Clown Fish Behaviour

[trupel]

Hi All,

 

I have a question regarding clown fish..

 

I have a pair of Percula Clowns and last night, I installed some moonlighting for my tank. I noticed that the fish did not go and sleep but instead were swimming against the current of my powerhead. (Which is what they do when the lights are on). Then this morning when I woke the clowns were still doing the same thing... swimming against the current! Do they sleep at all.

 

On the plus side though, I finally get to see my coral banded shrimps in action (well sort-of, as the moonlighting did make it a little hard to see)

[tashana]

what sort of tank set up do you have trupel?

if the current is too strong it will cause the fish to continuously struggle against the current. we had to add an extra layer of filtration to slow the current down a little.

however when clowns sleep they keep moving, they need to or else they, like any fish, will drown.

what my clown does is bobs pretty much up and down in the one area, the movements look different to the movements he makes when he is awake.

describe your set up and the movements your clowns are making?

if it is neither of these senarios it could just be that the moonlighting is too bright for them.

[trupel]

I have just adjusted my moonlight so it does not shine so brightly and it seems to have calmed the clowns a little. They no longer want to swim towards the lights all the time! And also my CBS still come out to play

[tashana]

good to hear

[nanoreefer_12]

Originally posted by tashana

what sort of tank set up do you have trupel?

if the current is too strong it will cause the fish to continuously struggle against the current. we had to add an extra layer of filtration to slow the current down a little.  

 

As long as there is a current, fish do not need to swim.

 

The fishes I have all sleep (no swimming). Just lay on their side in the sandbed, corals or anenomes.

 

Here's a few shots after lights out.

[nanoreefer_12]

and another. Both are sleeping. Nothing in my tank is bothered by my moonlights.

[caja]

Very cool, your clown sleeps in the zoos.

[nanoreefer_12]

All 3 of my yellow clown gobies + 1 perc clown (doesn't show in the pic, because they all darted off because of the flash from the camera). Sleep in the button polyp. Kind of snug, but interesting to see.

 

Thanks caja!

[trupel]

Hehe so cute! do you think your clowns are confused?

[nanocat]

I only have one three striped damsel, and he sleeps in his favorite rock cavity/tunnel at night. He's soon to be relocated to a friends 150 FO tank, in favor of a couple of true perculas that I'll put in on the 17th. So you guys are saying fish sleep on the sandbed? Maybe my damsel is just insecure?

[caja]

Good luck catching that damsel.

[nanocat]

I hear ya, I've read the horror stories of grown men crying after a damsel outsmarted them, LOL.

 

Fortunately in a nano, there are only 5 rocks to remove. He'll be homeless before he knows it, and then he'll find out the real meaning to "small fish in a BIG sea when he lands in the 150.