CLown going in circles

[gamedawg]

My new Ocellaris has been swimming in circles CONSTANTLY since I got him. I got him before the fish store took him out of his shipping bag, did everything right to get him into my tank,. he was fine for a couple hours, and now has been swimming in circles, sometimes running into things, for the past 2 days now. I haven't seen him eat yet, he's too busy swimming. I'm afraid he'll die of a heart attack! What do I do, and what is causing this?
BTW, he's always swimming counter-clockwise.

 

[mr_bill]

IMO the LFS should never have sold you a fish that they havn't even had out of the shipping bag. The LFS I go to would never do that, and I've seen people beg for some of the things they recieve in. The best the shop will do is let you pay for and then put a hold on a fish. If your water levels are all good then it's probably that the long journey has taken it's toll on the poor little guy.

 

[gamedawg]

Now since I have posted that, he has finally calmed down, and he's currently swimming around near the sand. The last clown I had didn't ever acclimate to my tank, was swimming around the sand like this one is, and by the next morning he was sitting on the sand, looking like he was going to die. I took him in while he was still alive, and they said I can have a different one when they come in.
The place I go to most has worked with me a great deal. They have credited a lot of fish for me, even if the fish died more than 2 days later. I hate to go back with this guy, so I am going to see if he's just trying to relax now, and how he is tomorrow. My water is good, ph is 8.2, hardness is good, nitrites, nitrates and ammonia is 0. Temp I keep at 85.

 

[mr_bill]

It's possible he's trying to get used to your temp. 85 is a tad on the high side, and remember the hotter the water the less oxygen it can hold.

 

[gamedawg]

I keep it at 85 because a higher temp is good to help ward off marine ick. If you ask a lot of the divers, it's usually close to that in the wild too. My other fish are just fine, I added a damsel about a week ago, and he acclimated really fast, started eating as soon as I let him out of the bag. This guy still hasn't eaten. any tips for that, or will he just have to get used to the tank first? My oxygen level is good too.

 

[dmitry]

He's clearly very stressed. Whether it's the shipping or your tank...who knows. Personally I think there's nothing you can really do but wait and see and hope for the best! (And make sure no one else in the tank is picking on him.)

 

[gamedawg]

Well, he got back up and continued to swim in circles, so I waited another day and took him back to the pet store. I don't know if he's still alive, but I guess I will find out on wednesday how it went.