Clown hanging in one spot

[wilecyote007]

Hey everyone. New to reefing and saltwater. Reeferfoxx has been helping me out with my new tank setup questions. I have a 75 gal with 20 lbs live rock and live sand. Only 1 of 2 950 gal/hr jet running. A bio wheel which i shut off. 0 ammonia
0 nitrite
0 nitrate
8.0 ph
My clown fish just hangs out in the back right corner of my aquarium. Is this normal for new?
Tank going 5 to 6 weeks now.
Any ideas or knowledge is appreciated.

 

[Shoob1e]

assuming its a newer clown in the tank, in my experience all my new clowns host a corner or overflow until they get comfortable with the tank then its game on.

 

[sc50964]

Is the clown not collected from the wild?

 

[wilecyote007]

No wild. Lfs. Only had 1 other fish with him

 

[sc50964]

Men made clowns are known to prefer the corner water surface. Clowns collected from the ocean typically don't do that.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Whether tank raised or wild, clowns are very site-oriented. They find a spot that is suitable to them, sometimes a corner, sometimes a rock, sometimes a piece of equipment. It is perfectly normal behavior.

 

[wilecyote007]

Thank you all so much for the info. I can tell r2r will make this hobby more enjoyable and fun.

 

[saltnewb]

my two clowns have been in my tank for about a month now and they still hang out in the same corner. i think i "shocked" them the other day though because I took out my mechanical filtration, they made the filter tube their "anenome". Now I think they feel homeless, but I'm sure they'll be okay. They're eating just fine and still belly down.

 

[sc50964]

I started this hobby about 11 years ago and there was no tank raised clowns at the time. All clowns were from the ocean. Over the years I've owned many clowns and I've noticed distinct behavior difference between wild caught and tank raised. The wild caught ones may stay in the corner at the beginning but will eventually feel comfortable enough to swim around and rest at all parts of the tank. The tank raised ones have almost nearly all chosen the top corners to be their spots to rest. They don't swim or explore the rest of the tank as much. Top of the water column are where my 10+ tank raised clowns over the years prefer to stay day and night.

 

[wilecyote007]

In the next couple months im adding cured dry rock and hopefully some soft coral. Wanted a place for the fish to hang but thats a bummer some make the corner their comfort zone. How long until you added your first coral under proper conditions?
Also i have a cover for my aquarium but notice videos and pics have none. Is it wise to do without the lid? I was just worried about dust and evap salt getting everywhere.

 

[sc50964]

If your clowns are tank raised, there is a chance that they may not even host. That's one dilemma. If the intent of your tank has always been a reef tank, then there are ways to speed up the process so that the tank parameters are stable enough for corals or nems. With that said, some corals are easier to keep the others but clowns also have their minds on which corals they like to hang out. The ones they like may not be the easy ones and the corals may not like it as well. Nems are just as hard to keep, especially the kind of nem that clowns like to host in. Therefore, all these need to be considered before investment is made.

 

[sc50964]

As to your lid question, it's also a tough one to have a definite answer. If it's gonna be a reef tank, you don't want to have a lid or mesh over the top to block or reflect light, unless you have a canopy so light reflection won't bother you and a strong enough light to overcome the problem of losing light due to the lid or mesh. However, a clownfish will jump out of the tank one day if it's not covered. It happened to mine after years of no issue.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I started this hobby about 11 years ago and there was no tank raised clowns at the time. All clowns were from the ocean. Over the years I've owned many clowns and I've noticed distinct behavior difference between wild caught and tank raised. The wild caught ones may stay in the corner at the beginning but will eventually feel comfortable enough to swim around and rest at all parts of the tank. The tank raised ones have almost nearly all chosen the top corners to be their spots to rest. They don't swim or explore the rest of the tank as much. Top of the water column are where my 10+ tank raised clowns over the years prefer to stay day and night.

It definitely varies from individual to individual the clown's behavior. My experiences have been a bit different. I have found wild clowns far more reluctant to leave a site they have picked out, whereas tank raised ones seem far more willing to try new spots.

Wilds are more likely to host, but just because they are more likely doesn't always mean that they will. I've dealt with quite a few wild clowns that decide to host with a rock, rather than an anemone species they pr with in the wild.

 

[WeezeReefing]

I used to keep my tank topless, until I came home to find 3 fish on the floor.. I made a custom cover, half of it is glass and the back half is mesh. You can get the mesh at your local home improvement or LRS. Good luck and happy Reefing!