Clownfish Behavior Post-Shipping

[polloloco]

Hi all,

I became the proud owner of 2 Mocha Storm Ocellaris this past weekend. Their constantly weird behaviors are not lost on me as I have 2 Mochas in my DT that are the literal stupidest fish I've ever seen.

I'm writing to ask because I have never had fish shipped before; I've only ever bought for my LFS. These 2 came from ORA (bought through BRS) on 4/11 (Friday). Once they arrived I floated them for ~20 minutes, and then dripped them for ~40 minutes. After that they went into the tank with the lights off. The male of the pair has calmed down considerably since Friday, and has even begun to eat after introducing various food (Cyclopeeze got him to eat), so I'm not so much worried about him. However, the female seems to stressed, hasn't eaten (when I've been watching), and I can't seem to observe any bit of her calming aside from lights out.

As for the tank, it is a 10g, has a heater set to 76F, a sponge filter, light, and ATO. I applied stick on black Vinyl around the sides and part of the front to help them feel more secure. Inside the tank (hard to see in the video) there are some pieces of rock from my DT & a clay pot (6"). Parameters are normal:
PH - Between 7.5-8
Amm - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10ppm
Temp - 76F

My question is, from the video linked, are there behaviors in the female clown I should be worried about? Should I proactively treat their tank with any meds? Or is my anxiety getting the best of me at this point! My LFS usually QTs my fish post purchase, so this is my first experience getting fish fresh off the UPS truck.

Thanks in advance!

 

[littlefoxx]

To me it looks like she is trying to find a spot she likes, I think adding more things in the tank for her to hide in or “host” might help. It looks like she might not feel safe with that much open space. My Tomato hosts an airstone with bubbles. She likes to hide in the bubbles.

 

[KrisReef]

I don't think she is ill, but she does look homesick. That bare tank with a clay pot, I wouldn't relax in that if I were a fish. A larger tank with an anemone would seem more like home, :rolleyes: :cool:

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Looks like a couple of bored fish to me, nothing to do nowhere to go, nothing to explore, no powerheads to surf the flow.....

 

[polloloco]

Great to hear that my lady isn't showing symptoms. My plan is to eventually have these beauties breed once they’ve gotten comfortable! I am definitely going to add some PVC pipes. I also have some leftover live rock in the sump of my DT, could adding a few pieces help?

I can try to add a wave maker or power head, but I figured the agitation from the sponge filter would’ve been enough.

 

[Largeangels]

I'd get some more waterflow in there.

 

[littlefoxx]

Great to hear that my lady isn't showing symptoms. My plan is to eventually have these beauties breed once they’ve gotten comfortable! I am definitely going to add some PVC pipes. I also have some leftover live rock in the sump of my DT, could adding a few pieces help?

I can try to add a wave maker or power head, but I figured the agitation from the sponge filter would’ve been enough.

I think if you want them to bread you should make an actual habitat for them. You have a box with water right now, I thought this was a QT tank not their home…

 

[polloloco]

I think if you want them to bread you should make an actual habitat for them. You have a box with water right now, I thought this was a QT tank not their home…

I understand where you're coming from. It technically is their QT tank that will become their own tank. My DT is full, and I just wanted to see if I could raise clownfish. I appreciate your concern over the clowns having a habitat, and I have added some live rock so they have more to explore.

However, according to my reading (The Complete Illustrated Breeder’s Guide to Marine Aquarium Fishes by Matthew L. Wittenrich PG. 168, Section Clownfish, subsection Breeding Aquariums) clownfish seem to more readily spawn in bare aquariums. Ergo, why I went with the setup I did.

@Largeangels working on getting a powerhead of some sort. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[Techie_]

Book knowledge is nice as a starting point in this hobby but there are thousands of people with many thousands of hours here that are willing to help you. 40G breeders are called "breeders" for a reason, if you want your clowns to be happy and breed they must feel 1) safe 2) happy. I have bred clowns in a 20G before but never any smaller. I only ever put fry in a 10G but YMMV.

Add a little more flow and some more habitat, it doesn't have to be elaborate or even real. A couple PVC elbows will be plenty. An airstone would help too, clowns are weird.

 

[polloloco]

@Techie_ Thanks for your reply. I certainly don't mind getting pointers. I went the book route because there are so many differing opinions online I find it quite frustrating to pin down concrete knowledge on more niche topics, but I'm also fond of physical media since I find it easier to read than on the computer. Not to mention asking for help is not a strong suit of mine.

I will upgrade to a 20g for their sake once I start to see the female calm down a bit. With adding about 6lbs of live rock to their tank today along with a WC, I don't want to induce any additional stress at the moment. Do you recommend a 20 long or high? I know the swimming space can help for some species, but I figure it might not be an issue for the clowns once they find a spot that they feel secure. Bare bottomed isn't an issue either is it? It is covered in black vinyl, so they can't see through it. Any other tips you might have?

 

[OrionN]

It will s not true that clownfish are more likely to breed in bare tank. It is easier, take a lot less room and cheaper to maintain many pairs of clownfish each on their own bare tank then each pair in a reef of their own. Bare tank with a flower pot to keep them comfortable can be use as breeding tank.
If you are going to keep just one pair, a reef tank is best to get them to breed.
You will find out as you keep them and trying to bring them into breeding condition.

 

[Largeangels]

Most breeders keep them in bare tanks with just a pot or tile to lay eggs on. It is easier to clean and feed this way. But I'd add some more flow and filtration.

 

[polloloco]

So I upgraded to a 20g long, have added an HOB filter in addition to the sponge filter and added some live rock. They don't seem to particularly care about the live rock, but the flow and additional space has seemed to help ease the females nerves somewhat. I did also get a wavemaker but the flow it generated seemed to be too turbulent for the fish, so I just cranked my HOB to max flow and let it and the sponge filter move the water around.

I was able to see her eat 1mm pellets this morning as opposed to not eating anything before! I appreciate all the help.

 

[BryanM]

Great to hear that my lady isn't showing symptoms. My plan is to eventually have these beauties breed once they’ve gotten comfortable! I am definitely going to add some PVC pipes. I also have some leftover live rock in the sump of my DT, could adding a few pieces help?

I can try to add a wave maker or power head, but I figured the agitation from the sponge filter would’ve been enough.

I would absolutely add that live rock from your sump. They need a home.

They both seem fine to me, just as others have said, bored