Clownfish problem

[dbalkema]

Ok, So I have had a tank for about 6 months now. Unfortunately, I have not been able to keep clownfish in my tank. I have done real well with damsels of all kind and a Royal Gamma that has been in the tank for about 3 months, but I have gone through about 10 clown fish. I always put them in the tank in pairs and I have never had more that 2 at a time. The water parameters are perfect but it seems that after about a week, I notice some chages in the clowns. The dorsal fin looks slicked back, they always stay in the corner of my tank and are just not active like they were when they were first put in the tank. Then after about a week or 2 in the tank, they die.
I just am not sure what I am doing wrong. Any suggestions would help.
Thanks, Dan

 

[nine28girl]

Originally Posted by dbalkema
Ok, So I have had a tank for about 6 months now. Unfortunately, I have not been able to keep clownfish in my tank. I have done real well with damsels of all kind and a Royal Gamma that has been in the tank for about 3 months, but I have gone through about 10 clown fish. I always put them in the tank in pairs and I have never had more that 2 at a time. The water parameters are perfect but it seems that after about a week, I notice some chages in the clowns. The dorsal fin looks slicked back, they always stay in the corner of my tank and are just not active like they were when they were first put in the tank. Then after about a week or 2 in the tank, they die.
I just am not sure what I am doing wrong. Any suggestions would help.
Thanks, Dan
Do they look line they have a white slim or coating? Read about brooklynella. I had my first 2 false percula die from it. Luckly I haven't had anymore problems and I now have 2 clark clowns and 2 true percula clowns that I purchased at different LFS. Sorry about your loss.

 

[dbalkema]

I'm not sure it is brooklynella. I thought that was a transmitable disease. My other fish are fine. This just seems to be a clownfish problem for me and the clowns that I do have are tank bred false percs. I just can't figure out what is wrong....

 

[rainfishy]

Are you getting all these clowns from the same place/LFS?

 

[dbalkema]

Yeah, Saltwaterfish.com

 

[rainfishy]

Well, how do/did you acclimate them? What are you water parameters? What are you feeding? Were they eating? Maybe with all that info we can pin point what the problem might be. Also what about the specs of your system?

 

[mikeyjer]

Originally Posted by Rainfishy
Well, how do/did you acclimate them? What are you water parameters? What are you feeding? Were they eating? Maybe with all that info we can pin point what the problem might be. Also what about the specs of your system?
All of these are important to know. As for the baby tank raised clowns I've gotten did not eat well. I had to feed Cyclop-eeze to get it to eat. I did lose one, but the guy is replacing it for me. It's growing and swimming around the tank and even playing in the long tentacle plate coral right now. He's got a few to choose from, the xenias, frogspawn, hammer coral, etc. :happyfish

 

[wax32]

Sounds like your damsels may be stressing them. Having established damsels in a tank makes it tough to add fish that need to ease into a tank situation like clowns do.

 

[uberlink]

I had the exact same thing with one of the two clowns I added a few weeks back from swf.com. It showed up a little pale and lethargic, and its appetite gradually decreased until one day I found it on the bottom of the tank with hermit crabs tearing into it. Ugly. They're sending a replacement with my next order. The larger of the two was and is in great health. Maybe their false percs are just hit or miss (and you're mostly getting "miss").

 

[dbalkema]

Well, my damsels usually stay on there side of the tank. My Clowns that I get are always drip acclimated for a little over 3 hours. The water parameters are perfect. Everything registers zero on my test kits. I usually feed Mysis Shrimp to my star fish and when I do that, the clowns will usually try to grab some of that, but I also feed the clowns, slow sinking morsels from Nutrifan max and Ocean Plankton freeze dried treats. I have never really had a prblem with feeding them. They always eat, it just seems like they will be dead within a week though. Sometimes I feel like my tank is a death sentince to clowns when I put them in

 

[92protruck]

I would agree with Wax that aggression from the damsels would a good possibility. I would also check voltage in the tank. Next time, try them in a QT for a month and see how they do.

 

[mikeyjer]

I would have to agree on the damsel part!!! :happyfish

 

[ohioguy06]

damsels are mean little buggers out of the two i had i just fished one out and the other is being good for the moment i hope that alot trouble!

 

[pchromis]

Bring the damsels back to your LFS. They will stress out any fish because of their territorial arrogant behavior.

 

[dragracer]

10 Clowns in three months........maybe take some time away from clowns until you have a definate idea of what wrong.

 

[cdavishb]

I had to get rid of my yellow tailed blue damsel because he terrorized every fish I added. This includes another Damsel added at the same time as the first one. It was recommended as a good hardy starter fish. It was very healthy but was very mean to my bicolor dottyback.