Clowns Breathing Heavy in 24 Aquapod

darthsimon

darthsimon

Member
Hi guys,
Just recently joined this forum. I actually run a very large forum called Home Theater Forum, so am used to great forums such as these. I recently acquired a brand new 24G AquaPod to start off in this hobby. I did SWF with my older brother over 20 years back... Little rusty to say the least... Was only 12 at the time... My tank is setup, levels seem to be good, Water temp is 79-80. PH is 8.3 Nitrites and Nitrates are 0 for now :)
Put in 2 Pecula Clowns 2 days ago. They seem to be doing well... They just started eating, feeding them the Pellets...
My question is about respiration. What is a good sign of good breathing? They both do swim around and open and close there mouths a alot.... One faster then the other... Is this their breathing habit? Sorry for such a newbie question... One also shakes now and then, he will be swimming along and just get the shakes, and keep moving... It's pretty funny....
Should I be using an Airpump?
Thx in advance,
Steve Simon
 
steveoutla

steveoutla

Member
Welcome back to the hobby.
1st question - How did you acclimate the clowns? The heavy breathing is because they are stressed for some reason. However, clowns (or any fish for that matter) usually won't eat when they are stressed.
Now on to the shakes. This is probably the clown changing from a male to a female. When you have two male clowns together one will change sexes so they can mate.
Lastly, don't get an air pump. They are totally unnecessary. I would look at some of the aquapod mods and do the live rock mod right away. Keep testing your water to make sure everything is staying within good parameters.
Keep us posted.
 
darthsimon

darthsimon

Member
I put them in the bag in the tank for 15-20 minutes, then added some of my tanks water, for another 15. Then dropped them in with a net..
 
darthsimon

darthsimon

Member
The tank is one week old. LFS said it was ok to start with the clowns. I added some live rock and the packet of bacteri as well....
 
pete159

pete159

Member
LFS's tell you what you want to hear. if they told you it was ok to add fish after 1 week you clearly can't trust anything they say. the tank first has to cycle, which does not happen in one week.
you didnt add ammonia with the fish in the tank did you?
Anyways, after the 2 clowns die, come back and we will help you start over.
 
pete159

pete159

Member
ok maybe that was not the nicest response:)
maybe they will pull through, but they sound very unhappy. maybe bring them back to the store, add more live rock and let the tank cycle complete before adding fish.
 
darthsimon

darthsimon

Member
No I did not add ammonia. Tonight when I got home they seem to be swimming around just fine. There mouths do seem to be moving while they swim. Not rapidly though. I just fed them, they ate just fine in a 2-3 minute period...
 
darthsimon

darthsimon

Member
Update... I turned off all my bright lights last night, and just left the lunar lights on for them to go to bed. They started acting really funny. They were all over each other like glue. The started to mimic each others swimming patters... Really cool.... They are also both getting the shakes this morning. they must be mating....
 
praisethel

praisethel

Member
I have read that clowns do best in established tanks. Like about 6 months old. Good luck! They are the best fish to keep in my opinion......
 
darthsimon

darthsimon

Member
It funny. every picture I see of a Clown, their mouths are closed... When mine swim, they open and close there mouths as they move.. Is this normal??
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by DarthSimon
It funny. every picture I see of a Clown, their mouths are closed... When mine swim, they open and close there mouths as they move.. Is this normal??
Yes. This is true for most fish. Open mouth, gulp water, close mouth, force water through gills, repeat.
 
darthsimon

darthsimon

Member
Update...
My 2 Clowns are now breathing just fine... Much slower... Much better... They also seem to be pairing up. Swimming with each other now... When I turn the lights off at night, and just leave the lunars on, they do some wierd things... They mimic each others swimming... Maybe they are courting each other lol :)
 
darthsimon

darthsimon

Member
Tank is 7 days old now... PH is 8.2 Temp 80, still 0 Nitrite and trate, Amonia 0, Salinity is In the green range on the scale... How long do you guys think until I can put some more stuff in? 3-4 weeks??
 
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