my clownfish hides behind the filter hose or the return feed of the protien skimmer while swimming on his side close to the water surfuce. when the lights are off he will swim around and seem more active. Ive had it in the tank for a few days now and always see clowns in other peoples tanks seem more active. is this normal or is domething wrong with him. He will also only eat if it is dark. what should i do ?
2007-06-21 08:59:01 · 5 answers · asked by craig 5 in Pets ➔ Fish
ive also had a recent hair algae break out that seems uncontrolable could this have something to do with why the clown is acting this way?
2007-06-21 09:02:52 · update #1
all the water parameters seem perfect (pH 8.3, 0 amonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate) the clown is the only fish in the tank. only other tank mates are snails hermit crabs and a camel shrimp. No anenome in the tank but with the hair algae problem i am scared it will die if i add one.
2007-06-21 09:12:30 · update #2
i have like 17-20 lbs of live rock with more than enough hiding spots, my salinity is 1.023 and i just got a kit to test the phosphate so i will post that reading shortly. Is it possible that the clownfish is just hosting the filter head instead of some cave or rock?
2007-06-21 13:12:45 · update #3
phosphate is .1 or so. hard to get an exact number off the color coded chart but it inbetween .1 and .2
2007-06-21 13:38:53 · update #4
Do you offer the clown any hiding places like "caves" in rocks? Or is your tank more or less "bare"? Marine fish are found more from reef environments, so when they feel threatened, there's always corals or holes in the reef to duck into. Sounds like your clown may still be fairly new, and isn't sure what's a "threat" in the new tank, so he's trying to find a place to hide, since there's no school for him to be a part of. And to him, the filter uptake or overhang where the water comes out might be the best place. If you give him more spots to hide (so there's always one closeby) you might find he becomes braver.
This could also be an issue of not enough oxygen, but if he's acting normally when the lights are out, it seems more a behavior caused by "security" issues.
BTW, they don't need to have an anemone to do well in your tank - more intense light is needed for them to do well. This may only increase the algae problem you've got. For that, try having the lights on for less time, doing water changes more frequently (25% at least one a week), using aphosphate pad in your filter, and if your tap water tests positive for nitraates, you may need to change to reverse osmosis water to prevent nutrients that will only "fertilize" your algae even more. Once your tank is mature, if you don't mind seeing white scraped paths through the live rock, sea urchins are great algae eaters. Keep to small ones like purple rock urchins.
2007-06-21 09:36:14 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are two separate issues you need to look into. First, are you using a canister type filter, ie fluval. These remove a high percentage of available oxygen in the water when it is returned to the tank. That would cause the fish to swim to the surface to find moving water and oxygen. Second is phosphate. The algae outbreak was sparked by and introduction of phosphate. Go and get some phosphate absorbing filter media. Make sure what you are getting is for marine use. Many are out there for freshwater but will kill your inverts.
2007-06-21 09:50:17 · answer #2 · answered by Harrlock 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One thing to note: there are other parameters you should check outside the standard norm ones you've listed, including salinity, alkalinity, and hardness. The first link I put below has better info on that.
If you're having algae, you might also want to check on your phosphates. Get some cleaners who will graze on it too, that can help (like a starfish for example).
The clownfish likes to have a hiding place: without an anemone, it will pick rocks, etc. This is not abnormal. :) Plus if you've only had your fish for a few days, give it time to properly acclimate. It can take well over a week sometimes.
2007-06-21 10:27:29 · answer #3 · answered by Mermaiden 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is being stressed for some reason. Do you have other fish that may be bullying it? Do you have the proper annenomie for it to hide in? Have you tested you water quality? All these are factors when looking at a fish that is acting stresed. Find the stresser and you will have a happy clown. Good Luck!
2007-06-21 09:07:37 · answer #4 · answered by lilith 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Add anemonea if you can.Seems like he prefers the light off.He might be too hot with the light on too long.
He could be lonely.
2007-06-24 10:51:52 · answer #5 · answered by Klingon 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