Clownfish Help

[hollister750]

Hi. I went to my lfs and they had a couple Percula clowns from the wild. I was wondering how much different they are comparedd to tank raised? And also if I should get tank raised or wild caught? Also if they eat does that mean they dont have any dieases (such as ich). Please let me know asap so i can get it i really want to get it tomorrow.

 

[hollister750]

or any other diease.

 

[hollister750]

also how do i tell if they're a male or female?

 

[returnofsid]

Eating is a decent sign of healthy fish but not by any means a sign that it can't have disease. Wild caught are definitely more likely to have diseases...especially Brooks disease. I know that's not the correct word but can't think of it now...lol. Buying tank raised fish also promotes the rearing of tank caught species which helps lessen the toll we reef keepers take on nature.

 

[hollister750]

thanks if you could try to find out the diease that it carries it wuld be greatly appericated

 

[kendog261]

Tank raised are better IMO. Most are disease free, used of living in tanks, eat prepared foods and its way better for the environment

 

[returnofsid]

Hollister, here ya go.

Brooklynella

 

[jsmkmavity]

the wild percs are more prone to brooklynella or marine velvet and ich and if either develops many times a secondary infection will result. they are beautiful fish but you need to be prepared before hand to treat the problems they likely have. you need a qt tank, an understanding of how to properly treat the above diseases and the medicine on hand. its best to let the lfs deal with these problems initially and watch the fish there if you can wait. most will show signs within a few days if you look closely. if its a good store they will be treating it and keep the fish separate from new arrivals but this is rare. it takes up retail space and adding new specomins to the tank prolongs the treatment time so most want to sell the fish as soon as possible. there are many tank raised varieties available which are hardier, adjust to new conditions better and have less likelyhood of diseases.

 

[clownnut]

unless you want to breed them. otherwise TR is better than wild caught.
i bought 5 wild caught one 3 of them died.(brooklynella)

 

[Ed Hahn]

I think a few people up above are saying If you are born in a small bowl of water, you are comfortable and less stressed, have a better chance of survival.

 

[spongebob lover]

I think a few people up above are saying If you are born in a small bowl of water, you are comfortable and less stressed

i didn't knwo you were born that way dood :lol:.j/k

tank raised are the best way to go imo.....to me i think it's better to get them from a breeder than taking a fish away from the ocean ... i mean i'm sure the parents came from the ocean but i feel less guilty getting the kids from a tank .

 

[Elmo18]

There is a clownfish workshop in the Workshop Section....

Best,
Ilham

 

[kellymluke]

hay i got a male and female perc the other day and they are getting white spots on there fins plus the male seems less active is there somit up?

 

[leebca]

It used to be that Brooklynellosis was so common amongst the wild caught Anemonefishes that most experienced and advanced aquarists have come to the realization that all newly acquired Anemonefish should be treated for this, even if they don't show signs of having it.

It was once thought that tank bred Anemonefishes were the least likely to be diseased or disordered, but I can only say that this depends upon the source. For instance, you say your LFS has these wild fish. If they had tank raised Anemonefishes and they were mixed in with their system water, I think you can see that those fish would no longer be free of any disease. Such fish would be mixed with wild fishes potentially having a wide number of afflictions. Even obtaining tank bred fish from the breeder can be risky unless you know the fish were kept free of disease and contamination from other untreated fishes.

So it has become even more widespread to treat all Anemonefishes, regardless of origin, for Brooklynellosis, upon acquisition, whether or not they appear diseased. If you attend convention presentations, you'll find it more recommended as time goes on.

However, personally, I believe it is in the interest of conservation of our reefs to purchase tank bred fishes whenever possible.

Hopefully you will quarantine the fish you buy and be able to properly treat them.

Most fish in the Order Perciformes are protogynous hermaphrodites. Clownfish (Amphiprioninae) are an obvious exception. They are protandrous hermaphrodites. This means that all juveniles turn into males unless there are too many males around, in which case one (or more) will turn into females. When you have a juvenile pair OR two males, one will 'change' to the female and the other the male. You can usually tell the female -- it is larger and aggressive, even to its mate.

Be sure to understand the omnivore diet for these great aquarium fishes!

Good luck!

 

[leebca]

kellymluke,

I'd recommend moving the fish to a hospital or quarantine tank immediately. Take photos of them for us to see and begin a new thread to identify the condition.

If you are sure what condition the fish has (e.g., Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans)) then begin treatment.