How to make them STOP!

[vtec si]

Just when things are going good my stupid clowns cause a sand storm that takes about 6 or so hours to settle. This has been going on about once every few weeks since November! This also has to upset my corals cause they don't open for a good few hours after thing settle! AUUGH!

Martin

[charlesr1958]

The only solution I could offer would be to set them up in their own aquarium, I did that for my pair along with their anemone, not for that reason, I was just wanting the room the anemone was taking up.



Chuck

[CSeaSee]

You could switch to crushed coral... that way the pieces don't fly quite as far! My clown does this, too. I'm pretty sure it's natural behavior. Good luck trying to train them...

[RobG]

I had a pair of maroon striped clowns that did the same thing... I think they wanted a bare-bottom instead of my 4" sand bed around their hairy mushroom home...

[lobophyllia]

mine did the same thing until the plate coral next to him was covered in sand until it finnaly died. now, after he murdered that, he doesnt do it anymore.

[Samper]

Yeah I've noticed that my clowns have never liked other corals too close to their anemones. I've observed my clowns trying to cover plate corals time after time until I finally rearranged some things so that they each have their corner. Zoanthids don't seem to bother anything. Since I moved the plates over to the left side the clown still stirs things up but doesn't seem as agitated. New corals especially have provoked the clown to stir things up.
I think that it is very natural since most people experience it and could be a way of protecting the host anemone from invasive animals or a sign that the clown is ready to breed but that's just a guess.
I can't imagine a sandstorm caused by a clown to be bad enough for a few hours worth of clouding though.

[spankerbob]

My clarki clown causes a sand storm as well, and there are no other corals with in 6" if it's anemomes, I thimk samper may be on to something with it being ready for breading, or something completely natural like stirring the sand to get food to pop out. But the sand settles or is blow'n away within about five minutes in my tank. How much flow do you have vtec?

[CSeaSee]

, I thimk samper may be on to something with it being ready for breading

Are we going to deep-fry it, too?

[zhenya]

Martin,

Perhaps your clownfish is attempting to make a nest? If it is a mated pair I would try sliding 4x4 ceramic tile next to anemone, maybe they'll stop?
FWIW, my Clarkii does it periodically and there is no corals in that tank at all, just anemones. She even dropped some really large rocks on the sand bed from the very top of the reef structure, some pieces were really large and lodged under some other rocks. She simply hustle them out of the way and dive bombed those rocks down. Silly thing to observe but if there were corals on the sand bed they would be killed by this actions.

[vtec si]

My clarki clown causes a sand storm as well, and there are no other corals with in 6" if it's anemomes, I thimk samper may be on to something with it being ready for breading, or something completely natural like stirring the sand to get food to pop out. But the sand settles or is blow'n away within about five minutes in my tank. How much flow do you have vtec?

This is mostly a SPS tank with a few LPS. So I am turning my 300 gallon tank over at a rate of 12-13 time an hour so tons of flow! One barracuda pump on the main a hammerhead on the closed loop running full blast and a dart on my protien skimmer. So when my clown stir uo sand it goes and goes and goes. Also this clown will stir it up until it is almost a complete white out!

Gene,
I have notic that this behavier happens within a few days of adding somthing new. I have only add 6 new frags to the 300!?

Martin

[spankerbob]

That is one crazy little clown!

[zhenya]

Gene,
I have notic that this behavier happens within a few days of adding somthing new. I have only add 6 new frags to the 300!?

Ooops, I just realised that you don't have anemone in your tank. I think it is quite natural for the clownfish when something new is introduced. When they do get really big it simply becomes "their tank" and any new additions will be inspected, and if not mounted, promptly moved.
Before I lost my Premnas, she used to bomb any corals that I had on the sand with any new frag I put in the tank, or a loose chunk of live rock. Crazy, but nonetheless a part of their behaviour and you'll have to deal with it somehow.