Odd behaviror from Clown....? HELP

db9181

db9181

Member
Alright, I have two clowns in my 10gal QT - they've been doing fantastic for over 3 weeks and I was planning on moving them to the DT (29gal) tomorrow. HOWEVER, in the last 1-2 days my O/W Clown has almost been laying in the PVC (the B/W never seems to stop swimming except at night lol) - Its almost as if the O/W is trying to get 'comfortable', but literally almost completely laying on its side sometimes. However it will come out and swim perfectly fine all over the tank, through the PW, etc so if it was dying I doubt it would be ok through the PW, then It'll go back into the PVC and 'lay down' - It also seems to 'protect' it when i put a net in the tank, or it will swim out/all over the tank, then back into a piece of PVC.
video below - sorry for the long length, was trying to get its behavior... I was slightly tapping on the tank form time to time which would cause him to come out.
Is my clown just trying to "host" the PVC? Advice ASAP please!!! lol like i said these guys were scheduled to move to the DT tomorrow....
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Completely normal. He thinks the PVC is his host (home). If this was an anemone and he was doing this same thing, I'd be congratulating you.
 
db9181

db9181

Member
haha thx BTLD, but he also barely eats in compared to the B/W (and is much skinner). I moved them to the DT (nothing else in there) and the B/W started swimming all over the place.... the O/W went straight to the bottom and laid there next to a rock. I didnt view this as normal by any means so I put him back in the QT for now. I figured if he was just "hosting" when he went into the DT he'd at least explore alittle. I also notice that when he 'lays down' he's rapidly breathing....
Like i Said if he was eating regularly (like the B/W) and swimming around alot (or at least when I put him into the DT) I wouldnt be so concerned, but when he basically dropped to the bottom it made me worry.
 
db9181

db9181

Member
i put the o/w in a 5gal bucket (bc im painting the side of the QT black really fast) and he seemed to go straight down tot the bottom and lay on his side a bit.... Now he seems to be swimming around fine. If he wasnt so skinny I probably wouldnt be so concerned. Should i 'run a test' and take all the PVC out of the QT for a bit and see what he does? if hes hosting, shouldnt he start swimming around the tank again? and if he goes a 'lays on the bottom of the tank' then something else may be wrong....???
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
I have one in a 5 G that is using a plastic plant as his host. If I take the plant out, he just finds a corner and does the same thing. He's also young and thin. He's not eating very much, but a little bit, young clowns don't eat much.
 
db9181

db9181

Member
The b/w is eating like 3x as much as the o/w and they're about the same size. So in you're opinion, is he okay to move to the DT?
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Ok, I think you have too much flow for a baby clown. If you really watch him, he's fighting current, and when he's had enough and gets tired, he goes into his little host PVC. Turn off the powerhead and observe him again. I think he's using up too much energy, but other than that, he looks like a healthy, yet very young clown.
Also, what have you tried to feed?
 
db9181

db9181

Member
Hmm alright I'll turn the PH off and no, they're just under observation (quarantine 30days from purchase to DT). I've fed rotating mysis, brine, squid, and emerald cuisine (all frozen/thawed).
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
definitely try less flow. I'd also try smaller foods. I feed my young ones Cyclop-eez and Rods Food. My one juvenile I have right now only wants to eat shaved salmon and Arcti-pods.
 
db9181

db9181

Member
Alright well who knows what was wrong with him ... the rapid breathing was my biggest concern buuut he was found dead this morning :(
 
kemfish

kemfish

Member
My baby clown is doing this too...I moved him to my QT to try and give him less flow to deal with, as it only has a filter rather than filter, power head, etc...but he is still doing it 30 plus hours later. Do I dare unplug the filter on the tank to give him rest? If so, how do I go about keeping the water filtered?
 
kemfish

kemfish

Member
Mine also refuses to leave the area with high flow...before I moved him I hadturned off the powerhead, as he was doing it in that area, and he moved up to where the filter water comes into the tank and started it there...
*edit*
I lost him about 2 hours after I posted this.
 
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