Getting black saddle clowns

[boilermaker1]

After looking around for a while and being unable to find them, I asked my LFS if they could order me a pair from ORA and they said they could, so they're going to be ordering me some next week. I know they can be a bit fickle, but the captive ones are supposed to be a bit more durable than the wild ones, so I'm hoping I get some good ones.
Is there anything I need to be looking out for (I'd love to read the clownfish QT link in the sticky, but the link is dead or not functioning right now)? They'll be going in a 40 QT and then in a 220g.
Any meds I should plan on having on hand just in case? I know some people do formalin dips with new clowns, but I dont know if the case is the same with the captive ones or if thats only for wild ones. I have cupramine, prazipro and metronidazole on hand already, just making sure I'm ready for whatever.
Any suggestions on specific foods from people who have them would also be great.
Thanks.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Back when I had my pair, they ate anything and everything that I fed them -- they were pigs. Can/will get very aggressive towards new fish additions.
Seem to get popeye (( usually just one eye )) at the drop of a hat. Reducing stress and/or increasing water quality seems to help that. Every time mine got it, it went away on its own.
They can/will dive into the mouth of the host anemone, to the point were they will disappear. That can be an issue, at one point my female got scared, dove into the mouth of an S. Haddoni and didn't come out for 10 minutes -- lost the female a week later. (( plus that can be hard on the anemone )).

The last picture of the male (( sold it a couple of months after I lost the female ))

 

[boilermaker1]

Just picked them up... click for video

(5 minutes after acclimation)

 

[elegance coral]

Do you have an anemone for them?
I love saddlebacks. Very under rated fish IMHO. Keep in mind that they get LARGE. Mine never were aggressive towards other species, but I didn't mix them with many. Like Todd said, keep an eye on them diving inside the anemone's mouth. It's not good for either one of them. Try to keep the fish as calm and stress free as possible. Mine were wild caught, and every time I walked up to the tank to fast, the female dove inside the anemone.
This is a five or six inch saddleback in the mouth of my haddoni.

 

[boilermaker1]

I dont yet have an anemone... I'm still doing my homework and trying to figure out what will work best. I tried it once before, many years ago and wasnt very successful, but I'm trying this time to get it right before I buy one.
As for the fish, they're doing well, they never touched the LFS water (I brought them home in the shipping bag from ORA) and they were eating about an hour later. I'm feeding them NLS thera+A small fish (.5mm) and mysis and they're eating well, although some of the mysis are a bit bigger than they can handle right now so I end up sucking them out. I'm finding they want to eat many times a day (they're about 1") so I've been doing 3-4x a day feedings then cleaning it up at night.

 

[elegance coral]

I'm finding they want to eat many times a day (they're about 1") so I've been doing 3-4x a day feedings then cleaning it up at night.

That sounds like a great plan. Most of the clowns I've seen, that are fresh from ORA, are on the thin side. They're really going to need lots of good nutrition. Especially while they're still growing and developing.

 

[htwheels]

these are very cool, but can be very mean, i had one and it would attack any new fish i brought home, i finally sold it to another reefer.

 

[boilermaker1]

Update and question...
They continue to eat like pigs, but they've begun to tussle with one another and its becoming apparent that one of them is becoming the boss. The other one doesnt really look roughed up (no tattered fins or major signs of injury), but looks to have a large (I use this relatively on a small fish, but to distinguish from what I would think is a spot from a parasite) white spot on both sides that looks like an abraision. I'm thinking of putting some Furan-2 in the water just to make sure nothing develops, but they otherwise appear healthy. Still feeding Thera+A small fish and Prime Reef Flakes. I've tried some frozen stuff and mysis, but cant seem to get it small enough for them to swallow it... They're definitely willing to eat it, but most of it goes to waste. I think I'll just keep them on dry stuff for the moment since they're eating it well and let them grow a bit more.

 

[treylane]

If the spot looks fuzzy/swollen/"odd" (and you seem to be experienced enough to figure that out, based on your QT/treatment protocol) then you're doing the right thing - keep an eye on it and be prepared to start treatment.

Otherwise - it's plenty likely that the "boss" is biting at the other fish as part of its dominance routine. I have similar issues with my skunks sometimes, even though they were collected as a pair - when major tank changes happen, the female feels the need to make EXTRA sure she's in charge for a little while. Healthy clowns are very hardy and recover quickly from their scuffles. Keep an eye on your pair, looking for pairing behaviors, and make sure the violence doesn't get out of control.

 

[boilermaker1]

Nothing "odd" about it, not raised, or swollen, it just looks like a lighter spot against the surrounding black area. I've been watching them and it just seems like that spot is the target. I'm going to keep an eye on it (whole point of QT right?) and I've got everything I'd need on hand if I need it.