Who Gives A Fish Forums

Hi,
I've had this question on my mind for ages. My Clarks clowns seem to be doing great, generally speaking, after 6 months in the tank. However, they occasionally get these spasms - an uncontrolled jerk to one side - and then they just carry on as normal. One of them is affected more than the other, though. It's usually just a couple of seconds, but sometimes it goes on for a bit longer.

I'm wondering if this is stress-related? Is there anything I can do to prevent it? I've heard of fish epilepsy treatments, but I'm not sure if that's the right approach. Does anyone else have clowns that do this?

I've had similar experiences with mine too. If it's not fatal, I wouldn't worry about it.

I've had mine do that too...I've always thought it could be them trying to shake off a parasite, but I wouldn't jump to conclusions without seeing some obvious signs of infection first.

Thanks for the reassurance, seems I'm not the only one with clowns that have these spasms. Good to know it's probably not a cause for concern, just something they do every now and then.

Most likely nothing to worry about, just one of those quirky things they do.

I've noticed with my own clowns that this sort of spasming can occur when one fish is near the other, and it's often the smaller one that's doing it. I've also seen this "shakey" behaviour in my Perc's, and in many other freshwater fish, it seems to be used as a display. With my clowns, it appears to be a submissive gesture towards the dominant fish. I've observed this same behaviour in a range of freshwater fish, from tetras to cichlids.