clowny question!!

[NCreefwannabe]

ok so I posted this in the reef discussion forum when I should have put it here.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=7447368#post7447368

I had thought maybe my clowns were sick and dieing? but as Ive been told on 2 diferent sites, they are likely pairing or preparing to spawn. This would be their first time. I got them a bit over 2 months ago from my LFS. They were together in their tank and had no torn fins or signs of ich so I figured hell, Ill try them out.

They are now about an inch long? maybe longer. 1 Isnt much bigger than the other, but apparently they are showing signs of spawning.
picking at rocks.
darting around the tank.
they keep hovering over some upsidedown empty shells...

So If this is the case and they are healthy, I want to get them an anenome soon. I have dual 175 halides with vho's. What is a good starter anenome that my clarks will like?

 

[dantodd]

You should let us know more about your tank. How long has it been set up? What size is it? Gallons and dimensions if you know. What else is in the tank? How long have you had the clowns? What species are they? How much experience do you have?

Behavior sounds pretty normal for the fish determining pecking order, doesn't always mean that spawning is right around the corner. Also, most clownfish breeders do not provide their fish with anemones. Most use a surrogate host, clay pots designed for plants are the most popular among breeders, for hobbyists corals are most common.

 

[NCreefwannabe]

WELL LETS SEE.

tank has been up for 3-4 months.
55 gallon. standard.
whats in the tank? I had a blenny until today... Havent figured out his death jsut yet. Other than that, some snails and hermits.
Ive had the clowns for 2 months.
they are clarkii's as said in post.
My experence? since January this year. I have alot of family into SW tanks though.

 

[dantodd]

1 inch is REALLY small for clarkii to be breeding. I doubt they're ready at this point. Of course, saying that, they'll lay in a week! LOL

I really doubt they are ready to lay this small. My clarkii female was over 4" when she started laying. The male was about 3" or so.

 

[NCreefwannabe]

doesnt matter much now. I think what someone else on here thought was them either attempting to pair or breed, is them actually having ich... I started using selcon earlier. But I doubt they will pull through much longer.

So now im thinking of what to do incase they dont survive... I may just sell everything and go back to cars.

 

[stykthyn]

clarkii's are pretty tough, if you have had them for two months then they are pretty much established and should respond well to treatment. It has been my experience that as long as they are eating they will be fine. if they stop eaating or become listless and lay around gasping I would remove them to a hospital tank and treat with copper and maracyn II. follow the directions on the bottles and you should be fine.