tomato clownfish stirring a mess

[mrcopitr]

Hi guys,

I've added my first fish on the week end in my 4 week old system....a tomato clown...but the little bugger is stirring a mess every night when going to sleep(do fish sleep!!! ok..at least taking is little nap). He diggs a hollow depression every night in a corner of my tank...I have a 4 inch deep very very fine sand bed (home depot Brand)...so my tank become clowdy for hours and I have to dust my live rock almost daily....I know that an anemone could solve this problem...but my tank is not ready for this type of demanding invert.

Could someone suggest how I could solve this problem...other than getting rid of the fish....

Hoping to hear you opinion on this

Best regards
Marco

[Mugster]

Marco, I have a pair of Tomato clowns living in a LTA who do the same thing although they sleep(?) in the anenome. The anenome is sitting in an alcove at the base of my LR and they continually excavate the area around it. I'm using fine CC so I don't have the cloudy water problems but they do stir up the detris and silt. Maybe this is normal for them? :confused:

[ 12 March 2002, 21:08: Message edited by: Mugster ]

[Silverfish]

Hi Marco, an anemone would probably not do very well in your system, as you said. I have heard people using some soft corals as a surrogate host for your clown, namely Sarcophyton sp. otherwise known as toadstool coral, leather coral etc. They are pretty hardy and it may work. I have also heard of clowns living in some LPS, but I don't know if you are ready for that yet.
HTH