Clown rookie assistance please

[PaulCom]

I put two percula clowns in as the first fish in my 135g tank (along with a longhorn cowfish and a lawnmower blennie) two weeks ago

All water quality parameters were good:

pH 8.1
salinity: 1.024
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 2.5
temp 78 - 79

While the longhorn and lawnmower have explored all over the tank, the clowns have not ventured far from one of my inactive Tunze pumps located near the top of the tank.

The fish are eating during feeding time (once a day - frozen foods like mussels, krill, mysis, etc) but will not leave the locale of the Tunze. They appear to be of good color.

Is there something wrong here? They aren't right at the top of the water like a distressed fish. When I had clowns a couple of years ago in another tank they swam all through the rock, but these guys have yet to get very deep at all.

Thanks in advance!

 

[reefman13]

Nothing seems to be wrong with them. I would look into getting them an anemone so they they would be attracted to go and explore a little more.

 

[seafansar]

I had a pair that would just swim near an overflow box. They wouldn't leave it. Unfortunately the female jumped out of the tank one night, so I bought a new female. The "new" pair explored a lot more until I got them a BTA. Now they don't leave the anemone. I guess it depends on where the female wants to be.

 

[watergator]

Clowns never venture far from their host anemone in the wild. For whatever reason, they feel safe near your pump. Get an anemone for them & they'll be fine...

 

[dalilgriffith]

Clowns are poor swimmers. They will not venture too far. It will increase with time but Perculas are notoriously bad swimmers unless food is involved.

 

[PaulCom]

I know that clowns will not bond with Condy anenomes, but is there anything bad/wrong with Condys? I have 3 in my tank (thank you TampaBaySaltwater!!!)

If I get a BTA or something similar for the clowns, will there be problems with the Condys?

 

[myreefcentral]

mine stays underneath my tunze skimmer & heater...they'll only come out and explore when i'm feeding them...but then they only stay on that side of the tank...on rare occasions they'll venture off into the middle of the tank...and the smallest of the 3 picasso clowns i currently have in the tank will venture all the way to the other side but only briefly...glad to hear i'm not the only one with this same issue...

 

[Aerowen]

i would be careful w/ the cowfish because they may nuke your tank if they get stressed- maybe run carbon.

 

[PaulCom]

Yup, I'm a firm believer in running carbon.

I broke my own rule by letting my girlfriend select a fish without doing the up front research. I broke down under the pressure..*L*

The cowfish can nuke the tank if he gets overly stressed or dies. I've been told that it's easier to keep them if they are one of the first fish in the tank so that they don't get harassed by other fish.

 

[gmneil]

mine have picked the overflow box area and wont leave it, and since the new place thay have chosen the female attacks my hand every time i stick it in the tank