onyzza wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2025 6:20 pm
A lot of sw fish aren't surface feeders, so it's not a concern if he eats from food that drifts around the tank. Clowns tend to claim a home base and stick to it most of the time - this could be a live anemone, a coral, or even just an ornament. They're not exactly known for being super active swimmers that zip around the tank all day.
Edit: Also worth noting, clowns will still move around a bit even when they're sticking close to home. They don't just lie still for extended periods - if he's swimming slowly, that's pretty normal, but if he's just lying there against something with no fin movement, that's not typical.
He's just kinda chillin' in the anemone, not doing much. Sometimes he'll get up, swim around a tiny bit, then go back to just laying there in his little home.
darktide wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2025 2:53 pm
I picked up a clownfish on Saturday, and so far, he's been pretty stationary - just sticking to one area of the tank. I'll often catch him just chillin' in his anemone, like he's found his happy spot or something. Is this normal behavior for a new fish? Is he just getting accustomed to the tank, or is there something I should be worried about? When I feed him, he's active and eats fine, but he doesn't rush to the surface to grab food - he's not exactly swimming straight to the top to get it.
I'm no expert on saltwater, but I've had some experience with freshwater tanks, so I'll try to offer some helpful insights.
First off, I'm assuming this is indeed a saltwater tank you've set up - is the salinity level correct? I know it sounds like a basic question, but I've seen it happen before where the salt levels are off, and it affects the fish.
More importantly, I'd love to know when you introduced the clownfish to the tank and what kind of decorations you have in there. A picture of the entire tank would really help me get a better understanding of the setup. Sometimes, fish just need time to adjust to their new surroundings, or if there aren't enough hiding spots, they tend to stick to one area.
Also, is your tank fully cycled? If so, how did you go about cycling it? I'm wondering if the tank might not have been set up properly, which could be causing some issues with the fish's health.
Yes, live rock also contains various algae species which can make fish feel more at home, and it serves as a food source for them during the initial days when they're hiding. I usually recommend starting with a mix, about 30% live rock and 70% dry rock, as going 100% live rock can be quite pricey.
darktide wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2025 2:53 pm
I picked up a clownfish on Saturday, and so far, he's been pretty stationary - just sticking to one area of the tank. I'll often catch him just chillin' in his anemone, like he's found his happy spot or something. Is this normal behavior for a new fish? Is he just getting accustomed to the tank, or is there something I should be worried about? When I feed him, he's active and eats fine, but he doesn't rush to the surface to grab food - he's not exactly swimming straight to the top to get it.
From the photos, he looks healthy to me. I'd say it's just stress and getting used to his new surroundings. My clown pair took around a week to get comfortable with the tank and come out from their rock structure.
darktide said:
Often I will find him just sitting in his anemone like this. Is this bad?
That's actually a good sign - it means he's getting used to the anemone and thinks of it as his safe spot.
darktide said:
Also, when I feed him, he’ll swim around and it eat but not swim straight to the top and get it from the surface.
That's pretty normal for clowns - they're not big fans of going up to the surface for food. They'd rather eat it in the water column. What's his diet looking like?
darktide said:
Yes salinity is just fine. I added him Saturday afternoon. Cycled since February. Here is a pic of the whole tank. You can see him in the anemone just kinda laying there which he’s done a lot. Sometimes he’ll get up and swim a tiny bit but always goes back to the anemone. Breathing seems kinda fast but at this point I can’t tell if I’m overreacting or not
What's the tank size and what are the parameters looking like?
I'm currently using flakes but I'm looking to switch to something else like mysis. Any suggestions would be great - I want to make sure I'm giving him the best. My tank is 10 gallons, by the way. I checked the ammonia levels earlier and it was 0. Nitrates are around 15ppm. I don't have the nitrite reading right now since I'm not at home.
darktide wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2025 2:53 pm
I picked up a clownfish on Saturday, and so far, he's been pretty stationary - just sticking to one area of the tank. I'll often catch him just chillin' in his anemone, like he's found his happy spot or something. Is this normal behavior for a new fish? Is he just getting accustomed to the tank, or is there something I should be worried about? When I feed him, he's active and eats fine, but he doesn't rush to the surface to grab food - he's not exactly swimming straight to the top to get it.
I'm no expert on saltwater, but I've had some experience with freshwater tanks, so I'll try to offer some helpful insights.
First off, I'm assuming this is indeed a saltwater tank you've set up - is the salinity level correct? I know it sounds like a basic question, but I've seen it happen before where the salt levels are off, and it affects the fish.
More importantly, I'd love to know when you introduced the clownfish to the tank and what kind of decorations you have in there. A picture of the entire tank would really help me get a better understanding of the setup. Sometimes, fish just need time to adjust to their new surroundings, or if there aren't enough hiding spots, they tend to stick to one area.
Also, is your tank fully cycled? If so, how did you go about cycling it? I'm wondering if the tank might not have been set up properly, which could be causing some issues with the fish's health.
darktide wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2025 2:53 pm
I picked up a clownfish on Saturday, and so far, he's been pretty stationary - just sticking to one area of the tank. I'll often catch him just chillin' in his anemone, like he's found his happy spot or something. Is this normal behavior for a new fish? Is he just getting accustomed to the tank, or is there something I should be worried about? When I feed him, he's active and eats fine, but he doesn't rush to the surface to grab food - he's not exactly swimming straight to the top to get it.
From the photos, he looks healthy to me. I'd say it's just stress and getting used to his new surroundings. My clown pair took around a week to get comfortable with the tank and come out from their rock structure.
darktide said:
Often I will find him just sitting in his anemone like this. Is this bad?
That's actually a good sign - it means he's getting used to the anemone and thinks of it as his safe spot.
darktide said:
Also, when I feed him, he’ll swim around and it eat but not swim straight to the top and get it from the surface.
That's pretty normal for clowns - they're not big fans of going up to the surface for food. They'd rather eat it in the water column. What's his diet looking like?
darktide said:
Yes salinity is just fine. I added him Saturday afternoon. Cycled since February. Here is a pic of the whole tank. You can see him in the anemone just kinda laying there which he’s done a lot. Sometimes he’ll get up and swim a tiny bit but always goes back to the anemone. Breathing seems kinda fast but at this point I can’t tell if I’m overreacting or not
What's the tank size and what are the parameters looking like?
I got a clownfish on Saturday and he has mostly just hung around one area of the tank. Often I will find him just sitting in his anemone like this. Is this bad? Is he just getting used to the new tank? Or is there another issue? Also, when I feed him, he’ll swim around and it eat but not swim straight to the top and get it from the surface.
