Clownfish pair & RBTA, beh., reading - 12/06/08
Hello :)
<Hi Steve>
I've had a pair of Ocellaris for several months now. They appeared to have paired up with one growing larger than the
other
<Mmm, yes... one becoming the female... the usual...>
and both having slept in the same corner of the tank for quite a while now. I recently purchased a RBTA (a week & a half now). Both of them almost immediately showed interest in the anemone, and after a few days the female hosted. However, the male doesn't seem to be allowed into the new home as of yet.
<Also typical behavior>
At first, he would try to approach and get chased off by the female. Now he seems to have lost his nerve. He still gets
close, but must be getting the "evil eye" because he ultimately just backs off.
Anyway, my wife feels really bad for the little guy since he has to sleep all alone now in his little corner. I thought it was likely normal since it has not even been two weeks, but in order to calm her worries I said I'd write those with more expertise than me. :)
What do you think?
Thanks!
Steve
<That this is "normal" goings on... and you should read... Start here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/FishInd2.htm
the last tray at the bottom. Bob Fenner>

Clarkii's Swimming Motion 11/13/08
Hi, this is the first time I am writing to you guys. It might be a dumb question but I am really looking for a definitive answer (if there is one) as no one has yet to give me an answer to my satisfaction.
<Will try!>
Few months ago my LFS had about 6 clarkii Clownfishes in one tank. Out of the 6 I believe there were about 2 clarkii that had a distinct up and down swimming motion (very similar to the saddle back clowns but more intense) the entire time I was observing while the others swam like normal clowns.  Those 2 that was bobbing up and down the whole time also looked to be colored a bit different as there fins were a lot more bright yellow and the tail fin being more of a fan shape and bigger. I went back several weeks later to purchase the 2 Clarkiis but they were gone! And all the other Clarkii's they have gotten since then had the normal swimming motions and not the up and down motion. I searched many YouTube videos on clarkii and out of so many of them I only saw 1 Video of the Clarkii's with this up and down swimming motion.
1: I know there are color variations in Clarkiis depending on where they came from but are there swimming variations as well?
<Not per se from distribution, but from fish to fish there will be.>
2: If not could that swimming motion be displaying some kind of emotions?
<Likely so, getting used to the environment. Possibly the difference between tank bred and wild fish.>
3: And it could be my imagination, but it appears the one's that swim up and down seem to have way bigger tail fins and much brighter colors. They just flat out look better.
<No doubt.>
4: Does the tail fins on the Clarkii's get smaller as they mature? or do they just look smaller in relations to the bigger body size?
<Smaller in relation to the body; the fins do grow.>
Sorry for asking too many questions, hope you guys can put some light on this topic for me as I have been wanting to buy a pair of Clarkiis but wanted to wait and see if indeed its a variation and not my imagination.
<Nope, not your imagination. Part of picking an individual fish, they are just this.>
Thank you
PS: I have put a link to the video I was referring to on YouTube, please take a look http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvj_k2rf0Q0
<Ahh, thank you, Scott V.>

Clownfish hosting in Neomeris annulata -10/26/08 Thought you might enjoy a picture of my clownfish hosting in macroalgae (I didn't have an anemone). <Very nice picture! Thank you, Sara M.>

Re: Clownfish hosting in N. annulata 10/28/08 Thanks:) I forgot to send the you tube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdc1X8jxeVE <Cool, thanks! -Sara M.>

