clown not eating

junk · Jan 18, 2009

So we've had our picasso now for almost a month and everything has been fine. It's been eating, and swimming around. For the last week it's been hosting a small rock anenome that we've had for just over a week. I noticed last night that it was just swimming in a back corner where the flow is slower. It also didn't "sample" any of the roti-feast that we put in last night. This morning it totally ignored the flakes.

Is it time to worry?

calaxa · Jan 18, 2009

roti-feast is probably too small for the clown. It's for larval fish. Maybe he's just not hungry or wants a bit of variety. Mix it up a bit if you are truly worried (beware, you may get stuck like me and your fish become very picky about what they get).

Some things that clowns should go nuts for:

Cyclopeeze (frozen or freeze dried...avoid granules...it's a little too hard/big for them unless the clown is big)
Oraglo (if you can find this locally...good food for clowns...it's what your clowns were eating before you bought them)
Brine (gut loaded or spirulina enriched preferably)
Masago (capelin roe fish eggs......orange fish eggs found on sushi...my maroon only eats this cause he's spoiled)
Live blackworms (only my yellow tang and mandarin doesn't eat this one...all others will claw each other over this)

junk · Jan 19, 2009

Thanks calaxa.

I was hoping to pick up some Oraglo or one of the others today after work, but the clown was MIA this morning, so now I don't know if it died and the brittle ate it, or if it was just super well hidden. It's only a 14g so there aren't a million places it can hide.

calaxa · Jan 19, 2009

That doesn't sound good. Clowns don't usually hide especially false percs/true percs. I hope you find him cause that is one expensive clown. Hope it was only a Grade B Picasso.

junk · Jan 20, 2009

Yes, was grade b picasso. Still haven't found him and at this point, since the tank is so small, I have to assume he died and that the brittle star consumed whatever was left. I need to get rid of that damn star, but would really like to know what made the clown die.

Hawkeye · Jan 21, 2009

sorry to hear that...i forget if i asked you this question already but what color is the brittle star? green ones are notorious for taking down healthy fish.

saltwaterguy112 · Jan 21, 2009

Assuming all your water parameters where fine was there any fish that might have been attacking the poor little guy. I've had this problem where one fish wont let the other fish eat. He would get so caught up in worrying about him not eating that by the time it was done he also didn't eat. :'(

junk · Jan 21, 2009

Thanks everyone.

Starfish is a purple brittle star. We're getting rid of it regardless. Maybe replace it with an orange linkia (sp?).

The only other fish in the tank was a yellow headed sleeper goby. The two of them would pal around and appeared to be best friends. Clown was doing well, even hosting the rock anenome. The weird thing is it happened so fast and we never found it. Then the goby was hiding for awhile so we thought maybe that died too but he's out again now. Maybe he was just mourning.