new cinnamon clown

[freeNINETY9]

over the weekend i got a cinnamon clown for my 47gallon tank. he is the first and only fish in there. i acclimated him over a half hour or so and he is doing great. still a bit shy with the light on but he swims all over and i can tell hes been diggin around the substate. my only concern is that i havent seen him eat yet. ive offered marine flake and marine pellets (store owner said he ate flake) and so far he hasnt even showed slightest interest in food. maybe hes picking it off the bottom when im not around? his color is amazing and his behavior is great. i just want to make sure he eats.

would it be beneficial to add another fish or two as dither fish to maybe get him eating? i was thinking of adding a coral beauty or a hawkfish maybe but not for a week or two. should i do it now to encourage him to eat more or do you think hes just adjusting.

i guess if i seem over concerned its because its my first sw tank and so far im doing things right. i dont want fish to start dying. :x

 

[UnderwaterGirl]

I think you should wait a while before adding new fish. See how this one does. Give him time and he will start eating.

 

[RadleyMiller]

You could try live Mysis or Brine shrimp.

 

[FishSkins]

yes don't add any more fish as of yet i would try a frozen marine fish food

 

[freeNINETY9]

alright, ill try to get to the pet store tomorrow for some mysis. i actually went into the store looking to get a trigger or an eel but then this guy caught my eye..i know those would have eaten by now ;-)

 

[freeNINETY9]

ahHA! i offered him some frozen mysis shrimp and he came right out for it. awesome. in a couple days ill do some frozen and flake at the same time and see if i can get him to try some different things. thanks for the advice guys.

 

[Justin_James]

Frozen is my choice of foods for all my marine tanks. Flakes arn't on the menue in the wild. It's good to feed a variety of foods to keep your fish healthy and disease resistant.

I recommend adding another clown of the same species since clowns like to be paired up together. But no more than one more clown or you will have competition and soon to follow "death".

 

[freeNINETY9]

ive always thought one clown per tank unless they were already paired up...the one i bought was in a tank with a clown trigger, a picasso trigger, a hawkfish, and a butterfly...no other clown. would it be alright to throw another one in there? i dont even know how to sex them hoestly...im guessing females would be a little bigger porportioned and maybe shorter fins like in freshwater?

i kinda was eyeing a coral beauty and maybe a couple shrimp or a starfish if that would work. what do you think?

 

[TankBuster]

I would get a cleaner shrimp to pick up all the flakes that fall to the bottom and go under the rocks. female clownsd will be larger than the males. It is best to keep one female and a male together to minimize nipping. Coral beauty can be aggressive towards some clowns. But you have one that is a little more aggressive. If you have the right lighting, dont under estimate the blue green chromis. They are great and look even better under the right spectrum of light. And very peaceful.

 

[Justin_James]

With clowns you don't have to worrie about what sex your clown is to be able to add another. If you have a male and you add another male one will become dominant and turn female. The female will then grow larger. If the clown you have now is smaller than the one you can add then the new one will become the female because it is bigger. It works the same with two females. The only times that aggressive behaviour is displayed with clowns is usually with maroon clowns since they are a bit more aggressive but it generally works the same. If at all possible make the next clown you add a little bigger than the one you currently have to make the pairing up go faster. Make sure you get another clown of the same species though or they wont pair up. Clowns don't like to be alone and arn't ment to be along so be nice and get your little fella a girl friend