First Fish

[ltkenbo]

Allright so I got my first fish which is a false percula clownfish:

Got him from petco.

So I had a few questions.

So so far I've fed him some ocean nutrition "prime reef flakes" and he seems to eat them but sometimes he still swims around the surface afterwards like he's still hungry but won't eat anymore. How do I know how much to feed him? Also how often should I feed him? And he doesn't seem to reall notice the flakes unless I place them in the water so they sink, doesn't really eat them off the surface itself.

Also any other recommendations on food, I know they can eat a large variety of different things?

He also seems pretty curious swimming around the tank always looking out the glass is this normal?

 

[bobby]

Nice fish, and a good choice for a first fish. I would recomend frozen food over flakes or pellets. Pellets and flake lead to more nitrates and phosphate, instead use frozen mysis, brine, or formula one. Melt the cubes and rinse them to remove the extra garbage, then feed some and store the rest in your fridge.

 

[yote]

+1 Bobby

Its hard to beat a clown for a first fish.Congratulations.

 

[Smitty]

+2...nice addition...Congrats.

 

[ltkenbo]

But how do I know if I am feeding him enough? Also what would be a good feeding schedule. This is when I am NOT home:

Monday: 8:30 AM - 1:45 PM
Tuesday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 8:30 AM - 1:45 PM
Thursday: 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM, 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Friday: 8:30 AM - 1:45 PM 5:00 PM - Late
Saturday: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM. 5:00 PM - Late
Sunday: 10:30 AM -12:00 PM, 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM

So those are the times I am not home (at school or work usually). So I'm looking for what a good feeding schedule would be as well as a photo/light period to coincide with that.

 

[bobby]

Once a day to once every other day. Just feed him enough ti fill hid belly. You'll see it getting fatter with each piece he eats.

 

[yote]

+1 Bobby
When I feed my fish,I give em just enough to put a slight belly on em.But I might go a month without feeding em.

 

[bobby]

In a established tank you can get away with that because there are pods for the clown to pick at, but I don't know if he could get by that long with a new tank.

 

[yote]

Probably not in a new tank.But one a day or even other day will be fine.

 

[dcantucson]

+1 everyone.
Nice first addition Itkenbo.

 

[ltkenbo]

So I got some frozen food today from petco. See the thing is when I feed him at all at first when I drop it in he gets scared and darts to the other end of the tank. Then my powerheads blow the food to crap everywhere. I can't feed him too small of portion because if it's too little he won't ever see it cause the tank and he won't really find it once it spreads out everywhere.

I dropped half of a cube in and it was floating around and then it passed my circulation pump which spread it everywhere. He hid for a minute and then finally came out after it was all over the tank. Well he is eating it it just sucks that so much of it goes everywhere before he sees it. He seems to eat the food though so that's good. I guess I could always not feed him for a day and then he would be hungry and more likely to consume whatever I put in.

 

[bjohanson1234]

You can also turn off your power heads before feeding so the food doesnt get blown all over the tank. Also, after the clown has been in there a while, he wont be scared of you dropping the food in.

 

[Bifferwine]

If you continue to feed half a cube at a time, you will have major algae and water quality problems. For one clown, a quarter of a cube spread out over 2 days will be good enough.

The easiest way is to thaw a cube in a little cup of water, feed a bit, then put the leftovers back in the fridge. It will be ready to go the next time you feed, and won't go bad as long as you use the leftovers within a few days.

He may not be "seeing" the food now, but he will get used to your feeding schedule and will learn to rush to the top of the tank every time you come near it. It will take a while for him to learn, but until he does, overfeeding is not a good idea. It can only take a couple times of overfeeding to ruin your water, and it can take months to reverse it...

I recommend using a turkey baster to feed. Suck up some of the food in the turkey baster and squirt it at him.

And like others have said, I would totally avoid flakes. A variety of frozen foods will keep him happy and healthy, and keep your water quality up.