PLEASE HELP! New reefer with a strange acting clown!

mxmarks

New member
Thanks so much for even looking at this post. I'm BRAND new to the hobby, and have used the 'Beginners' forum for months now. I finally added my first fish - 2 clowns and 1 blenny - after letting the tank cycle and getting the proper params. Now one clown is acting strange - ANY help would definatley be much appreciated.

I picked 2 clowns (I can't recall the specific type, but they were very tiny, and have 3 white stripes, not two) at a very highly regarded LFS. They were in a tank with about 8 clowns, and the blenny. So both clowns, and the Blenny were in the same tank. During acclimation I noticed one clown seemed to really be moving its fins hard and fast, and it was the slightly bigger, and deeper orange clown - very beautiful fish.

In the tank, that clown would often swim at the powerheads, always looking very busy. It worried me that it may be stressed, but it seemed like it may just be 'busy'. Breathing looked normal.

Yesterday I came home to find this clown laying on its side on the bottom. I thought it was dead, and stuck a net in the tank. It sprang up and swam for a bit, looking stressed. I observed it, as it swam in a circle around the lowest part of my sandbed (still trying to find the right angle for powerheads, as they're creating a very low ground in the middle of the tank), and than sat in the center of it. It goes from sitting, breathing heavy, to falling onto its side, and than will swim in a circle again. When the lights went out, it sprang up, and swam to where it always has gone at night - right above a rock crevase, while the other clown is IN that crevace.

When the lights kicked on this morning, I was watching. It immediatley went to the SAME spot, and laid down in it.

The OTHER clown is swimming fine, and peacefully, but is always NEAR this clown. Its either hovering above it, or in the vicinity.

I have not really observed either eat - but I may be wrong. I drop some formula one pellets in a couple times a day, and both clowns seem to swim up to it, and swim away, or take a pellet in their mouth, than spit it out. Ive seen both nip at the rock in the tank.

This is a FOWLR tank at the moment, with just the blenny, 2 clowns, 7 hermits, 10 algae snails and 4 turbo snails. Just recently the snails and hermits have sprung into action, going up to the water line at night, so I think everything is doing well. The params all check out.

Sorry for such a long post, but I tried to provide as much detail as possible. If there is any advice, or questions, I'll be monitoring this post all day from work, because in addition to my boredom, my girlfriend and I really loved these clowns, and setting up the tank (75g) and waiting for it to cycle was so tough to do, when all we wanted was some clowns in there.

Thanks so much for reading, and any advice you may offer.
 
for feeding try frozen mysid and brine. how long did you acclimate? if it was too short then he might be extremely stressed. what did he act like in the LFS? you need to know what kind of clown you have, you need to research every fish you buy, before you buy it, and never buy on pure impulse. and you never mentioned what params check out and at what levels. this might just blow over but there is no guarantee.you should always quarantine(8 weeks is best), loosing all your fish to one disease is far too heartbreaking and does happen.
 
My percs were weird like that. I had to shave frozen food for them for a month to get them to eat. I think I have more pictures of them laying on their sides than ever being upright. Up until I lost them in a power outtage they still slept on their sides like they were dead.

Dsc07677Percs-vi.jpg
 
That makes me feel a little better.

The only reason I dont have the params is because I'm at work. When I get home I'll be glad to post that information. We only got the clowns AFTER we did the research,and made sure everything was set. It was not a rushed purchase by any means.

I just find it odd that the clown abandons that section of the tank the second the lights go off, and returns the second they come back on.
 
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