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[moldrik]

Hey guys,

I picked up some new clownfish with an anemone. While acclimating they were in the anemone the whole time ( in a small bucket ) however, once introduced to the tank ( 40 gal ) they aren't spending time with their anemone anymore. I tried giving them something to eat, but they wouldn't. So, i'm giving them a night by themselves to hopefully destress and tomorrow start their new lives in my tank.

Is this normal? They are still sticking together ( thankfully ) so I hope they do ok.

Water parameters are fine and I did a water change too.

Sincerely,

Really-hopeful-that-my-fish-will-host-the-anemone.
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[Keri]

They are likely just exploring the new digs, they will probably go back to hosting the 'nem in time ....unless they find something else they like better. Clowns are funny ;)
It's completely normal that they don't eat the first day, or even couple of days. If you want to entice them to eat sometimes adding fresh garlic juice to their frozen (thawed) food helps pique their interest. HTH :)

[moldrik]

I was going to buy some at JL but they were sold out. The girl that works there ( not sure on her name ) said that they would be getting it in on Wednesday. I bought some mysis shrimp, flake food and red algea ( w/ garlic extract ) and I'm going to mix it all up to make a concoction that they will hopefully enjoy.
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ultimate fighters (http://ultimatefighters.org)

[Madreefer]

I was going to buy some at JL but they were sold out.

You should be able to get it at a health food store. As soon as anything such as Kent or anything "aquarium" is on the label the price seems to double.:rolleyes:

[marie]

To get the full benefit of garlic it should be fresh not bottled

[Madreefer]

To get the full benefit of garlic it should be fresh not bottled

Can you get fresh garlic juice? Or do you do your own? And do you mean just juice or do you put in minced? Just curious as always willing to save some on cash.

[Keri]

I squish up a clove and let it sit for a while with the frozen food thawing in a tiny bit of tank water, I pick out the big pieces of garlic before I feed it to the fish.

[mike31154]

What kind of clownfish and anemone? I suspect they hosted in the bucket since it was their only refuge in there. Were they hosting in the anemone at the LFS? In any case, don't worry just yet, they'll take some time to get comfortable in their new surroundings.

My maroon clownfish didn't eat for almost a full week following introduction into the tank. All day he would do laps back & forth along the glass. No idea where he got the energy to do that for a week without nourishment but he didn't appear to lose much weight. It was quite a relief when he finally decided to start chowing down and once he did, he did so with gusto. He is now a big she with a male partner hosting in a BTA.

[moldrik]

Well, the great part is that they are hosting again! I came to work ( where my tank is ) added some more water, fed the anemone and the mushroom coral and tried feeding the fish.

They nibbled at it but spat it all out again. I tried mysis shrimp and some flake food. I made my own concoction by blending a bunch of stuff together. Seemed to work fine for the mushrooms and the anemone, but the clown didn't want any.

I snagged a bunch of pix though.

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa175/Moldrik/Fish%20tank/FishTank003.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa175/Moldrik/Fish%20tank/FishTank004.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa175/Moldrik/Fish%20tank/FishTank007.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa175/Moldrik/Fish%20tank/FishTank008.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa175/Moldrik/Fish%20tank/FishTank010.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa175/Moldrik/Fish%20tank/FishTank013.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa175/Moldrik/Fish%20tank/FishTank015.jpg
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa175/Moldrik/Fish%20tank/FishTank016.jpg
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[marie]

I squish up a clove and let it sit for a while with the frozen food thawing in a tiny bit of tank water, I pick out the big pieces of garlic before I feed it to the fish.

I do the same. I don't feed garlic very often though, it makes my house smell like an Italian restaurant :lol:

[hillegom]

nice pictures

[Keri]

Nice pics and neat anemone :)

[fishytime]

Your tank looks like it brand new. When was it set up?

[moldrik]

Late October.
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[fishytime]

Looks good so far. To soon for a nem IMO. Good luck with it.

[moldrik]

Anemone seems to be doing ok, I came to work right now and noticed the mushrooms closed up a decent ammount, is this normal overnight?

It's a lavender type, mushroom:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=597+598+872&pcatid=872

I fed them yesterday a blend of mysis shrimp, algea and flake food.
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Buell RR1000 (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Buell_RR1000)

[moldrik]

One of the clownfish is swimming a bit laboured. He seems to stick around a lot to the same area and just hang around there. The other guy is much more active and from time to time, he seems to bump into the other guy to get him moving. Not sure if it's anything to worry about. They were swimming much more actively yesterday though.
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Honda CL77 (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Honda_CL77)

[moldrik]

I also had added some flakes and some mysis shrimp to the tank yesterday, they didn't eat the flakes like I posted above. Today, I saw them try to eat a mysis but spat it right out, also the ammonia level has kicked up a bit ( still really low )due to the left over dead food, so i don't want to add anymore. Do you guys have any suggestions in regards to balancing out the feeding attempts / possible ammonia increases.
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Honda XL100 (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Honda_XL100)

[ElGuappo]

my perks love NLS 1 mm semi floatig pellets. then again so does my foxface, gobies and wrasse.

