Female clown sitting behind heater. Normal?

[ArtsyAxolotl]

Well, I did chase him around the tank for a while and then stuck him in a quarantine tank. I'd guess he died from stress, especially if he was gearing up to molt. Or maybe he was sick? Idk. He definitely died though :(

And no, she's not breathing abnormally and I haven't added anything new. No worries, I appreciate the help. I want to make sure she's not sick. I've only had her a year and she was just a baby when I first got her.

 

[Poseidon84]

id do the dip. heres a great video on it and flukes. https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/video-how-to-do-a-freshwater-dip.214/

 

[Katrina71]

I'm sorry about your shrimp. :(

 

[ArtsyAxolotl]

Ugh, I wanted to try the fw dip just to be safe but I can't grab the stupid fish. I can't get her with anything, bare hands, net, cup... I'm scared I'm stressing her out too much now :/

 

[ArtsyAxolotl]

So here's my thing. Is this behavior weird enough that I absolutely must do the dip? I can't catch her at all. And the last thing I want is for her to die from the stress of getting caught added onto the stress of getting dipped.

 

[ArtsyAxolotl]

I'm not even 100% sure anything even wrong with her. The behavior was just not her normal thing and now I'm worried about every little thing.

 

[ArtsyAxolotl]

I'm giving up on the dip. I can't catch the clown and since she has none of the symptoms of flukes, I don't know that it's worth it. I don't want to stress her to death. Thanks for the suggestion though :)

I kinda feel like she's just hosting the heater. Maybe once I move I'll try another anemone. I've tried 2 now but they didn't live very long in my tank and the clowns didn't care about them. Idk what's going on.

 

[Poseidon84]

for now just give her a break and keep an eye on her. if the fish stops eating then get her out a.s.a.p

 

[dylana407]

Update?

 

[ArtsyAxolotl]

After a night without the cleaner shrimp... she's exactly the same. Sometimes lays behind the heater, sometimes swims around. She slept under the filter where she usually does and she's eating normally. I'll keep an eye on her for negative behavior but for now she seems ok.

 

[ngoodermuth]

Clowns are weird. I think as long as she is eating and otherwise behaving normally I wouldn't worry.

Behaviors to look out for are listed here:

https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/Fish-disease-diagnostic-check-list.306975/

The anemones are another story. What type of nem are you trying to keep?

 

[dylana407]

It may take a day for her to feel safe and comes out. It's a good sign that she is eating.

 

[ArtsyAxolotl]

I had been attempting to keep bubble tips, but I'm pretty sure my tank is too small. Both the ones I had went down to the bottom and hid under the rock work so they hardly got any light and it was hard to feed them. Thinking about possibly trying again once I have a bigger setup.

I'll see if she stops sitting on the heater in the next couple days. Could just be a new weird habit she picked up.

 

[ngoodermuth]

Ok, bubble-tips are usually pretty hardy. Especially aquacultured ones, I've seen RBTA's that are borderline pests by how quickly they reproduce.

What kind of light do you have, and how are you acclimating them?

 

[ArtsyAxolotl]

I have a Current Orbit, the pro I think? I gotta find the box. Blues at 100%, white at like 70ish. Drip acclamation.

 

[ngoodermuth]

I have a Current Orbit, the pro I think? I gotta find the box. Blues at 100%, white at like 70ish. Drip acclamation.

Hm, that should be ok. Any trouble with corals or other additions? It could have just been bad specimens. I know some people have been using nem cradles to help them attach. They need light and moderate flow, and usually prefer the rockwork over sand.

Unfortunately, my experience with nems is limited. Maybe someone with more knowledge will chime in...

 

[ArtsyAxolotl]

Not with adding them. Any of the corals that didn't survive in my tank were either SPS that I didn't know how to care for or didn't have good lighting for, or gorgonians that got picked at by shrimp/crabs. The anemones were the only thing that didn't seem happy outright. I know a 10 is a little small for them. Maybe that was the issue.

I'll be moving in a week or two, so I'll be upgrading my tank from a 10 to a 20 and that'll give everyone a little more room. I'll find a new LFS to get stuff from and try another nem then. But yea, if anyone else is around that has nem advice, that'd be awesome. I'd love for my clowns to like one.