Weird clown fish behaviour

[ItouchedThebutt]

My friend recently purchased 2 clowns, not entirley sure what kind they are, they do look like ocilarous clowns but they do seem a little bigger then them in my opinion. I can post a pic later but the main thing im wondering is they say they are a bonded not mated pair but one of the clown fish ever since he added him in constantly swims across the sand bed in small bursts kicking up sand. He seems to be leveling the sand bed out but what could cause them to act in such a manner? Other then inverts they are the only thing in the tank.

 

[Crabs McJones]

My friend recently purchased 2 clowns, not entirley sure what kind they are, they do look like ocilarous clowns but they do seem a little bigger then them in my opinion. I can post a pic later but the main thing im wondering is they say they are a bonded not mated pair but one of the clown fish ever since he added him in constantly swims across the sand bed in small bursts kicking up sand. He seems to be leveling the sand bed out but what could cause them to act in such a manner? Other then inverts they are the only thing in the tank.

Did your friend put the clowns through any kind of quarantine before adding them to the tank? It could be "flashing" from some sort of parasite, or it could simply just be stirring up the sand in the spot they are deciding to call home. Does he do it in the same spot each time or all over the place?

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

Its the same spot. The center of the tank at the front. Usually he even goes the same direction for the most part. No he did not QT. As far as visibally seeing anything on it i dont. That was my first guess is something could be irritating him. But i also was curious as to if it could be because its a pair and some kind of display towards the other clown fish in the tank.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Its the same spot. The center of the tank at the front. Usually he even goes the same direction for the most part. No he did not QT. As far as visibally seeing anything on it i dont. That was my first guess is something could be irritating him. But i also was curious as to if it could be because its a pair and some kind of display towards the other clown fish in the tank.

I would just observe them for now. If it's not flashing due to parasite, and it's in the same spot, they're most likely going to call somewhere near that spot home.

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

But are they not usually a open swimmer? I know they will take homes in anemones and other coral but wouldnt have thought they would make the sand bed their home. Do you think warm water could contibute to that?

 

[doughboy]

my clown fish does all the weird things a clown can do.
it digs a hole in the sand. picks up sand in its mouth and drops it elsewhere. makes bubbles on water surface. I googled all these and it seems others experience the same and there is no explanation.

 

[mta_morrow]

Clown fish rules:

1-clown fish are weird
2-there are no more rules

 

[Terry Brown]

My clowns are weird too. The other day one was "stuck" against the overflow grates. I thought he was dead and freaked out. I gave him a nudge and he swam off . Later he swam back on stuck himself against the overflow again, then later he swam off. I guess he was taking a rest.

 

[doughboy]

I almost forgot, another weird thing my clown fish does is to splash water out of the tank for no reason.
One day my water leak sensor on the floor alarmed and found water on the floor but could not find any leak at all. I'll wipe it all dry and then it happens again. Then I found out the clown was going to the surface and splashing water. I googled this and sure enough it is also another weird thing clown fish does. I had put an egg crate now where the clown does this water splashing.

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

Sounds like you have some mischeivious clowns there lol.

The only weird thing my clown did when i had him was at night hed swim vertically in the same corner of the tank until the lights come back on the next day.