Clowns Love HOBs a Bit Too Much

[Chickadeedeedee]

Hi All,

I have had an issue with my clowns deciding that the small space between the glass and the HOBs is their forever home. They spend most of their time near the surface of the tank behind the HOBs. They have been eating, but recently they have been spending much more time behind the filters and just waiting for food to hit them in the face. I would normally be worried about stress, but my other fish seem to be perfectly fine. I have a Tomini tang, YWG, and PJ Cardinal that all seem very healthy. In addition, I have upped the flow rates and have been seeing good water movement at the surface. Part of me worries that the flow rates are way to high in the area the clowns are at causing them to hide more. The thing is there are tons of low flow areas in the tank where the coral barely moves. None of the other fish have any flow issues.

I could put some filter material behind the hobs to block the clowns access to the back, but that seems a bit cruel if they have decided that it is home. What do you all think of that?

The tank is about 3 ish months old. To give you an idea of where it is in age: I just got over the diatom uglies and am now in the hair algae uglies. The first coralline algae is visible.

Below is a picture of the tank. Please ignore the dirty glass. Have been letting it sit dirty as the tomini loves to graze on it and hasn't taken to nori just yet.

 

[Kazumi]

It just sounds like a clownfish thing. My pair host the upper corner of my tank.

 

[Mongo1.0]

I agree with Kazumi. At night, I have one that stays vertical in the front top corner and the other behind the hob skimmer. They are paired but don't stay together at night. Or they might need a little more time to adjust. Good luck!

 

[Chickadeedeedee]

It just sounds like a clownfish thing. My pair host the upper corner of my tank.

I feel like clowns being clowns is a source of most of my stress in this hobby haha.

Have you had any luck, kindly, enticing your guys to other parts of the tank?

 

[Chickadeedeedee]

I agree with Kazumi. At night, I have one that stays vertical in the front top corner and the other behind the hob skimmer. They are paired but don't stay together at night. Or they might need a little more time to adjust. Good luck!

Yeah they have decided to sleep laying down on the surface behind the HOBs. Scared me the first time I saw it.

 

[Mongo1.0]

Yeah they have decided to sleep laying down on the surface behind the HOBs. Scared me the first time I saw it.

Lol, funniest fish I have ever owned, very big personalities. At feeding times, they circle like sharks and with their head above the water.

 

[Kazumi]

I feel like clowns being clowns is a source of most of my stress in this hobby haha.

Have you had any luck, kindly, enticing your guys to other parts of the tank?

Mine do come out of their corner during the day and explore a bit, but as soon as the lights start to go down it's back to their corner

 

[Uncle99]

Give them a BTA….
It’s like a home upgrade.

 

[Mongo1.0]

Give them a BTA….
It’s like a home upgrade.

I have thought about an anemone for my clowns. Worried about it stinging my coral.

 

[dnprall]

My clowns have picked the lower rear corner under the wave maker........and seem to share it well with the rest of the 6 cardinal fish and tailspot blenny. It's like one big school.