Current too strong for an Ocellaris?

Falconeer · 11/16/2009, 09:46 PM

Ok, so i've had my tank setup for about a week now, and it has been cycling and was ready for it's first inhabitant. Today, I bought a juvenile Ocellaris clown at the LFS (I trust them and their stock to be healthy--I have been in the shop many times over the past month and not a single fish in any tank has apeared ill--the employee who sold me the fish said that of a batch of about 300 clowns they received last January, none had died in the store, nor had been brought back because they had died). My question is not of health, but I feel that maybe my current is too strong?

I have a Koralia Nano pump (240GPH) and the fish keeps swimming into the current, and appears to be working quite hard to stay still. I have arranged my LR in a way that it is supported by itself, but has a little cave system with openings on 3/4 sides of the structure that are more than big enough for an adult occ to swim through.

Most of the swimming my new fish has done has been against the current, though at certain points he'll swim away for a little.

Do you think it's just a matter of time until he dicovers the cave system? Or do clowns not enjoy caves/tunnels? They aren't dark, as the light still gets through (I have totkota rock, so it's very branched and the light gets through to the cave)., but he doesn't appear to have any interest in investigating the most prevalent structure of the tank.

I'm hoping he doesn't tire himself out swimming against the current and kill himself. Will he?

SATAN FISH · 11/16/2009, 09:59 PM

If he is swimming strong into the current of the power head, I would think that is a good thing. If he tires, he will have no choice but to go somewhere other than the current. It is probably just a phase. Although, I would have waited a little longer than a week to cycle the tank before I started adding fish...

jflick345 · 11/16/2009, 09:59 PM

My percula likes to play this game where he struggles against the current and then zooms back across the tank with it. He just does it over and over and over. Clowns seem to like to play in currents from what I've seen so I wouldn't worry about it. I had my perc in a nanocube for a couple months and he would just sit there for hours swimming into the current and he's doing great. Mine also couldn't care less about the caves and stay in the open water. What size tank do you have?

SATAN FISH · 11/16/2009, 10:00 PM

Oh yeah, Mine also stay out of the rocks. They stay in the open until the lights go off. Then they just go down to a corner and sleep there at night.

Falconeer · 11/16/2009, 10:07 PM

SATAN FISH: I've had it cycling for ten days, so I tend to round it down to "about a week" when I say i've been cycling it (both in text and in speech). I've been using my LFS as a source of information as well as the stickies and threads on RC, but in the LFS it was suggested that I start to finish the cycle with one of the hardier fish (the parameters were pretty good, but not perfect, when I put him in), so I wound up getting a clown.

jflick345: Thanks. I really appreciate posts from experience, having very little myself. He's in a standard ten gallon tank (about 10lbs of live rock, a 1.5"-2" sand bed, temp is solid at 79*, and i'm running carbon since I don't have a fuge or skimmer-i'll be doing WCs every week, also, it has a 34, maybe 36W 50/50 PC fixture for lighting)

SATAN FISH · 11/16/2009, 10:12 PM

Like it has been mentioned many times before on RC, the LFS job is to sell sell sell. RC's job is not. We are just here to share info we have accumulated. I'm not saying your LFS is trying to rip you off, but cycling a tank with fish is long considered to be the wrong way to do it if I'm not mistaken. People used to buy damsels to cycle a tank. Putting fish into the tank is not needed to get it to cycle if you already have your live rock in there.

Falconeer · 11/16/2009, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SATAN FISH

Like it has been mentioned many times before on RC, the LFS job is to sell sell sell. RC's job is not. We are just here to share info we have accumulated. I'm not saying your LFS is trying to rip you off, but cycling a tank with fish is long considered to be the wrong way to do it if I'm not mistaken. People used to buy damsels to cycle a tank. Putting fish into the tank is not needed to get it to cycle if you already have your live rock in there.

You have a good point, and I completely understand and agree with your point about the LFS job is to sell. However, and I don't want to do any harm to the fish, I felt (again, from minimal experience) that it was an appropriate time to add a fish, whether a little early or not.

There are many things that I'm sure I will pick up through experience with this tank, but I was receiving a lot of conflicting information about the end of the cycling process, and I decided to go with the people I was talking to face-to-face, not that I don't appreciate any information received on RC.

