Why did my clowns survive my tank crash

[dtaranath]

I was away in Chicago over the weekend, and my wife called me.

"Everything in your tank is dead. Everything except your two clowns."

I came home to find that the circuit had tripped for some unknown reason, and I didn't have anything else providing circulation to the tank.

I had large tangs, yellow, blue, & powder blue. I had an anthia and two shrimp. I had tons of corals. Some of the SPS died. Many of the softees survived, some barely.

But how come my clowns did not suffocate like everything else? Is there metabolism different? I believe they are ocellaris.

Can anyone shed light on this?

 

[2OceanLovers]

Clownfish are a type of damsel. They are super hardy and can take all kinds of poor water quality. The other fish you mentioned have a track record of being prone to disease when stressed out.

 

[dtaranath]

Thanks!

 

[blumarlin]

Had my tank crash due to hurricaine Ivan a few years ago.
Came home after 6 days of no power & my ocellaris was bobbing up & down @ the top of the tank.
When the power came back on 2 days later 2 damsels came out of the rocks, alive & kicking.

Lost everything but these 3 fish. They are tuff little suckers!!!

btw, I hated those @!#! damsels>

 

[archie2]

The 18w PC lite in the refugium fell into the sump.
ALL corals were immediatly fried..........even while power flowed thru 780joule GFCI. It seemed anything with MASS..i.e...all snails, the 2 oysters in the rocks, 1 turbo snail, snails & hermits, plus the micros livng in the rocks, a sifting star & all 45 pouds Marshall & Fiji rock in a 29gal tank, got singed. The condi talori has had to be replaced in the refugium, the calupera is returning on its own from the fiji pink sand liing the refugium bottom.
A REEF is one of the toughest things God must have created. Its when WE, mankind throw our element of Power and destruction does the REEF practucally disappear.
The first fish to go , tang (yellow), But, the gobies, red coris wrasse, 6 lined wrasse and the pair of false oscillaris clowns All of these were either Not close to or touching the rocks, OR the clowns are just plain TUFF, they maintain a 2 3/4" coupler of pvc pipe, 24/7. I ve restocked most everything.
Scrubbed every rock and risnsed everything before returning to the tank. Now 4-6 monthes later , got some paddle grass and new purple coarline in places there was none before.

 

[Kmiec123]

Clowns are the best Agreed 100% damsel fish are hardy, You can cycle a tank with tank raised percs, then not have to worry about getting that devil out later.

 

[rkelman]

"You can cycle a tank with tank raised percs,"

Aren't we trying to bury that practice?

 

[stagefright13]

Cycling a tank with Damsels etc... I thought was gone in the 80's. Hopefully people know better now!!!!

 

[Kmiec123]

Didn't say I do it, just know they can. Not that I intentionally put a fish through bad water quality I have seen them handle some high am. and nitrate levels....I just wonder what all the damsels are still doing in the tanks at fish stores...are they that pretty.

 

[fatdaddy]

I had the same thing happen. My tank cycled due to overfeeding and only my tomatoe clowns survived. They female was definitely hypoxic, but she came around in about 15 minutes. Tough fish.

 

[DeathWish302]

Sorry, wrong thread....

 

[carolinacoral]

They are tough little fish. Had a tank go without power over the weekend at my office and only fish left was a maroon. Another time had a leather melt down and only fish left were my true perc pair.