Wild Onyx Clownfish. Take 3

[ThRoewer]

The weird thing is that back in Germany in the 80s and 90s I never had that problem.
I could throw into the tank whatever I wanted and they would take it for food and eat it, even the things I didn't want them to eat - they were just little Pacmans.

Now, 2.5 of my pairs (1, 2F & 3) are crazy picky while the 1.5 other (2M & 4) eat whatever I throw in.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

The clown has been more active since the light turned off. I remember Bob Fenner writing on his site that light can cause stress for newly added fish. While this is not a "new" fish in QT per se, I opted to keep the light fixture off until she starts eating. It won't be completely dark 24/7…more like dim.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

I've also noticed that younger wild caught onyx (true perculas) clownfish have an easier time adjusting to captive diet.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

The biggest improvement this morning is that the clown's mouth is closed. She used to swim with it slightly open but now the clown looks normal. The mouth might have been injured from formalin dips even though I did my best to handle her as gently as possible, avoiding using the net whenever I could. She needs to eat some food now.
Another small improvement is that the clown started to play with food in her mouth. She used to completely ignore it before. I invested in R.O.E. (Real Ocean Eggs) in hopes of enticing to her to eat.

 

[m0nkie]

I have a few packs of frozen Nutramar. they've always helped me with picky eaters. If you need some, I can give you a pack. They are pretty much impossible to find outside now.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

I have a few packs of frozen Nutramar. they've always helped me with picky eaters. If you need some, I can give you a pack. They are pretty much impossible to find outside now.

Thank you buddy. She actually ate quite a bit of brine shrimp earlier so I was very happy about it. I will keep your offer in mind if I get a picky eater. Thanks again

 

[ThRoewer]

Good to hear she is making progress.

My pair 3 is getting better with eating Mysis since they are in the gig.
The interesting thing is that pair 4 were gulping down Mysis like crazy right from the start. Those two always have a rather round belly.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Good to hear she is making progress.

My pair 3 is getting better with eating Mysis since they are in the gig.
The interesting thing is that pair 4 were gulping down Mysis like crazy right from the start. Those two always have a rather round belly.

Thanks. What size are your clowns? I have noticed that younger and smaller clowns adapt to captive diet better than adults. That said I never had a wild clown go without food for more than 7 days including the current wild Onyx.

 

[ThRoewer]

Most of them are between 35 and 55 mm. The largest with about 70 mm is the female of pair 2.
I can't see the size being a factor, more the color pattern.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

She ate again. The clown is picky in a sense that she wants the food to float to her instead of going after it. Also, she prefers smaller pieces of food. Good enough for me at this point.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Throwing a lot of food in the tank and waiting 15-30 mins before cleaning out the leftovers with a turkey baster has been key to her eating.
And we have a winner! She just ate a bunch of pellets!!!

 

[CoralsAddiction]

I doubt this clown lives. It has been less than two hours and it's all covered in white slime. Currently the QT is dosed with Maracyn 2 and Coppersafe. Both are Mardel products and are supposed to be safe for concurrent use.

7 days ago I didn't think she was going to make it but things are looking good for her. She's eating like a pig.

 

[ThRoewer]

Throwing a lot of food in the tank and waiting 15-30 mins before cleaning out the leftovers with a turkey baster has been key to her eating.
And we have a winner! She just ate a bunch of pellets!!!

I usually feed live foods like tigger pods that can stay in the tank.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

I usually feed live foods like tigger pods that can stay in the tank.

I thought about live food but I didn't think it would make a big difference because of copper in QT that would kill them.

 

[ThRoewer]

Well, here we have another reason why copper is a bad idea

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Well, here we have another reason why copper is a bad idea

LOL. I'm just glad that she is alive and eating.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

I will remove copper from QT in 8 days. The clown will have gone through 2 rounds of PraziPro by then.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Here's an update video of my piglet eating:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MDN9wYhnp8

 

[ExpertMarine]

Damn, I've missed quite a lot...
I'm very happy to hear that you are having better luck this time. I still feel that you try too many things too soon. You really should slow down with all these dips, copper, prozi.
Do you have CP? If not, order some on eBay. The white skin patches have easily been cured with a mild dose of CP on clowns that I've had experience with...
As for food try formula one pellets. They are moist compared to other pellets I've tested and new fish feed on these faster...

 

[ThRoewer]

Well, a low dose formalin dip before they go into QT is what has worked for me so far. If they then still develop rapid breathing or white patches CP is the next. I did that with my pair 2 after I noticed the female was breathing rapidly and slightly clamped her fins. After one day it had already cleared up.

In general with fresh clownfish, less is more. I wouldn't even put them through TTM until they are well stabilized and eating.