Clown fish ???

Question

i have a clownfish in a newly set up 29 gal tank w/ plenty of rock and the salinity is right but he will swim underneath the filter a lot, unless he comes out to eat...any ideas???

Answer 1

I'll try to help with the limited information you gave.
In my experience, fish swim under the filter because that is the area with the best oxygenation. If your ammonia is high, there is less oxygen and therefore he is having a hard time "breathing". Do his gills seem to be moving rapidly?
You say a "newly set up" tank. I recommend testing ammonia for the first 2-3 weeks and if you get into the danger zone (.25ppm) doing a 10-20% water change to reduce the ammonia. If you test the ammonia the next day and it is high again, do another 10-20% but I would also examine how much you are feeding just one little fish in a 29 gallon tank. In my experience, ONE clown in a 29 gallon tank probably wouldn't even cycle the tank - not enough waste to get the beneficial nitrosomonas bacteria going.
Next question - is it live rock or just dry reef rock? If it is live rock and it wasn't cured properly, that would contribute to ammonia problems as living organisms die off on the rock and pollute the tank. My other thought is clown fish like to dart in an among the rock. If his behavior is such that he is hanging out under the filter, definitely an oxygenation problem in my opinion.
OK, you say the salinity is right. (Actually you are probably measuring Specific Gravity) In MY experience, when people think the salinity is right it usually is not. My customers read books that say salinity should be 1.024 and so that is what they make their saltwater aquariums. In my opinion, that is too high for a closed aquarium. If you are doing fish only, I and my customers have better results at 1.020. If you are doing a true reef tank with inverts, etc then 1.023-1.024 would be fine. Think about this.... if you fill up your aquarium initially with the correct dose of marine salt and then add about +/- 16 oz of treated FRESHWATER daily (adjust to your specific needs) AND do 10% weekly water changes with the appropriately measured saltwater to replenish that 10%, technically you should never have to test your water's SG. Do NOT wait until the water level has gone down on the tank and then say "oops I need to add water". Too late, the SG has changed already and even .01 is alot to a fish. My point is, don't worry so much about your salinity. Check your ammonia and nitrites and eventually your nitrates. If your dissolved oxygen is low, your fish will let you know by hanging out at the surface or under the filtration.
Only other thing I can think of is if the fish has only been in the tank for less than 3 days or so, he is probably scared and confused and hasn't decided where his favorite place is yet. You shouldn't have problems with dissolved oxygen levels if the tank is THAT new.
Also, someone else suggested running out and buying an anemone. NO NO NO! Test your ammonia, nitrite and nitrates first. Then, IF your tank is cycled (meaning 4-6 weeks or so after it was first set up) you can add the appropriate kind of anemone. The ones you see for $4.99 are Atlantic Anemones and they are not the ones that clowns will use (1 in a 1,000 shot). And I would NOT recommend a true Carpet Anemone - too strong of a sting and can kill a clown and other fish in the aquarium. Plus they get too huge! Sebae anemones are somewhat fragile when it comes to water quality and if you get one and it does well, it is usually as tough as nails. Most of them don't do well, however. I would recommend a Long Tentacle Anemone or an LT Anemone to try first. In my experience, it is best to give a clown multiple choices. They don't always like the one we WANT them to like :)
Anyway, to answer your question, I think you should test the tank for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and see where you are at in the cycling process. Then, if the fish wasn't just put in there in the past few days, do a water change and see if that helps. We recommend 10% weekly of the tanks capacity - more if your tank needs it but no less.
I hope my answer helps.

Answer 2

To add a little to petstore's answer, clowns do not need anemones to thrive. If you would want to get one, they will require fairly intense lighting (more that you'd get with two regular aquarium light fixtures). For a 29 gallon, I'd recommend a minimum of a 130 watt compact fluorescent to keep them. Clowns are very particular about their anemones as well. Depending on the species of clown, a carpet anemone may not be an appropriate choice.

Should you ever decide to get your clown an anemone, use this link to find out which are compatible: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i1/Clown_anemone/Clown_anemone.htm

My impression of your clown's behavior is that he's using the filter as a hiding spot, since it's probably darker than the rest of the tank and he's new. When you placed the rock, did you leave openings (like caves or tunnels) so fish have hiding places and water can circulate through the rock? If not, try rearranging the rock - when he has additional hiding places, he may come out from under the filter.

Answer 3

This is a sure sign of oxygen deprivation. He swims right under the filter because that's where the cleanest water is at.

How new is your tank? Did you allow it to completely go through the Nitrogen cycle? You could have ammonia or nitrite present in your tank which is extremely toxic. Check these levels and also the nitrate. Nitrate isn't toxic but will lead to stress increased which can cause disease and injury.

Is your clownfish eating regularly? If so, he may just be adapting to the new environment, which is unlikely because he would be hiding by the live rock, not the filter.

First check your water quality. If everything looks good, I would suggest giving him a little while longer to adapt. If you even have Slight traces of ammonia or nitrite, take your fish back to the store! Finish cycling your tank and you can get another clownfish.

Answer 4

Do you have an anemone? Clown fish need one to feel secure in their environment. How new is newly set up? Salinity is not the only thing to watch for in a salt tank. Do you do nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia checks? Do you treat with calcium? What are you feeding it?

The biggest thing is if you have an anemone though. If you dont get one and see how the clown comes to life then. Try and get one that is common the your species of clown's home range. Good Luck!

Answer 5

Maybe he's waiting for the little clown car with all 15 other clowns crammed inside. Does he have big fins and a red nose and a squirting flower on his chest?

Answer 6

That's generally just a fish's nature (not always). Did you ever see Finding Nemo? How that shrimp always hid in the helmet (or whatever it was, I can't remember now) That's the way fish are. They find a certain spot and they like to go to it. Not all fish though. I would suggest that you give him a friend, maybe that would bring him out more often.

Answer 7

get an anemonae for him. also something may be wrong with the water balance, I know when I set up my first tank my clown did that, ended up the ph was off and the salt levels were all over the place, stressing him out.

Answer 8

Maybe the environment is too new for him.