Need some help with an A$$ of a fish

[woz9683]

Ok, this is really getting ridiculous. I've got a maroon clown who is getting on my nerves. He is trying to tear my frag racks apart. He'll pull frags out of the holes in the rack. Or he'll get underneath the rack and shove them out from down there. I keep some rubble pieces on the rack to break up and attach frags to, and he'll roll those off onto the frags below the rubble pieces. We're talking about pieces at least 3-4 times his size. I've moved all the rubble to the bottom of the rack, which is really aggravating but it's solved that part of the problem. The tank had a SSB and I had to redo it to BB recently because he was constantly finning the sand and creating huge mounds and sand clouds in the tank.

I don't know what else to do with him, I've got to protect the frags somehow. I don't really want to move the clown down to the sump because the only compartment that could hold him is really too small. But I don't know what else to do. I feed him daily too, so I don't think that's the problem. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[laugh]

Make a seperate frag tank. In other words leave the fish and move the frags

 

[ethank77]

Give the fish back to an lfs or fellow reefer who would like him

 

[sanababit]

yep, make a separate frag tank, or make a little cage out ot frag rack mmaterial from home depot

sana

 

[woz9683]

Probably should have mentioned, he's been with me since the beginning. Maybe 5 years now, and I really don't want to give him up. And I don't have room for a separate frag tank. I guess I could try caging the frag area somehow. That would basically result in me splitting the tank in half since he knocks the frags over from the top side and bottom side.

 

[tkeracer619]

Get another tank. Thats really your only option. The fish isnt going to change and caging your frags sounds rather unpleasant. All you need is a small rack plumbed into your display inside your stand or next to it.

Plus if you somehow figure out how to lock the frags down the fish will stress out and try harder, then injure itself trying to get rid of the frags.

 

[bubbly]

With all the finning of the sand, it sounds like spawning behavior -- "nesting". I'm sure that after 5 years he is really ready to 'find a mate and settle down'.

He's just doing his own version of aquascaping. Would you want a huge rack of frags hanging over your living room if you wanted to impress some girls?

I would get yourself a frag tank and maybe get him a 'lady friend' to ease his frustrations (okay, since they are clowns, he'll prob. end up being the lady, but whatever).

 

[woz9683]

Well, like I said, I really don't have room for a separate frag tank right now. What do you think about the fuge section of the sump? It's about 20 gallons of space, with just a couple big rocks to anchor some chaeto. And he (or she) is only 4" max. I could probably even put a little 175w halide over that area and an anemone? Something to make him a little more comfortable?

 

[woz9683]

Any thoughts on putting him in the fuge? Is that area too small? Would an anemone work with the chaeto in there too?

 

[woz9683]

no thoughts on putting him in the fuge?

 

[Aurora D.]

That sounds llike a great option. Lots of people put their fish in the fuge. Just make sure you have some bubble traps or barrier between the return section and the fuge.

 

[GSMguy]

she needs a maroon Jail... i used a 20G long and a couple Bubble tip anemones,

we were all sitting in my living room discussing why i dont have the "big" clowns ( my GSM pair) in the "big" display, i was saying that it is because my female is a PITA, Then i clicked this thread and started cracking up your description sums up perfectly why i dont keep my GSM pair in the display..

Look at Jnarow's avatar.. sums it up pretty well, i know his big female eats chunks of his arm...

 

[woz9683]

Haha, well it's good to know that somebody else deals with this too. I think I can add a little more light to the fuge area and get a BTA or something down there to keep him company. I may just take the macro out completely too, I don't think it's really doing that much, other than collecting bristle worms.

He's already down there, by the way, came home for like the third day in a row to find frags all over the place and that was the end of it. And I didn't even mention the biting because it's more of a nuisance than an actual reason to move him, but dear god, don't ever forget to feed him before sticking your arm in the tank! He won't let you forget it.

 

[entropygain]

That's maroons for you.

That's maroons for you.

First off, he is probably a she. They can change sexes and a larger individual alone typically turns female.

Mine does the same exact thing for the last 10 years. Pulls big chunks of live rock down. I mean 6" across or more! Rearranges things until she has them just her way. If you move them, she moves them back!

She is the first fish I got when restarted saltwater. After a few years, I got sick of this behavior. We had great fun catching her on a tiny trout fly (barbless) baited with mysis. Gave her to a friend who kept her for a few years then gave her back.

Got her in a grow out system now. I have tubes of PVC mounted to eggcrate to house euphylia frags. Sometimes she let's them sit, sometimes she pulls them out and moves them across the tank (60 gal long).

She attacks viciously when I put my hand in the tank, but it doesn't hurt.

Too much personality to get rid of her. One of these day's I'm putting a custom tank together for her. All rockwork will be epoxied together. All frags epoxied in place. Probably find a nice anonome for her to live with and maybe try to mate her again (killed the last 2 attempts before I could get them out). A shallow sand bed to dig in. Maybe some rubble for her to move around.

Love em, but sure can be a PITA!

 

[Big E]

Try moving the rack to another section of the tank. The rack is obviously violating it's space.

I like the idea of making a cage for the rack. It would take all of 15 minutes to make with cable ties, egg crate & some pvc pipe.

Don't put the fish in the fuge as a solution.

Are these extra frags from colonies in your tank or are they frags that will be part of the display. If extra frags.......sell them now.
If they are for the display then set them in their place while the fish is temporarily in the fuge.

An amenome in the display will probably limit the clowns territory a bit as it will stay very near the nem most of the time.

 

[stylolvr]

Have you thought about leaving (or returning) the fish to the tank and putting the frag rack in the sump? There would be room for the rack and a small light (halide, etc.) for the frags. Just a thought.....