Are my clown fish okay?

[OcReefer714]

Hey everybody, kind of worried about my first fish in the tank. I put in two Picasso clown fish in my 65 gallon tank. I am running to Ai prime 16 HD lights, fx4 filter, titanium heater, too mini wave makers due to them being purposed for 30 gallon tanks. I acclimated to clowns for 30 minutes prior to releasing them into the tank. I did this at about 1 PM yesterday. Since I have released them, they mainly stick in one corner or the other, but look like they’re fighting extremely hard to swim, almost as if they’re against current. At first, I thought the wave makers might be too much so I do currently have them unplugged. I will try to post a video down below of exactly what they’re doing although I’m not sure you can post videos on r2r. It is now been roughly a day and a half and they are still not swimming freely throughout the tank as I said prior, they are just swimming from corner to corner sometimes towards the glass. I’m not sure if they are stressed or there is something wrong with them. Any and all information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

How did you cycle your tank?

 

[fishguy242]

Sorry I cannot see video, are they eating ? I would turn wave makers back on

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[OcReefer714]

How did you cycle your tank?

With dr Tim’s ammonia chloride and PNs probio

 

[52728299]

Clowns are weird. Your little guys look awesome. Mine stick to the back right corner almost always and they do swim Like they are riding a bull. Had em about a yr now

 

[OcReefer714]

Sorry I cannot see video, are they eating ? I would turn wave makers back on

Some Helpful Hints When Posting or Responding to Threads in the Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis Section

Aquarium Fish Disease Problem Solving Determining the best course of action for a problem with your aquarium can be a difficult task. Even advanced aquarists will often need to seek the help of others for complicated or unique issues. Our intent here on Reef 2 Reef is to offer expert advice...

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They were eating when I fed them earlier . Okay I will turn them back on . It doesn’t seem like it has made a difference since I turned them off anyways .

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

What is your ammonia level at and nitrates @fishguy242 is right get the water flowing what does the surface agitation look like? They can be weird yes but depending on some levels in testing sometimes will show stress signs. Clowns wont roam a whole tank majority of the time they will find a comfort zone and stick to that area....besides being in that corner area is there anything that would make you feel as if it could be struggling what about the swim pattern has you concerned?

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

Also keep an eye on the nem sometimes in newer tanks that arent very established with micro fauna and having bio diversity they can take a nose dive. Which can release toxins into the water and cause harm...

 

[OcReefer714]

What is your ammonia level at and nitrates @fishguy242 is right get the water flowing what does the surface agitation look like? They can be weird yes but depending on some levels in testing sometimes will show stress signs. Clowns wont roam a whole tank majority of the time they will find a comfort zone and stick to that area....besides being in that corner area is there anything that would make you feel as if it could be struggling what about the swim pattern has you concerned?

Surface agitation looks good from what I can tell ? There’s quite a bit of movement .When I tested I was using api tests so it’s just a ballpark and I’ve heard a lot of iffy things about them . That being said it was dang near zero if not zero . I took a water sample into the store to have it tested before I bought the fish or the anemone . Yes that was the reason for the post not only are they only staying in the corners of the tank but they don’t go near the anemone either and they look like they are swimming up a stream if that makes sense… they look like they are swimming very fast but going no where I guess is the best way to put it .

 

[OcReefer714]

Also keep an eye on the nem sometimes in newer tanks that arent very established with micro fauna and having bio diversity they can take a nose dive. Which can release toxins into the water and cause harm...

Wish I would’ve known that prior to throwing it in. How can I keep an eye on it ? Anything specific I should be watching for or testing for ?

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

Surface agitation looks good from what I can tell ? There’s quite a bit of movement .When I tested I was using api tests so it’s just a ballpark and I’ve heard a lot of iffy things about them . That being said it was dang near zero if not zero . I took a water sample into the store to have it tested before I bought the fish or the anemone . Yes that was the reason for the post not only are they only staying in the corners of the tank but they don’t go near the anemone either and they look like they are swimming up a stream if that makes sense… they look like they are swimming very fast but going no where I guess is the best way to put it .

