Help with a Stressed Clownfish...

[eipappas]

Hi everyone. I am completely new to the fish world and am absolutely loving the hobby... I am in the "cycling" stages of my tank, however, and am starting to get worried that either my clownfish can't handle it as well as the other damsels or he's a bit on the slow side... He only swims in one corner of the tank, either in an up and down pattern along the glass or just hovering in the two inches below the surface. He does not interact with the other small fish in the tank nor does he go near the live rock. What really worries me is that he doesn't seem to swim with ease - he eats frequently and voraciously which is good but it seems like he has difficulty fighting the current in the tank when trying to swim to food further than a few inches away. Are clownfishes just awkward swimmers by nature? Basically, I am hoping someone give me insight into the normal behavioral pattern of clownfish... I am really worried that the early waves of ammonia in my tank are too much for him. I would much rather hear that this is just how clownfish behave than that I am creating a stressful environment for such a beautiful fish.

 

[robchuck]

Welcome to the board!!! Clownfish are awkward swimmers, and put on wierd displays quite often, but I'm afraid that this behavior is reflecting the amount of stress the fish is enduring at the moment. Just be patient, and ask away on the board. Patience is the most important virtue to have in this hobby (other than an abundance of money ) Also, see what you can do about getting the fish into a less stressful environment, and continue your cycle with a raw shrimp from a grocery store or use uncured live rock. There are plenty of posts on the board covering these topics.
Good luck, and welcome to the hobby!

 

[eipappas]

Thank you for your reply! I do plan on being a regular here... The messages I have read here are far more useful than the many books I've bought! ... What suggestions do you have on helping speed up the conditioning process in my tank? It's been about a week, and I only have about 20 lbs of live rock in my 46 gallon tank... should I increase the amount of rock I have? Or consider doing my water changes with bottled water rather than dechlorinated tap? The shrimp idea is great, thank you for the suggestion!

 

[sinner's girl]

adding more lr if you can will be a plus,
doing a wc before your cycle is over will slow down/delay the complation of the cycle,
you should not use tap water. ro/do is the best, but if you can't get that then bottle water is better than tap. we refill our gallons at wal-mart.
what other fish are in their with the clown? they are hardy but are not used as often to cycle...damsel may pick on the clown adding to the clowns stressful enviorment.
how long has the clown been in the tank? they act funny for the first few days...but in this case it may be the ammonia is stressing it out. If the clown is eating that is a very good sign...IME once a fish stops eatting it's all downhill and death isn't very far away...
I'm not sure if you should add shrimp since you already have fish in their...like i said i don't know...mayone someone else will reply on that. If there were no fish than using shrimp and lr is better than using fish imo to cycle a tank.
good luck, take it slow,

 

[robchuck]

What suggestions do you have on helping speed up the conditioning process in my tank?
The best suggestion I can give is to take care of your tank as you normally would, and just be patient. It can be agonizing going through the cycle before you can start to add livestock, but by letting mother nature do her work, rather than using a chemical or an additive (you are also setting yourself up for potential problems by taking this route), your tank will be much better off. The addition of more LR will also be beneficial in the long run. The experts say anywhere between 1-2 lbs. per gallon is a good amount to have. Also, if you do decide to add more LR, make sure you are adding cured LR, because any die off on the LR will prolong the cycle, or start a new cycle. Hang in there!