Royal gramma acting very strange

Reef.

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 12, 2019
Messages
4,653
Reaction score
3,486
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
My Royal gramma is acting very strange, I thought he was dying as he is not a great eater so on the skinny side, this morning he was on the sand bed, he always hides in his cave, which is at the top of the rock work, comes out for the odd bite of food, doesn’t like the lights at all, so seeing him on the sand I was worried, he moved around a little but would lay in weird positions which again seemed like he was dying, at one point I thought he had gone so got the net, then he started moving around the sand bed but he then went into the clowns territory just sat in the corner, they went crazy flicking at him, he never fought back just sat there, moved after a few minutes, he seemed to be picking up a little, had a tiny bit of food, moved into his cave sometimes, but would come out again on the sand bed, now he has went back into the clowns area!! Not sure what’s going on, if it’s aggression or he’s went crazy or what, not sure what to do for the best.

Parameters are fine, it’s 14g just him and two clowns, I don’t have a sump or another tank. Up to now the fish have got on fine, no fighting at all, the clowns are not biting him just flicking sand at him but he just sits and watches them do it!

BAAA9236-4AC3-42D6-BDE7-70C1377B8EE6.jpeg
 
Last edited:

vetteguy53081

Well known Member and monster tank lover
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
91,699
Reaction score
202,430
Location
Wisconsin -
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
Likely intimidated and scared from territorial aggression.
 
OP
OP
Reef.

Reef.

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 12, 2019
Messages
4,653
Reaction score
3,486
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Likely intimidated and scared from territorial aggression.

he goes to them! Do you think he’s just got confident after all this time, started to come out and just going in the wrong place? Weird he doesn’t head back to his cave? When I got him he would swim in the middle of the tank, for the first few days then he found a cave and never came out apart for food or to chase the cleaner shrimp away, do they normally swim and sit/lay on the sand bed? had him 4-5 months, and this is totally different to how he’s been.
 
Last edited:

vetteguy53081

Well known Member and monster tank lover
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
91,699
Reaction score
202,430
Location
Wisconsin -
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
Theyre bold fish.
small meaty foods are best such as brine shrimp-mysis-small plankton
 
OP
OP
Reef.

Reef.

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 12, 2019
Messages
4,653
Reaction score
3,486
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Theyre bold fish.
small meaty foods are best such as brine shrimp-mysis-small plankton

I have around 15 different frozen foods, he’s very picky, tried all those you mentioned, he likes brine and octopus and lobster eggs, that’s about it, I guess today he just got brave and decided to stop hiding then.

But him being on the sand bed had me freaked out.
 

Caring for your picky eaters: What do you feed your finicky fish?

  • Live foods

    Votes: 18 29.5%
  • Frozen meaty foods

    Votes: 51 83.6%
  • Soft pellets

    Votes: 10 16.4%
  • Masstick (or comparable)

    Votes: 7 11.5%
  • Other

    Votes: 3 4.9%
Back
Top