New reef tank, losing clowns

T

Tarpals

New member
When my wife and I moved at the end of March we agreed that we would put up a marine tank in the 65 gallon tank we previously had African Cichlids in. So we started out slow, circulating freshwater first, adding the salt, and then did nothing for about a month. Started adding live rock, then about three weeks later added our first fish, two blue damsels. We waited another couple of weeks and added the following: scooter blemmy, blanket anemone, five percola clowns. One week passed and we had lost three clowns (one body we didn't find). We went back to the dealer yesterday and added more live rock and two more clowns. This morning, one clown was dead and another doesn't look good right now. Our water has been tested and is fine. Any ideas? Everybody else looks fine in the tank.

Many thanks.
 
Most people will tell you that 5 clowns is 3 too many for your size tank. Do you notice the clowns fighting at all? Are the clowns all juveniles? You could be losing them due to aggression. First thing I would do is to remove all but two clowns, keeping the largest and one of the smaller ones.

Edit: another question, do you have a pic of this "blanket" anemone? Its not a name I'm familiar with. If its not a hosting anemone it could be a problem.
 
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No the clowns aren't fighting. Yes, they are all juveniles.

Can I ask why 5 clowns is too many for a 65 gallon tank?

Thanks.
 
Aggression mostly. They will fight till theres eventually 2 left, or worse.
 
You might ask your dealer if the clowns are c.b. or wild caught. Wild ones are prone to many different diseases, mainly caused by stress between going from the reef to your tank. If you don't already you might consider quarantine of 30 days atleast for all new fish.
 
Most of the time, the dealers get away with a ton of clowns for two reasons: first, because they're still in shock from transport and don't really care/aren't in a LFS tank long enough for agression to set in; and second, because a lot of clowns in a tank can minimize the agression shown to each individual clown.
 
Re: New reef tank, losing clowns

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15664987#post15664987 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tarpals
...Our water has been tested and is fine. Any ideas? Everybody else looks fine in the tank...
Many thanks.
Click to expand...

Ammonia, No2, No3, temp and salinity please. Awful lot of dying for a tank that tests fine after what seems like practically no cycle.
 
Re: Re: New reef tank, losing clowns

Re: Re: New reef tank, losing clowns

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15666198#post15666198 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MarineFlake
Ammonia, No2, No3, temp and salinity please. Awful lot of dying for a tank that tests fine after what seems like practically no cycle.
Click to expand...

First off, I'm the wife:D

Here are the parameters that we can test for:

pH: 8.0
Ammonia: 0 mg/l
Nitrite: <0.3 mg/l

Second, the tank has been cycling for about five weeks now.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15665552#post15665552 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jetblacksdart
You might ask your dealer if the clowns are c.b. or wild caught. Wild ones are prone to many different diseases, mainly caused by stress between going from the reef to your tank. If you don't already you might consider quarantine of 30 days atleast for all new fish.
Click to expand...

I believe they are c.b.
 
Am I getting the drift that I should pull two clowns and the blanket anemone and turn my 12 gal Nano Cube into a reef instead, or would that not be big enough?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15668367#post15668367 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Toddrtrex
I have never heard of a "blanket" anemone. Sure you not thinking of a "carpet" anemone?
Click to expand...

Sorry...yes it is a carpet anemone. I have no idea why I think it's called a blanket anemone. :(
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15668395#post15668395 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lyndaj
Sorry...yes it is a carpet anemone. I have no idea why I think it's called a blanket anemone. :(
Click to expand...

Assuming that it is either a Gig or Haddoni there is no way you could move it to a 12 gallon tank. Most likely not enough light, and they would get too big for a 12 gallon tank.

I have a Haddoni that is at least 15" across, and I barely feed it.
 
A carpet Anenome requires alot fo light Metal Halide is the best(imo) but people also use t5ho. they need to be in a well establish tank because new tanks parameter fluctuate alot more. Its called new tank syndrome and is verry hard on some creatures.

Clownfish are best kept 2 to a tank because as the mature they can and normaly do become verry territorial and will kill each other off until you have 2 anyways. They are a type of Damsel fish and damsels are pretty mean. Somwetime clowns and damsles will fight, but not always.

A scooter Blenny is a type of dragonet and generaly are consider among the most difficult fish to have long tem sucess with. They usually only graze on micro organisms called Copepods. Pods to exist in all healthy marine aquaria, but again can take as much as a year to become established. Most people who keep these fish use a refugium to ensure a stable and ample supply of pods.

Most SW fish need to be run through a quarenteen before being added to your main tank. they get alot of disiease in fish store.

Lastly Find a good website and read read read. stop listening to your local fish store I garuntee they want your money and we only want to help.

If you like clownfish I would say start here.

http://www.amazon.com/Clownfishes-Joyce-D-Wilkerson/dp/1890087041
 
No offense, but your "started out slow" is to fast in this hobby. Circulating saltwater in a tank with no rock or substrate is meaningless, there is nothing to cycle. You should not have any type of anemone in a 5 week old system, especially when you continue to add live rock that is probably cycling in your tank each time because of the different water parameters and die-off during transportaion. You should probably find a new store to go to as well if they are selling all of these animals to you knowing your system is still not ready, let alone selling you 5 clowns for one tank (stick with two clowns max...large and small or two small).

You really shouldn't make another move (unless it involves giving livestock back to the LFS) until you read this, and don't keep adding clown fish, you have enough already.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1031074
 
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