[mike31154]

I also had added some flakes and some mysis shrimp to the tank yesterday, they didn't eat the flakes like I posted above. Today, I saw them try to eat a mysis but spat it right out, also the ammonia level has kicked up a bit ( still really low )due to the left over dead food, so i don't want to add anymore. Do you guys have any suggestions in regards to balancing out the feeding attempts / possible ammonia increases.

Ammonia level detectable? Yoiks. Sounds like your set up hasn't completely cycled yet. Could be bad news for the livestock. You might want to prepare for some water changes.

[mike31154]

Your tank looks like it brand new. When was it set up?

Yes, nice pics for sure. Not sure but it doesn't seem like there's a lot of water movement happening in there. And is that your heater laying in the bottom? I would advise getting the top of the heater out of the water. I know many are supposedly fully submersible, but I just don't trust that with my life.

Members will be better able to advise you if you elaborate a little more on your set-up. Specifically tank size, volume, sump or sumpless, water movement etc.

[moldrik]

Ammonia level detectable? Yoiks. Sounds like your set up hasn't completely cycled yet. Could be bad news for the livestock. You might want to prepare for some water changes.

This could be me being a dolt, but the nutrafin/hagen test comes out like a clear, bright yellow color. < 0.6

Not sure but it doesn't seem like there's a lot of water movement happening in there. And is that your heater laying in the bottom? I would advise getting the top of the heater out of the water. I know many are supposedly fully submersible, but I just don't trust that with my life.

Members will be better able to advise you if you elaborate a little more on your set-up. Specifically tank size, volume, sump or sumpless, water movement etc.

My tank is setup as follows:

40 Gallon, Glass
36"x18"x14" ( maybe 16" it's a 40 gallon breeder )
Sumpless
Hydor Koralia #2 ( I do agree with you, i dont find that this gives enough water flow )
Aqua C Remora ( not nano )
Hagen Filter ( 50 gal )
150 Watt Stealth Heater
My light setup is a coralife 175 Watt, 2 PC canopy
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[mike31154]

Good info. I've used mainly the API test kit for my Ammonia readings but I do have a kit by Hagen/Nutrafin too. The colour chart on the booklet for the ammonia test on my kit shows yellow/lime green as being 0 ppm. There are two charts on the booklet, one for fresh & one for salt water. The sw one has the more lime colour as 0 so you should be ok with bright yellow unless they've changed the kit. Mine was aquired used and there's no best before date on the bottles.

Apologies if I raised ammonia alarm bells for nothing. Like you already suspect, more water flow will benefit the system and you'll also want to beef up the lighting to keep your anemone healthy. Any idea wha species of anemone you have? I have a BTA for my maroon clown pair and it doesn't look anything like the one in your photo so I suspect it's a different sort. Not good with nem ids myself, other than BTAs.

[moldrik]

Yeah, I'm not sure on the type of anemone, but from what I searched around, I think it's a type of BTA. I bought the anemone from a fellow canreefer.

I will say that the fish are moving a lot more now, I think they are just a bit scared and shy. I looked at the test and yeah, I was referencing the fresh water table, not the salt water. I must have misplaced the salt water test book *sigh*

Do you know where I can find the table by any chance? Also, when I think at it, even though the liquid was "clear" it was fairly foggy/opaqy. I have a horrible time describing things.
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[ElGuappo]

just fyi but clownfish have been know to never go further than 12 inches away from there host. if you are concerned with them not swiming the lenth of the tank dont be. once they find a host they rarely venture very far away except to eat. this is what i have found with my t. purcula and what i have read.

[ElGuappo]

This could be me being a dolt, but the nutrafin/hagen test comes out like a clear, bright yellow color. < 0.6



My tank is setup as follows:


Hydor Koralia #2 ( I do agree with you, i dont find that this gives enough water flow )


i have one of these in a 25 g tall. 24w x 24t x not sure deep. i am setting up and once it has cycled i will be adding at least a koralia 1 to up the flow. so cant see this being enough byitself in that tank.

[moldrik]

Cool, I'll keep that in mind when deciding what to put later in my tank.

Which brings me to the point that I'm upset that I got the turbo snails, because I didn't consider the fact that they would be mowing down the feather dusters that were previously ( and growing ) in the tank :(

If I had my way, again, I'd buy bumblebee ones or something of a similiar size..
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[mike31154]

Yeah, I'm not sure on the type of anemone, but from what I searched around, I think it's a type of BTA. I bought the anemone from a fellow canreefer.

