clown depression????

[norway]

i have a behavior question for you guys
i have an almost 3 month old 10 gal
ls, lr, and water all from a 200gal from my lfs so it cycled quick
i have a small maroon clown along with an anemone, 3 turbos, coral banded shrimp, strawberry crab, and 1 red hermit crab......anyways
the clown is very healthy...good color, no spots, eats good, but he tends to swim at the top of the tank by my filter and powerhead, actually he tends to float. last night he was floating face up and almost out of the water, i touched him on the face and he barely moved and then proceeded to swim back into the center of the tank like he woke up and then was wondering if i was going to feed him. he probably spends 60% of the day there???????? any ideas???? when i first got him i had a damsel and they practically paired up in a hole in my lr but since i got rid of the damsel he has been paired up with my filter???is that it???

 

[norway]

let me go into more detail.....
10gal
penguin mini filter
1 400 maxijet powerhead for flow
1 100watt visitherm heater (temp 79degrees)
36watt pc lighting
10lbs lr
10lbs ls
1 maroon clown
1 pt anemone
1 coral banded shrimp
1 strawberry crab
1 red hermit
3 turbo snails
2gal water changes weekly...water is ro water from lfs

 

[sarah19802]

we had problems with our clowns skimming the top of the tank too. once we added an air stone, and a protein skimmer they stopped that all together. we were told at the pet store they will float on top if they are not getting enough oxygen. the oxygen and air flow should be things you should take a look at.

 

[elfdoctors]

I would also expect things to improve with improved oxygenation. A protein skimmer will help.
However, airstones are usually not recommended in a marine aquaria. They may be toxic to some fish but the bigger problem is that they will dramatically speed up salt creep.
Instead of an airstone, I would recommend adding a powerhead to improve circulation in the tank. Many people recommend to move 10x the size of your tank in water flow every hour (e.g. move 500 gallons per hour in a 50 gallon tank).

 

[norway]

i think you got it!!
i do have a powerhead though...100gal per hour and i do have a 10 gal tank so that shouldnt be the problem. when i also had the damsel i used the powerhead attachment for bubbles but that made the water evaporate waaaaaayyyy too fast in my 10gal. so i took it off, the powerhead is now about 3 inches below the surface and is not stirring up the surface... to help correct this oxygen prob could i make a tube that would spray water through multiple holes in all directions, including the surface area that isnt being moved by my filter spill????????
thanks again guys

 

[elfdoctors]

You could make a spray bar as you described.
I just reread your original post. You seem to have adequate flow. Therefore, a lack of oxygenation by itself is not likely to be the only culprit. What are your readings? Ammonia or nitrite toxicity will often manifest with decreased activity.
BTW, What kinds of light do you have? My first sojourn into SW fish (17 years ago) ended when my anemone in a 10 gal tank without good lighting died. It killed the entire tank in the process. Clownfish can certainly thrive without an anemone.

 

[norway]

i know i do plan on giving him a better home soon