# Please Help Me My Clown Fish Are Dying !!!!!!!



## Jon Rowan (Dec 10, 2007)

i recently bought a 10 gallon Nano Cube marine fish tank. I started off with a few live rocks, 2 coral and some hermit crabs and snails. I waited 1 month for the water to "mature" (as advised by the guy at the shop) then added 2 percula clown fish and a "cleaner" shrimp. 5 days later the smaller of the 2 died so I added another small one, given to me by the same guy at the shop. 4 days that one died!!! I spoke to guy at the shop and he said that the bigger one probably hasn't changed sex yet so was bullying the smaller ones. I am also going through what he calls an Algae bloom which is causing the tank to get really dirty within days. The algae is a dark thick green colour and also I have a red/pink algae like substance growing on the sand and the back of the tank in 1 area only - he tells me this is natural. All crabs, snails, corals and the shrimp are fine and so is the remaining clown. I am seeking advise on this matter because I don't know if I'm being told the truth as to what is happening to the small fish, although I know the guy is not in this for financial gain as he has replaced the 1st dead fish for free. He has told me he has a new batch coming in tomorrow and has said he'll either give me 1 new fish thats bigger than the original, or give me a brand new pair. can you please help me with this whole situation as I don't want to add any more fish knowing they might die.


----------



## verbosity (Nov 16, 2007)

I know very little about SW. So you should probably ignore this post.

My sister has three SW tanks.. She has told me about how each clown fish needs a see anemone. Maybe your second fish is getting stressed out because their isn't one. 

My sister had one clown fish die shortly after the anemone died (from the clown fish being to rough).


----------



## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

The easiest way I could put this is that your tank is already full with 1 clown and the rest of what you named. There isn't enough territory in a 10 gallon for 2 clown fish, and even if you get a mated pair, you may still run into waste issues/water quality issues. Wtih all of what you listed I would be expecting to do water changes at least twice/wk.

As for your algae growth, it is true that algae growth is normal... but there comes a time when normal becomes problematic due to size of the tank and what is in it. More frequent water changes, making sure the surface is skimmed at least once/day, keeping feedings light, and keeping the lights to 8 - 10 hrs/day and no more, making sure it isn't too strong... all of these things will help to get it under control. The other big help would be to add as much live rock as you can to the tank. Live rock is your main filtration, and without enough of it, you'll run into problems as time goes on. Is your substrate sand or crushed coral? 

Please remember that most animals you purchase are not yet full grown, and knowing how big they get is very very important. You can't fit as many animals into a saltwater tank as you can with freshwater, and the bigger the tank the easier it is to keep stable and the less work it will take to keep it there. Also, remember that a saltwater tank is not considered mature for about the first 2 yrs of being set up, so the period of time before that will mean a lot of ups and downs. Watch SPG/salinity in a small tank like that, too. It will fluctuate rapidly with evaporation, and knowing what it is will help determine whether to add saltwater or freshwater at any given time. Corals, fish, and inverts are all very sensitive to that. Keep an eye on Calcium levels, in small tanks they tend to be depleted quickly, and you will usually need to add liquid calcium to keep things healthy. 
If you need any other help, let us know. Good Luck!


----------

