questions re: new clownfish pair / MP40ws

[mike31154]

Any idea how old your clownfish are? Where did you get them, LFS or a fellow hobbyist? Do you know if they are a mated pair, i.e., any history of spawning in their previous home? We generally make a distinction between 'bonded' & 'mated' pairs. Bonded means they are paired, male-female, with the larger specimen being the female. Mated means a bonded pair that has spawned. Either way, if they are bonded or mated, the larger female is usually the more active feeder.

Athough my mated pair are Maroon clowns, I reckon paired behaviour is similar with most species of clownfish. Mine have been spawning for a couple years now & I too often worry that the little male isn't getting his share of food. I call the female 'Miss Piggy' since she's a terror when food hits the water. She will charge quite a distance to take a piece of food. The male is a picky eater & often too busy minding the clutch of eggs when feeding time is on. He will not stray very far from the BTA for food. Despite my concerns, he's a healthy little guy & does his duty of tending the clutch admirably. Lately he's been a little more agressive chasing food, but still no comparison to the female who is easily 3 times his size if not more. I use an Eheim dual chamber auto feeder to feed my tank with flake, cyclopeeze granules & an assortment of other pellet food. There's a veggie clip with nori in there as well, to keep the tang & angelfish happy. When I'm home, in the evening I feed thawed out frozen food - marine plankton, brine shrimp & mysis shrimp. All the fish go ape over that, including the little male Maroon.

You may get the smaller one to eat by separating them, but that could be a tricky undertaking & in the end may even stress out the pair. If my guess is correct, you added the pair less than a week ago. Still a bit soon to get too worried IMO. You have observed him get at least one or two mouthfuls, that's a great sign. If you're only feeding once a day, try multiple feedings. An auto feeder might be a good idea, that way there's more flexibility in feeding times. Your presence during feeding time may also distract the little guy.

[habs247]

Thanks. Very helpful. And reassuring. I will switch to two feedings a day.

[mike31154]

Glad to be of assistance. My auto feeder goes off 3 times a day. As mentioned, when I'm home in the evening, I pull the auto feeder & feed frozen treats. Usually end up feeding what the auto feeder spills into a little bowl as well in the end. Many folks would consider that too much, but it's working for me & the fish eat pretty much all of it. They're a chunky bunch. I don't have a lot of sps coral, so not that concerned about having an ultra low nutrient water column, sooner have well fed fish.

[reefwars]

pe mysis or pacifica plankton.....fish go nuts for it ..if its pellets go new life spectrum....awesome stuff

feeding with garlic will prob entice the little one.....fish also get alot of food from the tank it self...algae,pods etc.

[Nano]

Originally Posted by reefwars

fish also get alot of food from the tank it self...algae,pods etc.

+1 To Denny
Here is my hermit cleaning the pods out of his shell and the fish eat it, very cool
Video Here

[habs247]

That's really cool! Thanks!

The pair are doing well over the past couple of weeks!