Clown problems

[pthoma79]

OK, I'm getting about tired of this. Last week, I got 2 clowns. 2 days later, I woke up one morning, and the smaller clown was gone. Never did find him, so I just assumed he jumped out and fell down a vent next to the tank. Next day I went and got another one. This morning (about a week later) I woke up and found the second clown to be gone. Again, can't find him anywhere. Both of them were fine, and looked like they were happy and healthy. It is a 30 gallon open top tank. I have 8 turbos, 8 nass snails and 7-8 blue leg hermits. It couldn't be possible the snails and crabs are eating them during the night could it? Like I said before, the didn't look diseased or sick at all. Also, could the eat the whole fish, leaving no trace in 7 hours?

 

I'll take any theories at this point...

[Miniwhinny]

okay,

 

I'm a newbe too (relatively) and I know people will laugh at what I'm about to tell you but I'm telling you anyhow...

 

It's the Nassarius snails.

 

I had the exact same problem a year ago. Lost three healthy happy clowns within 24 hours of putting them in the tank. This tank was on a counter and there was no where for a jumping clown to end up where I couldn't see them.

 

Put the clowns in and had no trace of them the next day, bought another, lost another...day after day after day (3 clowns) They were small clowns and I had two large Nass snails in the tank. We theorised that when the fish were sleeping the nasses got 'em. Sounds crazy right...'til we found a Nass dining on the last few remnants of a (healthy when we went to bed) Bangaii Cardinal.

 

Now I make sure I buy Nasses way smaller than my fish and place my clowns host high in the tank. So far, so good

[aqua-ed]

I'm not sure it's exactly the nass' sneaking up and catching their prey, they are usually scavenger hunters.

pthoma, even though clowns are cute and friendly and tell jokes on Disney movies, they are territorial. Whenever more than one are together, they will probably fight for dominance, unless they are old tank buddies. This fight could lead to a death. In which case, hermits and nass' are all very very efficient. Over night they can easily skeletelize a clown fish, or at least drag him under the rocks to consume him in piece.

A clown fight may not be the cause of death, but my best guess is that something killed your clown, whether shock, disease, some other fish. I would put money on the dominance fight, though, since you said the clown was "smaller".

I don't have much experience with "matching" clowns, maybe someone else can help you there. All of my clowns have gotten together with out too much bickering.

Feel free to tell me I'm off-a-cog, too!

Good luck

[jadams7]

Multiple Clowns = Multiple Headaches

 

When I was new at this game, I made the mistake of trying to add in a percula when I already had a clarkii. He was a very peaceful fish until I dropped the bag in to start acclimating him...long story short one of them had to go back to the fish store, so my new perc had to go. Outside of finding a pair of clowns that have been together a while (which is very hard to do) it helps if you get one large clown, and one much smaller. They are less likely to whoop on em, but still keep a very close eye on them the first few days. Also temporarily moving the aquascape around helps, it distracts the first clown, and he has to get used to the area a bit more before claiming it as 'his territory'. These are all things I have tried, some work, some do not, its just different for every tank I guess. I also even heard putting a small mirror in the tank works from time to time. Best of luck, just wait till you start dealing with finnicky tangs! haha

[mrgreenthumb]

Clean up crews are very quick and efficient at what they do and will often come out at night to scavenge and take advantage of a freshly fallen fish almost as if they know it is going to happen before it does. They are very capable of consuming the fish or at least hiding it from your view before you even notice the fish is gone. Recently I was able to aquire a lineatus wrasse through sea dwelling. Drip acclimated until ph and salanity matched did everthing by the books, long story short 45 minutes after introducing him he was dead on the bottom and I was amazed that as soon as he took his last breath within a minute the nassarius snails were on him followed quickly by the hermit and emarld crabs I looked away for maybe 5 minutes, looked back and he was no where to be found. This was a 3 inch fish that they had moved from view in a very short period of time. Somebody obviously likes to eat in private. Never saw a single remain again. I would say chances of clean up crew killing your clowns slim to none. Last time I checked clowns were a wee bit faster and smarter than nassarius snails;) And remember these are wild animals and sometimes(unfortunately all to often) some fish just won't make it in capativity for any number of reasons. My suggestion to you and everyone would be to get capative bred as often as possible as they are already 100% adapted to capativity and even if they don't make it at least we are not depleting the wild population for something that is readily available captive bred. JMHO. Also if you are worried about fish jumpin out I would suggest eggcrate(think thats the name for it) as insurance as some fish are natural jumpers i.e. wrasses, gobies, tilefish, jawfish, etc.