I can tell you this, if I see any signs that the fish is in distress or suffering from water quality because of I put it in prematurely, I will be taking it to a friend who has much, much more experience with SW and reef tanks than I do.

jflick345 · 11/16/2009, 10:25 PM

Just keep an eye on your water parameters and don't add anything else until they stabilize, ie Ammonia and Nitrite = 0 and Nitrate low. They clown should be fine but things like inverts won't necessarily handle the ammonia very well. Just be aware that in a small tank, especially with multiple fish you'll struggle will nitrates so stay on the WCs and definitely think about the skimmer or fuge in the future

Falconeer · 11/16/2009, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jflick345

Just keep an eye on your water parameters and don't add anything else until they stabilize, ie Ammonia and Nitrite = 0 and Nitrate low. They clown should be fine but things like inverts won't necessarily handle the ammonia very well. Just be aware that in a small tank, especially with multiple fish you'll struggle will nitrates so stay on the WCs and definitely think about the skimmer or fuge in the future

Yeah, I'm goign to wait several weeks (well, at least langer than it will take for parameters to hit zero on ammonia and trites, and low for trates) before even thinking about what I want to add next.

I tend to stay on top of my WCs for all my tanks (i've only done FW up until now though).

I don't expect i'll be adding inverts for a while, i'll probably get a second fish before that.

pbchef · 11/16/2009, 10:34 PM

Your brave adding any livestock to your tank after just cycling 10 days. Patience is the key to being successful. I would definitely hold off at least another month before adding another fish.

Falconeer · 11/16/2009, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbchef

Your brave adding any livestock to your tank after just cycling 10 days. Patience is the key to being successful. I would definitely hold off at least another month before adding another fish.

Ok, I guess I was a little mislead. I didn't think it would be that bad, but with both you and Satan saying I should have waited longer, I'm starting to wish I had. Like I said though, all appears well, and I'm going to watch him for any signs of stress, and if I see any, i'll be pulling him out ASAP.

I can, and will wait minimally a month before putting anything else in.

landers96 · 11/16/2009, 10:53 PM

I waited over a month for the cycle to finish. I tested the whole time and that's how long it took for everything to hit 0. You won't have enough beneficial bacteria to support the fish, you'll prob. see another spike in you ammonia.

Falconeer · 11/16/2009, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by landers96

I waited over a month for the cycle to finish. I tested the whole time and that's how long it took for everything to hit 0. You won't have enough beneficial bacteria to support the fish, you'll prob. see another spike in you ammonia.

Ok, well, this is one of the many things I have now learned from my first SW tank, and I likely won't do it again if I start another one, or have to start over (shudder).

I appreciate all the knowledge though, and I will definately apply it towards my next tank.

dirtStar · 11/16/2009, 11:14 PM

To your question...

I just bought 2 juvi occ's.
They swam in the same spot for 2 days, and I thought they were gonna die.
After the two days, they started to move a little bit.
They started to eat. Now after over a week later, they hang with my 3+ inch abult clown, and she will protect them. They eat almost anything I feed them,
flake, pellet, frozen. They stuff themselves with frozen mysis.

They are happy and so am I. I am already seeing growth in one of em.
They are about 1 in. or less

Only took a few days until they got comfy.

Falconeer · 11/16/2009, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtStar

To your question...

I just bought 2 juvi occ's.
They swam in the same spot for 2 days, and I thought they were gonna die.
After the two days, they started to move a little bit.
They started to eat. Now after over a week later, they hang with my 3+ inch abult clown, and she will protect them. They eat almost anything I feed them,
flake, pellet, frozen. They stuff themselves with frozen mysis.

They are happy and so am I. I am already seeing growth in one of em.
They are about 1 in. or less

Only took a few days until they got comfy.

Okay, well I only have the one so there's no one to show him the "way of the tank", so to speak. However, I will try several different kinds of food to see what he likes the best.

SATAN FISH · 11/16/2009, 11:55 PM

Well, just because we are being hard on you about adding a fish so soon, doesn't mean you have to be hard on yourself. When I set up my 125 gallon, I had not choice but to add a fish right away, as it came with all of my live rock. Although, my ammonia never even climbed since all of my live rock was established and waiting in buckets... there was no die off, therefore no ammonia. So that is probably why my six line wrasse did fine. Now I'm sorta wishing he did die since he thinks he runs the tank LOL.

Slayer311sGirl · 11/17/2009, 12:09 AM

Clowns like to play in the current, 240gph is not too much for sure, mine swims head long into 1k+ current.

Falconeer · 11/17/2009, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SATAN FISH

Well, just because we are being hard on you about adding a fish so soon, doesn't mean you have to be hard on yourself. When I set up my 125 gallon, I had not choice but to add a fish right away, as it came with all of my live rock. Although, my ammonia never even climbed since all of my live rock was established and waiting in buckets... there was no die off, therefore no ammonia. So that is probably why my six line wrasse did fine. Now I'm sorta wishing he did die since he thinks he runs the tank LOL.

