Clownfish acting wierd!

[Luc]

Hello!

Yesterday i brought home a pair of small Ocellaris Clownfish from my LFS. These are my very first fish, and I am new to this hobby. After temperature acclimating them (the water in the bag and the water in my quarantine were both at 1.025), I dropped them into the quarantine. They were a little stressed at first, but calmed down. I fed them a little over an hour later, to see if they would feed that soon, and they rushed to the food and ate. One is a little bigger than the other, so he ate a lot more.

My quarantine is a 16 gallon tank, with a Tunze Comline 3162 using Seachem Matrix as filteration, and I am dosing Seachem Stability and Prime. (I asked Seachem if this was going to be safe and okay, and they said absolutely). I also have an air stone in there, some pvc and a plastic aquarium tree.

They seemed to calm down, and this morning they had started hiding inside the plant. Now, after I tunred off the lights, I walked back to look at them a couple hours later, and turned on the lights to observe them. One of them (the bigger one), was laying at the botton in the corner, so I freaked a little and knocked carefully on the glass to see if he would react, and he did. He acted like I just woke him up, haha. But then he started to seem very stressed, and is now constanly swimming at the surface, both sideways and normal, like he is desperate to get out! So I am freaking out, thinking something is wrong.
I have read the picture guide to diseases many times, read about diseases, but he seems fine, no visual things except for a few scares on his first white stripe.

I tested for ammonia this afternoon (9 hours ago as of this post), and it was at 0. I fed them around that time, the small one didnt eat, the bigger one ate one or two pellets.

Is this normal? For him swimming like that? Anything I can do? The water is a bit cloudy now as well for some reason.

Any tips would be greatful!

PS: I do have some medication on hand, PraziPro, Methylene Blue, some JBL copper medication, some for gill flukes etc.

Thanks!

 

[Humblefish]

Sounds like he got startled from suddenly being woken up. I would turn out the lights, let them be and see how both are acting in the morning.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Edited

 

[Luc]

Sounds like he got startled from suddenly being woken up. I would turn out the lights, let them be and see how both are acting in the morning.

Thanks, I was thinking and hoping it would be something like this. But when I saw him acting like this I didnt know what to do. I find myself constantly checking them for any signs of diseases, how they breathe, how they swim etc, but since I am new I don't have much experience other than what I have read and heard, so I probably freak out a little easier, since I don't really know what is normal or not.
He is still swimming at the surface, not sideways anymore though. The little one is currently sleeping in the corner, just hovering at the bottom. They are pets and I would hate it if anything was wrong and I failed to see it in time. Thanks again, I will maybe be able to sleep a tiny bit tonight now

 

[Humblefish]

I find myself constantly checking them for any signs of diseases, how they breathe, how they swim etc, but since I am new I don't have much experience other than what I have read and heard, so I probably freak out a little easier, since I don't really know what is normal or not.

Clownfish are pretty tough; the main things you need to watch out for is ammonia in QT and signs of Brooklynella. Also, Marine Velvet Disease is running rampant right now so look for behavioral symptoms of that disease:

• Reduced or complete loss of appetite.
• Heavy breathing, scratching, flashing, head twitching, erratic swimming behavior (unfortunately velvet shares all these same symptoms with ich & gill flukes.)
• Swimming into the flow of a powerhead (unique to velvet).
• Acting reclusive (velvet causes fish to be sensitive to light).

 

[Luc]

Clownfish are pretty tough; the main things you need to watch out for is ammonia in QT and signs of Brooklynella. Also, Marine Velvet Disease is running rampant right now so look for behavioral symptoms of that disease:

• Reduced or complete loss of appetite.
• Heavy breathing, scratching, flashing, head twitching, erratic swimming behavior (unfortunately velvet shares all these same symptoms with ich & gill flukes.)
• Swimming into the flow of a powerhead (unique to velvet).
• Acting reclusive (velvet causes fish to be sensitive to light).

Thank you, I do look for this, and they seem fine to me, they are nice looking in coloration, no mucus as I can see, they have been swimming along side eachother all the time, except now. The one swimming at the surface right now do swim towards the flow, but not direcly against the powerhead. They did eat earlier, but not much, the small one didnt eat as I saw, but he ate yesterday. They did swim a little clumsy earlier though, crashing into things for a bit, but that was right after I woke them up.

I added a couple of videos of them, the one swimming at the top, and the smaller one who is now laying at the bottom corner.




Edit: They are both now relaxing at the bottom of the tank, and he is no longer swimming at the surface. Thanks again for your help and quick reply

 

[luckyazn6]

My clowns would get startled when we came in the room and turned the lights on. They would start swimming everywhere and stay by the back filter. Normally they stay close to there home unless startled

 

[Dom]

Thank you, I do look for this, and they seem fine to me, they are nice looking in coloration, no mucus as I can see, they have been swimming along side eachother all the time, except now. The one swimming at the surface right now do swim towards the flow, but not direcly against the powerhead. They did eat earlier, but not much, the small one didnt eat as I saw, but he ate yesterday. They did swim a little clumsy earlier though, crashing into things for a bit, but that was right after I woke them up.

I added a couple of videos of them, the one swimming at the top, and the smaller one who is now laying at the bottom corner.




Edit: They are both now relaxing at the bottom of the tank, and he is no longer swimming at the surface. Thanks again for your help and quick reply

I'd put 1 or 2 pieces of PVC in the display so that they have some place to go and feel safe.

 

[Hersheyb]

they seem to be doing good on those videos, but yes more hiding places for them would be good.

 

[Rakie]

I echo everyone else. They need a little place to hide and feel safe.

You gotta remember, they're from a place where getting eaten is around every corner. They're gonna be afraid of you for awhile, and they need a place to go hide. For now, they basically see you as a big weird predator that wants to eat them. Eventually they will trust you and come to see you as the food monster -- But for now, they need a little hole to go in and feel safe.

When you pick PVC, get a couple sizes. A few pieces of 3/4", 1/2", and my fish always loved those plastic water trays for potted plants. They hid under them like they were in a fort at first.

 

[Devisissy]

I dosed my clowns like they had everything in the world. They took it like champs. Clowns get their names from well being clowns, which is what you are seeing here. They will be just fine. Just watch your ammonia and you will be golden.