Lost a clownfish

MondoBongo · 11/13/2012, 10:04 AM

in a sad turn of events, i found one of our pair of clownfish dead on the floor sunday.

never had any issues with them jumping before, so i wasn't using a lid, but the poor little guy took a jump while we were out and i unfortunately didn't find him in time to save him. first thing i did was make an egg crate lid for the tank so this will never happen again. i feel terrible that i didn't already have one in place, but really didn't think it would be necessary. they were both always very docile, and never seemed to exhibit any propensity to jump.

our pair were both percula clowns. we bought them about 6 months ago as teeny tiny little guys in a pair. they've been living well together ever since, and both were growing quite nicely.

i've read a lot in the last two days about getting another clown. since the remaining clown is still very young i was hoping that he would be readily accepting of a new clown in the tank (i feel bad he lost his buddy, they were almost always next to each other and followed each other everywhere).

i am thinking about getting either another percula, or possibly a black and white ocellaris. roughly the same size as ours is now to try to minimize any size related bullying.

tank is a 75G, so there is plenty of room. other tank mates are a small yellow tang (about 3 inches), small six line wrasse (about 3 inches), and as soon as his QT period is finished a tiny lawnmower blenny (about 2 inches).

from what i have read i think doing this sooner rather than later would probably be the best option, taking in to account of course the 5 - 6 week QT period.

my question is this: are there any additional tips, tricks, or things to be aware of if we decide to get another clown?

R.I.P Gacey.

EllieSuz · 11/13/2012, 10:24 AM

You should really rethink the egg crate. I obscures a lot of light, but more importantly, I've heard of a lot of fish that still make it to the floor in spite of it. Bulk Reef Supply sells a clear 1/4" netting that can be put in the standard DIY screen kits from your home improvement store. They are easy to make, effective, cheap and displace very little light.

MondoBongo · 11/13/2012, 10:54 AM

thanks for the tip Ellie.

honestly, i am open to whatever makes a good top. the egg crate was just quickly available. most of my guys are so small i have no doubt they could zip right through the eggcrate if they hit it just right.

i'll check out that netting.

Mcluett · 11/13/2012, 11:05 AM

Is it a rimless tank? If so you could add a eurobrace to it which would block fish from jumping out, it would look nice and not block any light coming into the tank.

MondoBongo · 11/13/2012, 01:34 PM

no, just a normal 75G with the standard black plastic rim on it.

formerly was a snake tank.

danil · 11/13/2012, 01:47 PM

+1 Please use Ellie advise. Egg crate will not work for small fish plus they block the light. All fish can jump out of the tank due to their nature (hunting for food) or by chasing other fish. Half inch gap or opening will be more then enough so be sure you don't give them this chance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EllieSuz

You should really rethink the egg crate. I obscures a lot of light, but more importantly, I've heard of a lot of fish that still make it to the floor in spite of it. Bulk Reef Supply sells a clear 1/4" netting that can be put in the standard DIY screen kits from your home improvement store. They are easy to make, effective, cheap and displace very little light.

FTDelta · 11/13/2012, 02:06 PM

Don't mix your Percula with an Ocelleris Clown. Two different species of clownfish. You're better off getting another Percula clownfish.

MondoBongo · 11/13/2012, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danil

+1 Please use Ellie advise. Egg crate will not work for small fish plus they block the light. All fish can jump out of the tank due to their nature (hunting for food) or by chasing other fish. Half inch gap or opening will be more then enough so be sure you don't give them this chance.

already ordered a large roll of the stuff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FTDelta

Don't mix your Percula with an Ocelleris Clown. Two different species of clownfish. You're better off getting another Percula clownfish.

thanks.

Vice333 · 11/13/2012, 05:30 PM

I had the same thing happen to me last week with one of my pair of clownfish. They were in the tank for about 6 months and one decided to go skydiving. Didn't find him till about 2 days later. Needless to say he was pretty dried out.

Kies1 · 11/13/2012, 07:01 PM

We originally started with a black and white clown. About 6 months later added a orange and white to the tank. We were hoping they would pair up. Some advise I can give you is make sure the second is of smaller size than the one in the tank is now. They will fight at first but after about two days in the tank together they can't be separated. It was terrible for about 48 hours I thought the the original clown was going to kill the second edition but now they can't be seperated.

MondoBongo · 11/14/2012, 07:33 AM

thanks for the advice guys.

i feel bad for Pennywise (the remaining clown). he would usually follow Gacey around and beg for food every time i walked by the tank. he's still eating, just not nearly as proactively as before, and he hasn't come to the front of the tank to beg since it happened.

poor guy.

i am kicking myself for not having some kind of cover on the tank, but i've been specifically avoiding any fish that are notorious jumpers and figured with the amount of people running completely open tops it shouldn't be a problem. last time i make that mistake.

Tupps11 · 11/14/2012, 08:16 AM

I feel your pain...

I lost one of my clowns exactly the same way less than a week ago. I found him against the wall behind the aquarium stand.

He was survived by his mate in the tank who now seems lonely. Have a new one in quarantine as we speak. Will look into the net solution as well...

