Clownfish trying to host gonipora

[Nemo1]

Bought quite a large green goniopora, was in the tank about an hour or two fully extended until my male clownfish decides to try and host it, it has since all closed up and the clown won’t leave it alone at all
Will the goni eventually open up and accept the clown to live in it? Will the clown kill the coral if it keeps it closed?

 

[Nemo1]

Still doing it today, anyone have any ideas what to do? Don’t want the coral to die

 

[James G]

FWIW, I have had my clowns host torches, GSP, hammmer corals, leathers, and almost anything with a decent legth polyp, It has been my experience that anytime the clown hosts a coral with a hard skeleton, the coral gets literally beat to death. I would move the Goni to a place the clown will not go or isolate the coral to give it time to acclimate.

 

[Dom]

I have an Ocellaris that hosts a Hammer. Picks the Hammer over the Nem right below it.

I'd let everything be for now and monitor closely.

Remember; the coral recedes to protect itself, so I don't imagine the clown will kill it. I think eventually, the clown will become frustrated and move on. Then the Gonio will open.

 

[piranhaman00]

Fish can’t host anything save parasites, flukes ect.

 

[Nemo1]

Thanks for the advice, I’ll move it to the opposite side of the tank and if the clowns are still keeping it closed I’ll leave them for a bit then isolate so the coral can open up and feed, how long can it survive being closed up without being able to get food?

 

[Dom]

Fish can’t host anything save parasites, flukes ect.

I understand what you mean.

When the clown goes to the Nem, isn't it the Nem that is hosting the Clown? I mean, if I come to your house for a cup of coffee, aren't YOU hosting ME?

But people in the hobby refer to it the other way, so I'll go with the flow.

 

[piranhaman00]

I understand what you mean.

When the clown goes to the Nem, isn't it the Nem that is hosting the Clown? I mean, if I come to your house for a cup of coffee, aren't YOU hosting ME?

But people in the hobby refer to it the other way, so I'll go with the flow.

Nem hosts clown, if everyone was jumping off a bridge...

 

[Dom]

Nem hosts clown, if everyone was jumping off a bridge...

Right... that is what I said. Nems host clowns, but people always refer to it as the clown hosting the Nem.

 

[Waynerock]

Bought quite a large green goniopora, was in the tank about an hour or two fully extended until my male clownfish decides to try and host it, it has since all closed up and the clown won’t leave it alone at all
Will the goni eventually open up and accept the clown to live in it? Will the clown kill the coral if it keeps it closed?

Yup I have two black clowns that are slowly killing two Goni’s. I can’t catch the little jerks and if I break down the rock to catch them better I will have a lot of SPS that will suffer. I would harpoon the little poops if they made one small enough. You need to stop that ASAP either get rid of the clowns or the Goni. If you keep the fish they will only screw up any Goni you out in later. What do you want more fish or corals. I regret putting clowns in my tank because I like Goni more.

 

[piranhaman00]

Right... that is what I said. Nems host clowns, but people always refer to it as the clown hosting the Nem.

I know that’s what you said. I’m saying say it correct and maybe it will catch on

 

[AcroNem]

Yes. The Fish is not the host. The clownfish isn't hosting anything. It's often said the wrong way in the hobby, doesn't make it correct. hobbyists say a lot of things incorrectly but that's for another thread. Let's get back on track. By the looks of it, that Goniopora isn't hosting that clown either, at least not willingly. I would attempt to separate them or get something that is better as a host for the clownfish.

 

[nkyreef]

I might have documented it before on R2R but I had a softball sized candy cane that my clowns decided would be a nice home. Eventually the flesh started to wear away and it almost died. I moved it to an opposite corner and they've left it alone. It still hasn't recovered fully though.

 

[Fishy212]

I have a hammer coral that hosts my clown. The coral is huge and has only grown in size and color since the addition. Reefer experiences will differ from fish to fish. Some say they do not have any kinds of issues and some say they will irritate them until death. My clown takes care of the hammer coral. It will ward off hermits and snails that come too close and also use its body in a sweeping fashion to move sand off of it.

In the beginning the hammer would retract almost 75-85 % with the constant contact of the clowns body to the fleshy part that wraps around the skeleton. I read up a lot about the subject as well because I love my hammer and I wanted to intervene and "save" it if I could. I am more of a let nature work itself out kind of person. The general consensus was to monitor the situation and let it work it self out. Over the next 3 weeks the coral and fish's behaviors became more relaxed and they began to accept each other. The fish would not aggressively rub its body on the flesh and the coral would gradually inflate and extend. Both are very happy now

Added a pic for you too

 

[Nemo1]

Been a couple days, I’ve moved the Goni to different corners of the tank and the clowns have followed it everytime, it’s not staying completely closed anymore it kinda opens maybe like 5-10% but that’s all

 

[Katrina71]

The heart wants what the heart wants.

 

[DeniableArc]

Yup I have two black clowns that are slowly killing two Goni’s. I can’t catch the little ******** and if I break down the rock to catch them better I will have a lot of SPS that will suffer. I would harpoon the little poops if they made one small enough. You need to stop that ASAP either get rid of the clowns or the Goni. If you keep the fish they will only screw up any Goni you out in later. What do you want more fish or corals. I regret putting clowns in my tank because I like Goni more.

The exact reason I won’t put another clown in my reef, they just pick all the wrong things to host.

 

[Nemo1]

If I buy an anemone they probably would still bother the Goni, I guess I’ll have to choose either the coral or the fish

 

[homer1475]

My clowns have killed every torch I put in my tank. They just nuzzle up to them so much they force them to stay closed, which in turn eventually kills the coral.

I like my clowns, and torch's are so ridiculously priced right now(my last torch was many years ago and I bought it for 5$ a head lol. Funny how coral prices fluctuate to whats the new hotness, currently torchs). I think I'll keep the clowns.

 

[AnneO]

My ocellaris clownfish live in the Goniopora and it seems to be ok with it. They started when their usual host the Duncan further back was closed for a few days for unknown reasons. I noticed that initially the Goni would retract quickly, causing swelling around the skeleton and I was worried about it, but it has since gotten used to the clowns (took about 3 weeks) and now even when they suck on the tentacles it doesn't react at all.. I guess it depends on each clownfish but Hedges can be pretty rough too.. so it's not neccessarily a choice of one or the other, at least if they are ocellaris. My goniopora is next to a rock ledge so they can also hide between the rock and the coral so maybe thats an idea to reduce the impact somewhat if they wont leave it alone..