Maroon Clown Jumped and Died.. Any thoughts

[beadlocked450r]

I have had her for about 8 months she was about 4-5" and was very healthy and happy.. she loved her BTA and was doing great. We have two other false clowns and we just got two more.. she was fine with them chased them away but she has done that with the first two ever since we got her. Tonight I seen her BTA without her so after looking around the tank I decided to look around the outside of tank and found her on floor in the back. She ate this evening (shrimp and pellets) and didn't show any signs of stress. The only thing we have been doing is adding 20ml of ca everyday to keep our levels at around 420 since the corals are taking in so much ca. All of our levels are perfect except nitrates are around 20. Other than that nothing has changed except adding ca and the two new clowns two weeks ago. Any thoughts....

[SwampyBill]

The pair of ocellaris may have driven her off...Anything more than one pair of clowns in a tank is a recipe for disaster sooner or later...I'm surprised it was the maroon that jumped; they're usually the biggest bullies.

[TheReefNinja]

Sorry for your loss my lubbocks wrasse jumped a few weeks ago so I built a screen top for the tank. no more jumpers

[jake levi]

And clowns jump, thats a sad fact.

[beadlocked450r]

The pair of ocellaris may have driven her off...Anything more than one pair of clowns in a tank is a recipe for disaster sooner or later...I'm surprised it was the maroon that jumped; they're usually the biggest bullies.

My girlfriend just had to buy the other two clowns for what reason I dont know but the maroon was a huge bully. All four clowns did not phase her and she chased them away if they were near her. My girlfriend is devestated because the maroon was her baby. I am just clueless as to way she would jump esp after going through so much in that tank IE moving rock around, taking rock out to catch the stupid damsels, nitrate spike... and she survived through all that and then all of a sudden she jumps... if anything I would have thought she would have made the other clowns jump but the maroon stayed on one side and the other 4 stayed on the other side so it wasn't really an agression issue

[GrindingNemo]

You probably aren't going to ever know what exactly caused a particular fish to jump, but since it did happen, its a good time to look at your setup and see what can be done to prevent future accidents. I don't know what you have on top of your tank, but I usually try to make it so that if a fish jumps, the only place they can go is to fall back into the tank. It all depends on what your doing with the tank, but things like a tight fitting canopy or a high rim are usually a good start.

[beadlocked450r]

You probably aren't going to ever know what exactly caused a particular fish to jump, but since it did happen, its a good time to look at your setup and see what can be done to prevent future accidents. I don't know what you have on top of your tank, but I usually try to make it so that if a fish jumps, the only place they can go is to fall back into the tank. It all depends on what your doing with the tank, but things like a tight fitting canopy or a high rim are usually a good start.

Yeah we have a hood that is being reconstucted as we speak... I am doing this to build the hood higher so it keeps the light in... but now I am purchasing netting so this won't happen again! Thanks for all the help

[xtlosx]

Sorry for your loss my lubbocks wrasse jumped a few weeks ago so I built a screen top for the tank. no more jumpers

You should help me build a screen homie. Come by for beers and screen making! hah

[SwampyBill]

My girlfriend just had to buy the other two clowns for what reason I dont know but the maroon was a huge bully. All four clowns did not phase her and she chased them away if they were near her. My girlfriend is devestated because the maroon was her baby. I am just clueless as to way she would jump esp after going through so much in that tank IE moving rock around, taking rock out to catch the stupid damsels, nitrate spike... and she survived through all that and then all of a sudden she jumps... if anything I would have thought she would have made the other clowns jump but the maroon stayed on one side and the other 4 stayed on the other side so it wasn't really an agression issue

Maybe this could be a lesson for your gf...Research fish behavior BEFORE buying...I hope you have an exit strategy for one of those pairs of clowns when others start spawning...They all may be ok now, but I don't see this scenario ending happily for some....Plus, screen across the top of tank is always a good idea...I learned that the hard way when my favorite bipartitus wrasse took a carpet dive awhile back.

[dunk373]

just go to the guy down the street and ask him what to do he is king lol. :lolspin:

[maroon2]

If your nitrates are @ 20 check your ammonia levels. High ammonia levels may make a fish jump. Btw 2 pairs of clowns is a no no. Its only a matter of time before the aggression starts. It could be a day or it could be 6 months but it will happen.

[dalilgriffith]

Spoiler alert: Your clownfish pair won.

[Mike31154]

With 5 clownfish in a single tank, unless it's a huge tank, something's gotta give, especially if one of them is a Maroon. She may have been chasing one of the others and 'got carried away', who knows, no one witnessed the deed, you found her on the floor after the fact. I have a Maroon pair in my 77 and am content with that, no way I'd chance adding more of any clown species. No need for netting or other type of cover that way either. I'd rather stick to the single pair and do without the hassle of covering my tank. I have had a jumper, Lawnmower Blenny, but thems the breaks. Still prefer running the system 'topless'.

[Ron Smith]

I think Mike is right, the jump out is not an intentional act but the result of excessive inertia that may have been created as the maroon chased the other clowns