The Cave Monster

[miniwhinny]

Arati, here where my flow is 540 (ac50's)+ 1200 (koralias)+ 500 (ac110)+ 240 (mj) = 2480 divided by 29 gallons = oh, okay my bad...85 x not 84 sorry. Keeps my tank spotless. I do my water changes on Saturday mornings so today is one week since I went in there and there's not even a snail poop to be seen.


If I do get a BTA then I'll take out my SPS frags and put them in another tank and dedicate this tank just to CM and her mate. I had read that if a clown is left alone even just for a few weeks once they are sexually mature - age wise - then they will become a female. She's been alone for 11 months now.

Where do BTAs live in the wild? Here at the Oregon coast the tide pools are full of coldwater nems who live right there in the tidal zone...I can't imagine the flow they get when the breakers crash down on them as the tide comes in and out.

 

[tquick]

LOL she sleeps into the cave to keep from being swept away ROFL. Definetley pretty i would if in the early stages and your considering pairing change it to a fish breeding tank lower flow and get anemone to make the fish happy

 

[miniwhinny]

LOL she sleeps into the cave to keep from being swept away ROFL

HAHAHHAHAHAHA - that's it !!! HAHAHAHA.

Actually - and I guess this is a sign to what would make her happy - she sleeps there IN a mushroom. The only 'shroom I have in the tank (hitchiked on the rock from another tank) It's a pretty small one but she snuggles down in it. It's hard to see because it's pinky/purple but it's under her on the left side.

 

[garygb]

I just noticed in your last pic, she looks like she's a gold strip. Before I assumed she was a white strip, but it looks like some yellow is starting on the strip behind her head.

If she's bonded with a mushroom, you can just imagine how she is going to appreciate a BTA;-)

 

[garygb]

"Stripe" is the word I meant to say. I read these posts after I send them. lol

 

[miniwhinny]

HAHA dont worry garygb I knew what you meant. Yup she's a goldie. Her front stripe changed sometime during the summer and there's faint yellow in her middle stripe now. Oh, here's a Q. will she need a GSM as a mate or would it matter if it was a WSM?

and thanks so much for all of your help. We have one LFS in Central Oregon (yup it truely IS a desert) and I'm going there today with my fingers crossed ';-) I will be picky though, I want to make sure I get a nice healthy specimen with nice color (talking about the nem...

oh, unless...would it be better to find her a mate first and then introduce their "home" or doesn't it matter?

Gosh, so much to learn.

By the way just for others info reading this post. CM is fed ROD's original about 4 times a day (small amounts at a time) She loves it and she seems in really good health.

This morning she caught a stomatella that was half dead after being sucked into a powerhead. I removed it and as it fell she grabbed it and fed it to her 'shroom. I had to remove the poor thing

 

[garygb]

I've read that GSMs are somewhat more docile than WSMs. They are the same species, so I don't see any reason you couldn't pair a WSM and GSM. As far as whether to get the anemone or the male first, I don't know that it would matter. The female might be a bit more territorial once she settles into her anemone, but if you have the safety cage, like you discussed for the male, it might not be a big issue. My GSM is a tank-bred one I got from Petco. Actually, my ocellaris are also tank-bred from Petco--and they are the prettiest ones I've ever seen. So, if you happen to have a Petco that sells saltwater fish, by chance, you might be able to get a nice tank-bred maroon.

 

[miniwhinny]

We do have a Petco in the next town over. I'm a little worried about shopping there though. Everytime I've looked at their livestock they all have ick.

 

[garygb]

Yeah, some are much better than others. In general, I don't recommend Petco, but for tank-bred clowns, they seem to do fine--at least at the store I bought mine from.