Picky Clownfish

[Key Of David]

Hi! I'm new here and I have a question. I recently set up a saltwater aquarium which is now housing two baby ocellaris tank bred and raised clownfish only. I've had them in the tank 4 days now and they aren't eating. If they are eating I'm not seeing it. It may be just a matter of not having the right kind of flakes and I've only tried one kind which is Tetra MarineColor Marine Flakes fortified with brine shrimp. They go after it enthusiastically as if they're looking forward to something....but then when they get a mouthful of these flakes they spit them back out 95% of the time.

I called the fish store where I purchased them and they said give them at least four days and if they didn't eat by then to try something else. I asked him what they were feeding them and he said brine shrimp, but they were raised on "Vibrogrow". Anyone know where I can get that food from if that's what its going to take? I'm getting kinda worried about these little guys as its been 4 days and I know they're getting weiry.

[Reefland]

Hi Key of David, Welcome to Reefland!

I would say that your best bet is to try a varied diet for them to see which they eat. I would go with a mix of Ocean Nutrition flakes (Formula I, Formula II, Prime Reef, etc.), perhaps some Mysid Shrimp, or others. The Brine Shrimp provide no nutrition so I would not bother with it. Eventually, you will find some that the fish enjoy. I wouldn't worry too much though, clowns will eventually readily accept prepared foods especially if they get hungry enough.

[Key Of David]

Thanks Reefland! Well for some reason they just started gobbling up any flake they can, keep it down....and almost desperately look for more. They just started doing that today. They're no longer shy or timid anymore and instantly dart to you (and the top) when someone walks over. Maybe they just needed to get settled?

One more question....since these guys are so little (maybe half an inch?) and act so hungry...how much should I feed them? I'm starting this tank and I wanted a very easy cycling process so I didn't want to put too much food in the water.

[Reefland]

The general rule of thumb is no more than the fish can consume within 5 minutes. I would do this with a variety of food 2-3 times per day.

Scott Z.

[Key Of David]

The general rule of thumb is no more than the fish can consume within 5 minutes. I would do this with a variety of food 2-3 times per day.

Scott Z.

Thanks again for your help. You have a great forum.