New percula clownfish, not eating

[stevil]

I purchased a small regular colored orange false percula clownfish last Wednesday and it has been sitting in my QT. Saturday I just picked up one of the false black perculas from BRK. The one from BRK is eating happily, but the other one is not. I have been feeding them pellet food and also cyclopeeze, and even tried brine shrimp (yes, I know not very nutritious), but nothing is enticing the orange one to eat. They are both swimming around together, but the orange one is not as "full" with displaying its fins (they are pressed against its body).

 

Any recommendations? I only have 2 other fish in my main tank, which are happily eating the pellet food.

 

(Edited to clarify they are both the same species)

[Guest clownfish4]

Is the false black perc picking on the orange perc? You really can't mix clown species. If not, does the orange one look sick or distressed? Any black or white spots?

[stevil]

Is the false black perc picking on the orange perc? You really can't mix clown species. If not, does the orange one look sick or distressed? Any black or white spots?

Oops - I wasn't clear. They are both false perculas. One is black, one is orange. The black one is not picking on the orange. As a matter of fact, it looks like the black one is spitting food towards the orange one.

 

The orange one does look a bit distressed, its fins are pressed against its body, but it does swim around with the black one. There aren't any spots on it.

[Caribbean Jake]

Mike has a point. You shouldn't mix clowns. On the other hand, have you tried raw garlic mixed with your food? Fish can't resist garlic for some reason. Might get him started If not, try Cyclopeez, another magnet for finiky fish...

[Charlie97L]

Mike has a point. You shouldn't mix clowns. On the other hand, have you tried raw garlic mixed with your food? Fish can't resist garlic for some reason. Might get him started If not, try Cyclopeez, another magnet for finiky fish...

 

i use mysis cubes and add some garlic to start my fish off, and they've all gone nuts for it.

 

i think you might be pushing it even with a black vs. orange perc, even if they are both the same "species" they still might not get along from the coloration. if that's the case, the BRK fish will win! his stuff is so healthy. haha, shameless BRK plug.

[EricBrian]

What/who is BRK?

[ErikS]

What/who is BRK?

Blue Ribbon Koi - a local fish/supply store.

[Jon Lazar]

Stevil,

 

Is the orange fish presenting any other symptoms besides low appetite?

 

Jon

[stevil]

Stevil,

 

Is the orange fish presenting any other symptoms besides low appetite?

 

Jon

 

Not really. His dorsal and anal fins are not prominantly displayed. They are kept back close against the body. He does display "normal" clownfish behavior as far as I can tell, he swims around and keeps moving the way that clownfish do...

 

I picked up some mysis shrimp and mixed it up with cyclopeeze and garlic and that perked some interest, but not a great deal.

 

Tonight when I fed them, he seemed to be eating a little bit, but not nearly as much as the black clown.

 

Someone suggested that high nitrates might be a problem. I haven't tested, but I did do a 10% (1 gallon) water change, i've siphoned out uneaten food and I plan to do another water change tomorrow.

[dzekunoi]

Are they wild caught or tank raised? Maybe orange one is wild and it takes time for him to get use to wiered food?

Black one is most probably tank raised.

[Jon Lazar]

Stevil,

 

There's a couple of clownfish diseases that list "low appetite" as a symptom, but they have other, more serious (and more noticeable) symptoms. Popeye, brooklynella, and amyloodinium all may cause a clown to lose appetite. But just the stress of having a new QT-mate could affect the clown as well.

 

Did you give the clowns a freshwater dip when you brought them home? A 15 minute freshwater dip will cause the parasites responsible for brook and amyloodinium to drop off, and won't hurt the fish if you do it correctly.

 

Jon

[phisigs79]

I have a two false percs and a black and white perc and they love each other! Introducing them at the same time i hear helps but i didnt and they were fine.

[Guest Ominojacu]

I have a two false percs and a black and white perc and they love each other! Introducing them at the same time i hear helps but i didnt and they were fine.

 

I just got a pair of false percula's as well, mine are both orange, the smaller one definitely is eating less the the larger one, I think this an adjustment they go through as one becomes more dominate then the other and the less dominate switches sex.

[dzekunoi]

I just got a pair of false percula's as well, mine are both orange, the smaller one definitely is eating less the the larger one, I think this an adjustment they go through as one becomes more dominate then the other and the less dominate switches sex.

 

 

I also read that keeping fins close to body and wiggling around is a submissive behavior. I bet yellow is becoming a male!

[stevil]

The black one from BRK is definitely tank raised. The orange one from Centreville Aquarium probably isn't. They claimed it was when I bought it, but when I went back to get some mysis shrimp and was talking with a different guy he said he wasn't sure if they were or not.

 

In retrospect I should have asked to have them feed it in the tank....

 

The black perc is larger and, from my perspective, seems to be trying to 'care' for the orange one. She will grab pellet food, take it to the orange one, hold it her mouth and spit it at him.

 

I did give both percs a freshwater dip, but only for about 5 minutes... I acclimated them to the new water over about 50 minutes, then dunked them in the freshwater right before putting them in the QT.

 

It is now day 8 of the orange one in the QT and he's not dead... maybe that's as good a sign as any. I did notice he was eating some cyclopeeze out of the water column when I turned my filter back on after feeding. Perhaps it is just the submissive behavior as suggested.

 

Some other suggestions I've found: Lower the salinity and/or do a 20-30% water change. I haven't tested the water since before I put the fish in, but I plan to do that today. Maybe something (nitrates?) got out of whack.

[Guest Ominojacu]

The black one from BRK is definitely tank raised. The orange one from Centreville Aquarium probably isn't. They claimed it was when I bought it, but when I went back to get some mysis shrimp and was talking with a different guy he said he wasn't sure if they were or not.

 

In retrospect I should have asked to have them feed it in the tank....

 

The black perc is larger and, from my perspective, seems to be trying to 'care' for the orange one. She will grab pellet food, take it to the orange one, hold it her mouth and spit it at him.

 

I did give both percs a freshwater dip, but only for about 5 minutes... I acclimated them to the new water over about 50 minutes, then dunked them in the freshwater right before putting them in the QT.

 

It is now day 8 of the orange one in the QT and he's not dead... maybe that's as good a sign as any. I did notice he was eating some cyclopeeze out of the water column when I turned my filter back on after feeding. Perhaps it is just the submissive behavior as suggested.

 

Some other suggestions I've found: Lower the salinity and/or do a 20-30% water change. I haven't tested the water since before I put the fish in, but I plan to do that today. Maybe something (nitrates?) got out of whack.

 

I would expect that if there was a water condition problem that both fish would be showing signs of problems, so that seems doubt full to me. I think the stress of being introduced into a new tank and with a dominate mate is enough to produce those symptoms, and the only thing you can do is give them time, I think the garlic idea is a good, besides stimulating the appetite, it has some medicinal properties and can even help get rid of ich. I beleive that mine are doing well despite the fact that smaller of the two eats less they seem to be getting along otherwise.