onyx
Member
If you haven't already, I suggest removing the damsels before attempting to get any more clowns. As bang guy mentioned, clownfish and damselfish are both in the family of Pomacentridae. A 55 gal. is way to small to consider housing 4 members of this particular family IMO due to the aggressive nature of most damsels and several clowns (especially towards similar species).
While you may not have seen the damsels picking on the clown ,it may have happened while you were not watching and could definately have caused enough stress for the clown to die.
However, I believe Bang Guy is most likely correct in suggesting it may be from an internal parasite. Perhaps trying a different store may yield better results. Also, wild caught clownfish often can carry parasites with them and have a relatively bad track record compared to specimens born in captivity as ReefNutPA mentioned.
It is hard to say for sure what the problem is but, as I and others have said, try removing the damsels, going to a different fish store (if possible), quarentining the clownfish to ensure it isn't carrying any disease or parasite, and finally, get a clown that has been born in captivity to increase its chances of survival.
I have had 2 wild caught True Percs die on me over the past 2 years. One died in quarentine from a parasite it had most likely picked up at the fish store and the other died from an inability to adapt to life in captivity. Hope this helps and good luck,
Mike.
While you may not have seen the damsels picking on the clown ,it may have happened while you were not watching and could definately have caused enough stress for the clown to die.
However, I believe Bang Guy is most likely correct in suggesting it may be from an internal parasite. Perhaps trying a different store may yield better results. Also, wild caught clownfish often can carry parasites with them and have a relatively bad track record compared to specimens born in captivity as ReefNutPA mentioned.
It is hard to say for sure what the problem is but, as I and others have said, try removing the damsels, going to a different fish store (if possible), quarentining the clownfish to ensure it isn't carrying any disease or parasite, and finally, get a clown that has been born in captivity to increase its chances of survival.
I have had 2 wild caught True Percs die on me over the past 2 years. One died in quarentine from a parasite it had most likely picked up at the fish store and the other died from an inability to adapt to life in captivity. Hope this helps and good luck,
Mike.