Best of luck

MondoBongo · 02/15/2013, 05:41 PM

So I know this is an old thread but I wanted to update. We got a new percula, krusty, and let him hang out in QT for about 12 weeks while he settled in and grew.

We made sure he was smaller than our existing clown and introduced him last week.

They couldn't be happier. We put the new clown in on the opposite side of the tank, they saw each other immediately and have been absolutely inseparable ever since.

One thing I am still trying to figure out is how to make a frame for a cover. I got a roll of the plastic mesh another reefer suggested, but have left the egg crate in place for the time being.

My tank is not drilled. So I have return plumbing, the overflow, and power cords for the power heads all running over the rim.

I considered metal since I could theoretically shape it around all these obstacles, but figured it would rust and cause problems. I haven't been able to find a type of plastic that would work for the frame.

jamesbaur13 · 02/15/2013, 06:27 PM

I would make the majority of the top using that mesh and a screen kit you can purchase at a hardware store.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...9&pcatid=13819

I would attach the 3/16" back strip directly to the frame of the screen and cut the strip accordingly.

That might work... the frame for the screen that I got is 1/4" thick, the back strip is meant to clip onto a 3/16" thick piece.

thebkramer · 02/15/2013, 06:34 PM

nvm!!

soooo sorry about your loss though!!!

kmooresd85 · 02/15/2013, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamesbaur13

I would make the majority of the top using that mesh and a screen kit you can purchase at a hardware store. I would attach the 3/16" back strip directly to the frame of the screen and cut the strip accordingly.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...9&pcatid=13819

+1 this is what i did. they have sets together at home depot that come with frame, spline, roller, and corners. all you gotta get is the screen which it sounds like you have. i measured it so it leaves a few inches in the back for all of the HOB equipment and covered the rest with a plasic piece.

MondoBongo · 02/15/2013, 07:40 PM

Thank you very much everyone!

This thread has been very helpful to me, and hopefully some other n00bs in the future.

ChadRaay86 · 02/15/2013, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MondoBongo

Thank you very much everyone!

This thread has been very helpful to me, and hopefully some other n00bs in the future.

I had the same thing happen with one of my perculas. I built a DIY screen today actually. Not to hard and definitely worth it

hillscp · 02/15/2013, 08:50 PM

Glad things are working out for you. I had a pair of clowns for 10 years. I put som anthias in the tank and I think they were so acive the male started trying to defend his territory. I found him on the floor just like you did

I put netting on top after that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FTDelta

Don't mix your Percula with an Ocelleris Clown. Two different species of clownfish. You're better off getting another Percula clownfish.

My mating pair are a female O and a male P. They make percularis babies abaout every two weeks. After her first mate jumped I got a pair of Percula. She took one of them and made him her mate. The other one was outcast and I had to take him back to the store

gsiegel · 02/15/2013, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChadRaay86

I had the same thing happen with one of my perculas. I built a DIY screen today actually. Not to hard and definitely worth it

To my wife, everything for this hobby costs "about" $20 dollars

-----------------------------

Way off topic but I really laughed outloud when I read your signature. I wish I tried that to begin with regarding that $20 expense...

11/13/2012, 10:04 AM	#1
MondoBongo Obligate Feeder Obsessed Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 4,061	Lost a clownfish in a sad turn of events, i found one of our pair of clownfish dead on the floor sunday. never had any issues with them jumping before, so i wasn't using a lid, but the poor little guy took a jump while we were out and i unfortunately didn't find him in time to save him. first thing i did was make an egg crate lid for the tank so this will never happen again. i feel terrible that i didn't already have one in place, but really didn't think it would be necessary. they were both always very docile, and never seemed to exhibit any propensity to jump. our pair were both percula clowns. we bought them about 6 months ago as teeny tiny little guys in a pair. they've been living well together ever since, and both were growing quite nicely. i've read a lot in the last two days about getting another clown. since the remaining clown is still very young i was hoping that he would be readily accepting of a new clown in the tank (i feel bad he lost his buddy, they were almost always next to each other and followed each other everywhere). i am thinking about getting either another percula, or possibly a black and white ocellaris. roughly the same size as ours is now to try to minimize any size related bullying. tank is a 75G, so there is plenty of room. other tank mates are a small yellow tang (about 3 inches), small six line wrasse (about 3 inches), and as soon as his QT period is finished a tiny lawnmower blenny (about 2 inches). from what i have read i think doing this sooner rather than later would probably be the best option, taking in to account of course the 5 - 6 week QT period. my question is this: are there any additional tips, tricks, or things to be aware of if we decide to get another clown? R.I.P Gacey.

11/13/2012, 10:24 AM	#2
EllieSuz Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 3,858	You should really rethink the egg crate. I obscures a lot of light, but more importantly, I've heard of a lot of fish that still make it to the floor in spite of it. Bulk Reef Supply sells a clear 1/4" netting that can be put in the standard DIY screen kits from your home improvement store. They are easy to make, effective, cheap and displace very little light. __________________ "You can't learn this hobby one question at a time." (Mr. Tuskfish) Eileen Current Tank Info: I'm out of the hobby, but used to have a60 gal. reef, refugium in sump, Internal Mag 9 return, SC 302 skimmer, two Maxi-Jet 1200's modded, four bulb T5 Lighting, Reefkeeper Lite Controller with three PC4's, Little Fishes GFO reactor.

