Clown Fish not eating, acting strange, please HELP!!

Lion_Reef · 09/12/2017, 08:52 AM

I would like to start this off by saying that I'm pretty new at the saltwater tank hobby. I have a 10 gallon tank with a medium piece of live rock and a small piece of live rock. I also have a hammer coral, a small frag of prism favia coral,and a small frag of another coral that i dont remember what its called. But the store owner said it was easy to take care of and wasnt harmful. My water levels are where they are supposed to be, nitrate and all. Salinity is 1.025. Temp is 78.

I got an Ocellaris Davinci Clown fish from the same store i got my live rock and corals. I asked the store owner what kind of food i should feed the clown and he gave me some itty bitty pellets in a bottle and said that was what they were raised on and that it should eat just fine on them. I got home on Sunday and acclimated him fairly well using the 1/2 cup method, he seemed pretty okay. When i poured him into the tank, he was cautious at first but then he wanted to roam around and see what the tank was like. I tried to feed him some that night and he didnt seem even the slightest bit interested in the food. I thought maybe it was just him taking his sweet time acclimating and not really hungry.

Fast forward 2 days to Tuesday this morning. He was looking fine, no labored breathing. he seemed healthy on his skin, no spots or possible parasites. Though, he seemed kind of panicked. he was swimming around super fast in the tank, running into the walls, the live rock, and everything in between. He's still not eating. And I really don't want to lose my first saltwater fish because I'm ignorant to some signs that something might be wrong. I read that it might be okay to feed him freshwater fish foods short term, s i gave him a single pellet of betta food. Nothing. I'm scared of losing my clown to possible starvation. Any tips are graciously accepted!!

Small Heavens · 09/18/2017, 12:05 PM

Do you run a skimmer?
If not, then consider adding an air tube/stone to the water and see if it makes a difference.

kozmic · 09/18/2017, 05:23 PM

First... You say "My water levels are where they are supposed to be, nitrate and all." What are the levels exactly? And when you say temp is 78, how are you measuring?

Second... Unless he looks emaciated and thin, I would not be worried about the fish starving. It is not uncommon for acclimating clowns to shun food for a week or two - one pair of mine showed no interest in food for two weeks, then tasted and spit anything I tried to feed the tank for the next week - this was with them being the only two fish in the tank. Then they started eating and are now fat and happy.

Third... Is he darting around the top of the tank all day? Or darting only at night when the lights go out? Does he seem to go to bed at night and settle down? Darting around the top of the tank aimlessly can indicate a lack of O2 in the water column or perhaps temp. Otherwise, he could just be getting skittish when you walk up to the tank as he acclimates.

09/12/2017, 08:52 AM	#1
Lion_Reef Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Posts: 1	Clown Fish not eating, acting strange, please HELP!! I would like to start this off by saying that I'm pretty new at the saltwater tank hobby. I have a 10 gallon tank with a medium piece of live rock and a small piece of live rock. I also have a hammer coral, a small frag of prism favia coral,and a small frag of another coral that i dont remember what its called. But the store owner said it was easy to take care of and wasnt harmful. My water levels are where they are supposed to be, nitrate and all. Salinity is 1.025. Temp is 78. I got an Ocellaris Davinci Clown fish from the same store i got my live rock and corals. I asked the store owner what kind of food i should feed the clown and he gave me some itty bitty pellets in a bottle and said that was what they were raised on and that it should eat just fine on them. I got home on Sunday and acclimated him fairly well using the 1/2 cup method, he seemed pretty okay. When i poured him into the tank, he was cautious at first but then he wanted to roam around and see what the tank was like. I tried to feed him some that night and he didnt seem even the slightest bit interested in the food. I thought maybe it was just him taking his sweet time acclimating and not really hungry. Fast forward 2 days to Tuesday this morning. He was looking fine, no labored breathing. he seemed healthy on his skin, no spots or possible parasites. Though, he seemed kind of panicked. he was swimming around super fast in the tank, running into the walls, the live rock, and everything in between. He's still not eating. And I really don't want to lose my first saltwater fish because I'm ignorant to some signs that something might be wrong. I read that it might be okay to feed him freshwater fish foods short term, s i gave him a single pellet of betta food. Nothing. I'm scared of losing my clown to possible starvation. Any tips are graciously accepted!!

09/18/2017, 12:05 PM	#2
Small Heavens In Memoriam Join Date: Sep 2017 Posts: 246	Do you run a skimmer? If not, then consider adding an air tube/stone to the water and see if it makes a difference.

09/18/2017, 05:23 PM	#3
kozmic Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Cypress, TX Posts: 146	First... You say "My water levels are where they are supposed to be, nitrate and all." What are the levels exactly? And when you say temp is 78, how are you measuring? Second... Unless he looks emaciated and thin, I would not be worried about the fish starving. It is not uncommon for acclimating clowns to shun food for a week or two - one pair of mine showed no interest in food for two weeks, then tasted and spit anything I tried to feed the tank for the next week - this was with them being the only two fish in the tank. Then they started eating and are now fat and happy. Third... Is he darting around the top of the tank all day? Or darting only at night when the lights go out? Does he seem to go to bed at night and settle down? Darting around the top of the tank aimlessly can indicate a lack of O2 in the water column or perhaps temp. Otherwise, he could just be getting skittish when you walk up to the tank as he acclimates.