How to get anemone to host clownfish?

[Justin....#JAMAS]

Hey everyone! Quick question, I have a rose bubble tip anemone that I have had now for a couple months and 2 oscellaris clownfish that are tank raised from the beginning of setting up my tank, which is almost a year old now....well I was hoping that after a few days or weeks of adding my RBT that the clowns would eventually take to it but haven't yet! The male just swims in the current all day but the female clown always stays in their top left corner of the tank where they have made home, but she will always swim by the RBT and get so close to it checking it out than quickly swim away! Lol I bought a deep strainer and was going to try and out the RBT in there with the clowns in hopes that it would host the clowns, but not sure and wanted to ask on here if anyone has any experience in getting the clowns to go into the nem? Thanks and hope to hear peoples opinions!!

 

[Justfebreezeit]

I would just give it more time if you can be patient. It just happened for me, on my old tank, about four months in.

If you really want to force it, i would leave the bta there and try bringing the clowns to it somehow (less chance of damaging the anemone)

 

[Jeepguy242]

rubber band them to it......



seriously, they will find it when there ready.... its like trying to train a Cat....

 

[Justin....#JAMAS]

Well lucky for me, I've developed a whole bunch of patience in the past year in this hobby! So I don't mind waiting, BC I really don't want to touch the anemone or clowns BC I want it to happen naturally, but I was just getting concerned as if they are going to host it or not lol...and jeepguy242, rubber band them to it? Please do explain lol

 

[Jeepguy242]

twas a joke....

like when we use a rubber band on a softie frag

 

[Justin....#JAMAS]

That's what I was picturing haha figured it was a joke haha picturing that image now lol

 

[Justin....#JAMAS]

The clowns are tank raised so they have no idea what it is....when I feed the anemone the clowns get really really close to it BC they want that food the nem has, but always seem afraid and swim away...

 

[EmdeReef]

Never tried it but maybe works. Good luck! Also, in my experience the nem needs to be well established and healthy before clowns will look at it. For example, it would generally take a week or so before my clowns would start hosting a daughter nem even if it was right next to the mother.

 

[NS Mike D]

took 2 years for it to happen in my tank. i never had the guts to do it, but i have heard success stories about taping a picture of a clown and anemone to the tank to set the mood. i was afraid it was the aquarium equivalent of sending the new scout to the other troop campsites to borrow the left handed smoke shifter

 

[Justin....#JAMAS]

Yeah I watched that video like a week or two after I got the RBT but haven't tried it BC I wanted the nem to get established in his spot and hoping the clowns would take to it! Great video though!!!

 

[EmdeReef]

Yeah I watched that video like a week or two after I got the RBT but haven't tried it BC I wanted the nem to get established in his spot and hoping the clowns would take to it! Great video though!!!

It also may never happen. I have 2 rainbow BTAs in my new tank but for some reason my clowns prefer hosting the lavender mushroom colony. I’ve tried moving it closer to the nems but no luck...eventually gave up, they seem happy and the mushroom doesn’t seem to mind it...

Good luck!

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Tank raised or wild caught has nothing to do with it. Combine natural symbiants-- clown species with nem species found together in the wild-- and hosting will be almost immediately. Mix non-symbiants and it's luck of the draw. Occys symbiants are Mags, Gigs, Merts.

These Percs, captive bred by "Reef Stew", found the Mag within 12 hours in an eight foot 300 gallon.

 

[Justin....#JAMAS]

That's weird because everywhere that I read and when I see alot of other tanks, occys and bubble tips are always together and hosting! I'm sure I would have better luck with say a carpet anemone or another one, but everywhere I look tank raised occys are being hosted by a rose bubble tip! Do people really have success with putting a picture up of a anemone hosting a clown? Lol and since that's what I have to work with right now and everyone's happy is there a good way to try to host? So far I've got the acrylic tubing way to slide the clown into the nem, and or a strainer to put the clowns and rbt together in a confined space to host but any other ways or just cross my fingers and hope? Lol
Not trying to beat a dead dog here just want to see if anybody has ever done anything else to try?

 

[foxt]

Things I have tried so far and that did not work to get two occelaris snowflakes together with an rbta:

1. Waiting. It has been about 9 months so far, the Rbta has even split once and the patch they have formed together is about 3x the size it was at the start. The clowns do get closer than other fish, but they don’t show the slightest interest in the anemone

2. Shining a light at night over the anemone, this brings them near the anemone, but the just circle it

3. Taping a picture of a clown in an anemone to the tank. My son decided it was worth a try. Made for fun conversation for a few days.

4. Trying to lure the clowns to the anemone by leading them to it with some shrimp in tongs and getting them to go in with the food. Mostly results in well fed anemones

I have the acrylic tube ready to go for try #5. Problem is that catching at least one clown in a 220g tank is near impossible. I have decided that I will have to trap at least one of the pair and try the tube trick.

 

[Justin....#JAMAS]

Never tried it but maybe works. Good luck! Also, in my experience the nem needs to be well established and healthy before clowns will look at it. For example, it would generally take a week or so before my clowns would start hosting a daughter nem even if it was right next to the mother.

Well I just got the female out of the tank and had an acrylic tube big enough to go down over the anemone and I put the clown in and she swam down and just would not go into the nem! She was, looked to be, scared to go into it!!! I started to slowly pour tank water in to encourage her to go, and she went down and touched the nem for a second and swam out away from the tube!! And she has been back to it to look at the rbt a couple times but that's it....so at this point its just going to have to be patience or its just not gonna happen! O well, thanks for any and all suggestions peeps!

 

[Bob Loblaw]

You see it so much b/c Occys/Percs are the most commonly kept clowns and BTAs are the most kept nems but they are not found together in the wild. There is a chance they’ll be hosted in the tank but the odds of the mag float, overflow, frogspawn... hosting them is just as likely. There are 14 clown species found naturally with BTAs, unfortunately Occys aren’t one of them.

 

[Justin....#JAMAS]

Well that stinks

 

[lacrosseboss18]

I’ve seen people put them in a basket with the anemone for a couple days.

 

[Justin....#JAMAS]

I’ve seen people put them in a basket with the anemone for a couple days.

Yeah I believe that is the last thing I will do prob in a couple days! Fingers crossed!

 

[azreeftank]

Never tried it but maybe works. Good luck! Also, in my experience the nem needs to be well established and healthy before clowns will look at it. For example, it would generally take a week or so before my clowns would start hosting a daughter nem even if it was right next to the mother.

I just did this 2 weeks ago with 3 pink skunk clowns and a large magnifica anemone. It took all of 20seconds and all 3 clowns went right in and are now hosting. This works!