Symptoms of an Ocellaris Clownfish changing genders 10/23/08
Hello WWM Crew,
<Hi>
I have tried searching for symptoms of a clownfish changing from male to female. I have a 30 gallon tank with this livestock: 1 Royal Gramma, 1 Linares Wrasse, 1 Large Ocellaris Clownfish, 2 Turbo Snails. Water Conditions are all normal. I recently added a smaller Ocellaris Clownfish into the tank. I kept the new fish separated from all of the fish in a small breeder net cage.
<Did you QT this fish first?>
After about a week I let him join the rest of the fish, at first the larger Clown would back up into the smaller one and shake its tail into it. They had seemed to be getting along together. Today, I woke up and saw the two swimming together just fine. When I came home from work, the larger one was swimming alone, breathing somewhat rapidly (not interested in food).
<A bad sign when a clown does not want food.>
It also seemed to have a large what looks like poop hanging from it (brownish in color).
<Something amiss here, see here for more http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnfshdisart.htm, may just be stress from the new addition but could signal a disease as well. Watch this fish closely.>
The smaller Clown seems to be swimming fine and eating normally. Could the larger Clown be turning into a female?
<Probably already is.>
If so are these normal symptoms?
<No, there are not really any symptoms to this, except accelerated growth.>
<Chris>

Ailing Pagoda and angry Perculas 10/8/08
Hello!
<Hi>
I have a small 8 gallon BioCube at my office with some live rock, mushrooms, anthelia, polyps, and a pagoda cup coral. I have 2 false percula clowns, a neon goby and a yellow watchman goby.
<That is too much life for such a small tank.>
My tank has been up and running for about 1 1/2 years now with all the same fish and corals. Recently, my pH became very low (7.4) despite weekly water changes, and adding buffer. Out of desperation (my first mistake) I purchased a buffering powder that after adding 1/2 of a packet would miraculously adjust my pH to 8.2. Yeah, right. As soon as I added it, my pagoda seemed to shrink before my eyes!
<Probably pH shock.>
It's polyps retracted and it stayed like this for about a week. I was sure I killed it, however it is opening up again although the polyps are smaller? It's just not the same! So my first question is, what did I do and can it be remedied?
<You most likely raised the pH too fast, not much can be done now except maintain good water quality.>
My second problem is related to the percula clowns. They made their home in the pagoda cup and guarded it if I tried to get near it. I removed the pagoda to put it in a 58 gal we have at home in order to try to nurse it along. They are ANGRY!!! The female is attacking other corals in the tank now and is not a happy camper.
<Is looking for a new home.>
I didn't know if I should try to replace the pagoda with another coral in hopes that they might take to it, or if once they have a home they never adapt to another one?
<Can find a new home if they find something to their liking.>
Do I put the pagoda back in the tank and see if it recovers?
<I would leave it in the more stable larger tank.>
Another tidbit... I tested the 8 gal. and figured out the calcium levels were too high which was causing the low pH. I have since gotten the parameters back to normal.
<Good, but the inherent problem of small tanks, parameters can change radically quickly in small water volumes.>
Thanks for your tips!
Wendy
<Welcome>
<Chris>

