Chin_Lee. I blame you ( :-P )

TheReefGeek · #1 07-19-2006, 05:23 PM

Once they start defending their anemone, they will always do it now, so watch those fingers!

Glad you got the fish back into the tank OK.

OCDP · #2 07-19-2006, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheReefGeek

Once they start defending their anemone, they will always do it now, so watch those fingers!

Glad you got the fish back into the tank OK.

I don't mind.. I am not in the tank much these days anyhow. If anything I enjoy it, it makes everything seem even more "natural" when they start defending their host.

I had moments where I didn't think she would make it.. I mean she was right under the stand, which has no arm room at all. I felt like a boob trying to get her out... but at least I did. She's safe and sound now.

Delphinus · #3 07-19-2006, 05:33 PM

Open top tanks always make me nervous. I have eggcrate over my clown tank as it's very shallow (12") .. the clowns basically hang out in their anemone all the time but I've noticed in particular my female, as she gets more comfortable with her surroundings, tends to wander further and further out to patrol or expand her territory I suppose. In the 90g before I took it down she would go to the farthest corner of the tank (whereas in the beginning never more than 3" away from the anemone home base). Same thing with this new tank, at first she wouldn't leave the anemone whatsoever, now at about 3 or 4 weeks into the new tank she's bold enough to come out about 12". I hate the look of the eggcrate over the top though, it looks so ugly, so I'm thinking maybe some cover glass. I'll have to figure something out. For now it's the eggcrate with a little cutout "flap" attached with zap straps for easy access for feeding.

A few years ago I had another pair, had a tank disaster in one so I moved my fish over (a yellow tang and the clown pair) into a 20g I had going. After a few weeks I decided the fixed up tank was cycled enough to move the fish back, so in the morning I went downstairs to start the catching process, and on the stairway I froze: I saw an orange lump on the floor. It was the female, completely dessicated. Of course she was dead.

It irks me to this day that I had I made the decision one day sooner to move them that she would not have died. So yeah the moral of my tale is: clownfish can jump just as any other fish, take precautions to prevent the carpet jerky fate.

Chin_Lee · #4 07-19-2006, 05:43 PM

hey lets keep a running tread on whose fish lives or dies after it carpet surfs.

OCDP · #5 07-19-2006, 05:44 PM

Haha , clownfish are funny.. I've noticed when they have a host they won't leave too far from the area.. but as soon as the host is gone they are all over the tank again with no fear.. as compared to with the host they dont leave a few inches from it, and when they do they bolt back into it like they are always in danger... haha weirdos

It's not the first clown that I've had jump on me.. both females too, I suppose I truly am lucky to save them both. It's time for a lid indeed.. and I do agree, eggcrate is kinda ugly. But it works..

OCDP · #6 07-19-2006, 05:47 PM

lol chin... I've got 3 survivors under my belt. 2 female clowns , and a flasher wrasse.

Delphinus · #7 07-19-2006, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OCDP

Haha , clownfish are funny.. I've noticed when they have a host they won't leave too far from the area.. but as soon as the host is gone they are all over the tank again with no fear.. as compared to with the host they dont leave a few inches from it, and when they do they bolt back into it like they are always in danger... haha weirdos

When my current pair hosted in my ritteri, I often felt that getting the ritteri was one of the worst mistakes I ever made as far as the fish were concerned, because I took a pair of clowns that were reasonably friendly and fear-free and had some personality, and turned them into the AmazingInvisibleFish(tm). They never came out except to lay eggs on a nearby surface. Hooray for fish that you never see. They wouldn't even come out for food! They were literally wasting away and had pale coloration. When I moved the ritteri out of the 90g and into the cube, I made sure not to move any fish with it so I chased them out ... they immediately took residence in my carpet. I had intended to move them after a week, but they did so much amazingly better in the carpet (S. gigantea though - one of the natural symbionts just like the ritteri is) that I decided I liked the arrangement much better. Suddenly you could see them. They would come out for food. They fattened up, got better coloration, etc. etc. All because they couldn't hide as well in the carpet as they did the ritteri! (6" diameter versus 22" diameter).. Anyhow the moral of THIS story is: Yeah man I agree, clownfish are dumb

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chin_Lee

hey lets keep a running tread on whose fish lives or dies after it carpet surfs.

The only thing I can offer to this is maybe my jawfish. I bought a pair not knowing much about them (yeah, I know, .... it was a long time ago, ok??). After I had paid for them the guy tells me "Be careful, they may jump." Uh .. OK. Little did I know! Man those dumb fish were so freaked out by anything that first week until they settled in. Oh no! A bumblebee outside the house? I better jump! Anyhow the tank was totally enclosed so most of the time it was fine, but when I would go to feed the tank I'd open the hatch of the canopy, and ... squip! Out one would come. Reach over, scoop up the fish, and replace.

I don't really have any stories though that involve a partially dried out fish or totally dried out fish coming back to life though-- the only happy ending ones are the ones where I was there to see the fish jump and then plop them back in.

Other than the clownfish I also lost a pair of fairy wrasses to jumping. I was on vacation, my fish sitter came to feed the fish, and forgot to close the canopy afterwards. Came back the next morning, found both of them on the floor. Both of them!

He called me up, asked what to do, I told him ... put them back in. If they're not dead they might recover. And if they are dead. .. well.. the worms will do their thing. He told me the next day that he couldn't find either of them, the worms had done their thing I guess.