[defigart]

Miniwhinny,

 

I would agree that your solution is in a sence correct. It is the Nassarius snails, that are keeping you from finding the fish. But I agree with the others that they are not killing them. Unless you have a cone or other similar hunting snail in your tank, I think that something else is killing the fish, and that the nassarius and other scavengers are doing what they do best, recycling the nutrients left by a dead animal.

 

Doran

 

okay,

 

I'm a newbe too (relatively) and I know people will laugh at what I'm about to tell you but I'm telling you anyhow...

 

It's the Nassarius snails.

 

I had the exact same problem a year ago. Lost three healthy happy clowns within 24 hours of putting them in the tank. This tank was on a counter and there was no where for a jumping clown to end up where I couldn't see them.

 

Put the clowns in and had no trace of them the next day, bought another, lost another...day after day after day (3 clowns) They were small clowns and I had two large Nass snails in the tank. We theorised that when the fish were sleeping the nasses got 'em. Sounds crazy right...'til we found a Nass dining on the last few remnants of a (healthy when we went to bed) Bangaii Cardinal.

 

Now I make sure I buy Nasses way smaller than my fish and place my clowns host high in the tank. So far, so good

[Holly]

I've only ever found ONE cadaver of a fish that died in my tank and I've had many disappear forever. (Well, not many but quite a few.) All else have just vanished into thin air. I've theorized what everyone else is saying--that the clean-up crew devours the fish as soon as it dies and you just never see the bones.

 

Like jadams said, clowns are very territorial. Heinously so. I had a pair of clarks and the male died, so I put in another smaller one (a smaller one in a group at the marine shop), and she chased it non-stop until it 'disappeared' forever. A week or so later, I added another smaller one. She dive-bombed him, too, for about 2wks, but he managed to survive. Eventually she accepted him, but it was a longggggg ugly process.

 

I wouldn't give up entirely on acclimating another fish to the one you have, but there might be some collateral damage before you land the right fish to withstand the pressure long enough to be accepted by the resident one...

 

Good luck!

 

I'm with the rest of the folks. The smaller ones were prob chased to death and eaten by the cleaners.

[mister crabs]

I had problems with my false perc clowns getting along as well. I had one small one and a few weeks later I added another but it was a larger one. The first one in had territorial rights but the bigger picked on him still. after a few weeks of the small one doing the submissive "shudder" they started co-habitating nicely. From all i have gathered what helped me was adding the small one first. just my .02

[pthoma79]

Thanks guys (and gals). I think you are all right. The nass. snails I have are the small ones, so I doubt they had a part in killing the other ones, but I'm sure they helped clean up (and now the're accomplices). I finally took everyones advice, and put some eggcrate on top of the tank. On Tuesday (its now Friday), I bought another small clown, and they seem to be doing good. Any ideas on 2 more fish for the future? Its a 30 gallon tank, and I was thinking about a six line wrasse and maybe a yellow watchman goby. Think I'll have a problem with a goby jumping through the small holes (about 3/4-1") in the eggcrate?

 

Thanks again for your help-

 

Phil

[mister crabs]

rethink the sixline....they are a PITA. very territorial fish. most get pretty mean towards other inhabitants. If your looking for a good sand cleaner that doesnt make a mess and does a good job check out a diamond goby. mine keeps my sandbed white and doesnt spread sand all over my rocks.

[mrgreenthumb]

I'd have to agree on the six line, wish I would have never got one. He is the smallest fish in the tank, but also the meaniest. He even beats up on the purple tang that is 5-6 times his size. In a small tank I would do a basslet or maybe even a firefish, rainford gobies are really cool too

[Holly]

*warning sirens*

Don't do a 6-line! I was almost relieved when mine disappeared mysteriously. I'll never get another one, and my tank is 180g. They're 100lbs of mean packed into two inches of fish! (scary)

[dsoz]

I like my hectors gobi. It looks like a rainford's gobi, but instead of gree/red, it is black with yellow stripes. It is kinda shy, but when it comes out it picks pods off the rocks.

 

dsoz