1 clownfish ok alone?

[88mph]

Hi there,

 

I recently bought a beautiful little tank bred clownfish for my nano tank.

 

For whatever reason for the first 3-4 days it would constantly swim and stay in a top corner of the tank.....wouldn't budge from there.

 

Then the next morning I found it on the carpet.

 

Now it was the only fish in the tank, all I had was coral and shrimps.

 

What was it that may have caused it to stick to one corner and then jump out:

 

1. Did it need another clown to keep it company? LFS guy said they sulk if they are kept without another clownfish to keep them company.

 

2. Might it have gotten a scare from the cleaner shrimp trying to clean it?

 

3. Was a 65 litre (17 US gallons) tank too small for it?

 

 

 

Answers on a postcard please. I could do with some advice on whether to purchase another one or whether to stay away.

 

Also I have since purchased a tiny little chromis and a purple firefish.......shall I leave the number of fish at two or can I add a clownfish as well; is 65 litres too small for these three fish?

[flampton]

Hi there,

 

I recently bought a beautiful little tank bred clownfish for my nano tank.

 

For whatever reason for the first 3-4 days it would constantly swim and stay in a top corner of the tank.....wouldn't budge from there.

 

Then the next morning I found it on the carpet.

 

Now it was the only fish in the tank, all I had was coral and shrimps.

 

What was it that may have caused it to stick to one corner and then jump out:

 

1. Did it need another clown to keep it company? LFS guy said they sulk if they are kept without another clownfish to keep them company.

 

2. Might it have gotten a scare from the cleaner shrimp trying to clean it?

 

3. Was a 65 litre (17 US gallons) tank too small for it?

 

 

 

Answers on a postcard please. I could do with some advice on whether to purchase another one or whether to stay away.

 

Also I have since purchased a tiny little chromis and a purple firefish.......shall I leave the number of fish at two or can I add a clownfish as well; is 65 litres too small for these three fish?

 

They don't need to pair, LFS was trying to get you to buy another one.

 

Also if the clownfish jumped out what is stopping the firefish from becoming carpet jerky?

[doppelganger]

you don't need a pair. Although I have found clownfish to be much more active if there is a pair. I use to have one alone and it would sulk in the corner as well but when I added another one it became much more lively. This is just my experience tho.

 

17 gallons is fine. I doubt a cleaner scared it. I don't know what a "postcard" is...

 

Most fish jump at some point. consider getting some sort of lid or mesh top to stop them especially now that you have a fire fish. They are notorious jumpers as well.

[jestep]

I would give it a few weeks for the tank to adjust before adding more. With a rimless or lid-less you run the risk of any fish jumping out. Unfortunately it happens, but I wouldn't attribute it to anything but the nature of fish. You definitely don't need 2. You're less likely to have issues with just 1 as there's no guarantee 2 will pair up or even tolerate eachother in a tank that small.

[Pickle010]

17 gallons is plenty for 2 clowns - I would recommend a pair as they are more confident and active with a pair then alone.

[Enigma]

IME, clowns are quite social. My little guy sulked until he was added to my other tank with green chromis. He immediately joined their school and perked right up. When a second clown was added, he immediately bonded with it.

[EyeCandyExtreame]

My clown was always active and even more so now that I added a Sailfin tang. They are like the best of buddies.

[MeepNand]

I had 2 clowns once. They just stayed in the corner, even when the second was added. Then both stayed in the corner.

They used about 4-5" of space in a 20 gallon long.

[88mph]

you don't need a pair. Although I have found clownfish to be much more active if there is a pair. I use to have one alone and it would sulk in the corner as well but when I added another one it became much more lively. This is just my experience tho.

 

17 gallons is fine. I doubt a cleaner scared it. I don't know what a "postcard" is...

 

Most fish jump at some point. consider getting some sort of lid or mesh top to stop them especially now that you have a fire fish. They are notorious jumpers as well.