02/15/2013, 06:27 PM	#14
jamesbaur13 Apsiring Alhcohlolic Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 772	I would make the majority of the top using that mesh and a screen kit you can purchase at a hardware store. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...9&pcatid=13819 I would attach the 3/16" back strip directly to the frame of the screen and cut the strip accordingly. That might work... the frame for the screen that I got is 1/4" thick, the back strip is meant to clip onto a 3/16" thick piece. __________________ 120G AGA Dual Overflow, 40G B Sump, SRO-2000int, 2 Eheim 200w Heater, Eheim 1262 Return, BRS C & GFO React., BR-1000ss Biopellet React., Tunze 5017 ATO, 2 MP-40wes, DIY 76LED (36RB,24NW,6B,6CW,4Moon) Last edited by jamesbaur13; 02/15/2013 at 06:34 PM.

02/15/2013, 06:34 PM	#15
thebkramer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Clifton Park, NY Posts: 3,198	nvm!! soooo sorry about your loss though!!! __________________ Rhonda There is NO such things as Dumb Questions!! There are However.. Dumb Answers!!! ;) ____________ Current Tank Info: 55g reef....Current Orbit SunPaq Lights, HOB Eshopps, HOB AquaClear 110, 2-1400 Koralia Powerheads & 1 Nano Koralia, 40+ lbs LR, 2" LS

11/13/2012, 10:54 AM	#3
MondoBongo Obligate Feeder Obsessed Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 4,061	thanks for the tip Ellie. honestly, i am open to whatever makes a good top. the egg crate was just quickly available. most of my guys are so small i have no doubt they could zip right through the eggcrate if they hit it just right. i'll check out that netting.

11/13/2012, 11:05 AM	#4
Mcluett Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 59	Is it a rimless tank? If so you could add a eurobrace to it which would block fish from jumping out, it would look nice and not block any light coming into the tank.

11/13/2012, 01:34 PM	#5
MondoBongo Obligate Feeder Obsessed Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 4,061	no, just a normal 75G with the standard black plastic rim on it. formerly was a snake tank.

11/13/2012, 02:06 PM	#7
FTDelta Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Central NY Posts: 1,124	Don't mix your Percula with an Ocelleris Clown. Two different species of clownfish. You're better off getting another Percula clownfish.

11/13/2012, 05:30 PM	#9
Vice333 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Lansdale, PA Posts: 128	I had the same thing happen to me last week with one of my pair of clownfish. They were in the tank for about 6 months and one decided to go skydiving. Didn't find him till about 2 days later. Needless to say he was pretty dried out.

11/13/2012, 07:01 PM	#10
Kies1 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 544	We originally started with a black and white clown. About 6 months later added a orange and white to the tank. We were hoping they would pair up. Some advise I can give you is make sure the second is of smaller size than the one in the tank is now. They will fight at first but after about two days in the tank together they can't be separated. It was terrible for about 48 hours I thought the the original clown was going to kill the second edition but now they can't be seperated.

11/14/2012, 07:33 AM	#11
MondoBongo Obligate Feeder Obsessed Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 4,061	thanks for the advice guys. i feel bad for Pennywise (the remaining clown). he would usually follow Gacey around and beg for food every time i walked by the tank. he's still eating, just not nearly as proactively as before, and he hasn't come to the front of the tank to beg since it happened. poor guy. i am kicking myself for not having some kind of cover on the tank, but i've been specifically avoiding any fish that are notorious jumpers and figured with the amount of people running completely open tops it shouldn't be a problem. last time i make that mistake.

11/14/2012, 08:16 AM	#12
Tupps11 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Beirut/Lebanon Posts: 153	I feel your pain... I lost one of my clowns exactly the same way less than a week ago. I found him against the wall behind the aquarium stand. He was survived by his mate in the tank who now seems lonely. Have a new one in quarantine as we speak. Will look into the net solution as well... Best of luck

02/15/2013, 05:41 PM	#13
MondoBongo Obligate Feeder Obsessed Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 4,061	So I know this is an old thread but I wanted to update. We got a new percula, krusty, and let him hang out in QT for about 12 weeks while he settled in and grew. We made sure he was smaller than our existing clown and introduced him last week. They couldn't be happier. We put the new clown in on the opposite side of the tank, they saw each other immediately and have been absolutely inseparable ever since. One thing I am still trying to figure out is how to make a frame for a cover. I got a roll of the plastic mesh another reefer suggested, but have left the egg crate in place for the time being. My tank is not drilled. So I have return plumbing, the overflow, and power cords for the power heads all running over the rim. I considered metal since I could theoretically shape it around all these obstacles, but figured it would rust and cause problems. I haven't been able to find a type of plastic that would work for the frame.

02/15/2013, 07:40 PM	#17
MondoBongo Obligate Feeder Obsessed Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 4,061	Thank you very much everyone! This thread has been very helpful to me, and hopefully some other n00bs in the future.