# Clown fish question



## carmine00700

just got him today after just finishing cycling my tank. LFS said its ready. my clown fish looks like the circulator pumps are pushing him around a bit..Can this bother him? I dont want him to die because of being stressed or something. and hes only swimming around in one area...hes only been in tank a few hours.


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## NeonShark666

Clown Fish should not be used in cycling, they are too delicate and too expensive. Better cycling fishes are small Damsels or saltwater Mollies. Small Hernit Crabs also work.


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## carmine00700

i understand but the guy at the fish store tested my water and he said its ready...its now about 20 hours later and he is in one area all the time and it looks like he cant swim around because the pump is pushing him around...does this make him uncomfortable?


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## Ben

Current is good for fish, too much can be bad. Is the fish swimming against the current or being blown against rocks, sides of the aquarium, etc? If you think it's too much current, shut down a powerhead and reevaluate. In my experience, fish tend to linger in one part of a tank for a few days before exploring the rest of a new tank. You don't move to a new town and immediately cruise the entire area do ya? Don't worry about him lingering in one spot. I've had a fish 6 months that doesn't venture beyond two pieces of rock. Clowns are notoriously mobile, soon he will be swimming laps!


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## carmine00700

I had 2 pumps going and i shut one down to see if he acts differently. i just hope the one pump going will be enough going in tank. Its a Koralia 550 gals an hour pump in a 55 gallon tank. do u think thats good?


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## Ben

I like 10x capacity for water flow. I would be interested to see what others say though too. I've been told many smaller capacity pumps would be good but I haven't tried that. You don't want dead spots in the tank. I don't know that flow directing in an area of algae growth will help. My favorite LFS owner says it like this, "algae and cyanobacteria suck, but they happen". You hear people preach about watching phosphates, lighting, etc. I've spent hours each day for months trying to control it and can't. Maybe I don't know how. Maybe it's not possible for someone with a job and life to control those things to the point where you never have algae. I recommend a clean up crew, crabs, snails, etc. I also recommend a refugium in your sump. Put some macro algaes (chaeto is cheapest) in the sump and keep a small light clamped on there and see if that helps. The theory is the macro algae (good) will absorb the nutrients the micro algaes (bad) need, therefore prohibiting their growth. Good luck! Keep your alkalinity and calcium levels up, that will keep the coralline algae growing, it looks good and is also supposed to help eliminate the nuisance stuff. 

Finally, I'm no expert. My advice is based on my personal experiences and books I've read. 

Speaking of books, people spend thousands of dollars on setups, lights, livestock, corals and fish, but won't spend $30 on a book. I highly recommend "The Complete Book of the Marine Aquarium" by Vincent Hargreaves, as well as "Marine Aquarium Handbook, Beginner to Breeder" by Martin Moe Jr. 

I'll get off my high horse. I wish you the best of luck! Keep posting your questions, there are many people here much smarter than I!


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## carmine00700

thanks alot...best advice ive gotten yet


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## Totem44

It took my clowns about 2 weeks to get comfortable in my tank, they hung out near my power head andeven near the outlet. As for the flow at first mine seemed to be struggling but a few days into it they swam along with it, almost playing in it.


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## verdifer

My Clowns enjoy swimming against the current with mine but if the flow looks that powerful the fish is unable to swim in it then it prob is to strong, you could get weaker pumps or try placing them differently so the flow doesn't shoot straight across the tank maybe bounce the flow of the tank walls to see if this helps.

And Clowns are in general best bought in pairs mt 2 hang about the tank with each other and it can be fun to watch.


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## carmine00700

if i get another clown fish, will it hang with the other one


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## verdifer

It may do, Clownfish do not always pair up but I believe a majority of the time they will,

If you do decide to get another Clownfish just make sure it's smaller than the 1 you already have so you don't end up with with 2 Females who will fight.


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## carmine00700

thanks


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## verdifer

Make sure you get the same kind if you are as some Clowns just won't mix, go back the shop where you got them from first time round and speak to the guy in there tell him what you have read here and take it from there.

I'm guessing if you wanted to be mega safe and didn't trust you size guessing you could pop your current clown in a bag and take it down so he can see it.


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## carmine00700

i bought another clown fish smaller than my origianl and their doing great and hanging out together...yeayyy...lol. and i also bought while i was there, a diamong gobby for the sand turning...he is making a mess and for a few hours the tank was cloudy...almost got rid of him...lol. this morning im looking in the tank and i cant find him....i think he is buried under a rock because he dug out a spot yesterday. i have a new question! how come it always looks like their is stuff floating around the tank all the time when you look up close? do i need something extra in my overflow to stop it?


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## phil_pl

carmine00700 said:


> i have a new question! how come it always looks like their is stuff floating around the tank all the time when you look up close? do i need something extra in my overflow to stop it?


what kind of things are you seeing floating in the water?


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## verdifer

Kinda hard to tell what you have floating around it really could be anything from bits of food to micro bubbles from your skimmer, if you have a Skimmer on the tank the bubbles can coming from them or if you have a sump they are generaly designed to stop them getting pumped back into the tank.

But again you would need to give a better desription.


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## carmine00700

yes i have a sump tank with no skimmer.....is there something other than live rock and some macro algae that i can put in sump tank to stop the stuff coming back up through the return.? it looks like little specs of sand whipping around..its not alot. im looking at it now and its not so bad now...maybe its the diamond gobby or the sea hair sturring things up....i need to know what else to put in the sump tank...i just have 3 live rock, macro algae, and live sand in the center chamber...nothing else in the other chambers....and in my overflow i just have a round cylinder sponge around the tube to keep stuff from going down to the sump tank...is that enough? i dont think so!


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## phil_pl

my tank is the same way right now. everytime i feed my fish get excited and stir up the sand. it could be like you said just pieces of your substrate or just some debris floating in the water. it doesnt sound like anything to worry about from what i can tell but i would keep an eye on it to be sure.


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## verdifer

I would invest in a Skimmer and you could get a cannister filter and run that about once per week more if you like, just make sure you replace the filter media at least once per week or rinse it under tap water at least once per week.


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## carmine00700

hey verdifer....i know about the skimmer. what canister are you talking about? send me a link to one....also do you think i need more stuff in sump tank like bio balls or something?


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