 

A postcard is a what you send back home from your holidays, small rectangular card with a photograph of the place you are visiting. Were you joking? I can't tell.

 

To all else, thank you very much for your feedback. I didn't want to make a purchase without having done some sort of research first and finding out from other people's experiences. Thank you.

[belsenj]

No, a 17G is not too small for a clownfish. I had to take mine (Clarkii) quickly from a 30G to a 5.5G because it got ick and rot and it did very nicely in the new tank for over 2 months. I have since moved it to a 6G and put a Yellow Clown Goby in with it and it is in heaven.

 

Sorry that yours jumped ship, but it does happen sometimes.

[baldbean]

I was wondering this too. My clown stays in the back of the tank during the day and at night in the upper left hand corner near the fuge return flow. From what I have read this is normal. My tail spot blenny seems to not think so. It hovers and stares at the clown, turns and looks at me, turns back at the clown, back at me, then continues to nom on the rocks.

[Deleted User 3]

I was wondering this too. My clown stays in the back of the tank during the day and at night in the upper left hand corner near the fuge return flow. From what I have read this is normal. My tail spot blenny seems to not think so. It hovers and stares at the clown, turns and looks at me, turns back at the clown, back at me, then continues to nom on the rocks.

 

this made my day !

[patback]

No, a 17G is not too small for a clownfish. I had to take mine (Clarkii) quickly from a 30G to a 5.5G because it got ick and rot and it did very nicely in the new tank for over 2 months. I have since moved it to a 6G and put a Yellow Clown Goby in with it and it is in heaven.

 

Sorry that yours jumped ship, but it does happen sometimes.

Dafuq I just read?

[Deleted User 3]

Dafuq I just read?

 

+1. My sentiments exactly...

[Tbone675]

Hi there,

 

I recently bought a beautiful little tank bred clownfish for my nano tank.

 

For whatever reason for the first 3-4 days it would constantly swim and stay in a top corner of the tank.....wouldn't budge from there.

 

Then the next morning I found it on the carpet.

 

Now it was the only fish in the tank, all I had was coral and shrimps.

 

What was it that may have caused it to stick to one corner and then jump out:

 

1. Did it need another clown to keep it company? LFS guy said they sulk if they are kept without another clownfish to keep them company.

 

2. Might it have gotten a scare from the cleaner shrimp trying to clean it?

 

3. Was a 65 litre (17 US gallons) tank too small for it?

 

 

 

Answers on a postcard please. I could do with some advice on whether to purchase another one or whether to stay away.

 

Also I have since purchased a tiny little chromis and a purple firefish.......shall I leave the number of fish at two or can I add a clownfish as well; is 65 litres too small for these three fish?

 

when introduced into a new environment they tend to stay/sleep at the surface of the water.

 

1. they do not have to be in pairs. they are more interesting that way tho.

2. doubt the shrimp scared it. was it totally dark? my fish always like a moonlight. they tend to freak out if it is totally dark.

3. 17 gal could do 3 fish.

 

No, a 17G is not too small for a clownfish. I had to take mine (Clarkii) quickly from a 30G to a 5.5G because it got ick and rot and it did very nicely in the new tank for over 2 months. I have since moved it to a 6G and put a Yellow Clown Goby in with it and it is in heaven.

 

Sorry that yours jumped ship, but it does happen sometimes.

 

wtf?

[88mph]

this made my day !

 

Haha that was funny wasn't it?

[1.0reef]

My clownfish had less torn fins and was more active alone

[Fish_Maniac]

Ive only ever kept clownfish alone, and I've never had any problems or noticed any "sulking". My last clown (a percula) was in an 8g Biocube only with coral and a huge blood shrimp. Any time somebody would walk by or sit near the tank, he would swim up and down along the glass furiously, trying to get the person to feed him. Any time my hand was in the tank he would do circles around it, swimming through my fingers. He would even eat out of my hand. IME they are more interactive alone.

 

Just my $0.02