Feeding small clowns

[MartinJ]

Has anyone any advice about suitable feeding routine for a pair of small Percula clowns (about 1/2" long and looking very thin) I have just bought and put into my quarantine tank. I intend to keep them in the QT until they are stronger and able to compete for food better with the 5 Green Chromis and a Royla Gramma I have in my show tank.
I have tried Mysis and flake which they are showing some interest in but their mouths seem too small to take anything but the smallest fragments.
Also any advice about quantity and frequency of feeding - I don't want to over feed and invite problems that way. Finally can anyone give me an idea of normal growth rates for these fish?
Thanks in advance.

 

[ChrisRD]

You might try something like cyclopeeze (I prefer the frozen version) - very nutritious and easy to consume for small fish. As for frequency - you can feed them several times a day if you like. Just make sure everything is being eaten in a few minutes and no excess food remains in the system/filters and fouls your water quality.

HTH

 

[MartinJ]

Hi Chris,

Thanks I'll see if I can get some - they are taking the flake into their mouths then spitting it out at the moment - difficult to tell if they are retaining any. I have also read soaking the food in garlic juice as a way of getting them to start eating it - do you have any experience of this?
Both seem very lively although one seems to have less buoyancy then the other - do clowns have swim bladders?

 

[ChrisRD]

IME using garlic extract to stimulate a feeding response has worked with some fish and not with others. May be worth a try though. You could always try a live food like freshly hatch brine shrimp (preferably used within 12 hours of hatching) too.

As for swim bladders - yes, your clowns have them. I've seen clowns with swim bladder problems in the past but I'd give it some time as your fish are very young/small and the condition may improve.

 

[MartinJ]

Thanks - I'll let you know how I get on

 

[MartinJ]

Hi Chris

Just wanted to follow up on this - initially I went to my LFS who had freeze dried Cyclopeeze at what I though was a very high price - approx $25 for 50 grams so I didn't go for it. Tried to continue with only partial success with Mysis, Brine Shrimp and flake.

I noticed the smaller and weaker one of the pair had lost buoyancy and when I read up on swim bladder deflation in juvenile clowns I was dismayed to find it was not thought to be reversible and that at best the outcome would be a weakened fish that would not grow to full adult size.

Finally today I went back to the LFS and bought the Cyclopeeze, fed it to the clowns this evening and they loved it!

I was really pleased to think I had the chance to get some weight and size on them at last - not only that but and hour later I was amazed to see that the smaller clown seems to have got control of his swim bladder and can finally sleep at the top of the tank with his mate.

Many thanks for the advice which I am now hoping will result in a much better outcome for this fish.

What a great endorsement for the value of sharing information on this excellent forum.

 

[ChrisRD]

Excellent - glad it worked out.

 

[Meloco14]

Glad to hear of your success! Other options, just to throw them out, would be blending frozen foods into smaller particle sizes, or getting food specifically made for small or baby fish. If you can find food in pellet form in a small enough size you might want to try it. Pellets tend to be a bit better than flakes because you pack more protein and nutrition into each bite. If so far cyclopeeze is the only thing they are readily eating, you may want to try to find one or two other alternative foods. IMO it is important to feed a variety, especially with young juveniles, to ensure they are getting proper nutrition. And soaking the food in vitamins is always a good idea too. HTH and I hope you have continued success.

 

[MartinJ]

Hi
Thanks for the suggestions - I have tried Formula 1 pellets which are small but they just sink too fast whereas the Cyclopeeze floats until eaten.
I'll try to find at least one other type of food they'll eat readily, taking your point about the importance of variety.
Now where's that blender....