Clownfish won't host anemone (Tried every possible method)

[MetaKnight101]

Title says it all its been a month and those dang clowns won't touch the anemone. I tried luring them in putting a net over the anemone with them in it. Putting them in a bowl with the anemone for a week. I tried the tube sliding method. Oh and they also steal food from the anemone every time I feed the anemone lol. Anyone got other ideas to get them to host? They are a mocha gladiator ocellaris if that helps.

 

[bknope]

Title says it all its been a month and those dang clowns won't touch the anemone. I tried luring them in putting a net over the anemone with them in it. Putting them in a bowl with the anemone for a week. I tried the tube sliding method. Oh and they also steal food from the anemone every time I feed the anemone lol. Anyone got other ideas to get them to host? They are a mocha gladiator ocellaris if that helps.

What kind of anemone?

In nature, Ocellaris readily take to gigantea and magnificas. Otherwise it’s just luck really.

Some have had success putting a picture on the glass to try and teach them

 

[dbl]

No guarentee the clowns will ever choose the nem as their host. But when and if it happens, it will be on their time, which rarely matches our desired time for them to do so.

One thing we did was play a video of an anemone hosting a clown on a tablet against the glass. I thought my daughters were nuts when they suggested it and actually did it, but about a week later, the clowns started exploring the nem. They eventually settled and the nem became their host.

As I said, no guarentee but it did seem to work in our case. At least that is what I told my daughters. In my opinion, it was coincidental as they had been together for several months.

 

[MetaKnight101]

No guarentee the clowns will ever choose the nem as their host. But when and if it happens, it will be on their time, which rarely matches our desired time for them to do so.

One thing we did was play a video of an anemone hosting a clown on a tablet against the glass. I thought my daughters were nuts when they suggested it and actually did it, but about a week later, the clowns started exploring the nem. They eventually settled and the nem became their host.

As I said, no guarentee but it did seem to work in our case. At least that is what I told my daughters. In my opinion, it was coincidental as they had been together for several months.

I also did that with my laptop and they did get intrested and hovered around to watch but neverless they stilled ignore the nem.

 

[MetaKnight101]

What kind of anemone?

In nature, Ocellaris readily take to gigantea and magnificas. Otherwise it’s just luck really.

Some have had success putting a picture on the glass to try and teach them

Its a GBT I know its not their natural anemone but it looked like my lrs had great success with them.

 

[theKoolAidMan]

Its a GBT I know its not their natural anemone but it looked like my lrs had great success with them.

Sorry, but it's a crapshoot then. Ocellaris do not naturally host BTA. You have as much of a chance of them hosting that as a torch or hammer coral, or a dang powerhead. LFS had a BTA and ocellaris clown together and the clown was hosting it. So I brought them both home and put them in my 21 cube. Clown never looked at the nem again. If you want a clown to host your BTA you'll need to go with a Maroon, Tomato, Cinnamon, etc. that naturally take to BTAs. You can also try a skunk clown. While they don't naturally associate with BTAs they have a greater tendency to host one than an ocellaris does. While perhaps at some point in the future your clown will take to your BTA, there's really nothing you can do to make it go there. Honestly, I think the methods people suggest and that you tried just come down to luck more than anything, and unfortunately, the chips didn't fall your way. Sorry.

 

[reef lover]

Ive taped pics to the tanks and its worked several times...took awhile to find her a mate shed accept ...lol

 

[MetaKnight101]

Ima hijack my thread with one question if I ever where to get a maroon clownfish how would I qt if it is sensitive to copper?

 

[Salty Lemon]

I've been told (so no guarantee on this information) that captive bred clowns are much less likely to bond with a nem. Some of the natural instincts aren't there to seek its protection and care for it. Most clowns for sale at the lfs-es in my area (Arizona) are captive bred. Good luck! The anemone/clown bond is one of the most amazing things to see in nature, so I hope it will work out for you.

 

[Elegance Coral]

I've been told (so no guarantee on this information) that captive bred clowns are much less likely to bond with a nem. Some of the natural instincts aren't there to seek its protection and care for it. Most clowns for sale at the lfs-es in my area (Arizona) are captive bred. Good luck! The anemone/clown bond is one of the most amazing things to see in nature, so I hope it will work out for you.

People really shouldn't be saying that, because it simply is not true. MOST, wild caught clowns are older/more mature (even if they're smaller) than the captive bred clowns we see in our LFS. These wild clowns may be closer to settling down, establishing a territory, and making babies than many young captive bred clowns. Wild clowns may be more afraid, more stressed, than captive bred clowns. This may enhance the drive to seek the shelter, and security of an anemone. Wild caught clowns have spent the vast majority of their lives in a sea anemone. Many captive bred clowns, in our LFS, likely have never even seen an anemone.

