Clown Fish Is Spitting Out Food

[drummer89]

The title pretty much explains my issue. I just bought a small true percula clown yesterday and added it to my 12g nano cube. He is the only fish in the tank.

I've been trying to feed him with Formula One flakes, but he is just spitting the food out as soon as he gets it in his mouth. I've crushed the flakes into tiny pieces, but he still spits it out.

What should I do?

[emahoney]

Is it captive bred?? You could try some mysis.

[kennyfish]

It's been my experience that Live baby brine shrimp is pretty much the best thing to have around when you buy a young fish. It helps to get them onto other foods as the swimming action of the food stimulates feeding.

Flake really is not the way to go for most marine fish anyway. If you don't have any buddies in the hobby hatching bbs then get yourself some frozen mysis, gut loaded Brine shrimp or something like Freeze dried cyclop-eeze. A meaty food like that should be the main part of your Clown's diet.

Also if you have a pod population in the tank he will go for those until you get sorted out.

[RKelman]

I wouldn't even be overly concerned for a week.. Its quite normal for new clowns not to eat. The mysis / brine ideas are great though. Don't overfeed the tank trying to make him eat. He'll eat when he's ready.

[liv]

give them mysis or mysid.. most flake food is no good anyway.
make your own batch of food in advance, check out my recipes in the diy section.