Newbie here- perculas question food

[Jakef150]

just bought perculas clowns and it's approx 1-1.5 inches Said approx 1 yr old...
LFS recommended frozen mysis shrimp..is that good stuff ?

So I bought it and fed clowns... I noticed clowns bit then spit out... I wonder why clowns do that?

Any tips, what to look out for , anything will be great helpful

Thanks!
Jake

 

[Nakzter]

I feed my clowns Prime Reef Flake food which they love to death and with forzen mysis and brine shrimp.

My inhabitants are:

2 clowns
2 purple firefish
1 bicolor blenny
1 watchman goby

:beer:

 

[Jakef150]

ok..i ll take your advice- flake food..

BUT why do clowns spit out ? does that mean clowns dont like the food ??

Thanks!
jake

 

[9thwonder]

i feed mine NLS pellets, mysis, and Rods Foods

 

[SLove1104]

I feed my clowns Prime Reef Flake food which they love to death and with forzen mysis and brine shrimp.

Dude... my saltwater fish won't touch that stuff... I started feeding it to my freshwater fish and they seem to like it... Good thing cuz I didn't wanna waste it...

As for feeding percs, they're all different I guess. My percs won't eat pellets and flake food... only PE Mysis and my homemade gunk... I tried feeding them Hikari Marine S too and they won't eat that either... They're spoiled I guess...

Try different foods and switch it up once in a while or feed them a variety of things... PE Mysis, brine shrimp, Hikari Marine are a few that come to mind...

 

[elegance coral]

I don't feed flakes or pellets because of the phosphate level, and I don't like hair algae. If your fish are spitting out the mysis, maybe they are to big for them. You could try mini mysys. Clowns are omnivores, so they need some plant material in their diet. There are several frozen combination foods on the market that contain plant material, shrimp, squid, fish, crab, clam, you name it. You could also make your own.

 

[ThunderTang]

My clowns and other fish eat mysis shrimp, i've haven't gotten any flake so I don't know if they'll eat it for not.

 

[stevetcg]

My GSM eat spectrum new life pellets and Ocean Nutrition marine flake. In addition, they grab some of the fresh shrimp I feed my BTA. My occelaris eat pretty much the same, plus some nori that the rest of the tank gets fed.

 

[Sohal Tang Tim]

they will eat it!

they will eat it!

I guarantee those clowns will eat mysis! They are just getting used to a new food...and they are saying YUK to it...but...they will end up loving it guaranteed!!!!!!

How are you feeding the mysis? are you putting it in the tank without thawing possibly?

I feed it with eye dropper very sparingly......do not pollute the tank etc.....

they will grab it ....you'll see.....then they will eat it like horses if not this morning then this afternoon and if not today then tommorow...but they will kick in you'll see...!!!!!!

Mysis high in protein...excellent food to feed...much superior to brine....

My clowns eat everything!!!!!!!!!!! flake, mysis, brine, krill small piece,
anything and everything they can get in their mouths they will eat!!!!!!!
They are a damsel! ha.

good luck,
My opinion mysis is single best food for them....
But there is a food called ROD"S REEF FOOD ( I believe) ...he specializes in clowns and has put together a formual for clownfish...that is the ultimate...butit aint cheap baby! ha. I have not bought that food for a while but I will re-order it soon...great stuff.


Tim

 

[Jakef150]

2nd day- they wont eat...tried feed myisis shrimp by hibrik (spell?)

I guess clown need time , no ?

What is your suggest to try next food ??

Thanks!
Jake

 

[Sohal Tang Tim]

be patient

be patient

#1 how long has your reef been set up?
#2 what other fish are in with the clowns?
#3 be patient and continue to feed brine shrimp and mysis shrimp...they
will kick in...my guess is within 1 more day they will begin to eat.

This is not unusual...but it isssss a bit slow for these aggressive eaters.....
Are you 100% certain that the tank conditions are excellent for them?
Answer the questions above and I may be able to help you further....
I am not an expert but I have kept alot of clownfish over the years....and
have a pair right now...etc....

They can be a bit finicky when first introduced....but ....hopefully it is
finicky and not *tank conditions*.....

Answer 1,2, 3 and 4 and it may shed some light.....


#4 What skimmer you using and on what size of tank are they in?

Tim

 

[Jakef150]

1- 3.5 wks
2- no other fish, just two percula clownfish
3- yeah ok, i now see clowns starting to moving around instead of stay one place (corner bottom) i guess thats good sign.
i only have a frozen mysis shrimp. i put it SMALL of it in glass cup and let it thaw itself with some water i took some out of tank then put it in..

I tested the water with API reef- ( Phosphate -hard to match COLOR!) Ph-0-.25, nit- 0 , ammiona-0 , 1.024/25, Cal 480, alk (11 drops), ph 8.4 is 8.1 ( i just added small dosing of PH 8.4 by aquva.

I change water 5% weekly with RO/DI and mix w/ Red Sea Pro salt mix.

Its Biocube 29g with approx 25-30 lbs rocks, 20 lbs sands, and few zoas, candycane, frogspawn and duncan.

I have a "mediabasket" in rear chamber, floss, chemi pure, purgiun, and cheato.
K-2 powerhead and return pump MJ 1200.

How often do i feed clowns?

Thanks!
Jake

 

[Sohal Tang Tim]

Too early!!!!

Too early!!!!

In my humble opinion...and I could be wrong...repeat...I could be wrong.......
your tank is NOT ready for livestock...PERIOD.

If I were you ...I would get those clowns out of there immediately and
bring them back to the LFS or sell to another reefer.

Your tank may be still cycling ....something is bothering the clowns.....

the water chemistry is NOT good enough for them....period.

There are not short cuts in reefing... Nothing good happens FAST in
reefing.... It is simply too early to put livestock in....

NOw...some people can and have done it.....
Some have put livestock in, in a week

And some people parachute out of planes too...does not make it a good idea hahaha

Sorry to tell you....your tank is not ready for fish...and you might kill
those little beauties if you dont get them out.

Again...I could be wrong but you are surely taking an unnecessary risk.

Best of luck,

Tim


:beer: