Clown just resting or something more "sinister"?

[robotrash]

I have a pair of clowns in my 20G AIO (added 9 days ago) and the smaller, presumably male, one has started parking on the rock today pretty regularly in short intervals. They are still together constantly with the female dipping in and out of the cave below where the male is laying down. I have not seen any aggression between them, they tend to stay close together and typically always hovering over/around the same rock/cave structure.

They eat well. I feed a rotation of brine, mysis, mermaid's delight, and pellet (they seem less than interested in the pellet I have though). I think I've also seen the male pecking pods off the glass, especially in the evening.

For flow I have two Hydor Koralia Nanos at either end of the tank set to switch back and forth every 30 minutes with a wavemaker controller (set to the lower power setting). I have a Sicce 1.5 for my return pump, one half of the return is a standard nozzle and the other is a spinstream for randomized flow.

Here's the clearest shot I could get of the full side:

Here's a video of the behavior. This has been going on all morning/day so far for various durations of laying.



I was wondering if maybe he wasn't getting enough sleep at night? I also see him stick his face right into the same hole over and over which looks into the cave below where the female has been hanging out as of late so I'm wondering if this could potentially be laying/guarding behavior. If there are any marks that concern folks in the picture let me know and I'll visually double check. Looking at him in person though I don't see any speckles or discoloration that looks like what I've seen on other fish in these types of posts.

Edit to add most recent tests:

• Salinity: 1.025 (Electronic test and refrac)
• Ammonia: 0 (Red Sea)
• Nitrate: 0 (Red Sea)
• PH: 8.3-8.7 (electronic test and strip)
• Alk: 6 dkh (tested twice, Red Sea)
• Calc: 355 (Red Sea)
• Temp: 78
• Phos: 0.015 (Red Sea)

 

[MnFish1]

I see clear spots on the tail and dorsal fin. Were the fish quarantined? Do you see what I mean? This could be sand or debris - but there are clear spots to me - did you treat the fish with QT?

 

[robotrash]

I see clear spots on the tail and dorsal fin. Were the fish quarantined? Do you see what I mean? This could be sand or debris - but there are clear spots to me - did you treat the fish with QT?

No QT, LFS had them held for me for 1 month for observation. I checked on them regularly during that time. Eating and swimming normal. These are the only planned fish for this tank so I did not QT them.

I'm 99% sure those specks you're seeing are out of focus pods on the glass let me see if I can get another shot.

Fwiw, I just turned off all flow and fed and he is now energetic and no longer laying down at all so I do wonder if I should kill the wavemaker at night and just stick with the return.

If there are white spots what would that suggest?

 

[MnFish1]

No QT, LFS had them held for me for 1 month for observation. I checked on them regularly during that time. Eating and swimming normal. These are the only planned fish for this tank so I did not QT them.

I'm 99% sure those specks you're seeing are out of focus pods on the glass let me see if I can get another shot.

Fwiw, I just turned off all flow and fed and he is now energetic and no longer laying down at all so I do wonder if I should kill the wavemaker at night and just stick with the return.

If there are white spots what would that suggest?

Yep. if you take another picture and they are gone - it is not an issue. If those spots are there it could suggest cryptocaryon (ich)

 

[trmiv]

FWIW I have a storm clown that literally just lays on her side in zoas like she’s dead a good portion of the day. She instantly pops up and goes nuts when I walk by though. She’s done this as long as I’ve had her, well over a year.

 

[robotrash]

FWIW I have a storm clown that literally just lays on her side in zoas like she’s dead a good portion of the day. She instantly pops up and goes nuts when I walk by though. She’s done this as long as I’ve had her, well over a year.

This is good to know. He genuinely seems "okay", doesn't appear to be breathing heavy/rapidly. Just lazy. Still trying to get a better pic though.

I just fed half a cube of spirulina brine and he has started swimming around the tank a bit more instead of hovering which of course is making it harder to get a better picture.

I think there may be a spot on his tail but tbh it looks like coloration. Still trying to get it.

 

[robotrash]

Got some more pictures @MnFish1 :

 

[robotrash]

Bumping to hopefully get a couple more opinions

My plan currently is to turn off the wavemaker tonight during the dark period and to check behavior tomorrow. Hoping it may be a sleep thing or a goofy clown thing.

