Clownfish MIA

Kevin87 · Nov 18, 2013

Hey guys -

I've had my 55gal set up since April (7 months) and as of late everything has been pretty healthy and stable. Until today, one of my clowns turned up missing (RIP Leroy).

Here are some significant events, they may be relevant or not:
About 2 weeks ago I upgraded from a single T8 bulb to a 6xT5 fixture. I only turn it on when I'm home.
Last Friday I did a 10gal water change cleaned, and added a new Lawnmower Blenny to the crew (possible suspect????)
Later that night my Emerald Crab started acting lethargic, he was dead the next day (coincidence?). He had some damage to his shell for the past few weeks. Unknown how that occured.
Today one of my clowns (Ocellaris) turned up missing and is presumed deceased. He has been very healthy and active for the past 6 months. My other clown is fine.

I tested the water today and Ammonia/Nitrites/Nitrates were 0/0/0. SG was 1.022. Temperature is about 76-78 degrees.

I'm looking for advice as to what could have caused his death? My concern is that my new Lawnmower Blenny killed him, but I heard they were peaceful and haven't seen any signs of aggression.

Other tank occupants:
1 True Percula Clown
Flame Angel
Yellow Watchman Goby
Royal Gramma Basslet
Lawnmower Blenny
Peppermint Shrimp
Pistol Shrimp
A couple of hermits and snails

The tank is a 55gal with approx. 60lbs of rock, and 1-2inches of sand. 2 powerheads totalling 1900GPH of circulation. No skimmer at this time, and I use tap water with a dechlorinator.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

peterthegamer · Nov 18, 2013

Could have been to close to pistol shrimp but if you are that worried take out the rock.

Kevin87 · Nov 18, 2013

You think he would have been fine all these months and then gotten taken out by the Pistol Shrimp? My Flame Angel swims up under the rock where he hangs out all the time and never gets attacked. In fact he sleeps under there near him too.

And what do you mean by taking out the rock?

SeahorseKeeper · Nov 18, 2013

How were the clowns interacting? I know you posted that the one that disappeared was oscellaris and the survivor was a true percula. It can be difficult to get these two types to pair up. The percula could have bullied the other. I had this happen with my first pair of clowns. The way I got them to pair up was to replace the one that died with a clown that was much smaller than the survivor. This worked for me. Also, try to get another percula.

Kevin87 · Nov 18, 2013

The clowns got along great. They were 2 of the first fish in my tank. They paired up immediately and I've never seen them more that a few inches apart. Is it possible that they could turn on each other after 6 months?

SeahorseKeeper · Nov 18, 2013

Kevin87 said:
The clowns got along great. They were 2 of the first fish in my tank. They paired up immediately and I've never seen them more that a few inches apart. Is it possible that they could turn on each other after 6 months?

That is exactly what happened to me. How similar in size were they?

My clowns turned on each other when they were trying to establish dominance and determine the female of the pair.

Kevin87 · Nov 18, 2013

The missing ocellarus was slightly smaller than the Percula. I figured they would have established dominant months ago and that's why one was smaller than the other.