Almost had a heart attack

[James5214]

So I guess for my first saltwater fish a ocellaris was maybe not the way to go, because when I woke up in the middle of the night and saw them laying in the bottom of the tank on their sides I was up for hours trying to figure out what was wrong. And come to find out once I turned the lights on and all this morning and fed them they are perfectly fine. So after research I found out clowns sleep on the bottom and in weird positions. So happy my two new guys are still lively and healthy. Anybody else have this problem with their clowns? Dang fish lol

 

[PeterEde]

Never seen mine do that

 

[James5214]

Idk why they did that but I tested all parameters. 1.026 gravity. O ppm ammonia 0ppm nitrites and 0ppm nitrates. Temp 78. Like I said there both perfectly fine now swimming around. Like I said glad they are still alive.

 

[Hallowhead]

Mine sleep in the weirdest positions

 

[James5214]

Yes ahaha after doing research I found videos of clowns sleeping on rocks sideways being blown into it by the current and didn't bother it at all. Gotta love these fish and their individual personalities.

 

[Alexoss]

One of mine sleeps upside down in a corner just bellow the surface....yep...for almost a year now, still think that he s dead sometimes.
Just clowns clowning.

 

[Duncan62]

So I guess for my first saltwater fish a ocellaris was maybe not the way to go, because when I woke up in the middle of the night and saw them laying in the bottom of the tank on their sides I was up for hours trying to figure out what was wrong. And come to find out once I turned the lights on and all this morning and fed them they are perfectly fine. So after research I found out clowns sleep on the bottom and in weird positions. So happy my two new guys are still lively and healthy. Anybody else have this problem with their clowns? Dang fish lol

Some float near the top. One of mine, perculla, wedges between a conch shell and the glass. That's why they ate called clowns. Lol.. That's where he spends lots of his time. Ocellaris in other tanks stay on the move. Occasionally bothering torches.ha

 

[LeftyReefer]

I've never seen my clowns sleep on the sand either.
Mine stay in the upper corners of the tank, usually hiding behind the wavemakers to sleep.
Mine don't lay down, they basically swim in place all night.

Saying that, I'm pretty sure my tank has too much flow for them to just lay motionless on the sand... they would get blown around. I guess that's why they wedge themselves behind my wavemakers.

 

[Lyss]

Mine did it when they were new babies. They slept together on the sand in a corner of the tank. As they matured they stopped doing it and now hang vertically in another corner under the powerhead at night.

 

[Labridaedicted]

Oh yeah, mine lay on their sides on top of their mushroom they host and sleep there. The male does it during the day alot as well. They've been doing it for years.

I've said it once and I'll end up saying it 100 more times.... Clowns are weird, man.

 

[James5214]

Thanks guys for all the replies and reassurance makes me feel alot better knowing I'm not the only one with funny clowns and weird sleeping habits.

 

[Lineatus]

Clowns are strange animals, unfortunate that you had to learn that the hard way . My old female sleeps vertically with her head wedged in between two rocks, with it’s body sticking up in the air, mad creatures ahah

 

[Dom]

So I guess for my first saltwater fish a ocellaris was maybe not the way to go, because when I woke up in the middle of the night and saw them laying in the bottom of the tank on their sides I was up for hours trying to figure out what was wrong. And come to find out once I turned the lights on and all this morning and fed them they are perfectly fine. So after research I found out clowns sleep on the bottom and in weird positions. So happy my two new guys are still lively and healthy. Anybody else have this problem with their clowns? Dang fish lol

Clownfish have many unusual behaviors. I think its why they call them "clowns".

 

[sfin52]

So I guess for my first saltwater fish a ocellaris was maybe not the way to go, because when I woke up in the middle of the night and saw them laying in the bottom of the tank on their sides I was up for hours trying to figure out what was wrong. And come to find out once I turned the lights on and all this morning and fed them they are perfectly fine. So after research I found out clowns sleep on the bottom and in weird positions. So happy my two new guys are still lively and healthy. Anybody else have this problem with their clowns? Dang fish lol

Clowns are weird. My boss called me in a panic because his clown looked dead. Told him to turn on the lights. I get a txt never mind they are swimming around.

 

[James5214]

Sorry to throw a twist onto this post but I keep reading clowns should be in a gravity of 1.020 or 1.024. but most suggest 1.026 is the most common and neutral ground I see most people using for their tanks. Can anyone explain?

 

[homer1475]

Fish can be kept in a wide range of salinity. Corals and inverts have a much smaller window.

Fish only tanks often keep salinity at low levels to help with the spread of disease, as well as save some money on salt.

 

[James5214]

Ok well I intend to having coral in the future so should I lower salinity gradually? Or should I leave it so clowns get acclimated to it so when I'm ready for corals I can add them?

 

[homer1475]

Your better off leaving it at reef levels, and acclimating your fish to the higher level.

 

[Tamberav]

They are called clown fish…

 

[James5214]

Ok thanks