Tiny clownfish

[Chessmanmark]

I ordered a clownfish online and when it came it was exceedingly small.

This happened to me once before, years ago from a different vendor and I didn’t have anything small enough for it to eat.

Now I have TDO small pellets and I hatch my own brine shrimp for my Mandarins.

I read that because they are so small that they need to eat many times throughout the day.

It’s so small that I’m keeping it in an acclimation box.

I’m hopeful, but worried that this fish will survive.

Any one else get a tiny clownfish, not expecting it to be so small and what was your experience?

Mind you, this question is for regular hobbyists, if you are weighing in as a breeder keep that in mind.

 

[StartingATank]

Just curious, about how large is that clown?

 

[Uncle99]

Some fins look rough as if he’s been in a disagreement.

Is that possible?

 

[Mebbid]

At ~75 days the clownfish are 3/4 inch to 1 inch. They are juveniles, but are out of the danger zone as far as feeding goes. Should still try to feed him twice a day at least.

Beware, if you want a pair of clowns you have about a week or two before that little guy starts turning into a female. The torn up fins shows he's been fighting for dominance and is ready. Once he starts turning female, the change can't be stopped and the only way to introduce another clown at that point is to buy one smaller than he is that's a male.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Does your local pet store have packets of frozen fish eggs?

 

[Chessmanmark]

Just curious, about how large is that clown?

I’ve been meaning to get a ruler, but I’d say possibly an inch.

 

[Chessmanmark]

Some fins look rough as if he’s been in a disagreement.

Is that possible?

Not since I got it. It’s in an acclimation box to keep it safe due to its diminutive size.

 

[Chessmanmark]

At ~75 days the clownfish are 3/4 inch to 1 inch. They are juveniles, but are out of the danger zone as far as feeding goes. Should still try to feed him twice a day at least.

Beware, if you want a pair of clowns you have about a week or two before that little guy starts turning into a female. The torn up fins shows he's been fighting for dominance and is ready. Once he starts turning female, the change can't be stopped and the only way to introduce another clown at that point is to buy one smaller than he is that's a male.

That’s very informative, thank you.
It’s hard to tell what it is eating. Most of the TDO falls to the bottom of the acclimation box. I think it’s eating some of the hatched brine. Frozen brine is too big. I’m also trying pulverized flake.
I prefer one clownfish per tank. Once they start laying eggs they stay in one spot.

 

[Chessmanmark]

Does your local pet store have packets of frozen fish eggs?

No. I’ve used oyster eggs in the past but I don’t have a store near me that sells them.

 

[saltyfish24]

If you're able to keep the mandarin going on live food, you shouldn't have problems with the clown fish. I also had a tiny one that was just barely big enough to eat the TDO x-small pellets. They grow fast, and they are good at opening wide the taking lots of food at once. Even at that size, I bet two feedings is fine, three if you swing it. I think the fins aren't that bad.

 

[cet98]

My 5/8”-3/4” juveniles were fed TDO x-small and frozen mysis twice a day for about 3 months and now eat once a day, a mixture of TDO, mysis, brine and marine cuisine.

I think you’ll be fine

 

[saltyfish24]

Sorry to ask questions back at you. How long have you had your mandarin? I brought a Biota captive bred mandarin, and had trouble getting it to eat TDO pellets. They said that's the food it was eating before, but I've only seen it peck at it a little and haven't actually seen it consume one. I've also been hatching brine every other day. My mandarin is in a isolation box in my main tank, so it's fairly easy to feed and observe.

Just wondering what your plan is for your mandarin? Is it just out and about or is it also isolated? Mine is such a slow eater that I can't imagine keeping it fed in the main tank even with daily brine shrimp. The shrimp would just disperse and he's only get a couple of bites.

 

[Chessmanmark]

Sorry to ask questions back at you. How long have you had your mandarin? I brought a Biota captive bred mandarin, and had trouble getting it to eat TDO pellets. They said that's the food it was eating before, but I've only seen it peck at it a little and haven't actually seen it consume one. I've also been hatching brine every other day. My mandarin is in a isolation box in my main tank, so it's fairly easy to feed and observe.

Just wondering what your plan is for your mandarin? Is it just out and about or is it also isolated? Mine is such a slow eater that I can't imagine keeping it fed in the main tank even with daily brine shrimp. The shrimp would just disperse and he's only get a couple of bites.

I have 5 tanks from a 90 gallon to a 10.

I’m have 2 Mandarins in a 10 gallon tank with a Yasha Goby and a Filefish that was tiny when I got it, but is fully grown now. I plan to move the filefish soon. It gobbles up most of the food so nothing is left to decay, however it’s time to move him so the small fish can eat without competition. It did its job eradicating the aiptasia that spread throughout the tank. I set up this tank in 2019 as an observation tank for new fish and then kept it because it was interesting to watch next to my desk. I don’t QT with chemicals.

Both Mandarins are wild caught. I have a male and a female. I feed a little brine after 24 hours and then gut load every hour after 36 hours, then start again that night. I recently added some pods from Algae Barn, but in such a small tank I imagine that they get consumed quickly. The male eats frozen brine and possibly some TDO, but the female only eats the hatched brine and whatever pods she finds. I’ve had them for 5 months. They were pretty skinny to begin with. They’re not fat, but look healthy. I worry about the female b/c she doesn’t eat the frozen brine, but I’ll order more pods if she loses weight.

My other tanks have Hawkfish and wrasses that would swallow the baby clownfish so it’s in this 10 gallon for now.

Originally my plan for the mandarins was to move them to a 20L. Right now I am using it as an observation tank for new fish, and like the 10 it is becoming a permanent fixture. I’m thinking of possibly using it to grow out zoas or anemones which are both growing out in my 40B. At first I was thinking of a lagoon tank, but that’s what the 10 has evolved into. I’m slowly acclimating a mangrove in a vase and added sand to the tank for the roots of this tree. A Mandarin Mangrove lagoon was my vision. Maybe just adding a refugium to the 10 would be sufficient.

It’s all in flux for now. Thanks for asking.