clown questions

[zim11911]

Well I have had 2 clown fish since Saturday. It looks like they have worked out who is male and female. The male did the seizure dance plus they were the only 2 in the tank at the lfs. The male swims all over the tank and the female stays in the top 1/3 of the tank and on the left half of the tank. Both nights the clown fish have made it though the siphon tube in to the sump. It normally happens some time after 12am. From 10 pm to 12am they both are very close to each other in the top of the tank maybe 2 inches under the water. When they are in the sump they both stay low in the sump tank. Last night the female looked very pale and the male was right next to her when they were in the DT after about 20 min she was back to her normal color. They eat very well and the male is active all over the tank and quickly comes back to the female regularly. The female moves around a lot on her side. the water spiked to .5 ammonia and is down to .15. Any ideas on what is going on
Salinity/1.0255 Temperature 76.2 /pH Range 8.3/Ammonia 0.15/Nitrite 0/Nitrate 0 /KH 214 /Ca 520/PO4 0

 

[Toddrtrex]

Your ammonia should be at 0, that most likely is your issue.

How long has your tank been set up?

Also, what type of clowns? Are they TR or WC? Did you QT them?

 

[bues0022]

I'd also find a way to protect that siphon tube from this happening again. It would be a big mess if one of them got stuck in the tube somehow and your tank overflowed.

What size tank? Skimmer? I've also seen fish swim on their sides when they don't get enough oxygen. Though at this point ammonia seems more likely.

 

[zim11911]

The tank has been up for 36 days it had 2 weeks with all reading zero before the clowns were added. They are Ocellaris Clownfish. It is a 55 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump the skimmer is a coral life super skimmer 65 I am waiting on a BUBBLE MAGUS BM-NAC3. As they where the first thing added to the tank I did not Qt them but i do have a Qt tank set up. I did a 10gallon water change last night and it got the ammonia down to 0. They are still acting the same. I have a mesh cover on the over flow box and they still got though it last night.