thanks Ilham,

I must admit I was surprised they bred so quick also. They are apparently experienced so who knows. Fish always surprise me.

I used a ceramic pot which is the same as their old mating ground, so it shouldnt have been too big a difference for them. It got put in the day after them so it was spotless.

79-83F is about the same range my tank is at. Yes, I am in Aus.

I do a water change of about 10 litres every few days, & a bigger one weekly. Id say Im doing about 20-30% per week. Mostly I do it so regular to vacum any waste out.

Is it normal for them to behave the way they are even though the other is at the other end of the tank ? Most of the time they do it away from the other.

He is still off his food & seems to have eaten a fair few more eggs, Id say almost 40% of them, if not more. She comes in occasionally to help clean.

Im going to still have a go at raising the fry, I may get lucky & its all a learning experience. Ive bred 5 other fish species before, this is my 2nd Marine, though seahorses have live births.

I'll try & post a couple of pics I took of them, if I can maybe you could identify the exact species they are for me also.

Thanks again,
Stan

 

[Elmo18]

I'll try & post a couple of pics I took of them, if I can maybe you could identify the exact species they are for me also.

I'll have a go at it

Best,
Ilham