Ok, thats essentially the situation I had with my LR. It was in a huge tank at the LFS, they took it out, wrapped it in soaking newspaper, and put some water in a bag and then put the rock in the bag.

I brought the rock home, put it in a bucket with water, setup the sand bed and put in the water, and several hours later I put the rock into the tank, which may be (and the employees knew this--I worked with the same guy through this whole process). why they said that it was an ok time to put a fish in. Through my testing, it did seem that I was going through a sort of mini-cycle, as opposed to a full blow tank cycle.

However, like i've said many times, I'll make sure to watch the tank everyday and make sure he's fine. So far, he has found the cave, and occasionally swims around the back of the entire rock structure, and will also dart though the cave system when he feels like it, haha

11/16/2009, 09:46 PM	#1
Falconeer Can I get another tank? Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Wilmette Posts: 330	Current too strong for an Ocellaris? Ok, so i've had my tank setup for about a week now, and it has been cycling and was ready for it's first inhabitant. Today, I bought a juvenile Ocellaris clown at the LFS (I trust them and their stock to be healthy--I have been in the shop many times over the past month and not a single fish in any tank has apeared ill--the employee who sold me the fish said that of a batch of about 300 clowns they received last January, none had died in the store, nor had been brought back because they had died). My question is not of health, but I feel that maybe my current is too strong? I have a Koralia Nano pump (240GPH) and the fish keeps swimming into the current, and appears to be working quite hard to stay still. I have arranged my LR in a way that it is supported by itself, but has a little cave system with openings on 3/4 sides of the structure that are more than big enough for an adult occ to swim through. Most of the swimming my new fish has done has been against the current, though at certain points he'll swim away for a little. Do you think it's just a matter of time until he dicovers the cave system? Or do clowns not enjoy caves/tunnels? They aren't dark, as the light still gets through (I have totkota rock, so it's very branched and the light gets through to the cave)., but he doesn't appear to have any interest in investigating the most prevalent structure of the tank. I'm hoping he doesn't tire himself out swimming against the current and kill himself. Will he?

11/16/2009, 09:59 PM	#2
SATAN FISH Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Denver CO Posts: 206	If he is swimming strong into the current of the power head, I would think that is a good thing. If he tires, he will have no choice but to go somewhere other than the current. It is probably just a phase. Although, I would have waited a little longer than a week to cycle the tank before I started adding fish... __________________ _____________________________________________________ 125gal 6ft tank, 20gal refugium, ETSS sump bud 60 250w MH 15k x 3 39w T5 actinic x 8 170lbs live rock Pacific blue tang Yellow tang Ocellaris clowns, one black, one orange Six line wrasse Fire fish Fire shrimp Royal Gramma Purple psudochromis Starry Blenny Mostly LPS and softies. One yellow turbinaria Current Tank Info: Reef tank going since June 09

11/16/2009, 10:00 PM	#4
SATAN FISH Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Denver CO Posts: 206	Oh yeah, Mine also stay out of the rocks. They stay in the open until the lights go off. Then they just go down to a corner and sleep there at night. __________________ _____________________________________________________ 125gal 6ft tank, 20gal refugium, ETSS sump bud 60 250w MH 15k x 3 39w T5 actinic x 8 170lbs live rock Pacific blue tang Yellow tang Ocellaris clowns, one black, one orange Six line wrasse Fire fish Fire shrimp Royal Gramma Purple psudochromis Starry Blenny Mostly LPS and softies. One yellow turbinaria Current Tank Info: Reef tank going since June 09

11/16/2009, 10:12 PM	#6
SATAN FISH Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Denver CO Posts: 206	Like it has been mentioned many times before on RC, the LFS job is to sell sell sell. RC's job is not. We are just here to share info we have accumulated. I'm not saying your LFS is trying to rip you off, but cycling a tank with fish is long considered to be the wrong way to do it if I'm not mistaken. People used to buy damsels to cycle a tank. Putting fish into the tank is not needed to get it to cycle if you already have your live rock in there. __________________ _____________________________________________________ 125gal 6ft tank, 20gal refugium, ETSS sump bud 60 250w MH 15k x 3 39w T5 actinic x 8 170lbs live rock Pacific blue tang Yellow tang Ocellaris clowns, one black, one orange Six line wrasse Fire fish Fire shrimp Royal Gramma Purple psudochromis Starry Blenny Mostly LPS and softies. One yellow turbinaria Current Tank Info: Reef tank going since June 09

