Sleep?

[rbaby]

I've had my clownfishes for a month now...they're 2 juvenile tank-raised percs. I had an anemone that they slept in but because one of my 2 anemones died, I returned the other--so I'm looking for alternative hosts for my clowns that don't involve anemones.
Now that they no longer have an anemone, they sleep on the sand bed. Is this normal? They usually lay on the anemone at night and snuggle in it...but now they're laying on the sand bed next to each other.
I'm hearing such conflicting advice/thoughts. Some websites have confirmed that clownfishes "sleep" on the sandbed or on a rock if they have no host--while on other threads here, it seems that if they're laying on the sand bed it means they are dying.
What is "ich" by the way? I sometimes see my clowns do this "vibrate" thing but not very often...and they seem fine to me now...they were acclimated properly (i think) with the drip method--it took about 3 hours. Thanks!

 

[giraffemaster]

Do they wave their tail in the gravel and make a little hole? This is what one of my percula pairs did before we got them an anemone. They also slept together on the gravel at night and swam around like normal when it was daytime.
As long as they don't have little white spots all over them, and they look healthy I would say they are just sad you took away their host. Are they rubbing their bodies against rocks or anything?

 

[rbaby]

No, they don't seem to have white spots. And sometimes they do rub their nose on the rocks...sometimes on the sand, they'll just swim real quick to the sand bed...go to their side and brush up against it and move on with their lives.
But what about this vibrate thing? LOL...if they're healthy--why do they do that?
I posted this on another thread...but what are the chances that my two percs are mated? They're very young still--still babies, but they're such buddies...they're almost never apart.
One is slightly bigger than the other and is lighter in color...I'm assuming, if anything--it will be the female when the time comes. I don't want them to mate really...but I'd like to see them bond like that. I won't have the experience for a fry--so I will most likely try to get the babies and bring them to my LFS...
So...are white spots the sign of an "ich"...what is this "ich" and how do I treat it? What other great host possibilities (that's VERY easy to care for) for my clowns? I have a 12 gallon eclipse tank, just newly cycled (transferred my clowns from a 6 gallon one) so I don't have the 50/50 light for them yet. Any help would be great--I'm fearful of anemones now as my last one dying was pretty traumatic for me (it looked fairly disgusting too - I returned the other one to the LFS and I visit it regularly still)...
Thanks again!

 

[giraffemaster]

They are probably just playing. My Goldstripe maroon clown likes to pick up gravel and bubble algae and carry it around. I'll post the picks when I get the cord for the camera I borrowed from my sister.
They are probably not a pair yet due to their young age, but they could be. The larger one would likely be the female, like you said.
As to the ich question. Beth has posted a very good FAQ in the disease section of this forum. You can read all about the disease there, since I'm sure she knows more about it than I.
I'm not sure what you could keep for them as a replacement host in that tank due to the lighting requirements. A good replacement might be a ceramic flower pot or something similar.

 

[rbaby]

Thanks for the response Giraffe. They look healthy to me but I really don't know enough about them to be able to tell for sure. I guess if I just watch out for those white spots I should be okay right?
I will be getting a 50/50 light that my tropical fish store has recommended when my tank is ready for a coral. Would that light be okay to get a coral host (hardy one) for my fish?