View Full Version : What is wrong with my freakin' clowns!!!
I can't keep a clown alive for nothing. Today my 4th clown in the last 3 weeks has died.:( I can't understand what's wrong. I have a yellow tail damsel and a yellow Tang in with them. They aren't harming them at all! I have live rock that is absolutely thriving with life. My Nitrates and all check in OK. Help!!!
kreblak
07-21-2003, 8:49 PM
What are your water readings?
Ammonia?
nitrite?
nitrate?
PH?
temperature?
specific gravity?
How long are the clowns living before they die? What behavior do they exhibit? Are they eating?
I do know right off the top of my head. My nitrates are between 0-10. My temp is 80 F. My gravity is .1.024 and PH I keep at 8.2
Oh I feed them marine flakes. 2 I just found dead in the morning. The other two swam around upsidown for awhile. These last two, when one died that morning the other rolled over that same night.
DeltaUguy
07-21-2003, 9:22 PM
What size tank are we talking about?
kreblak
07-21-2003, 9:46 PM
My first maroon clown was fine at first, then after one day in the tank, he was bobbing up and down with his head facing the surface like a bouy. After another day he was dead. He was introduced at the same time as a Yellow tang who was fine. There was a damsel in that tank at the time, as well. I find the parallels striking...
My problem was a damsel that was beating the crap out of the clown as soon as the lights went out. Do you have enough cover and rock work in the tank? Part of my problem was that I did not have adequate hiding places, and the damsel was defending "his" territory very tenaciously.
I have also read about "clownfish disease." This disease seems to affect wild caught clowns that don't acclimate well.
liquafaction
07-21-2003, 9:51 PM
http://www.garf.org/trever/NEMO/NEMO.html
mogurnda
07-22-2003, 7:54 AM
Captive bred or wild-caught? CB clowns have been hard to kill in my hands, but wild-caught clowns can be suffering from the stress of transport, possible aftereffects of cynanide (especialy Phillipine imports like ocellaris) and so on. Just a thought.
BrianH
07-22-2003, 7:57 AM
How big is your tank and how many clownfish were you keeping together?
Brian
I never had more than two at a time in a 55 gal.
lebloom
07-22-2003, 12:46 PM
Just how long have you had the LR in your tank? Cured or uncured when you placed it into your tank? I also had a couple of clowns in my tanks and they died for no reason. BUT, I had this problem right after I put some cured LR in my tank.cured. Clowns are one of the most stable fish they told me and nobody could help me at my LFS on this problem. Its been going on a year now since I put my first LR along with the LS in my tank and my clowns are doing just fine.
g. mcclean
07-22-2003, 6:37 PM
We also lost a clown. He was sold as a "blue striped sebau" but looked like what I have seen called a Clarkii, brown and yellow with white vertical stripes that had a blue cast. He was the first fish we added after the cycling was completed. We have a 46 gallon tank. At the time of his death we had 3 green chromis, a flame angel and a royal gramma. He stopped eating and we were told that they do that at times. However this went on for about a week. We saw no agression, however, who knows what goes on when the lights go out. We have abot 45-50 pounds of live rock with ample nools and crannies. All water parameters were great--no ammonia, no nitrates, Ph 8.2, temp 79, salinity 1.023. No other fish was affected, and he showed no signs of disease. We want a clown in our new 75 gallon but are wondering if they are as hardy as people say.
Mandairn
07-23-2003, 12:45 PM
maroon clowns will not be pushed around too easly. If eny thing they would do they butt kicking when the lights go out. Do you have an anome? Are(were) they a mated pair?
Tha anome would hopful help them settle in. If they were a mated pair, some time (not always) when one dies the othere will soon after.
cLOws Are CInda LIke U gOT tHEM oR u DONt
mogurnda
07-23-2003, 12:53 PM
I don't think an anemone is a very good idea. Clowns can settle down and spawn in a bare tank with a flowerpot. They will certainly be happy in a reef tank with lots of nooks and crannies to explore. Putting a much more delicate animal into a tank to help a very robust species become comfortable is asking for trouble IMO.
Never heard if any of the clowns in question were wild-caught.
browncloud
07-24-2003, 7:14 PM
i have no problem with any clowns at all,maroon`s clarkii`s,ploymnus,nigripes...u name it,all in fish only systems and the s g.....18...
Mandairn
07-24-2003, 11:00 PM
anemone is not my first chioce too help but, just an ideal. Not the best cuz anemones are hard to keep.