11/16/2009, 11:14 PM	#14
dirtStar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: AKRON PA Posts: 234	To your question... I just bought 2 juvi occ's. They swam in the same spot for 2 days, and I thought they were gonna die. After the two days, they started to move a little bit. They started to eat. Now after over a week later, they hang with my 3+ inch abult clown, and she will protect them. They eat almost anything I feed them, flake, pellet, frozen. They stuff themselves with frozen mysis. They are happy and so am I. I am already seeing growth in one of em. They are about 1 in. or less Only took a few days until they got comfy. __________________ 75/15, CPR BP, ACjr, 1/10ch, UV, LF PhosBan, ATO, 2x250W MH, 2x54W Actinic, LED, Inverts, Coral Banded and PM Shrimp, Shrooms, Trees, Devils Hand, 15in SStar and 24in BStar LM Blenny, Starry Dnet, Flame Angel, Yellow Tang, 3 stripe and blue devil damsels, 4 Nemo including mating pair and 1 B&W misbar NEW: Green Mandarin, Pictichromis diadema "dotty" Centropyge flavicauda Whitetail Pygmy Angel

11/16/2009, 09:59 PM	#3
jflick345 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 884	My percula likes to play this game where he struggles against the current and then zooms back across the tank with it. He just does it over and over and over. Clowns seem to like to play in currents from what I've seen so I wouldn't worry about it. I had my perc in a nanocube for a couple months and he would just sit there for hours swimming into the current and he's doing great. Mine also couldn't care less about the caves and stay in the open water. What size tank do you have?

11/16/2009, 10:07 PM	#5
Falconeer Can I get another tank? Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Wilmette Posts: 330	SATAN FISH: I've had it cycling for ten days, so I tend to round it down to "about a week" when I say i've been cycling it (both in text and in speech). I've been using my LFS as a source of information as well as the stickies and threads on RC, but in the LFS it was suggested that I start to finish the cycle with one of the hardier fish (the parameters were pretty good, but not perfect, when I put him in), so I wound up getting a clown. jflick345: Thanks. I really appreciate posts from experience, having very little myself. He's in a standard ten gallon tank (about 10lbs of live rock, a 1.5"-2" sand bed, temp is solid at 79*, and i'm running carbon since I don't have a fuge or skimmer-i'll be doing WCs every week, also, it has a 34, maybe 36W 50/50 PC fixture for lighting)

11/16/2009, 10:25 PM	#8
jflick345 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 884	Just keep an eye on your water parameters and don't add anything else until they stabilize, ie Ammonia and Nitrite = 0 and Nitrate low. They clown should be fine but things like inverts won't necessarily handle the ammonia very well. Just be aware that in a small tank, especially with multiple fish you'll struggle will nitrates so stay on the WCs and definitely think about the skimmer or fuge in the future

11/16/2009, 10:34 PM	#10
pbchef Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: West Palm Beach, FL Posts: 6	Your brave adding any livestock to your tank after just cycling 10 days. Patience is the key to being successful. I would definitely hold off at least another month before adding another fish.

11/16/2009, 10:53 PM	#12
landers96 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: vermilion Posts: 361	I waited over a month for the cycle to finish. I tested the whole time and that's how long it took for everything to hit 0. You won't have enough beneficial bacteria to support the fish, you'll prob. see another spike in you ammonia.

11/16/2009, 11:55 PM	#16
SATAN FISH Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Denver CO Posts: 206	Well, just because we are being hard on you about adding a fish so soon, doesn't mean you have to be hard on yourself. When I set up my 125 gallon, I had not choice but to add a fish right away, as it came with all of my live rock. Although, my ammonia never even climbed since all of my live rock was established and waiting in buckets... there was no die off, therefore no ammonia. So that is probably why my six line wrasse did fine. Now I'm sorta wishing he did die since he thinks he runs the tank LOL. __________________ _____________________________________________________ 125gal 6ft tank, 20gal refugium, ETSS sump bud 60 250w MH 15k x 3 39w T5 actinic x 8 170lbs live rock Pacific blue tang Yellow tang Ocellaris clowns, one black, one orange Six line wrasse Fire fish Fire shrimp Royal Gramma Purple psudochromis Starry Blenny Mostly LPS and softies. One yellow turbinaria Current Tank Info: Reef tank going since June 09

11/17/2009, 12:09 AM	#17
Slayer311sGirl Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 15	Clowns like to play in the current, 240gph is not too much for sure, mine swims head long into 1k+ current.