Pecular clownfish

[vince]

Yesterday I purchased a two inch (or less) baby pecular clownfish. It is in a 75 gallons right now.
The question I wanted to ask is, it is staying at the top of the water right now. Just swimming near the top corner, not moving. I'm starting to get worried. Can anyone give me few explanations to why he/she is acting this way?
thank you so much for all your times again.

 

[amphiprion]

Percula clowns will hover around the top of the water column. This behavior is not unusual at all. Mine pair sleeps up near the top of the power heads. I have a Maroon clown that does the same thing. They just pick a place where they feel safe. They are not very graceful swimmers and tend stay in one place "treading water"

 

[vince]

Percula, percula.. lol. Thank you for the correction.
I'm kindda disappointed to hear that the clonwns stay at one spot because I can rarely see him. I was hoping he would swim in all ranges of my aquarium.
Thanks for the information, really helpful!

 

[amphiprion]

Vince,
One they get used to their surroundings they will venture into other levels of the tank. I just meant that they aren't real active swimmer. Give them some time.
Regards

 

[vince]

Oh, I'm very glad to hear that now. Thanks.
Do you think it would make him less nervous if I got another percular clown of his own size?

 

[amphiprion]

Vince,
I personally think that percs do better in pairs. The will squabble a bit at the beginning but that will settle down and the dominant one will become the female.
Are these true perculas or are they the false (Oscellaris) perculas? Doesn't really matter - the percs are the most even tempered of the clowns.
I purchased 3 Maroon clowns to get a mating pair - now there was a battle royal. After three months of really hard bashing, I've got two that are sharing the same bubble tip anemone now. The third one is by himself in another tank. I love clowns. I just wish it was possible to keep all the different species together.

 

[vince]

wow. I sure hope that I can be as succesful as you. Thanks for the tip, I will try to get another percular as soon as possible!
but about the fake species... is there a way I can tell if its fake or not?
thanks again for your help!

 

[amphiprion]

Vince,
It can be hard to tell them apart sometimes. There is alot of variation within each species. The black on the true percula's is much bolder than on the false.
Amphiprion Oscellaris - False Percula

Amphiprion Percula - True Percula

 

[ocellaris_keeper]

I like the oscellaris clowns (false) - what yuo have is an unhappy clownfish - percual and oscellaris want to either be paired or have an anemone to live with. Your fish may die of loneliness.
LOL - Brewski

 

[amphiprion]

All the clowns will live quite long and "happy" lives without an anemone. Unless you have the correct lighting -ie intense- I wouldn't try to keep an anemone.

 

[vince]

Oh man! Thanks for the pictures Amphiprion!! This is so helpful. thank you so much
Now come to look at it, mine looks like fake. But he is still small so I might not be able to tell.
Can there be crossbreeds? as in can percular and Oscellaris pair up and be happy?
thanks again for everything guys!

 

[amphiprion]

More than like you have the False Percula - they are much more readily available than the Trues - If you happen to end up with one of each, they should be fine together.

 

[vince]

Thanks alot again man.
You must be a big clownfish fan?

 

[seaweed]

Vince, one of the Tomato Clowns that I purchaed did the same thing. He had no visible problems, he just sat near the top of the tank, pretty motionless. Didn't eat either, just sat there looking very sad. Eventually it died. I'm wondering if that Clown had a mate in the tank where I purchased it, there were tons of them in there. I wonder if I accidentally seperated a mated pair when I bought it. Anyone know what happens when a mated pair is separated?

 

[tabbyclown]

My clownfish is swimming upside down for two weeks. What is wrong? I have tested the water and nothing is showing up wrong? This happened to a royal gramma of mine. Help.

 

[@knight]

tabbyclown, you should post this in the diseases and treatment forum. They can best help you there.

 

[bassmaster]

Amphiprion,
YOU CAN ACTUALLY HAVE MORE THAN ONE MAROON CLOWN IN ONE TANK AT ONE TIME?! Everything I've learned says that tomato clowns and maroon clowns don't fare well with other clowns in their tank. It's a territorial issue. But you seem to have 3 in one tank at a time, plus other clowns. Am i wrong about the territory thing? Or are yours just special?

 

[amphiprion]

I have not mixed the clown species in the same tank - ooh, that is a bad idea.
I have a pair of mated Ocellaris clowns in my 75g FOWLR tank. Oscellaris are easy to mate up.
I have a mated pair of Maroon clown in my reef tank. I orginally purchased three Maroon clowns - hoping that 2 would mate up. After about three months of bashing, some shredded fins, and generally ugly behavior two of them have become inseparable. The female is now twice as big as the male. The third one got moved to another tank. There is no way the Maroon clowns would tolerate any other clowns in the same tank - unless possibly if it really big 150 g to 180 g. They are tough little buggers - no fear - anything that get's close to their anemone is a target - including my hand when I try to feed the anemone

 

[nipper]

Help! I too am having this problem. I purchased a beautiful maroon gold stripe yesterday. He is just hanging around the top corner of the tank. I tested the water, and everything is in normal range. He didn't eat last night, though. Is there anything I can do to help him? I don't have lighting for an anemone. Should I try a fake plant that has the shape of an anemone? I'll try anything to help my little "Cha-Ching". (a name given to him by my roommate!)
Tina