JoeDigiorgio Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Hi everyone, I have a pair of clowns in my 10gal nano. They are the only two fish in there and params are as follows: Ammo/Nitrate/Nitrite-0 pH 8.1 but stable Temp: 78-81*F depending on time of day The problem is that the newer of the two, a wild true perc, cannot seem to sleep. Every night he paces the top of the tank and can't seem to just calm down and go to bed like the other, a captive bred domino clown. They spend the entire day side by side, they eat together and hardly fight but never sleep together because of this one's problem. They do not yet have anything to host them because I know I can't have a nem in a tank this small and I can't decide on which LPS to pick because I don't have a ton of room so I want to be happy with my choice lol (I'm leaning towards Euphyllia but I'm torn as to which one to go with) I have been slowly adding mushroom corals and zoanthids so far but nothing crazy yet because the tank is only a month old. I have a hunch that if I give them something to live in, like they would an anemone, it would calm the true perc down but I havent seen any hammers, torches or frogspawns that I really like or in the appropriate size to host them. Any ideas? Thanks in advance! Joe Link to comment
JoeDigiorgio Posted September 1, 2012 Author Share Posted September 1, 2012 Just added a dual headed hammer coral to the tank. I put it as close as I could to where the two clowns spend the day, within the realm of looking good where it is of course. They are more preoccupied with the mysis shrimp I just fed them than they are with the fact that there is a new addition to the tank right now but we will see what happens from here. Joe Link to comment
GokesReef Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Clowns do strange things.. some don't lay down. Link to comment
Deleted User 3 Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 +1 ^^. They are strange. Mine host my thermometer.. it's really weird lol. I moved it tho. Maybe he'll settle down soon Link to comment
JoeDigiorgio Posted September 1, 2012 Author Share Posted September 1, 2012 Hes asleep. Far from the other clown and the hammer coral...at least hes asleep, right? Joe Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 I know it may seem like they're freaking the hell out all the time when they swim around, but clowns swim funny - I heard someone say "It's like each time they move they forget how to swim, so they have to learn over and over again" or something like that, and it describes clowns perfectly. Are there any lights on at night? If so, turn them off. And for the record, my clowns both sleep parallel to the glass, noses down, top of one corner. They have little interest in the anemone at this point. Link to comment
JoeDigiorgio Posted September 1, 2012 Author Share Posted September 1, 2012 Yea the one that is settled in sleeps exactly like you described after a long day of bobbing up and down with his buddy in the current. Link to comment
NancyCruise Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Well, mine too had the similar habit of sleeping in a corner and not moving with the other fish, but a Clown expert said some of them used to be like this and prefer to stay alone in a particular season. Link to comment
scsdukefan408 Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Yeah my two are strange sometimes too...very cool tho to watch them sleeping....my boy will sometimes sleep on his side behind my hang-on filter in that small space behind it/or around the heater...Or cuddle up too his girl haha Link to comment
ward827 Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 +1 to all. Mine swim funny, act funny, sleep parallel to the back wall, fight occasionally, host a mushroom, host the nano mag scraper . . . you name it. but they're both doing great! Link to comment
scsdukefan408 Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 +1 to all. Mine swim funny, act funny, sleep parallel to the back wall, fight occasionally, host a mushroom, host the nano mag scraper . . . you name it. but they're both doing great! HAHAHAHA Link to comment
addicted2fish Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 My clown goes to the top of the aquarium in front of the teeth of my surface skimmer box to sleep. I think she likes how it feels with the current trying to pull her in! Scared my initially tho, I thought she was dead Link to comment
JoeDigiorgio Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Ugh, they still wont sleep together. The newer clown that originally had the sleep problem has calmed down and sleeps now, but never in the same spot twice. The domino clown sleeps under the koralia every night but the other is always in a different spot every night. I know it varies a lot but in your experience, how long does it take for 2 clowns to bond? Joe Link to comment
Deleted User 3 Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Can take a while... 2 weeks to 2 months + i read. Link to comment
Manaz101 Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 All my fish have their spots in the tank, all in opposite locations! Firefish hides in the rocks, in the back. Chromis hide under the intake for the AC50 and the clown is front left corner. She's even moved the crushed coral away and is bare bottom, how she moves it is beyond me....but it's funny cuz she faces down when it's lights out. Link to comment
JoeDigiorgio Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 Right now, the lights have been on for about 2 hours and the corals are all fully opened. The clowns have been fed breakfast and are going about their daily routine of bobbing up and down in the flow of the powerhead. What I have noticed is the percula has taken a liking to the hammer coral and isnt thrilled with the domino coming over to it. When the domino approaches, the perc stands up to him and the domino with lower his head and back up a bit, sometimes shivering. I know the shivering is a good thing but at what point does the aggression decrease and they start being a pair? Its not like they want to fight each other, its just dominance displays but I am anxious for it to stop and to have them act like a pair. If it means anything, they are almost exactly the same size (I know no the ideal situation) and they are about an inch and a half to 2" each. Link to comment
cruiZe Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 my new clowns sleep in the top corner, about an inch from the overflow... makes me nervous ! Both of them rub on eachother, and the wall right by the surface. Weirdos Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Right now, the lights have been on for about 2 hours and the corals are all fully opened. The clowns have been fed breakfast and are going about their daily routine of bobbing up and down in the flow of the powerhead. What I have noticed is the percula has taken a liking to the hammer coral and isnt thrilled with the domino coming over to it. When the domino approaches, the perc stands up to him and the domino with lower his head and back up a bit, sometimes shivering. I know the shivering is a good thing but at what point does the aggression decrease and they start being a pair? Its not like they want to fight each other, its just dominance displays but I am anxious for it to stop and to have them act like a pair. If it means anything, they are almost exactly the same size (I know no the ideal situation) and they are about an inch and a half to 2" each. It can take months sometimes, but usually doesn't last too long. I would be very cautious, especially if both were kept by themselves for any length of time before you got them. They're large already and may have changed into females. If that is the case, you will end up with one, or none if they both manage to do enough damage. Link to comment
JoeDigiorgio Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 The domino was not alone when I bought him but the perc was. The perc was only in the store for 2 days before I brought him home though. The perc is pretty small, smaller than most adult males and I figured he was a safe bet to purchase since he was the smallest one in the store...even though he's wild caught. I can't captive bred true percs anywhere so I gave in and got this one lol Like I said, they don't outright fight each other, in fact they are usually fairly close to each other in the tank, just not "together" necessarily. I see a difference between swimming together and being near each other. They have no issues sharing space close to one another but are by no means paired. What do you guys think? Thank you all for the help so far! Joe Link to comment
JoeDigiorgio Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 Guyyyyysssssss?????? My clowns aren't paired yet :'( and I'm starting to think it isnt going to happen. Its been three weeks now since they were introduced and they still don't sleep near one another and pretty much just ignore each other all day. They bob around all areas of the tank and occasionally nip but nothing serious. Neither fish has torn fins or anything. Like I said, they are pretty close to the same size and both eat very well and act totally normal, just not together lol Aside from patience, what other input do you guys have? I've never experienced such prolonged time without obvious pair behavior before and I simply dont know if I am supposed to give up on these two or keep hoping for the best. Thanks for the input guys, I truly appreciate it! Joe Link to comment
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