How to stop your clownfish from burning out

[hovhanh]

I have a tomato clown (female) that persists on burning out (whipping up sand with its tail). I've tried moving rock around to block the areas where it likes to burn out yet it still does it.

I don't have an anemone and I don't want one. I've tried a sebae and long tentacle. And I don't really want to deal with a bta because it moves so much nor do I want to add precautionary measures like covering my koralias. My friend had an anemone that climbed through the tiny teeth of his overflow box, down the return hose and into the sump. Houdini status. :strange:

My female tomato clown is in my 50Gallon. She has a small fire clown as her mate :lolspin:. I love them as a pair. :dance:

Anyone have any tricks that have worked? I anticipate a lot of "yeah, that's just regular behavior" type responses but am putting this out there in the forums to see anyways.

Other tankmates:
2 chromis
1 diatem dottyback
1 starry blenny
1 sixline
1 orange spotted goby

There are plenty of caves and hiding spaces with the two islands I created with my liverock work. Plus, aside from my chromis, my other fish generally chill at the bottom or on the rock so there's plenty of swimming room.

 

[Crustman]

My clarkii does this all the time. He constantly disturbs the sand around my LTA. I think he trying to give the anemone more room and no competitors. I am used to it. The sand settles on other corals and my squamosa but there is nothing I can do but get rid of him.

 

[nikon187]

you can't, it is their natural behaviour as with most clowns. Aside from bare bottom.

 

[Cozmo4]

Sorry of this comes across the wrong way, but why would you want to do anything to prohibit the natural behavior of your fish? Aren't we all in this hobby to recreate as natural of a habitat as possible so that we can enjoy the natural/normal behavior of our livestock? To me, trying to keep a clown from 'burning out' in the sand would be like trying to keep a jawfish in a bare bottom tank.

 

[jenjen]

I find mine has settled down now that she has her nest dug out. She dug a hole under a rock in my tank, and dives in there when she feels threatened. She doesn't let her hubby in the nest at all, and hosts with a zoa rock the rest of the time. She kicked up all sorts of mess while she was digging out the nest, but now that it's done she is much less destructive. Maybe just leave your clown to it, and stop messing with the areas it likes to dig up.

 

[hovhanh]

Sorry of this comes across the wrong way, but why would you want to do anything to prohibit the natural behavior of your fish? Aren't we all in this hobby to recreate as natural of a habitat as possible so that we can enjoy the natural/normal behavior of our livestock? To me, trying to keep a clown from 'burning out' in the sand would be like trying to keep a jawfish in a bare bottom tank.

When the clownfish burns out, it puts debris into the water and sand on my corals, something I would prefer not to have happen, that's all. Sounds like this is something that just has to be accepted. No one seems to have any success.

Who says all clownfish does this? I used to have true percs and they never did. Maybe it's a thing with bigger clownfish.

 

[jenjen]

My Osc doesn't do it at all. But then she is the only clown in her tank. My Clarkii pair are in a different tank and the Mrs is a master digger. It's got to be either a 'pair' thing or the type of clown. I suppose it could also be particular fishes. In any case, I don't believe it's something you can easily make them stop doing.

 

[nikon187]

both of my percs and occelaris did it when sexually mature

 

[maynardjames]

my maroon female does it all the time

 

[corigan]

Mine did it until they decided to host in a hammer. Now they just burn out on the hammer heads. I haven't seen them do this in the sand since.

 

[TRichardson79]

My True Percs do it bad! I haven't found anything to stop them from doing it. I just let em have at it.

 

[Cozmo4]

My false percs do it as well. With enough flow in the tank, the debris doesn't settle on corals for very long. Also, since they tend to do it in the same couple of spots, I moved a coral that was getting the majority of the sand kicked up on it away from the area a bit.