Hey guys, I hope everything is okay with my clownfish!

[EaZy DuZ iT]

I recently got my water checked about 4 days ago, and its perfect. 2 days ago i bought a green mandarin goby and its the most beautiful thing. Just about 2 hours ago i noticed my clown fish for once was hiding and i notice his mouth opening and closing. I got worried so i gave it food( i feed it once every 2 1/2 weeks).

It ate most of the food but hes mouth hasn't stopped. I did some research and found out that green mandarin gobys are poisonous, and this clownfish was aggressive towards my other clownfish which it killed. I only have these two fishes inside a 60 gallon.

Please guys, any measures i can take to help or solve the problem? Thank you

 

[SwampyBill]

I agree, mandarins are gorgeous fish, but they need an established tank with a large pod population to feed on to survive. It's suggested wait about a year before adding them to a new system. Are you cultivating copepods in a fuge? Is that a typo that you feed your clown every 2 1/2 weeks?

 

[EaZy DuZ iT]

i barely feed my clown fish, feed it prob 2-3 times a month been doing so for almost 2 years(had him in a 30 gallon before). The tank has been running for over a year and half.

 

[SwampyBill]

That doesn't seem like enough food to me, & might be why other clown starved to death--they were competing for food (or they were both females & dominant female won). Do you have a fuge set up to cultivate copepods for the mandarin dragonette, as they graze all the time on the rocks for live food. Is it eating yet? If so, what are you feeding it? What are your water parameters in numbers? It sounds like something is stressing the clownfish...

 

[OrionN]

You should feed them more often. Most of us feed them daily.
You Mandarin is not the cause for the problem of your clown.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

You are starving your clown to death! Increase your feedings to at least once a day, and offer a variety of foods.

 

[demonnite57]

+1 to feeding daily!!!!!! Can you imagine not eating for 2 1/2 weeks?!?! That's torture! I feed all my fish daily and my Snowflake Eel whenever he comes out to feed (which is usually every other day). Definitely feed daily!

 

[Ohiomom]

Might I ask why you feed so little? What the logic is behind that? I am curious I must say.

 

[JCR's Reef]

Well "if" he has plenty of LR in the tank I doubt the clownfish is starving seeing it "was" the only fish in there. And with minimal feedings I doubt he is having algae problems like many other reefers do. The clown fish has been living on pods, but now that the mandarin is in there the pod population will be greatly impacted. I would feed your tank at least a couple times a week, maybe even start adding additives for filter feeders. Pellets will feed your clown fish, additives will feed your pod population which in return, feed your mandarin and clown. Unless you have a refugium running as well?
I would also try to get the mandarin to eat mysis, or brine shrimp to ensure he stays healthy. IMHO, 65g are too small for mandarins unless it has some type of culturing tank hooked up (sump with LR, refugium w/ macros, etc..).