I will say that the fish are moving a lot more now, I think they are just a bit scared and shy. I looked at the test and yeah, I was referencing the fresh water table, not the salt water. I must have misplaced the salt water test book *sigh*

Do you know where I can find the table by any chance? Also, when I think at it, even though the liquid was "clear" it was fairly foggy/opaqy. I have a horrible time describing things.

The booklet that comes with the kit I have has both tables side by side on the back page. There's only a slight difference on the two colour charts with the freshwater version being more yellow and the sw lime green. In any case, I'd say by your description, going by the chart I have, your ammonia is low to nil.

[moldrik]

That's great to hear Mike. I'm definately happier when I saw them leaving their anemone and moving around a bit. I had a bit of a scare there.
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[mike31154]

Good stuff, but don't take my interpretation of your colour chart as gospel. I'm speculating and I've since found that they make several different versions of the Hagen ammonia test kit. You might consider getting a new kit just to be sure. Or borrow one, or take a sample of your water to the LFS, I understand most of them will oblige you with an occasional test.

[Keri]

Turbo snails eat feather dusters? That's the first I've heard of it... I have many turbos and HUNDREDS of little dusters

[moldrik]

I'm not sure, I've been seeing all of these little tube-like things all over the tank. Maybe it's turbo snail poop?
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[Keri]

spirorbid worms, harmless filter feeders, like these?

http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/files/spirorbid_137.jpg

[moldrik]

Nope, it looks like the tube of a little feather duster but it's all over the place. Like the snails have broken the feather duster into small pieces.
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[moldrik]

I feel kind of sad, the majority of the day my clownfish spend inside of their anemone, however, as soon as I turn off the filter, powerhead and skimmer, they are roaming around the tank and they seem to be loving it.

I almost, really want to keep my stuff turned off the whole time. It's such a pleasure to see them moving around.

Is it possible that the noises are bothering them, keeping them close to their anemone, safe?

[mike31154]

Like ElGuappo mentioned earlier it's their natural behaviour to stay close to or in their anemone host once the hosting behaviour is established. My Maroon pair does not stray more than a foot from their BTA the majority of the time, in fact I hardly ever see the male since he spends all day behind the rock the nem is on. The female spends most of the day a few inches away defending the territory. Every once in a blue moon both of them go for a little 'walkabout' in the tank, which as you say is very cool to watch. At lights out they're both nestled snugly in the anemone.

I really doubt that any noises are bothering them. Enjoy the time you see them roam when the equipment is turned off, but I'm not sure they would do that long term. Having the equipment off too long could be hazardous to the tank's health.

[moldrik]

Yeah, I know, I don't want to possibly affect water parameters.

Something really weird just happened. My anemone shrivelled up and constricted itself, the fish are trying to get in but they can't. It still seems healthy though.

Anyone knows what it's doing?

[Snaz]

And is that your heater laying in the bottom? I would advise getting the top of the heater out of the water. I know many are supposedly fully submersible, but I just don't trust that with my life.
.

That looks like a Visitherm Stealth Heater which according to my LFS is the only aquarium heater to be CSA approved as fully submersible. It has the CSA logo on the box and the box says "Fully Submersible". It's all plastic and does not have an "on" light, I really like mine. My tank is always 78*. Anyone use this heater?
Keith.

[moldrik]

It is that heater and it seems to work pretty well. The nem is opening up a bit and it looks a bit better. Maybe it just got cranky?

[mike31154]

They'll do that from time to time, mostly after they've digested something they've been fed. It's kind of their way of regulating their internal chemistry and it may expel some waste when it does that. As long as it doesn't stay that way for more than a few hours, nothing to be alarmed about.

[mike31154]

That looks like a Visitherm Stealth Heater which according to my LFS is the only aquarium heater to be CSA approved as fully submersible. It has the CSA logo on the box and the box says "Fully Submersible". It's all plastic and does not have an "on" light, I really like mine. My tank is always 78*. Anyone use this heater?
Keith.

Many heaters have the fully submersible rating and CSA approval. People have become ill consuming federally inspected produce. Matter of choice I guess, I choose to keep the top of my heater above the water line. The adjustment knob is a mechanical interface to the internals of the heater and I just don't feel comfortable having that under water. I do have a small powerhead running my skimmer which has the cord partially submerged, so I guess I'm taking a chance there, but those are encased in epoxy and there isn't the mechanical interface I mentioned as in the heater.

[moldrik]

Hey guys,

I came to work and still found my anemone in the same state that it was yesterday. There looks like there is some sort of mucus that has released. Not sure what is going on, I'm about to go in there and check out what is going on, possibly move him. His mouth looks over-pronounced.

Gonna do a water change and try feeding him.