Clownfish Taken A Turn For Teh Worse

[JoshH]

Hey,
Just taken a look into my tank and one of my clowns is looks pretty bad today yesterday I noticed it not swimming quite right, the top fins seemed to be down a bit and it looks as if my other clown has been making little 'attacks' at it (swimming up and tapping it sorta, no ripped fins or damage that i can see)

It's now sat on the bottom, breathing very fast, no visible signs of illness and all stats are fine, 0amm 0nitrite and 10 nitrate 25* temp 1.026SG...is there anything that I can do for it??

Many thanks

 

[ben1987]

probably the fight for dominance if they are new and young.
Is it the little one on the bottom?

 

[JoshH]

Yeah the smaller one is on the bottom, now on its side lying in the corner, other keeps swimming up and nudging the sand around it

 

[JoshH]

just got back from that new LFS, had water tested there aswell and all matches my test kit readings posted above, my poor little clown has died RIP buddy, I'm so sorry I even bought a banggai as I figured water was fine, he's acclimatising atm.

 

[Alex Brown]

That sucks sorry to hear Josh

My little clown is currently getting bullied and not let in the anemone by the other clown. Mean little fish!

 

[rabbut]

Yer, I've just had this problem also. I've "lost" my male. No sign of him in or around the tank and I'm not sure that I will see him again TBH

 

[Alex Brown]

Mini me on the sand in the corner tonight

 

[Truck]

mines dont the same

 

[scott133]

was in a lfs and there clowns were breathin really heavy strange hope your clowns pull throug

 

[Alex Brown]

Mine is now dead

 

[ben1987]

clowns are had to get settled. I must have lost 3 little males before i got a pair. Once they got settled they were bullet proof. The femal was the only fish to survive my tank crash. Shes now at the LFS with a lovely nem.

 

[Alex Brown]

Could you advise me on what size clown to buy to join my lonely clown. She is a common clown. 1.5inches (and was the dominant female of the pair I presume).

 

[TigerIssey]

Smallest you can find, I believe the larger they are the more likely that the female will not accept him.

 

[Alex Brown]

I can find smaller no problem, however, wont the larger beat him to the food, not let him in anemone etc? And do they change sex as the pair forms? Or once male/female, always male/female?

 

[TigerIssey]

If I have this right, Clownfish are born (prob wrong word really) sexually mature, they then all become male and only the dominant fish in a pair will become female. You need to get the smallest so she will accept she is dominant, she is already larger so will be the female. Clownfish are pigs basically when it comes to food, the little one will get his food no problem. She will need to accept him though before she will allow him into the anemone, this could be straight away, it could take a little time.

If a female dies and you add another small clown, the previous male has the ability to become the female, am I making sense to you here.

A female cannot become male but a male can become female depending on dominance.

Hope that helps rather than confuses.