Got my first Clown (question)

[nc2tarheel]

I got my first perc clown. I have a 55g. I took my 4 damsels back (finally, wahoo!!). So all I have in my tank is a perc clown and a cleaner shrimp. What i want to do is get another clown for the one i just bought today. I'll probably buy one this weekend. The question is, does it have to be a perc or can it be any?? I was going to buy a pair today but they had three clowns and two of them were pretty big. The 2 big ones were together and the little fellow I bought was all by himself. I bought a smaller one. I've heard they don't get along with another clown at first and that they will attack each other. Is this the case?? Does it matter on size? I'm guessing I should get one that is around the same size. Also, is there a way for one to tell if a clown is male or female? Sorry for all the questions, but I'm excited cause i finally got my first REAL fish

 

[snailheave]

i think it was nice of you to not tear the other couple apart.
i think you can either buy one that's much larger or buy one that's about the same size as the one you currently have.
yes they'll fight intially.

 

[nc2tarheel]

is there a way to tell if mine is male or female??? That way i can match up the opposite for him this weekend???

 

[nc2tarheel]

OK, i just went to check on him this morning for the first time and he's still in the same place. He/she sits on the top of the water in the back corner and just barely moves around. Sometimes on his side. He looks very healthy but I'm not sure what's wrong. This is the first fish I've added (besides the damsels, and they went straight in and started swimming). My Cleaner shrimp stayed to himself for a couple of hours the first time I added him but the clownfish has stayed in one corner since yesterday? Should I worry? It's a 55g and I have no other fish but the shrimp. Is he getting lonely maybe??? Thanks.
Keith

 

[snailheave]

how early in the morning.
tell us what it does when lights go on after a while.

 

[nc2tarheel]

I'll do so, i just turned them on and i have a weird schedule today. I'll be back around 7pm so I'll post up then.
BTW, he spits out flakes and pellets that I feed him. Remember i had damsels so I didn't invest in any good food. But I'm getting worried that he's not eating.

 

[snailheave]

they do that in the beginning, mine did too. i was worried as well.
in addition to the flakes, get him (them) some frozen food, brine shrimp, and whole dried cyclop-eeze if it is available to you.
he will get used to the food. if we can determine that the floating near the surface thing is just sleeping.
just wanted to add that when the lights for my tank first turn on in the morning. my fish sometimes gets a little startled, then they appear confused and stay in their sleeping posture. after a few minutes they realize it's time for breakfast because they see me, then they start swimming around.

 

[steveoutla]

Don't mix your clownfish! I had a false perc and put a sebae clown in with him.......needless to say I lost my false perc. I moved the Sebae to my 30g and got 2 more false perc's and everything is wonderful now. Also, don't wait too long to get the second one. I have read (don't know for sure if it is true) that if one is alone for too long and you try to introduce a second one that the loner will kill him.

 

[nc2tarheel]

well, i just got home and my clown is still in the corner of my tank on the top of the water. I was afraid he might be getting hungry so I went and got some frozen brime shrimp and fed him. He came out of the corner to get the food and ate a little bit, then went right back to the corner. Any suggestions??

 

[lbzkid16]

Ur Clown Jus seem to trying to acclimate himself to the tank i have gone threw a few clowns an each one has done this al so what is the temperature in the tank i have found my fish seem to be alil more active when it warmer

 

[dskidmore]

Clownfish are a bit odd with sexing.
All clownfish are born male. When paired up, they will fight for dominance. The larger more agressive one will turn female. A female will not turn back into a male, and will fight with other females.
To get a mated pair, either:
a) buy two very small clownfish
b) buy one fish significantly bigger than the other
c) wait until the one you have grows a bit, then introduce a very small clownfish. The one you already have will turn female, and should accept the smaller male after a bit of arguing over it.

 

[snailheave]

if it's eating i wouldn't worry too much.
none of my percs i've introduced ever displayed this behavior, not for a long period of time anyway.
if it's only doing it at night then i say it's sleeping. if it does it during the day i say that's normal percula behavior, but you say it does it during the day AND sometimes on its side, that's a little weird.

 

[nc2tarheel]

^^Exactly.

 

[nc2tarheel]

ok, we're on the third day and my clown is still in the corner. I'm going to feed him here in a little bit but my question is, should i call the fish store come tomorrow and see about taking him back. I don't want the little fellow to not be happy. Or should I just go get another one and hopefully it'll give him some company. I don't think my clown and cleaner shrimp are good friends yet. Besides, one crawls on the sand and one floats at the top in the corner. Go figure.

 

[steveoutla]

Well, I have (had) 2 ocellaris clowns. I got the first two as a pair but one died. After that it seems like every time I add one either it or the other dies. The wierd thing is that one always survives. I'm thinking about just putting the remaining one in my 30g and starting with a mated pair. Any thoughts?

 

[dskidmore]

a) Are you adding only small/baby clowns to the tank?
b) Are you puting them through QT before introduction to the display tank?
These are both good ideas.

 

[nc2tarheel]

well i fed him again today and he came out of the corner to come eat but would not come far from the corner. He would grab some food then would back up to the corner again. It almost appears that he's FLOATING. He's ALWAYS 99.9% of the time on the VERY top of the water. I don't get it. :notsure:
And to answer the above question,
1. He's not fully grown but he's not TINY TINY. A little under avg, i'd say.
2. YES

 

[dskidmore]

Originally posted by nc2tarheel
well i fed him again today and he came out of the corner to come eat but would not come far from the corner. He would grab some food then would back up to the corner again. It almost appears that he's FLOATING. He's ALWAYS 99.9% of the time on the VERY top of the water. I don't get it. :notsure:
And to answer the above question,
1. He's not fully grown but he's not TINY TINY. A little under avg, i'd say.
2. YES
Is there some object in that corner he may be "hosting"? Clownfish aren't big swimmers, they like to stay in thier anenome or favorite coral and come out for quick food trips. Several people report thier clownfish "hosting" powerheads and other hang-on-back equiptment if they don't find a coral they like. If he's eating well, and not showing any physical signs of distress, I'd say not to worry. You may want to try an easy to keep soft coral, (something compatable with your lighting) and see if he/she likes that.
The small fish question was for the fellow who only gets one survivor when he buys a second clownfish. When adding a second clownfish to a tank where one is already established, a considerably smaller one should be added to sort out dominance more quickly and ensure the fish has not perviously decided to become female.

 

[snailheave]

percula clowns are surface swimmers so the fact that it's swimming near the surface is not a concern.
look into water current.

 

[nc2tarheel]

The water current I thought about but the weird thing is, this fish leans to the side. That's my problem. I don't care where he swims that much as long as he looks somewhat normal. He doesn't though. He doesn't look stressed or have anything that would appear to be wrong with him. At first i was thinking he might be looking at his reflection. Not sure though. He turns to the side as if he can't go down deeper without having to try to hard if that makes any sense. ??:notsure: