goroboy
06-21-2008, 10:19 PM
Hi,
My aquarium has been running for about a year now. It's a small, humble tank of which I take pride since it's my first salt-water project.
I have succesfully kept 2 Yellowtail Blue Damsels, 1 Coral Banded Shrimp and 1 Sunflower Coral (I used to have two till my chocolate chip starfish ate one of them, which gave it a ticket right out of my tank).
I have always fancied having clownfish, but until now I had made several unsuccesful attempts to increase the population of my tank. It was always the same: I'd come home from the store, I'd acclimate the fish and then would introduce it to the tank (I know this is not the orthodox procedure but I cannot afford to keep a quarantine tank running all the time...besides my main tank is probably the size of any of your quarantine tanks). And I'd always get the same sad result: next morning I'd find them invariably dead.
I had always gotten to the conclusion that it must be because of my water quality. Notwithstanding that the levels I got from my measures were always right I thought there must be something wrong with my water. Also they had told me that damselfish can survive in almost any kind of water, so it was no wonder they survived in mine.
Last wednesday I went to the store to buy replacement cartridges for my filter and a new air stone for the skimmer when I saw it: a beautiful, medium-sized brown clownfish with yellow body bars. I thought it was about the time I repeat my attempt to introduce new fish to the tank. I had measured the water levels earlier that week and everything was perfect. So I bought it, together with a curious looking scooter blennie.
I repeated the same introduction proces and let the new fish swim freely about the tank. I gazed at them for some minutes and then parted to do some chores. Not before long my family, who were curious about my new aquisitions, called me back into the room. The two damsels were ferociously attacking my poor clown!!! Quikly I took the net, catched it and placed it into a bucket. Then I bought a transparent breeder and placed it in the tank with the clownfish inside to protect them from the damsels.
It has been 3 days since, and the damsels don't attack the breeder. But they look at it with resentment and keep swiming around it. I want to introduce the clown to the tank, because I can't keep it in the breeder forever, but I don't know how to do it so the damsels don't attack it.
I was thinking about buying a second clownfish, have them both in the breeder for a few days, let them bond and them release them into the aquarium. After all, two makes a better deffense than one.
Also somebody suggested I put the attackers in the breeder and let the new fish get to know the tank and its hidding places before realeasing them back in, but they have proven imposible to catch - too fast and they know the tank too well.
So I guess all my failed attempts to introduce new fish weren't because of poor water quality but because territorial, agressive tenants.
As for the blennie, nobody but the shrimp payed any attention to it. The shrimp tried to catch it as a prey, but the blennie stood up to him and now the shrimp doesn't come even close. It swims about the tank freely eating any detritus he can find on the floor.
So, after all my meguillah what I need help with is the following:
1. Advise about how to release the clownfish back into the tank without risk.
2. Help identifying its species. (see the pics below). At the store they told me it was something like a 'Brown' Clownfish, but there's no such species in my Marine Fishes book. I'm guessing its a variation of the Amphiprion percula but I don't know for sure. Any ideas?
Thanks!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2055/2598736725_f571bce020_m.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3060/2598736263_d05c2118d6_m.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3071/2599567306_98ae66346c_m.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3006/2598735461_a4819c1d01_m.jpg
My aquarium has been running for about a year now. It's a small, humble tank of which I take pride since it's my first salt-water project.
I have succesfully kept 2 Yellowtail Blue Damsels, 1 Coral Banded Shrimp and 1 Sunflower Coral (I used to have two till my chocolate chip starfish ate one of them, which gave it a ticket right out of my tank).
I have always fancied having clownfish, but until now I had made several unsuccesful attempts to increase the population of my tank. It was always the same: I'd come home from the store, I'd acclimate the fish and then would introduce it to the tank (I know this is not the orthodox procedure but I cannot afford to keep a quarantine tank running all the time...besides my main tank is probably the size of any of your quarantine tanks). And I'd always get the same sad result: next morning I'd find them invariably dead.
I had always gotten to the conclusion that it must be because of my water quality. Notwithstanding that the levels I got from my measures were always right I thought there must be something wrong with my water. Also they had told me that damselfish can survive in almost any kind of water, so it was no wonder they survived in mine.
Last wednesday I went to the store to buy replacement cartridges for my filter and a new air stone for the skimmer when I saw it: a beautiful, medium-sized brown clownfish with yellow body bars. I thought it was about the time I repeat my attempt to introduce new fish to the tank. I had measured the water levels earlier that week and everything was perfect. So I bought it, together with a curious looking scooter blennie.
I repeated the same introduction proces and let the new fish swim freely about the tank. I gazed at them for some minutes and then parted to do some chores. Not before long my family, who were curious about my new aquisitions, called me back into the room. The two damsels were ferociously attacking my poor clown!!! Quikly I took the net, catched it and placed it into a bucket. Then I bought a transparent breeder and placed it in the tank with the clownfish inside to protect them from the damsels.
It has been 3 days since, and the damsels don't attack the breeder. But they look at it with resentment and keep swiming around it. I want to introduce the clown to the tank, because I can't keep it in the breeder forever, but I don't know how to do it so the damsels don't attack it.
I was thinking about buying a second clownfish, have them both in the breeder for a few days, let them bond and them release them into the aquarium. After all, two makes a better deffense than one.
Also somebody suggested I put the attackers in the breeder and let the new fish get to know the tank and its hidding places before realeasing them back in, but they have proven imposible to catch - too fast and they know the tank too well.
So I guess all my failed attempts to introduce new fish weren't because of poor water quality but because territorial, agressive tenants.
As for the blennie, nobody but the shrimp payed any attention to it. The shrimp tried to catch it as a prey, but the blennie stood up to him and now the shrimp doesn't come even close. It swims about the tank freely eating any detritus he can find on the floor.
So, after all my meguillah what I need help with is the following:
1. Advise about how to release the clownfish back into the tank without risk.
2. Help identifying its species. (see the pics below). At the store they told me it was something like a 'Brown' Clownfish, but there's no such species in my Marine Fishes book. I'm guessing its a variation of the Amphiprion percula but I don't know for sure. Any ideas?
Thanks!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2055/2598736725_f571bce020_m.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3060/2598736263_d05c2118d6_m.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3071/2599567306_98ae66346c_m.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3006/2598735461_a4819c1d01_m.jpg