Odd?

Yeah my single clown would retreat to the back of the tank where the return flow is and hovers in the stream as soon as the lights are turned off even if the room light is still bright. She only did this at night.

I knew for sure she was sleeping when last week she took a piece of porous live rock rubble that was a bit smaller than a large marble in her mouth and placed it in her corner of the tank just before lights out. I was of course intrigued so stayed to watch what would happen next. After circling the tank as if she was looking for something she came across the magnet glass scrubber which i had moved earlier to clean a spot. Using her forehead and swimming frantically she pushed the glass scrubber two feet to her corner next to the piece of porous live rock. It looked like a little bed, the rectangle scrubber being the mattress and the LR being the pillow. My bed is next to the tank so i can only assume she copied the design from there. When the lights went off she lay horizontally on the scrubber and rested her head on the LR.
The next night i moved the scrubber 4 feet away just before lights out and went to make a cup of warm coco. By the time I had come back she had moved the scrubber to her bed position and seemed to be giving me a stern and aggravated look. I felt bad for her so i poured a little hot coco into the tank which she seemed to enjoy but im not sure because normally she prefers coffee.

Its going into winter in Australia now, so yesterday i changed the blanket on my bed to a thicker one and it occurred to me that she might also be getting a bit chilly overnight in the winter time. So just before lights out i put a square piece of white cotton, sort of like a little blanket, in the tank. It seemed to float and i couldn't reach where I wanted to place it for her. She must have known what it was for because she swam up and took the fabric, placing it on her bed. In the morning, she slept longer and she was still in her bed when i woke up so she must be really enjoying it right?

Anyways, i made her her morning coffee which i poured into the tank before getting into the shower. When i got out, she was at the side of the tank 'pointing' at the coffee, practically demanding another one. I obliged of course because last time I didnt give her something she demanded, she got her buddy the mantis shrimp to knock a hole out the side of my tank and got it herself. I scolded her and the mantis but they just sorta looked at me like "This is how we role".

Quickly i dressed for work and placed my news paper in front of the tank like i normally do for her to read while im out. Ive found she prefers the world news sections and the classifieds but tastes might vary depending on species so maybe research what your fish might like before sticking a paper in front of them for the day. Your species might be a fan of the sports section for example and will have no interest in politics so getting your clown interested in reading will take a bit of trial and error. Be patient!

When they do start to read its only a small transition for them to learn to type. I hope to have my clown doing an online study program and maybe get a certificate in something within a couple of months. Not sure how that will go because she looks more interested in online games but we will see.

Happy reefing xo

 

Yeah, all of my clowns have their sleeping rituals. The clarkii's stay on the bottom and lay on their sides sometimes. The maroon loves it up by the pumps. My firefish has a certain spot under a rock where it always sleeps

 

Wow I'm at a total loss for words right now

 

LMMFAO at that story!! That was so good!

 

normal

 

why waste your tiem typign that haha

 

Just in case anyone thinks its a good idea to give there clown coffee i wanted to post some pictures documenting this natural behavior for my species, you should view the pictures and read up on this unique clown before u attempt this level of husbandry.

As you can see from the pictures, she is a 'Plasticas Clown' imported from China. The permanent grin on her face + the extraordinary ability to do things other clown species can not do make her a prized species for collectors. Surprisingly the cost of this species is very reasonable, this might be due to there excellent tolerance to just about everything, however, they have not been known to breed in captivity.

 

I there is humour on this thread, Ill be in it.

clowns IMHO are very tolerant of mini cycles - I have seen many riding these over the years


Steve

 

hahahaha, seriously... I thought I was just tired, delirious, and reading this thinking wow. but no, great story..

"be patient" -> lol...

 

My clowns used to suspend themselves vertically facing up or down to sleep. I had serious concern when I first saw it, being my first fish.

This thread is almost as good as that movie where Bill Murray keeps waking up and realizing he's doing the same water change he's been doing over and over again...