Tiny Maroon Clown

Hugh Mann

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Picked myself up a tank raised Gold Dot Maroon Clown Saturday, and I just have a couple questions, as I have never cared for a fish this small, nor a clownfish, but I have read up on the general feeding/care.

He's roughly 1", and currently living alone in a 20 gallon QT with 3lbs of aged live rock. Running a sponge filter and Aquaclear 20.

My main question is feeding, I know from reading clowns will eat a varied diet, and maroons especially will eat basically anything. I gave him a day, and then I attempted to feed Omega One flake, crushed very small. Ignored it. This morning I tried brine shrimp with garlic, also ignored it. Any other suggestions for food, or is it still a bit too soon to try and feed after setting him up? Or perhaps the food chunks are a bit large, I'm not sure how big clowns can open their mouths.

Behavior wise, this clown spent the first few minutes swimming around the tank, then hid in the rock, and now has stayed pretty consistently swimming around near the surface. Don't know if I am just being paranoid, but I am used to new fish tucking tail and hiding in the darkest recesses of the tank for a few days.

Absolutely love this fish though, great colour, he's got two dots on one side that form a smiley face with a stripe.

DSC_0704.JPG DSC_0740.JPG
 
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Hugh Mann

Hugh Mann

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Disregard the cat photo, no idea how that got there.

Thanks, it's colour is awesome, deep red already. Bit blurry, my camera doesn't want to focus on the fish. Alright, I'll try some mysis after work, see if that gets him eating. Need this guy to grow fast, so he can go into my DT. Right now he'd just be a delicious snack for my moray.
 

LxHowler

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I would try mysis shrimp, or if you can get it mine go nuts for live brine shrimp. With flake all of my clowns will only eat it if I submerge it so it's not floating at the surface, they only eat it when it sinks.
If he is just swimming close to the surface I wouldn't worry too much just keep an eye on it, if it looks like it is trying to breath air from the surface or gasping for air then you may need to airate to water more.
Welcome to the world of clownfish they can be weird fish with weird personalities. Mine convinced me they where dead the first night I had them because they sleep on their side against my overflow, still catches me off guard.
Looks like you have a very nice fish, have fun with it
 

Reeferdude1888

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Hi I have a pair of maroon clowns they have always eaten frozen brine without any problems also small pellet and nori.
 
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Hugh Mann

Hugh Mann

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I unfortunately don't have access to live brine, nor do I have the equipment to hatch brine. I've got frozen mysis, but it's the jumbo stuff. Don't know if those might be too big. Could chop them up too.

I'll give the store a call later too, see what they were feeding it.
 

LxHowler

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I unfortunately don't have access to live brine, nor do I have the equipment to hatch brine. I've got frozen mysis, but it's the jumbo stuff. Don't know if those might be too big. Could chop them up too.

I'll give the store a call later too, see what they were feeding it.
That's fair alot of people don't have access to live brine, I'm lucky where I am to have 4 shops that stock it. I'd always try to ask what they are feeding in the shop, makes it easier when they are new. Have fun with your fish
 

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My maroon took 8 days to eat. She finally took to omega one flakes. She now eats ocean nutrition formula one pellets and Hikari frozen brine and mysis.
 

AmaleeC

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Mine eats everything but Nori :)
The fish may still be uncomfortable eating, since they’re still new to the tank. I originally got mine to eat mysis, then she later grew accustomed to eating Hikari pellets, brine, and even flakes. If yours isn’t taking to brine, I’d let some pellets sit in garlic for a min or two and then try to get her to eat. Just keep in mind that sometimes these things take time. Also, be sure to do your research on maroon clownfish. They can live lengthy lives and the females can reach up to 6”! Enjoy your fish && happy reefing! :)
 

AcroNem

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I would also ask what it was eating before. But I've gotten a lot of stubborn fish and clowns to eat frozen arctic copepods/Cyclopoids. Other than that I would continue small mysis and brine in you can't find out what it was previously eating. Might just take some time.
 
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Hugh Mann

Hugh Mann

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I chose Maroons specifically because they grow so large. I'm putting together an aggressive FowLR tank and they should fit right in, once they've grown bigger than bite sized.

I meant to ask, but they were pretty slammed busy what with the lock down in my area easing up. I ended up getting 5 bristle stars in a bag of chaeto, my lfs ordinarily sells those for $15 each. They usually do a mix of mysis, brine, chopped up scallops and whatnot, but I don't know if they use something different for the tank raised fish they get. This one is my first TR fish.
 

LxHowler

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Good news! Joker, as I have decided to call him on account of the smiley face pattern, ate some mysis! I have to chop them up a bit to make them more bite sized, but he gnawed away at some.
That good to hear. Hope you have success now you know what he will eat
 

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I’ve had clowns reluctant to eat, but they always come around. Small formula two pellets seem to be the only thing they will always eat. They prefer brine once they’re settled in, but for some reason they always seem to take the small sinking pellets best in the beginning. They like to attack them as they sink. I’ve never seen one of my clowns eat a flake.
 
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Hugh Mann

Hugh Mann

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So my clown only has the odd bite of food. I don't know how often or how much a tiny clownfish would eat, but it still looks healthy.

However it keeps swimming near the surface, into the corner of the tank. It's not 'sipping' at the air, just slowly swimming with its face pointing into the current. Does this signify a problem, or just weird clown behavior? He's got a couple chunks of live rock for cover, should that be enough? I've seen him hiding in the rock before, but spends most of the day swimming like this. Or at least is 9/10 times I check in on him.
 

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LxHowler

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So my clown only has the odd bite of food. I don't know how often or how much a tiny clownfish would eat, but it still looks healthy.

However it keeps swimming near the surface, into the corner of the tank. It's not 'sipping' at the air, just slowly swimming with its face pointing into the current. Does this signify a problem, or just weird clown behavior? He's got a couple chunks of live rock for cover, should that be enough? I've seen him hiding in the rock before, but spends most of the day swimming like this. Or at least is 9/10 times I check in on him.
Is that the heater it is sat next to? It is possible that is where it feels safe, does it sleep there. Is it on its own in the tank? Clownfish will often hang out in high flow, mine swim straight at my Powerhead and play in the flow does it have lower flow areas it can go to. Clownfish will naturally host an area of the tank, it's possible that is it's area.
It looks pretty healthy, hard to tell the video isn't in focus. Does it move out of the corner when you feed. I have found that both pairs of my clowns don't spend that much time in the open.
This is just my experience, would be nice to get some other peoples input
 

Katrina71

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Looks like Joker is just like every other clown we've had. BFF with the heater first.
 
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Hugh Mann

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Yes, that is the heater, it's also one of the lower flow areas in the tank I think. I've got a sponge filter in the same end as the heater, and an Aquaclear 20 on the opposite end.

He moves out of the corner to feed, but he's only eaten a handful of times. I attempt to feed 3x a day. Morning, late afternoon and evening, same as I feed my other fish.

He definitely still looks healthy, no different than at my lfs, my camera doesn't like to focus on the tank, water is too clear, wants to focus on the background.

His pattern so far that I have observed is early morning, I find him in the exact opposite corner, swimming towards the same end of the tank. Shortly after lights on, he's back to the corner with the heater and stays there until lights off. So maybe he's just 'hosting' that particular corner of the tank.

He is currently alone in the tank. I wanted to buy a smaller BTA, but don't have the lighting for it in QT. Are Clownfish social fish? That hasn't come up in my reading either way. If so I could probably go find him a friend this weekend, lfs has a few sub 2" yellow tangs I've contemplated getting.
 

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