Arrrghhh! Stupid clownfish keep commiting suicide!

[ScubaSteve]

This is ridiculous...

I set up a 14G BC back in December with the intent of having a pair of clowns. I got a pair on Boxing Day. A couple weeks later one of them jumps in the back chamber and gets sucked into the pump. I make a cover for the back (covers half the back area) and get another clown. A couple weeks later a clown gets into the back area and maroons himself on the strainer in the middle chamber - parishes. Get another clown. Make a cover that covers the full back area and seal it to the tank with tape. Two weeks later I find a clown sucked into the pump - again. No idea how it got there. Like seriously... I have no idea.

So the one poor clown left was in the tank all by itself for weeks (save for a few snails and corals). Finally had a chance to run out to JL yesterday and got a picasso clown. Our existing clown was SOOOOOOO excited to have a friend. I don't think I can say I've ever seen a happy fish. This was a happy fish. Damn near brought me to tears to see it so happy and excited. Instantly paired up and were fast friends. It was a great night.

Today the tank was getting a bit warm (we have no control over heat in the house and we're on the top floor - great combo) so I opened to front feeding flap for a bit to let the tank evaporate and cool. Went back 10 minutes ago to close it and our original clown is stuck and dried to the couch! WTF!!!!!

Seriously, I don't get it. Are tank-bred clowns so inbred they are retarded? Or are the fish gods just determined to only let me have one clown?

[mrhasan]

Sorry to hear about this As far as i know, clowns are pretty strong swimmers and pumps generally can't suck them in. Maybe you always keep on getting bad clowns? Or perhaps the cube is just haunted

[daniella3d]

I am not surprised. There should be a lot of aggressivity at the begining. You may think that they are best friends but they are probably fighting for dominance and who's going to be the female.

If you get clowfish about the same size you will always have this problem, and eventually you run the risk of having 2 females kill each other.

Best way to go is to buy an existing couple already established with the much larger female. I had a very nice black ice that jumped after a few months of being in the tank and they seamed to get along ok but eventually there was some aggression and now the black and white female is alone. Will I pay another 90$ to get another black ice? nope...not even 20$ to get another black and white. She would probably harrass it to death again. Clownfish are ok alone, and surely better alone than a pair of them fighting for dominance.

If you absolutely want another clownfish, make sure you pic one smaller than your existing one...or even better do as I did and take the existing fish OUT and into a quarantine tank and put both fish together in the new tank at the same time. By the time the quarantine is over there is a good chance they will have formed a pair and the existing one will not be so territorial in a new tank. When you return them both to the main tank they will not be fighting if they have formed a pair, at least we hope so.

[DigitalWeight]

I feel your pain man - woke up this morning and while looking down I noticed a weird orange blob beside the toilet. Sure enough, one of my clowns jumped to its death and managed to flop about 5-feet before it have up (poor thing - I was actually pretty sad). Off to Home Depot to DIY a net cover.

[slakker]

yep, mine were lucky, they jumped into the pump area 1/2 dozen times and I was able to rescue them... once into the strainer area, but had enough water and flow to stay alive until I noticed. Then I main a partition from a piece of acrylic that spans the length and is about 1 inch high... they haven't been able to make it over that since then.

[mike31154]

Yep, haunted tank man. I had the same issue with Lawnmower Blennies. Not a pairing issue, but 3 of them met their demise in various fashions. As much as I'd like to have another due to their cool personality, I'm resigned to the fact that my tank will kill it, so no dice.

I do have a pair of spawning maroon clowns though. No sump or overflow for them to get into, but they're so established in their territory around their BTAs, it would take something pretty radical for them to commit suiicide.

[ScubaSteve]

Originally Posted by daniella3d

I am not surprised. There should be a lot of aggressivity at the begining. You may think that they are best friends but they are probably fighting for dominance and who's going to be the female.

If you get clowfish about the same size you will always have this problem, and eventually you run the risk of having 2 females kill each other.

Best way to go is to buy an existing couple already established with the much larger female. I had a very nice black ice that jumped after a few months of being in the tank and they seamed to get along ok but eventually there was some aggression and now the black and white female is alone. Will I pay another 90$ to get another black ice? nope...not even 20$ to get another black and white. She would probably harrass it to death again. Clownfish are ok alone, and surely better alone than a pair of them fighting for dominance.

If you absolutely want another clownfish, make sure you pic one smaller than your existing one...or even better do as I did and take the existing fish OUT and into a quarantine tank and put both fish together in the new tank at the same time. By the time the quarantine is over there is a good chance they will have formed a pair and the existing one will not be so territorial in a new tank. When you return them both to the main tank they will not be fighting if they have formed a pair, at least we hope so.

The new fish was much smaller than the existing fish - like 65% the length. There was no aggression. The smaller fish submitted right away (did his little seizure dance) and they were fine all night and all the next day. It was the big fish that jumped. The new fish is a totally pussy made no charges at the big guy.

These aren't my first clowns and I've been follow all the typical rules for clowns. Just... Haunted tank as Mike said.

[Rogue951]

off chance of stray voltage?

[Ryan7]

Originally Posted by ScubaSteve

The new fish was much smaller than the existing fish - like 65% the length. There was no aggression. The smaller fish submitted right away (did his little seizure dance) and they were fine all night and all the next day. It was the big fish that jumped. The new fish is a totally pussy made no charges at the big guy.

These aren't my first clowns and I've been follow all the typical rules for clowns. Just... Haunted tank as Mike said.

Did you consider after the first 3 jumped, that maybe the tank is too small to house two clowns that are not already paired?

Please share your "typical rules" for clowns?

[Rogue951]

edited for edit.
=)