I've tried a bunch to visually see dots on the transparent tail parts but I'm not really seeing anything consistent

 

[MnFish1]

Bumping to hopefully get a couple more opinions

My plan currently is to turn off the wavemaker tonight during the dark period and to check behavior tomorrow. Hoping it may be a sleep thing or a goofy clown thing.

I've tried a bunch to visually see dots on the transparent tail parts but I'm not really seeing anything consistent

You would be the best able to see. The problem is the spots on the glass (and the color of the fish) - its hard to see white spots on a fairly white fish

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Bumping for what... it's a general clown behaviour, thousands of posts about this, stick to your plan and do what's right for your aquarium

 

[Rick's Reviews]

I have a pair of clowns in my 20G AIO (added 9 days ago) and the smaller, presumably male, one has started parking on the rock today pretty regularly in short intervals. They are still together constantly with the female dipping in and out of the cave below where the male is laying down. I have not seen any aggression between them, they tend to stay close together and typically always hovering over/around the same rock/cave structure.

They eat well. I feed a rotation of brine, mysis, mermaid's delight, and pellet (they seem less than interested in the pellet I have though). I think I've also seen the male pecking pods off the glass, especially in the evening.

For flow I have two Hydor Koralia Nanos at either end of the tank set to switch back and forth every 30 minutes with a wavemaker controller (set to the lower power setting). I have a Sicce 1.5 for my return pump, one half of the return is a standard nozzle and the other is a spinstream for randomized flow.

Here's the clearest shot I could get of the full side:

Here's a video of the behavior. This has been going on all morning/day so far for various durations of laying.



I was wondering if maybe he wasn't getting enough sleep at night? I also see him stick his face right into the same hole over and over which looks into the cave below where the female has been hanging out as of late so I'm wondering if this could potentially be laying/guarding behavior. If there are any marks that concern folks in the picture let me know and I'll visually double check. Looking at him in person though I don't see any speckles or discoloration that looks like what I've seen on other fish in these types of posts.

Edit to add most recent tests:

• Salinity: 1.025 (Electronic test and refrac)
• Ammonia: 0 (Red Sea)
• Nitrate: 0 (Red Sea)
• PH: 8.3-8.7 (electronic test and strip)
• Alk: 6 dkh (tested twice, Red Sea)
• Calc: 355 (Red Sea)
• Temp: 78
• Phos: 0.015 (Red Sea)

Let's assume it's sand..
On a tail of a fish
@MnFish1

 

[robotrash]

Bumping for what... it's a general clown behaviour, thousands of posts about this, stick to your plan and do what's right for your aquarium

While I can appreciate that, I did not find the thousands of posts about this where something else wasn't wrong before posting.

 

[MnFish1]

While I can appreciate that, I did not find the thousands of posts about this where something else wasn't wrong before posting.

The spots do not look like sand (to me) - Clowns do weird things - and often sit around. If a person has a fish for 3 years and it's done that for 3 years - I would say 'don't concern yourself'. IMHO - it is not completely normal behavior for a new fish. I think you are correct to ask the question. I think the answer is watch the areas - if they come and go - (not over minutes but days) - it could be cryptocaryon. The good news is that there are no symptoms associated - and the fish is behaving normally.

 

[robotrash]

The spots do not look like sand (to me) - Clowns do weird things - and often sit around. If a person has a fish for 3 years and it's done that for 3 years - I would say 'don't concern yourself'. IMHO - it is not completely normal behavior for a new fish. I think you are correct to ask the question. I think the answer is watch the areas - if they come and go - (not over minutes but days) - it could be cryptocaryon. The good news is that there are no symptoms associated - and the fish is behaving normally.

Thank you for this. My "glare at it" strategy is the plan moving forward.

I'm also preparing to deal with my zeroed nutrients (0 phos, 0 nitrate) by dosing a bit of neophos/neonitro, anything I should be concerned about regarding the clowns?

 

[MnFish1]

Thank you for this. My "glare at it" strategy is the plan moving forward.

I'm also preparing to deal with my zeroed nutrients (0 phos, 0 nitrate) by dosing a bit of neophos/neonitro, anything I should be concerned about regarding the clowns?

IMHO, no.

 

[robotrash]

IMHO, no.

Many thanks!