Clowns in trouble

[augustine]

hi guys

think i got a problem with my clowns. got 5 clowns in my tank and some of them looks sick. they seem to be fading in color and fins looks like its about to rot.... the ones that occupied the anemoes in my tank looked in perfect health.

What wrong with them?

I've checked all my water parameters and all seems fine.

Also got 2 damsel and a mandrain. they look ok.

specs: (fyi)

tank: 3.5' x 2' x 1.5'

volume: ~250l

filtration: IOS (side), 2"-3" sand bed, 15kg live rocks. No sump.

thanks!

[wsiong]

Augustine,

Are your other clowns that are not occupying the anemones being chased/bullied by the ones that are? If so, they could be experiencing stress and being bitten at the fins. It happened to mine when I had a Tomato clown which was in earlier and when I added a Maroon clown it chased and bullied the poor fella till its tail and dorsal fin tore.

Clown fish can be territorial especially to their own kind.

Or they may be having a pathological illness.

[eprouve]

I agree... you probably have tomatos clowns in the anemone and maroons or perculas not in the anemone and looking sick... could also be maroons in the anemone with perculas not in anemone and looking sick. If so, you should really separate them immediately. Otherwise, the weaker ones who have been bitten badly will be killed.

When I had my tomato clown, it didn't even allow the percula to eat. The poor chap... had fins and scales torn. I had to isolate it in a quarantine tank and sell off the tomato.

[anakjoh]

i'm not sure if I can ask another question and not replying to the original q. Should I make a new post?

Anyway, my q is can i add clown without anemone initially?

At the moment i only have cleaner shrimp and coral band shrimp in 100 lt tank plus 1 catseye.

[Tanzy]

Clowns do not require an anemone to survive or breed and the vice versa is also true.

[kelstorm]

yup, what tanzy mentioned is true.. in fact, clowns need the protection of the anemone more than the other way round.... it is just the symbiotic relationship that makes it interesting...

[augustine]

I guess you guys are probably right.

I've got 1 tomato and 1 brown who are currently king of the two anemonies in my tank. The other clowns are constantly being attacked by them. I suppose I've got to do something about the clowns before a murder took place.

thanks a million.

[Sinn]

i gave the tomato back to the lfs cause it almost killed one of my african clown,

i just felt like saying it.... didnt know others went thru it before as well

[kelstorm]

well.. we make mistakes all the time, most impt, is to learn.. and share our experiences so that our ppl will not follow our painful and expensive footsteps.

[eprouve]

Anyone got a picture of an African clown? Haven't really seen a picture of these guys before.