So the wiggle is a clownfish being a clownfish they might not go very fast or far but can be a sign that they are happy. They arent really a free swimmer even in a tank all by themselves they will find an area and post up near it for the most part. It will take time for the nem to host the clowns and in some cases wont ever. So i would say patience and continue to monitor over the next several days. Just to be on the safe side. Also invest in some good test kits some people use hanna checkers like myself as well as aquaforest and salifert are some good ones as well...

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

Wish I would’ve known that prior to throwing it in. How can I keep an eye on it ? Anything specific I should be watching for or testing for ?

Just look for changes in stature (appearance) not opening losing color and getting smaller so to speak can be signs that it is not happy. As far as lighting they will move around in the tank to find its happy place (nem) i would say stick to a schedule and keep it there for a few weeks and see what it does...

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

I know some people that in newer systems introduce copepods and sometimes more bacteria diversity through stuff like microbacter7 i think with using the probio pns you have established bacteria but diversity is key in reef tanks if you have a chance i would try and score some live rock from a fellow reefer or from a lfs if available to help with the bio diversity in the tank

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

Also the link @fishguy242 provided will help with a lot of possible questions and this link can help you understand cycling amd increasing a bioload safely...if you ever have any questions please feel free to reach out and i will do my best to help you. R2R is an awesome place for questions and answers through other peoples experiences.

Cycling an Aquarium

Cycling a new aquarium. One of the earliest topics a new aquarium hobbyist needs to learn is how to properly cycle their aquarium. There is a ton of information on this process and many different methods on how to accomplish it. There are many different chemical and biological cycles our tank...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[OcReefer714]

So the wiggle is a clownfish being a clownfish they might not go very fast or far but can be a sign that they are happy. They arent really a free swimmer even in a tank all by themselves they will find an area and post up near it for the most part. It will take time for the nem to host the clowns and in some cases wont ever. So i would say patience and continue to monitor over the next several days. Just to be on the safe side. Also invest in some good test kits some people use hanna checkers like myself as well as aquaforest and salifert are some good ones as well...

Okay the wiggle is what I was mostly worried about because it’s almost constant .I plan on buying some Hanna’s within the next month when I can afford some . Just dropped 1450 to get everything I needed to get the tank up and running including the fish and the nem.

 

[OcReefer714]

Just look for changes in stature (appearance) not opening losing color and getting smaller so to speak can be signs that it is not happy. As far as lighting they will move around in the tank to find its happy place (nem) i would say stick to a schedule and keep it there for a few weeks and see what it does...

That makes me feel good about the nem because it’s been staying open almost constantly and actually believe it or not looks like it’s already getting bigger and loves the spot I initially put it in . The colors are very vibrant too . I need to find lighting percentages and to schedule the lights , I made another post regarding this . Hopefully I can get some good advice and feedback.

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

If possible grab nitrate phosphate and alkalinity to start and try and focus on getting those Stable. There are many ways to do it but for the time being i would be doing wc with quality water every 2 weeks at 10-15% the total gallon volume of the tank and sump gallon total. It will help keep anything troublesome to a min and aid in replenishing any and all trace elements needed to keep things rolling inthe right direction.

 

[OcReefer714]

I know some people that in newer systems introduce copepods and sometimes more bacteria diversity through stuff like microbacter7 i think with using the probio pns you have established bacteria but diversity is key in reef tanks if you have a chance i would try and score some live rock from a fellow reefer or from a lfs if available to help with the bio diversity in the tank

Okay I will look into the microbacter7 . I put live rock in from my LFS when I started it up . Ideally I would love to get some from another reefer that has already been established for a few years .

 

[dbaulch83]

Now I’m no expert, but have been where you are. Mine eventually started floating almost sideways near the filter drain. Of course something could be wrong but also, it could just be a clown being a clown. Concentrate on the water and I’d say they’ll be fine. Tho it took mine many weeks before they found the spot in the tank they stick to - still do odd things to this day but now I don’t panic. I laugh

 

[52728299]

For reliable kits that won't put you out 60+ dollars you can use salifert. For around 18 bucks they do a good job.

As for the nem, I lost a long tentacle nem early on that started just as yours. Not saying you will lose it but for sure get those lights dialed in and throw it a direct feeding maybe once a week. Pretty sure mine was starving when my tank was new.