While all of the above is indeed true, none of it erases, what has likely been, millions of years of evolution. I talk to people about this nearly every day. The only time I will give people my word, that their clown will go into their anemone, is if it's a natural symbiotic relationship. I haven't had to eat my words yet. It doesn't matter if the fish is wild caught, or captive bred. It will go into it's natural host. Period. Even when the natural host is not provided, all clowns, as they mature, will claim a territory. We have no way of knowing, for sure, where that territory will be, unless the natural host is provided. We have no evidence to suggest that where the clownfish was born has any effect on this decision.

Peace
EC

 

[Salty Lemon]

People really shouldn't be saying that, because it simply is not true. MOST, wild caught clowns are older/more mature (even if they're smaller) than the captive bred clowns we see in our LFS. These wild clowns may be closer to settling down, establishing a territory, and making babies than many young captive bred clowns. Wild clowns may be more afraid, more stressed, than captive bred clowns. This may enhance the drive to seek the shelter, and security of an anemone. Wild caught clowns have spent the vast majority of their lives in a sea anemone. Many captive bred clowns, in our LFS, likely have never even seen an anemone.

While all of the above is indeed true, none of it erases, what has likely been, millions of years of evolution. I talk to people about this nearly every day. The only time I will give people my word, that their clown will go into their anemone, is if it's a natural symbiotic relationship. I haven't had to eat my words yet. It doesn't matter if the fish is wild caught, or captive bred. It will go into it's natural host. Period. Even when the natural host is not provided, all clowns, as they mature, will claim a territory. We have no way of knowing, for sure, where that territory will be, unless the natural host is provided. We have no evidence to suggest that where the clownfish was born has any effect on this decision.

Peace
EC

Thanks for responding Elegance Coral. It gives me hope for my clowns.

 

[davocean]

I've been told (so no guarantee on this information) that captive bred clowns are much less likely to bond with a nem. Some of the natural instincts aren't there to seek its protection and care for it. Most clowns for sale at the lfs-es in my area (Arizona) are captive bred. Good luck! The anemone/clown bond is one of the most amazing things to see in nature, so I hope it will work out for you.

This is info that has been passed around a bit, but not really correct.
The other comments are correct in natural host anemone is what makes the difference.

Not only is the instinct still very much there in tank bred clowns, they actually still sense what type of anemone they would be found in the wild, and when we give them that, hosting is usually immediate.

OP, one month is not that long, give some time and they probably will find it eventually.

One other safe trick I've tried is putting a flashlight over the nems area as lights ramp down, that being the brightest object in tank should make them curious and check it out.

 

[AcroNem]

Simply give it time, I've had clowns go for months and months before choosing a host. Just be patient. Also just a little thing I have to throw out here. The anemone is the host not the fish

 

[marcwjj]

Here’s one approach that has worked out well for my ocellaris clownfish and sebae anemone (h. Crispa). Like OP, I’ve tried many other methods, tube sliding, netting them near the nem, playing videos etc. None of them worked, but this one seem to help.

so I’d put the nem and the clown fish into a medium breeder box, the smaller box that can fit the nem the better, the goal is to leave little room for the clown to swim freely so they have to touch the nem. Give the fish and the nem a few hours to accommodate to the breeder box, then lift and angle the breeder box slightly above the water so the clown gets to touch the nem. Both the stings from the nem and the squeeze of water space will stress the clown and my theory is that it kicks their natural instinct to seek refuge in the anemone. After a couple of tries, the clown will start to host it. I’ve had success on 3/3 ocellaris clowns so far.

 

[seahorsebill]

Pull up a picture of a panther grouper up on your phone and hold it up to your tank.

 

[theocorals537]

Title says it all its been a month and those dang clowns won't touch the anemone. I tried luring them in putting a net over the anemone with them in it. Putting them in a bowl with the anemone for a week. I tried the tube sliding method. Oh and they also steal food from the anemone every time I feed the anemone lol. Anyone got other ideas to get them to host? They are a mocha gladiator ocellaris if that helps.

I have a 10 year old pair of Wyoming white breeder clowns. At one point I had 25 rbta and tons of flower nems. They would not leave my torches and goniopora a alone for years, now they won’t leave their anemones. I think nature will always prevail, and you will wake up one day to them inside the anemone. The more you force it , the more they will swim away. Good luck!!!

 

[Ardeus]

I've had ocellaris being hosted by bubbletips and by magnificas. There's a huge difference in how they behave when they have their natural host available.

The bond with their natural host is incredibly tight.

I had a trio living peacefully in bubbletips. When I gave them a magnifica, hell broke loose immediately. It took a lot of family therapy to get the 3 of them back together again.