My clownfish is a digger

[dragon99]

Is this normal? Every few days he goes into jerk mode and moves sand around.

 

[helen ann]

Is this normal? Every few days he goes into jerk mode and moves sand around.

No Sure!



But kinda funny ... sorry!!!

 

[Marc.The.Shark]

mine does the same thing in the back corner of the tank where he sleeps. I just leave it & he stops once he has a bare bottom spot to sleep. I don't have an anemone for him because I like to see him swim all over the tank vs stuck in there all day.

 

[dragon99]

He cleared out their back corner where they sleep. Fine whatever, your bed.
He almost daily clears out the space in front of the anemone. Sometime I move some sand back. Sometimes I leave it.
And this the latest spot. Which would be fine if he didn't keep burying my Lobo in sand.

 

[saltyhog]

Mine did it and it was no where near their sleeping spot. I have no idea why they did it....possibly a territorial display? They didn't start until they were about 3 years old.

 

[becks]

Mine has dug a hole to sleep in night too, they have an anemone but don't want to move in

 

[eatbreakfast]

If the digging is near their hosting location it is preparing a place to lay eggs, even if they aren't ready to lay eggs, or even if they don't use what they clear.

They are also very site-oriented, so you'll have more success moving the lobo, than curbing where the digging behavior occurs.

 

[TheEngineer]

If the digging is near their hosting location it is preparing a place to lay eggs, even if they aren't ready to lay eggs, or even if they don't use what they clear.

They are also very site-oriented, so you'll have more success moving the lobo, than curbing where the digging behavior occurs.

+1 Mine does this too. Yours is likely a lady btw

 

[dragon99]

I said he, because it's the smaller of the pair that's usually moving sand.

Guess I'll be moving the lobo to higher ground.

 

[TheEngineer]

I said he, because it's the smaller of the pair that's usually moving sand.

Guess I'll be moving the lobo to higher ground.

Oh, didn't realize you had a pair. Never mind!

 

[juanrmattos]

This is very characteristic (Mostly in Maroon clowns), is a territorial thing and it may involve anything ranging from the wrong kind of anemone, or a follower fish to excessive flow in the wanted spot. Mine doesn't "dig-dig" (Maybe because my substrate is heavier than most), but he (she) likes to make a small dune close to his (her) resting place. Likes to do a down swim slam when I clean the tank, meaning he (she) gets bothered, it looks cool when he (She) does it though.

 

[jhoop]

I have two Clarkii and they are digging all the time. They even have a seabed anemone the size of a dinner plate they host. Two years old maybe more. Never laid eggs, to busy playing in the anemone.

 

[BluewaterLa]

All sorts of interesting or aggrevating behaviors can be displayed by fish we keep.
My ( my wife's ) gold stripe maroon clown is a butt head.
Always throwing any coral hard or soft if it's anywhere near its rose anemone if not glued down.
I've seen this fish pick up heavy large chunks of coral and rock with its mouth and relocate said chunk onto another coral or bad spot.
This pain in the rear has also broken branches off sps colonies that were encrusted to rock, perceived to be too close and dropped onto other corals.
Pain in my REEF for sure but what's a guy to do when his wife's fish is a tank terror haha

 

[ourcoralreef]

Its mating behavior perfectly normal
My female shakes her tail and clears sand from their "house" sleeping spot

 

[dragon99]

Caught in the act! The yellow wrasse enjoys it because he gets to catch a pod or two.

 

[singleshot]

Looks like you have clarkiis also, my female does this daily multiple times it's bugs me but what can ya do.