Odd Clownfish Behavior?

[xxBarneyxx]

I'm following this thread closely myself as I got two clown fish at the weekend too and they dont seem to be very interested in eating anything. They have a bit of a nibble at everything but then seem to lose interest(even though they continue to look around for more food).

So far I have tried:
Flake food
Blood worm (frozen)
Daphina (frozen)
Brine Shrimp (frozen)

They seem active enough and healthy but just dont seem to like anything that I put in. I dont have any mysis shrimp to try and cant get any until the weekend (work until 6pm and there is no fish store close enough to get to in my lunch hour).

The LFS told me they where feeding on frozen brine shrimp but not sure I believe them now. I'm going to get some live food at the weekend and also try to get some roe and lobster eggs to try them on.

 

[shibby]

it may of already been said but ....


trry brine shrimp enrriched with garlic, from what ive been told it acts as an encouragment and i know of a few people who use it to feed penickity eaters and seems to work for them!

 

[1entra]

Well, preferably before the fish starts to look like its losing weight. If its not eating, its immune system will weaken and it may succomb to the infection/parasite. I'd do it sooner rather than later. If its not eaten by the tomorrow, I'd start the medication and see if the fish starts to respond after 24/48 hours.

What medications would you recommend as being a good for internal parasites? How about Waterlife Octozin or Interpret No. 9, Anti-Internal Bacteria?? Which one would you recommend or is there any other?

I'm going to try feeding some frozen mysis/brine chrimp mix in a bit and if it still dont eat then I will buy some treatment!

 

[AK77]

I have the octozin. It is apparently invertebrate safe, although I wound never use any medication (reefsafe or not) in a main tank. Treatments are always best perfomed in a QT. I'd go for the octozin personally. Hopefully you will see the fish pick up after a day or so.

 

[1entra]

Nope just aint happenin, tried to feed again just now but it just continued to swim past the food. However it did try to "peck" at the front as it went past at some evaporated water marks on the outside of the tank?!

Think i'm just going to buy some octozin and dose as recommended! By the way what should I do with the green chromis as it is still in the QT tank? Do you think it may be worth leaving it in there as it has been in the tank with the clownfish all along so may have caught the parasites off it?!

 

[AK77]

yeah I'd leave it in there and just treat them both. No point transferring the fish if there is the possiblility that either or both are infected with a parasite or the like. Prevention is definitely better than cure

 

[xxBarneyxx]

hmm I have just got mine eating flake now. I found that if I break it up into really small bits (about 3mm bits) they eat it no problems but they dont like the larger bits.

 

[1entra]

hmm I have just got mine eating flake now. I found that if I break it up into really small bits (about 3mm bits) they eat it no problems but they dont like the larger bits.

Ur lucky mate! ive tried that method as well and it just didnt seem to work!

Ive aordered myself some octozin off ebay. will dose the QT tank woth both the clown and the chromis in it together and hopefully I'll see some results!

By the way You dont suppose the treatment will harm the fish if they haven't got internal parasites and its not eating for some other weird reason???

 

[1entra]

I went to my LFS on Friday and started speaking to the owner really seems to know what he is talking about and has got several marine tanks set-up. Well anyways I told him about my clownfish not eating and asked for advice so he recommended if it had no physical signs of stress/disease, then it would be unlikely it would have internal parasites and the best thing to do would be to add it to the main tank with me forst clownfish. This is way the other clown eating should persuade it to also eat. He also advised I should get some frozen brine shrimp with garlic mix to feed the clowns as this is what he uses in the shop to get new fish to start eating if they are picky!

He also advised ro keep a close eye on both clownfish after adding it to the main tank in case they started to fight as things may get nasty!

Well anyways after getting home from the LFS, I acclimatised the clown from my QT tank for over an hour beofore adding it to my main tank with mu first clown. We0ll anyways both fish seemed to get along fine and not a single bit of quarraling was noticed by myself! They even started to swim around the tank together!

But then... when the lights went out in the tank, my first clownfish moved down to the bottom of the front right corner of the tank where he seems to spend his nights. And when the other clown came anywhere close to this corner, the first clown kept chasing it away! And a bit of squabbling started to go off untill the second clown decided to give up and moved away and the first one went back to his little corner.

Well I end up going to work a while after and when I came back several hours later I saw the first clown in his usual corner but could not see the second one anywhere, but didnt take much notice of it as it was still night!

Anyway all day today I have searched for the second clown but it seems to have completely disapeared and I just cant seem to find it anywhere! I have even seached all the area around my tank (as it is open lid) to see if I could find it but its nowhere to be seen!!

So what could have possibly happened to it as There is no dead body on the floor around the tank but I cant see the fish anywhere in the tank. Surely something cant have eaten the clownfish up? Do you think it may still be hiding in the tank somewhere??

I will take a params readin in the morning to see if I have had a spike in anything in case it may have died behind/beneath some LR somewhere?!!!!!

 

[Lynden]

May have died, or is (probably) just hiding. Keep searching.

 

[1entra]

Yea but it didnt show any signs off stress with having been moved into my main tank so cant believe it would have died... it just seems to have disapeared!!!

What should I do if I still cant find it and assume its dead?? Should I try 2 find the body? And what its not possible to do so?