Pistol

[MarshaW]

I just bought a baby clown on Sunday and this morning, it's no where to be found. Could the pistol shrimp have eaten it? I have a big clown but the baby didn't seem to bother her at all. I guess if the shrimp is a killer, I'll have to remove all the lr and catch it and take it back to the lfs. Now, I'm sad.:sad1:

 

[Jacwil]

Keep your eyes open for it...chk the floor if tank is open on top. I doubt that the pistol did it in...just MO. Good luck!

 

[Lightsluvr]

I just bought a baby clown on Sunday and this morning, it's no where to be found. Could the pistol shrimp have eaten it? I have a big clown but the baby didn't seem to bother her at all. I guess if the shrimp is a killer, I'll have to remove all the lr and catch it and take it back to the lfs. Now, I'm sad.:sad1:

If it is a mantis shrimp or so-called snapping shrimp, it could have easily killed a small ocellaris. On the other hand, if it is a symbiotic shrimp, they will share a burrow with a shrimp goby and are often sold as a pair. I don't know what type of shrimp you have. Did you take any pictures?

What we often see in our tanks is that fish die for reasons related to water, bacteria etc. When they die, your clean-up crew will "clean up" the carcasses... Mistakenly we think the fish was killed by a hermit crab or shrimp when really it died from other causes...

One last thing..."baby" fish have the highest mortality rates, as their systems never acclimate fully to the aquarium, they are weakened and susceptible to disease.

I prefer buying fish that have been in the LFS for several weeks, or have been in another hobbyist's tank so I can observe its feeding and behavior...

Sorry for your loss. Been there.

JME.

LL

 

[MarshaW]

I put Saran Wrap on the small opening before I bought the clown, but I went ahead and looked (had to stand on a high step stool) behind the tank and it's not there. Bummer!! Should I take all the lr out and see if I can find it? (

 

[MarshaW]

George, the pistol shrimp does burrow with the ywg and I haven't seen it or the goby this morning. Now that you mentioned mortality rate, I bet that's what happened because yesterday, there was a white strand coming out the of the baby. I figured it was waste, but that's a brown color, or is it? Next time, I'll pass on the baby and get a larger one. Today though, I'm getting an anemone, then I'll get a larger clown.

 

[EllieSuz]

Anemones need a mature, well established tank to thrive in our aquariums. Unless your tank is six months to a year old, you should wait with this purchase.

 

[MarshaW]

Ok, ( I need to buy something, so I guess a larger clown.

 

[purza_00]

If you take a small water sample with you the lfs will usually test your water to help make sure it is ok.

 

[BrianOKC]

Baby clowns that are WC have a very low survival rate in are aquariums from my experience.

 

[EllieSuz]

There is a difference between a baby clown and a juvenile one. Acclimated properly, you shouldn't have any problem with a juvenile. You should try to find one that is significantly smaller than the clown you already have. The larger of the two will become the female of the pair and the smaller will stay a male.

 

[MarshaW]

I'm waiting for my lfs to get a larger ocellaris, so hopefully, they will have one within the next couple of weeks. The one I lost today was a baby, so I learned my lesson with baby clowns and I won't buy another.

I want to ask, is it wise to have a pair of ocellaris and maybe a pair of black and white clowns? Could they co-exist in a 50 gallon? I love the clowns and I would love to have a breeder pair so before I buy, I want to get opinions.

Today, I bought a little twin spot goby, and 3 small kaudern's cardinals, along with an acclimation drip hose. Fingers crossed that all survive.

I will wait for the anemone.

Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[EllieSuz]

You cannot keep two pair of clowns in a 50 gallon. I would also like to caution you not to add too many fish at once. Each time you add a fish to your system, the biological organisms have to increase their numbers to consume the added load. When you add too much at once, you run the risk of having a deadly ammonia spike. Have you read the permanent threads at the top of the "New to the Hobby" forum? Many of your questions will be answered there and save you a lot of those Newbie mistakes we all went through.

 

[MarshaW]

Oooops!! Ellie, I use to ask questions on New to the Hobby, but I got so many conflicting answers, that I quit asking there. I live in Oklahoma City and I'm joining COMAS next month, so I decided this is the place I need to be.

Another lesson learned about adding too many fish at once. Mistakes are how we learn, especially when it hits the pocket book. Thanks for you suggestions.

 

[Lightsluvr]

I agree with Ellie on two pairs of clowns in a 50G. Don't do it.

When I combined my tanks into one (350G), the larger B/W ORA clowns visciously evicted my smaller orange/white clowns from their toadstool coral. Fortunately GregC came to the rescue with another toadstool that the smaller pair could host on the opposite side of the tank. Now they get along, as long as the smaller clowns stay away from the big toadstool. In lieu of an anemone that will travel all over your tank and possibly "eat" smaller fish, you might consider a toadstool...

As for the stringy "poop" from the clown, that could be just normal waste (depending on what you're feeding), or it could be signs of worms or other parasites... If the latter, that may be the reason he didn't make it.

The twin spot gobies are paticularly fragile (speaking from experience) and if you've got a rogue shrimp in your tank, they're easy prey as well.

I would suggest that you have your water tested before adding more fish. Make sure you have no traces of ammonia or nitrites before re-stocking. A 10% - 15% water change with freshly mixed saltwater won't hurt either.

If your goby and shrimp also disappeared, sounds like there's something going on in there... My mentor in this hobby told me to be patient...and then wait some more. Saved me a lot of money and grief over time.

Hoping you have a relaxed Thanksgiving. See you December 12.

LL

 

[MarshaW]

I just did a little reading about the pistol or Symbiotic Shrimp and they are a peaceful shrimp. The ywg and the pistol have destroyed the sand and now they are living under one of the rocks. YWG aka grandpa, came out for a little while this morning but rushed back to their home.

I'm glad I mentioned wanting more than 1 pair of clowns. I'll get one just a little smaller than Lucy but I'll stay with the Nemos.

Toadstool coral it is. I had heard the the carpet anemone will eat smaller fish, so I'm avoiding that one. How long should I wait before adding the tc?

I just read (should have researched before I bought) where the twinspot goby can die from starvation in a tank, so now I'm wondering how I'm going to be able to feed this little guy. If anyone has any suggestons, please let me know. I really like this little guy, so hopefully it will live.

I plan on checking the water this evening and doing a water change tomorrow.

Have a happy t day and I'm looking forward to attending the Dec. meeting and becoming a member.

 

[Lightsluvr]

Toadstool coral it is. I had heard the the carpet anemone will eat smaller fish, so I'm avoiding that one. How long should I wait before adding the tc?

I just read (should have researched before I bought) where the twinspot goby can die from starvation in a tank, so now I'm wondering how I'm going to be able to feed this little guy. If anyone has any suggestons, please let me know. I really like this little guy, so hopefully it will live.
QUOTE]

If your water is free from ammonia and nitrites and low in nitrates, a toadstool can be added. They aren't too fincky, IME.

The twinspots I had ate food from the sandbed. They are carnivorous and will eat small meaty food just like your clowns... a big Gorilla crab got the last one I had, probably when it was sleeping under a rock.

Good luck, and have a great day.

LL