One of my clown fish isn't eating?

[mrangel]

I have noticed for the second day that one of my clown fish isn't eating. I got 2 clown fish this past weekend and both were doing fine. I started noticing that the smaller one hasn't eaten since yesterday.
I feed them O.S.I. Marine flakes and seaweed. I also put some bloodworms, but they don't seem interested in that.
Is this normal? What can I do to help my clown fish start eating?
Marguerite

 

[ocellaris_keeper]

first what type of clown? Most if not all clown fish prefer algae based food but will eat brine shrimp too. Blood worms are not a good food for clown fish
Your little guy may be the same gender as the big one - which means there is some harassment going on.
Relax - Clown fish always seem to find a way of deciding who is what gender. If the larger one is already an established Male the little one is probably morphing into a female which takes about a week - this little one will then become the dominant fish and grow quite quickly

 

[mrangel]

Thanks for your response, my clown fish is a percula clown fish.
Thanks for the suggestion I'll try and get some algae based food. I have been feeding them O.S.I. Marine flake food.
Hopefully, he'll start eating soon.
Marguerite

 

[stupid_naso]

Speaking from experience, my previous percula liked bloodworms. In fact, it's the only food that it ate. Brine shrimp is good too.
I would be really careful with perculas. It is really hard to get a very good speciment, as they are normally handled very roughly, the false ones at least. Whenever I go to my LFS, the two of them, have the same problem. Percula clowns with Brooknella. I have tried keeping false perculas twice. Both didn't happen because of Brooknella.
I don't want to scare you, but this might be what's happening to you. When I first got my clowns, both of them ate (best speciments from the lfs). Then one stopped. The other was still eating. Thinking that it's only a momentary thing, I ignored it. Later on the other got infected. Both fish don't eat, both died of brooknella.
Try to read some of the post about Brooknella. I know there's a cure, but although I went to three different LFS, all three of them don't have it. I forgot the name of it, but it is there on the posts.
Try to read some of the posts about Brooknella. Keep observing your fish. If in two days it is still not eating. Personally, I would take precautionary action by putting it in q-tank and starting with treatment.
The best of luck,
stupid_naso

 

[ivanfj]

My first perc loved bloodworms but I believed it was caught by cyanide and I didn't know so the color was fadinga bit. He first eats anything but then just like the same as yours. It just starts to refuse to eat and the next couple or two he died. Hope this is not happening to you.

 

[mrangel]

Thanks for your response and advice.

I don't have a seperate tank to put him. What can I do?
Marguerite

 

[clownfish1452]

Try freeze dried plankton I have never seen a fish turn there head to it.
Sarah

 

[jferrier]

Your little guy may be the same gender as the big one
I thought clown fish were hemaphroditic, and the larger of a pair always became the female?
My true perc goes wild over live brine shrimp, but also eats seaweed,mysis shrimp, and theres a great frozen omnivore mix you can get also.
How often do you feed?

 

[ocellaris_keeper]

I have had false percs from the beginning so I will say that I haven't had experience with true and whether they eat bloodworms.
On the issue of gender - it depends - if the larger one was already in a mated pair it will not change gender to female as quickly as an unestablished male will.
Your right - if they both survive the chasing stage one will become female - it's just more typical that's it's the non-mated one that changes.