# Single clownfish not eating.



## JimBinSC

My 75 gallon tank has been set up for about a month with a single Ocellaris Clown. The fish has been in it about 2 weeks or so, I bought it, the week before Memorial day. It was fed Mysis shrimp twice a day and ate voraciously until a couple of days ago when it would spit the mysis out, now it won't even take the food. It just lets it float by. I went to Petsmart to buy some Algae sheets but my wife said "Don't buy anything that doesn't say 'clownfish' on it" so I bought and some marine omnivore "gel" food. The fish spits the gel out as well as the Hikari small pellets I had on hand. I suspect the diet is lacking something (algae probably), or maybe that one cube of shrimp is bad. It doesn't seem be as actively swimming as before either. I haven't noticed any external spots on the fish and coloration seems normal. I've been concerned before when it did something different but it always ate so I figured it was normal behaviour, but not eating is concerning me.

Tank levels seem fine with Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5ppm or so. Ammonia has never been above 0, nitrite recently dropped from 0.25 to 0. Tank has 50 lbs of dry rock, 10 lbs live rock, and 20lbs of "live sand" from Petsmart, 30lbs of aragonite. There are diatoms and algae. Lighting is a coralife 50/50 34 watt. Filter is live rock, and an Eheim canister that is really just pushing water with just the filter pads and no media in it. 2 koralia Nano 425's keep the water moving as well.

Thanks for your help.


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## JimBinSC

Still not eating but still alive. Mouthed a pellet this morning but ignored the mysis. Water Params are still fine unless the test kit is bad.


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## Reefing Madness

I don't much tell people to use flake foods, but have you tried the Ocean Nutrition? Bout the only thing left for you. Have you tried to soak the mysis in Garlic X? Also, are you capable of asking the store what they were feeding the fish?


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## JimBinSC

Eh, maybe the fish is lonely. It was in with about 8 of them before I bought it. I went to get another one and, of course the store was out. They had alot of those one stripe clowns.
The store fed it mysis shrimp and enriched brine shrimp.


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## Reefing Madness

Clowns will survive by themselves. They don't have to have a mate.


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## 92smokeaccord

JimBinSC said:


> Eh, maybe the fish is lonely. It was in with about 8 of them before I bought it. I went to get another one and, of course the store was out. They had alot of those one stripe clowns.
> The store fed it mysis shrimp and enriched brine shrimp.


i believe you can only have 2 per tank unless you have a very large tank.i was told if you have more than 2 unless they are off spring of them,they will fight alot.


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## Pasfur

JimBinSC said:


> my wife said "Don't buy anything that doesn't say 'clownfish' on it"


For the record, this is not necessary, as you probably know. 



> I haven't noticed any external spots on the fish and coloration seems normal. I've been concerned before when it did something different but it always ate so I figured it was normal behaviour, but not eating is concerning me.


Not eating should be a huge concern, for fish which were previously eating. You were dead on to look for signs of spots, especially around the mouth. My guy is telling me you have an infection around the lips that you have to spot.



> Tank has 50 lbs of dry rock, 10 lbs live rock, and 20lbs of "live sand" from Petsmart, 30lbs of aragonite.


By the way, assuming your tank has been running for 2 months or more, it is not necessary to distinguish between dry rock and live rock. It is all live at this point.



Reefing Madness said:


> Have you tried to soak the mysis in Garlic X?


GREAT idea. If you haven't tried soaking foods in garlic, do this immediately. It is an excellent stimulant to encourage feeding.



92smokeaccord said:


> i believe you can only have 2 per tank unless you have a very large tank.i was told if you have more than 2 unless they are off spring of them,they will fight alot.


Not at all the case. You can certainly have multiple clownfish.


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## KatelynKaufman

JimBinSC said:


> Eh, maybe the fish is lonely.


yeah, maybe you should try and get him a buddy


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## Snappyarcher

Can you provide us with a FULL set of parameters..... you cannot go adding another fish into a tank where you are not sure that the full set of parameters are perfect. its not fair to either fish. Clowns do not necessarily need a mate but do benefit from the addition of anemones.... DONT GO OUT AND BUY AN ANEMONE THOUGH as inverts are even more delicate than fish!!!!!!!!
Lets start from there and see what that provides.... so we are looking for:
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
pH
Salinity
Copper
Phosphate
and hardness....


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