Clown fish problem! Help!

saltymarine

Member
Well I finally got finished with my cycle and so I went and bought some Ocellaris Clown Fish and I slowly acclimated them for about 4 hours. Well before I even got home with the fish I noticed that one of them was hiding out in the corner of the bag and not really moving alot. Well once I put him in the tank he started swimming around in circles and doing flips like he was caught in a tornado and the other was swimming around and checking out the tank. Well after about an hour of this I started to suspect that it got an air bubble some how and thought he was doomed. I left him alone and checked on him the next day and he was swimming normal. As soon as I turned on the light though he started doing it again for about 20 mins then swam around normal the rest of the day. Later that night I turned the lights off and he did it again. It is almost like he forgets how to swim. I turned on the light this morning and the same thing happened but he did it for about 10 mins and calmed down. Tonight I got home he was swimming fine and I turned out the lights and he started doing it again. He is eating normally and everything else seems normal but this. He acts drunk and like he doesn't know how to swim. Maybe he got hurt when they were trying to catch him? Anyone have any thoughts?
 

monalisa

Active Member
Originally Posted by SaltyMarine
http:///forum/post/2974653
Well I finally got finished with my cycle and so I went and bought some Ocellaris Clown Fish and I slowly acclimated them for about 4 hours. Well before I even got home with the fish I noticed that one of them was hiding out in the corner of the bag and not really moving alot. Well once I put him in the tank he started swimming around in circles and doing flips like he was caught in a tornado and the other was swimming around and checking out the tank. Well after about an hour of this I started to suspect that it got an air bubble some how and thought he was doomed. I left him alone and checked on him the next day and he was swimming normal. As soon as I turned on the light though he started doing it again for about 20 mins then swam around normal the rest of the day. Later that night I turned the lights off and he did it again. It is almost like he forgets how to swim. I turned on the light this morning and the same thing happened but he did it for about 10 mins and calmed down. Tonight I got home he was swimming fine and I turned out the lights and he started doing it again. He is eating normally and everything else seems normal but this. He acts drunk and like he doesn't know how to swim. Maybe he got hurt when they were trying to catch him? Anyone have any thoughts?
It could be that he's just getting acclimated to your lighting schedule. When my lights go out, my clowns hunker down in their mushrooms for the night. I would think that if everything else looks pretty normal, just continue to observe and keep an eye on things. Hope things go good for you.
Lisa
 

the_hadleys

Member
Our perc is kind of a loopy swimmer ... especially around lights on and lights off. I agree with Mona: continue to observe. Is he eating?
Good Luck!
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Do you use moonlights? Maybe the sudden light change is just scaring the ____ out of him, from what you described sounds like he is just startled every time the lights change.
 

saltymarine

Member
He seems to do it most when I turn the lights off and on and he does it for hours. If I didn't know any better I would think he was dead. He does flips spins in circles hits everything in his way and when I get up in the morning he is fine or still doing it. This fish is a weirdo. He is eating normally and during the time when the lights are on he swims normal. Maybe he is scared of the dark. He is just a baby clown.
 

fishlawyer

Member
I recommend swimming lessons...

Actually, watch him for a few days and I bet he gets better. New tank jitters.
 

saltymarine

Member
Poor guy kicked the bucket!
I think that all of the banging around finally got to him. He is gone. RIP little fishy!
 
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