Is this normal behavior for a clownfish??

[Jackson_H]

This is my first reef tank as well as my first clownfish.I have had this clownfish for about a week and a half and he’s been really good and active so far. He’s usually super active but in the past day he’s started to move pretty slow and floats near the top of the water. I’ve also seen him sit vertically at the surface of the water. Tank is fully cycled and parameters seem to be normal. I am still learning behaviors but I’ve read online that they can just be weird guys sometimes. If anyone has any idea what it could be if he’s just not being weird I would love to hear :)
View attachment 20251006_133901_F8567D49-D3E6-414A-A679-BCAA707DD3D0.mov

 

[marinebetta]

hmph

 

[Cheese Griller]

That behavior is concerning. He looks to be breathing very rapidly, that combined with sitting at the surface makes me think low oxygen. Are there any other fish in the tank? If so, how are they acting?

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

The water is cloudy. If this is a bacterial bloom there could be a lack of oxygen from the bacteria using it up. A video under white light would help.

#fishmedics for more insight, please.

 

[Jackson_H]

That behavior is concerning. He looks to be breathing very rapidly, that combined with sitting at the surface makes me think low oxygen. Are there any other fish in the tank? If so, how are they acting?

He is the only fish in the tank other than a green banded goby. I have 3 hermits and a conch.

 

[Jackson_H]

That behavior is concerning. He looks to be breathing very rapidly, that combined with sitting at the surface makes me think low oxygen. Are there any other fish in the tank? If so, how are they acting?

He is the only fish in the tank other than a green banded goby. I have 3 hermits and a conch.

From what I’ve seen the goby is fine, he just sits on a rock for a majority of the day and the hermits are very active and grazing.

 

[MattyH]

That behavior is concerning. He looks to be breathing very rapidly, that combined with sitting at the surface makes me think low oxygen. Are there any other fish in the tank? If so, how are they acting?

He is the only fish in the tank other than a green banded goby. I have 3 hermits and a conch.

From what I’ve seen the goby is fine, he just sits on a rock for a majority of the day and the hermits are very active and grazing.

Seem like the clown fish is just being strange but it’s nothing to be concerned about at the moment.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

This is my first reef tank as well as my first clownfish.I have had this clownfish for about a week and a half and he’s been really good and active so far. He’s usually super active but in the past day he’s started to move pretty slow and floats near the top of the water. I’ve also seen him sit vertically at the surface of the water. Tank is fully cycled and parameters seem to be normal. I am still learning behaviors but I’ve read online that they can just be weird guys sometimes. If anyone has any idea what it could be if he’s just not being weird I would love to hear :)

Can you retake the video under white lights? It is really tough to see any detail with the blue lights.

Is the clown still eating?

You mentioned that the water seems to be normal - can you post the readings?

 

[Cheese Griller]

Seem like the clown fish is just being strange but it’s nothing to be concerned about at the moment.

Strange behavior is a reason to be concerned IMO, especially when it’s a sharp decline in activity. The floating at the surface, especially vertically oriented, is a concerning behavior

 

[Jackson_H]

This is my first reef tank as well as my first clownfish.I have had this clownfish for about a week and a half and he’s been really good and active so far. He’s usually super active but in the past day he’s started to move pretty slow and floats near the top of the water. I’ve also seen him sit vertically at the surface of the water. Tank is fully cycled and parameters seem to be normal. I am still learning behaviors but I’ve read online that they can just be weird guys sometimes. If anyone has any idea what it could be if he’s just not being weird I would love to hear :)

Can you retake the video under white lights? It is really tough to see any detail with the blue lights.

Is the clown still eating?

You mentioned that the water seems to be normal - can you post the readings?

Here is a video with the whitest my light will go

View attachment 20251006_173503_107B8869-5834-4E9E-865F-DA4A5EA5BC16.mov
Here are my current parameters
Ammonia: 0 PPM
Nitrite: 0 PPM
Nitrate: 5.0 PPM give or take
pH: 8.3
Calcium: 440 ish. Took 23 drops to indicate
kH: 12
Phosphate: 0 PPM

And yes last night he ate some mysis shrimp.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Here is a video with the whitest my light will go

Here are my current parameters
Ammonia: 0 PPM
Nitrite: 0 PPM
Nitrate: 5.0 PPM give or take
pH: 8.3
Calcium: 440 ish. Took 23 drops to indicate
kH: 12
Phosphate: 0 PPM

And yes last night he ate some mysis shrimp.

This video is a bit better. I don’t see any treatable issue though.

Does the tank have good aeration (not just circulation)? It never hurts to add aeration when a fish is breathing fast.

 

[Jackson_H]

Here is a video with the whitest my light will go

Here are my current parameters
Ammonia: 0 PPM
Nitrite: 0 PPM
Nitrate: 5.0 PPM give or take
pH: 8.3
Calcium: 440 ish. Took 23 drops to indicate
kH: 12
Phosphate: 0 PPM

And yes last night he ate some mysis shrimp.

This video is a bit better. I don’t see any treatable issue though.

Does the tank have good aeration (not just circulation)? It never hurts to add aeration when a fish is breathing fast.

All I have is a hang on back filter and an aqua top max flow pump for water movement, what could I add or do for more aeration?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

All I have is a hang on back filter and an aqua top max flow pump for water movement, what could I add or do for more aeration?

Air pump and an airstone. I saw a few bubbles at the surface, but you really need bubbles travelling up through the water column. A protein skimmer also works.

 

[Jackson_H]

Update for anyone who sees, I think she just needed a friend. I got another clown and it lit up and has been super happy and active since!!!

 

[Staghorn]

Glad to hear your clowns doing better. Do you have corals in the tank? Alk reading is a little high

 

[Jackson_H]

Glad to hear your clowns doing better. Do you have corals in the tank? Alk reading is a little high

I actually just added my first corals yesterday!!!
I got a little zoanthid along with a Kenya tree.