survival to the fittest?

[chocolategirl]

my true percs have finally decided to take to the anemone I have in the tank! !!!
I bought these two as a mated pair!! Unfortunately they have been fighting for two days now b/c they cannot get along living in the nem together!!! I noticed today they are both breathing really hard!! like panting!! is this signs of a fight to the death?!!

what shall I do?.

 

[demonsp]

Sounds like they may need air. Can you give some tank specs like age,equipment used for flow, amount of LR and LS,other stock?

 

[chocolategirl]

hi demonsp. You helped me out earlier this week with my anemone that kept moving around the tank and went deep into the rock. anyway he is out and the clowns have been fighting all day like they dont want to share the space in the anemone. I have approx 200+lbs of rock, 4 power heads, age is 3mos, aqualogic g4 skimmer. all my other fish are doing fine it's just that these two have been fighting at least 10 hours today, are they trying to fight to the death or what?

 

[demonsp]

Hard to tell.If they did work the sex part out then they maybe working out the anemone time and spots they can use. My tomato clowns fought and shared my BTA untill sex was decided.Then the female pushed the male around for a few weeks and would not share the BTA.Then a few weeks later he was allowed to hang on the edge only.Now he can go in the BTA only at night and hang on the edge during the day.He will host other coral during the day but the female basicly rules his life . Im sure hes happy with what ever he gets.All fish are differant. But if yours didnt switch sexs and are the same sex then they will always fight. You just need to keep an eye on them . Its all part of learning.

 

[demonsp]

But im worried about the breathing heay part. I would like to know whats used for water flow?

 

[Icefire]

water flow have nothing to do about it, fishs are probably stressed from fighting. By having a skimmer on any tank you can rule out the "fish need air" as O2 level get high with a skimmer

 

[dalilgriffith]

I would suggest peer mediation counseling....


I sometimes suggest time outs from eachother. When my clowns get roudy with eachother or other fish, I get out the breader nets and put them in. It seems to calm them down.

I would try this. Maybe in a refugium and see if the heavy breathing subsides.

I agree with Icefire, its not the air level if you are running a skimmer. Even with severe cynobateria blooms my tank had while away on business (don't ever leave your tank with someone who says "Fishy Fishy") , my oxygen levels were still very good with proper skimming....


Just my observations....

 

[demonsp]

The disolved oxeygen they need is best supplied from surface exchange. The bubbles the skimmer releases cant get absorbed. We put the skimmer in a sump or fuge to eliminate these distracting bubbles. If the fish is breathing heavy then its a safe bet there low O2.

 

[demonsp]

Ocean life gets its oxygen from the motion of the surface. The ONLY way your fish get air is from surface agitation. ANY device that disrupts the water at the surface is usefull. Be it a bubbler, a skimmer, powerhead, or even just the return outlet(s) of your filters will add air to your tank. Air in a salt water tank is less than in freshwater ( scientific mumbo-jumbo having to do with molecules and stuff ) - so it is DEFINITELY a good idea to agitate the surface especially if you only have one return from your filters. If you have 2 filters with bi-directional returns, aim them at each other- the extra turbulence is appreciated by your fish and it's usually sufficient enough for air to enter your tank. Hope this helps !