Need help

PGriff · May 9, 2019

Reefahholic said:
Live Aquaria offers some of the best quality fish around. Not to mention clowns are hardy.

He doesn’t happen to have equilibrium problems does he?

If not and no excessive mucus or white film...it probably is your parameters.

No, he's swimming straight it's just when I first put him in he was swimming rapidly. I turned to pump down to 30% and he's swimming fine now he just stays at the top of the tank and stares out the glass. lol It's weird seeing a 3/4 inch fish in a big 40 gal tank and he doesn't explore more? lol

And you're right, they are very good. When the fish got here I called them right away, went through their process and they refunded me the money within an hour. Highly recommended.

Reefahholic · May 9, 2019

PGriff said:
No, he's swimming straight it's just when I first put him in he was swimming rapidly. I turned to pump down to 30% and he's swimming fine now he just stays at the top of the tank and stares out the glass. lol It's weird seeing a 3/4 inch fish in a big 40 gal tank and he doesn't explore more? lol

And you're right, they are very good. When the fish got here I called them right away, went through their process and they refunded me the money within an hour. Highly recommended.

It’s normal for a Clownfish to pick a corner in a tank. It will usually be right where they’re introduced because they feel comfortable there and are scared to venture out. Over time they usually start to swim around more.

OnyxPerc · May 9, 2019

In my opinion, it's only day 2 and the fish not eating could just be related to stress - as others have mentioned, fish go through a great deal before they ultimately arrive in your home. It's a stressful process and they may need some time to settle in. I would recommend keeping the lights off for a day, or very low at least, so that the fish can get comfortable in the tank.

I would also try feeding some high quality food (frozen brine or mysis) soaked in selcon or even some fresh garlic to get the fish to eat. Turn the pumps off and drop the food near the fish to make sure he sees the food. I would only drop a few pieces to test his appetite and if he eats you can feed more.

As far as your PH and dkh, I think they are both perfectly acceptable. PH of 7.7 is on the low end, but definitely not low enough to harm the fish. My tank runs around 7.7 at night and around 8.1 during the day once lights come on. It's perfectly normal to see minor swings like that when lights are off vs on. Your dkh at 9 is also fine, the recommended range is between 8dkh-12dkh. Also, your dkh has more significant effects on coral than fish, so again I wouldn't try to "fix" this for the sake of the fish.

The only thing I would really do in your situation is another small water change and then observe. Nitrates at 10ppm is high in my opinion. Once you bring that down, the priority should be getting the fish to eat and observing for signs of sickness/parasites.

PGriff · May 9, 2019

OnyxPerc said:
In my opinion, it's only day 2 and the fish not eating could just be related to stress - as others have mentioned, fish go through a great deal before they ultimately arrive in your home. It's a stressful process and they may need some time to settle in. I would recommend keeping the lights off for a day, or very low at least, so that the fish can get comfortable in the tank.

I would also try feeding some high quality food (frozen brine or mysis) soaked in selcon or even some fresh garlic to get the fish to eat. Turn the pumps off and drop the food near the fish to make sure he sees the food. I would only drop a few pieces to test his appetite and if he eats you can feed more.

As far as your PH and dkh, I think they are both perfectly acceptable. PH of 7.7 is on the low end, but definitely not low enough to harm the fish. My tank runs around 7.7 at night and around 8.1 during the day once lights come on. It's perfectly normal to see minor swings like that when lights are off vs on. Your dkh at 9 is also fine, the recommended range is between 8dkh-12dkh. Also, your dkh has more significant effects on coral than fish, so again I wouldn't try to "fix" this for the sake of the fish.

The only thing I would really do in your situation is another small water change and then observe. Nitrates at 10ppm is high in my opinion. Once you bring that down, the priority should be getting the fish to eat and observing for signs of sickness/parasites.

Funny you should mention that. early today I went to a local pet shop and bout some dried shrimp and blood worms thinking maybe he wanted something different. I put a dried brine shrimp in front of him and he snapped at it. I have heard that about garlic as well. I happen to like fresh jarred garlic in brine, so i have the juice in the fridge, I'll try that next. BTW I wasn't sure if he hadn't. what I was saying before was I put food don't and just didn't see him actually eat. it may have gone down the return pipe? But I did see him snap at the shrimp I just put in so he's eating now. Thanks.