Normal Clown Behaviour

[economic]

I have a small 5 gallon tank. I have 2 small perculia clowns about 1.5inches each. Only other extras in the tank is a piece of live rock and some cured corals.
Is it normal behaviour for them to go up for air once in a while? They seem to do this about once every 4-5minutes. I have a pump in the middle releasing air.
This morning one of my clowns was near the top of the tank yet moving normal, while the other remained towards the bottom. They are not active in the morning. Just wondering if this is normal behaviour for them? If my clown is towards the top, what should I do to rectify the situation?
Salinity in the tank are normal, ammonia is quite good and nitrites, nitrates have yet to increase.
Any advice or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Economic

 

[pufferlover]

I have had many clowns who would sleep near the top of the tank (some right behind the lip of the power filter). Some I have now sleep near the bottom corners. As long as they act normal and eat well I would not worry about where they choose to snooze. I to have a 5 gallon I use for new fish and it is small so there isn't a lot of room for any fish. Now when you say they go up do they stick their heads up at water line or do they just stay under water line near top? When you say you have a pump what is it a power filter or a pump with a air stone attached or a sponge filter pump. On my 5 I have a cheap whisper Junior Power filter which does a great job of cleaning and air exchange for that size tank (and they are very reasonable in price).

 

[economic]

The exact same thing occurs with my clowns. I was worried, because one was near the top behind the filter. The other was in the bottom corner. You confirmation means that mine are normal.
As for moving to the top, they seem to go near the top and then move back down, other times they seem to go up for air. This happens in a space of 4-5 minutes. Therefore they sometimes get air and other times they don't. As for equipment, I use a pump with an airstone. I had this placed near the filter, but then moved it, thinking that this might affect the filtering of water. It now sits in the middle of the tank. I have placed the airstone underneath a small piece of cured coral.
I am fairly new to this hobby. And I would love to be able to have these little ones for a few years . My success on this small tank will determine whether or not I purchase a larger tank.
Regards,
Economic.

 

[reefkeeper1]

I bet you dont have a anemone that is clown fish freindly in your tank. Most clowns i have seen tend to do this when they dont have a host anemone to protect them it is normal aslong as they are not doing any side ways simming or othere acrobatics

 

[pufferlover]

I would also agree that the 5 needs to be upgraded very soon (like now if possible). You can get very good deals on up to a 29 gallon at any of the major pet chains as they sell up to that size at a good price (they use them as advertisers). I missed in your profile till it was mentioned that it is your only tank. If you want just the clowns even a 20 would be better and last you quite awhile. Realize this if you are going into salt you will get the bug big time anyway so might as well go start it out now.

 

[economic]

Thanks for all the replies.
I decided for a smaller tank because in more than one Aquarium store they managed to keep a couple of saltwater fish and a couple of seahorses in these small tanks. By the way the tank is from Aqua One AR-380. It has a inbuilt trickle filtration system and internal light.
After speaking to one of the people in the Aquarium store, he said he will give me all the necessary equipment to be able to have a tank in the size I currently own. He gave me live sand, beneficial bacteria (rocks), saltwater pre mixed, and all the testing equipment. He modified the tank a little also to put in 2 bags. One bag is to help keep the water clean from algae and the other I am not sure . I did all this a week prior to getting any fish. He said that with the bacteria and live sand and the modifications, I should not have any problems. Only real thing I have to do is a 50% water change after it has cycled. Additional to this, I need to top up with fresh water.
I can not specify any parameters just yet, but I will check tonight. I tested the water but did not record the results.
Is there is no possible way of keeping these fish in a 5 gallon tank, after all they are tiny? If not, I might have to go for freshwater. That would be unfortunate because Saltwater fish are so much more colorful.
Regards,
Economic.

 

[economic]

I guess I chose a small tank to keep in my bedroom. I was going to go for freshwater fish but then changed my mind. The Aquarium store said it can be done and also have little maintenance. I guess limited "space" restriction was the main reason for such a small tank.
I am also testing to see how dedicated I am to the hobby. I do not want to be in a situation where I maintain the tank constantly while new to this hobby and then suddenly find I am not caring for the Aquarium like I should be doing. I have read at websites that most new people taking up the hobby find that they maintain the tank well to begin with and then slacken off as time progresses. I am hoping i will not be one of those people.
My other problem with a larger tank is that you would require special lighting? I only ever wanted to have colorful fish. I would have liked to have some rock ornaments similar to the rocks freshwater use. Whether or not I can get these for a bigger size tank I am not sure. I do not particularly want coral or much liverock. It all becomes far more complicated when you then deal with coral.
Regards,
Economic.