Clownfish and coral behaviour. Umm, needing to read re stocking, wet-dries, marine aq. keeping period   9/11/08
Dear WWM crew,
<Eric>
Thanks for all your help so far... I have a couple of questions today, you guys are truly awesome at helping out.
Here is my tank set up
30 Gal glass, 2 small powerheads pointing horizontally towards each other. A Prizm 100 skimmer, and a wet dry trickle filter rated up to 30 gal.
<Please do look into converting this...>
It is a saltwater tank with 35 lbs of live rock. Water chemistry is as follows.
Specific Gravity 1.025, pH 8.2-8.3, Zero Ammonia, and nitrates, phosphates are at about 0.05 ppm. Alkalinity is in the high range right now, as I had to add a fair bit of buffer
<Mmm, not directly to the tank please... through it being added to water ahead of change-outs>
to bring the pH up over the last few days, it fell just below 8.0 (Ahhhhh!)
<In part the wet-dry filter's doing>
I use reverse osmosis water for top ups and to make new saltwater for changes.
<This is where you need to add the "buffer">
I try to do a small 3-5 gal water change once every 1-2 weeks. I add marine buffer made by Seachem as directed (once every two weeks or so )to keep the pH and Alkalinity in the normal range.
Normally the alkalinity is in the normal range. I just moved the tank a few weeks ago.
I have 3 ocellaris clownfish (I know, bad number, I'm thinking of getting rid of one, bring it back to LFS). And a small coral beauty angelfish.
<This also needs to go elsewhere... to larger quarters>
Also, 4 blue legged hermits (small), one scarlet hermit (bigger), about 5-10 Nassarius snails, and 2 turbo snails (medium size). Also one emerald crab, and a cleaner shrimp.
I feed the tank once every 2 days with a mix of new life spectrum flakes, mysis shrimp, Cyclops, and Nori for the angel (I alternate between foods every feeding).
So now for the problems. Just before the move, the water had been a little cloudy, but i figured this was from friends overfeeding it (i was away for a week on holiday), so i cut down on food, did some water changes and it got a little better, but then we moved. After the move the water was VERY cloudy, though i figured it was from sand dust etc, and would settle. It seems to have gotten better, but there is still some cloudiness that will not go away.
<One more time... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/wdmodconv.htm
and the linked files above till you understand your options, reason for changing>
That's when i tried the wet dry trickle filter for some extra mechanical filtration, but it only seems to have helped a little. The water has cleared a lot, but when you view the tank from the side you can tell it's still a bit cloudy (white cloudiness). Any suggestions on what this could be?
<Microbial growth, populations... conditions that favor, allow them>
Side note, every second or third day I'm getting a dusting of what looks like diatoms (brown dust) on the sand. I blast it with a turkey baster, and it goes away, and yesterday it went away all by itself, but today it is back again.
<Natural, succession>
For algae control I limit feeding to once every two days, with maybe a few flakes in between, the light period is about 8-9 hours, and I have pretty good water movement from what I can tell. I have some really nice coralline growth, including some beautiful encrusting red coralline on a few pieces of rock, which is spreading to other rocks....
this suggests to me my water quality is fairly decent, I think....?
<Not necessarily, but propitious at least for the corallines... likely a lack of predators a factor as well>
As for my other problem, I just started adding some corals.
<Take care here... many are toxic toward other life>
I added them two days ago, a finger leather and a flower pot coral (i think that's what it's called... looks kind of like an anemone with flowers at the tips of each tentacle, green tips on the flower things).
<... this last, Goniopora sp. (look it up) is a very poor choice>
The finger leather is doing swimmingly, retracts at night, and mostly extends during light hours. The flower pot is more of a concern. The clownfish seem to think it is an anemone (they were captive bred) and are exhibiting some odd behaviour with it.
<Not atypical>
One clownfish is getting bigger than the others, and one of the others, while also a little bigger, tends to attack the third, much smaller clownfish if it gets close to itself and the big guy (girl?). I have a feeling that the large one is becoming the female. The aggressive 'male' (we'll call him that I guess) has started sleeping in the flower pot coral, and the big clownfish hovers around it too, though not as close. The coral didn't seem to mind this too much, being fully extended and not retracting when they touched it. I haven't observed them bringing it food as of yet.
The problem is that the third, smaller clownfish repeatedly seems to ram headfirst into the coral, and appears to be nipping at it.
<This third clown needs removing. Stat>
It retracts whenever he does this and hasn't really extended since. I am worried he is hurting it. Should I just bring him back to the LFS or is this normal?
<The former>
He also does this little twitchy thing whenever the larger (female?) and larger (male?)
<The alpha female is the larger/est fish>
clownfish come near him, or charge him, which they both do occasionally, especially the larger male. The coral beauty ignores the coral... thank god.
<No superstition please>
Any suggestions here? Thanks again for your help, it really is much appreciated.
Eric
<Read... This time I'll fritter my time away pointing you: http://wetwebmedia.com/poritidselfaqs.htm
Learn to/use the search tool, indices... You've got a bunch of reading to do. Bob Fenner>

Re: Clownfish and coral behaviour.  9/11/08
Hey there,
<Eric>
Eric here again, thanks for your time Dr. Fenner.
<Just Bob please. I have no doctorate>
I clearly need to restock the tank almost completely and will do that today, leaving the two bigger clowns.
<Good>
Also probably changing LFS as most of the decisions I made were on their advice for stocking, ease of livestock etc. Also, more reading... Ill let you know how it goes! Thanks again.
Eric
<Welcome and please do. BobF>