Clown Twitching?

[Jnance]

My three year old clownfish "paris" will just twitch like crazy sometimes for like a minute at a time. ive seen other clowns do this in ideal conditions.. what might cause this??? im guessing this is hard to pin down and is probably a combination of things. does anyone know?

 

[leebca]

Not totally knowing what you mean by twitching, there are several behavioral characteristics of Anemonefishes which are related to mating which could fit this kind of description.

 

[Jnance]

like short bursts of really stron swimming but the fish isnt moving. it also swims down to the sand bed and flicks its tail back and forth to spray the sand everywhere.. its wierd. and there are no other clown fish in the tank. shes also recently started biting my hand when i stick it in the tank, without food and everything, my fish is changing for sure.

 

[Jnance]

whats going on?

 

[leebca]

Sounds like you have a hottie! That fish is ready for procreation, regardless of the absence of a potential mate.

It seems to be making the signs and taking on the disposition of getting ready to be a parent.

Remember that Anemonefishes are Damselfishes. They do have a 'temperament' of the Damsel group.

 

[loohunter]

Sounds like you have a hottie! That fish is ready for procreation, regardless of the absence of a potential mate.

It seems to be making the signs and taking on the disposition of getting ready to be a parent.

Remember that Anemonefishes are Damselfishes. They do have a 'temperament' of the Damsel group.

yup, it sounjds like she is nesting

 

[Damsel13]

That made me laugh really hard! Jnance best of luck on what you decide to do.

 

[NC2WA]

Jnance,

Lee is correct. Fish is ready for procreation. Clownfish like to lay their eggs on a small surface. So the fanning is to remove all the sand and make a smooth surface.

Kirk

 

[Jnance]

so should i buy a another true perc? can i be sure of its sex? or is this a process that i dont want to get into?

 

[loohunter]

if you bought the smallest one you can find they may pair up or she might tear the new one to shreds it is hit and miss i just recently did this and they fought for a day and now they are inseperable

 

[leebca]

I don't know the size of your marine system, the display tank, the other inhabitants, etc. in order to give that kind of advice.

However, just choosing another fish may or may not be that easy. First you should tell us exactly the size of the fish you have and the other info above before good advice can be provided.

 

[Jnance]

She is like a half inch long, i have a 40 breeder. i have gotten rid of everything in the tank besides the sand, rock ,and a cleaner shrimp!

 

[Brenden]

Half inch? Better measure again.

 

[leebca]

I'm not sure but, at that size, I don't know if pairing is a possibility. The other Anemonefish would need a size differential of a couple of inches and that would be larger, making the one you have the male.

 

[Jnance]

oopsie i meant an inch and a half!!!

 

[leebca]

That size is about half the size of a female A. percula. Not sure if it needs to get older or is already old enough for a mate. That is, I'm unsure it is an adult. You might want to PM Elmo to get advice about paring. I hope your aquarium is of suitable size (30+ gallons) with few other inhabitants that would bother the Anemonefishes.

 

[Jnance]

inhabitants and aquarium size are posted.