How can I get clowns to host anemone?

[kittenbritches]

I have a bonded pair of snowflake clowns that are hosting the empty bottom corner of my tank, when I have a fat, fluffy BTA for them to enjoy. I have tried catching the fish and putting them directly onto the nem as well as herding them toward it, but they swim away without a moment's hesitation.

How can I get them to host this dang anemone?!

ETA: I only tried once, because I don't want to stress them out, but if there's anything I can do to encourage them to leave their corner and get symbiotic, I'd love some tips!

 

[Isopod80]

You're not going to force fish to host an anemone. Catching the fish and placing them on it is only going to stress the poor things out. Leave them alone and let them host the corner if they want to. If they feel like hosting the anemone later they will.

 

[Isopod80]

I have a bonded pair of snowflake clowns that are hosting the empty bottom corner of my tank, when I have a fat, fluffy BTA for them to enjoy. I have tried catching the fish and putting them directly onto the nem as well as herding them toward it, but they swim away without a moment's hesitation.

How can I get them to host this dang anemone?!

ETA: I only tried once, because I don't want to stress them out, but if there's anything I can do to encourage them to leave their corner and get symbiotic, I'd love some tips!

If you just added the anemone to the tank it may take them awhile to warm up to it or perhaps they never will.

 

[jt8791]

Could always try taping a picture of clownfish hosting in an anemone on the side of the tank, read of some people having luck doing that. Also read of a picture of a lion fish as well. Not a natural host anemone for them so could take a long time if ever

 

[Anthony Scholfield]

Hello and welcome.

Fun fact: Clownfish do not host, it is the anemone that does the hosting or in your case the empty corner of your tank is the host.

Ive heard of people trying to use pictures and videos of other clowns being hosted by an anemone with some success. I guess they put the picture or vid in front of the glass for the clowns to see??

Another fun fact: The natural host anemones of the occelaris clown fish are the H. Magnifica anemone and the S. Gigantia anemone.

BTA anemones are not a natural hosting anemone for them. So it may take a lot longer for them to warm up to the anemone or they may never warm up to it.

It took my first clownfish 2yrs to finally decide to warm up to my BTA. Then i learned about the BTA not being the natural host. When i set up another system i used H. Magnifica anemones and the occelaris clowns go right for them.

 

[kittenbritches]

If you just added the anemone to the tank it may take them awhile to warm up to it or perhaps they never will.

I added them at the same time, but they've got a mind of their own! Hopefully they'll wander over there someday.

 

[RedReefer]

Just give it time it must happen naturally. All the junk you hear about taping pictures on tanks, or trying to put the clown fish in the nem… Will not work. Give them time I had a pair that hosted of the top corner of the fish tank for a year, and then a bubble coral, and all of a sudden they started hosting the nem

 

[kittenbritches]

BTA anemones are not a natural hosting anemone for them. So it may take a lot longer for them to warm up to the anemone or they may never warm up to it.

It took my first clownfish 2yrs to finally decide to warm up to my BTA. Then i learned about the BTA not being the natural host. When i set up another system i used H. Magnifica anemones and the occelaris clowns go right for them.

Thanks for your reply! And on the hosting flip-flop tidbit! My insomnia didn't help me word that very well.

Everything I'd read prior to getting the clowns and the BTA made it sound like they were soulmates. I guess I'll just have to see if they bump into each other and decide to get acquainted some day!

 

[Dbichler]

They may or may not mine got to watch YouTube on my iPad for a couple days finally worked. If this is the same tank that cycled just a couple weeks ago the anemone is going to struggle most likely. I’ve never had success with them before a year but I’m not great with testing parameters and that may have been why. I highly suggest making sure your parameters stay as stable as possible.

 

[kittenbritches]

Just give it time it must happen naturally. All the junk you hear about taping pictures on tanks, or trying to put the clown fish in the nem… Will not work. Give them time I had a pair that hosted of the top corner of the fish tank for a year, and then a bubble coral, and all of a sudden they started hosting the nem

That gives me hope. But I guess if they just want to love their weird corner forever, I'll have to love them for it!

 

[kittenbritches]

They may or may not mine got to watch YouTube on my iPad for a couple days finally worked. If this is the same tank that cycled just a couple weeks ago the anemone is going to struggle most likely. I’ve never had success with them before a year but I’m not great with testing parameters and that may have been why. I highly suggest making sure your parameters stay as stable as possible.

The nem was a little temperamental at first, but it's doing really well now. I'm pretty anal about testing my tank parameters and everything has been steady. I had to do a big water change to get my NO3 down, and fiddle with my heater while I'm waiting for the upgrade to be delivered, but since then the anemone is healthy, didn't split after all, and has stayed put in the little crevice it moved to on day one.

 

[Anthony Scholfield]

Thanks for your reply! And on the hosting flip-flop tidbit! My insomnia didn't help me word that very well.

Everything I'd read prior to getting the clowns and the BTA made it sound like they were soulmates. I guess I'll just have to see if they bump into each other and decide to get acquainted some day!

Haha, the whos hosting who does get kinda confusing

Clowns and anemones are soulmates, haha, but not every anemone is for every clown. I think it is unfortunate that this info isnt super common. I think most go in thinking that the occelaris and BTA go together when really there are more suitable hosts for them. Will a BTA host an occelaris, sure, but it is definitely not a sure bet.

It will be a fun surprise if they do get together. I remember i almost threw a party when i found mine in the BTA for the first time in two years. LOL

 

[blaxsun]

Look, just be glad they’re not hosting a heater, return outlet or powerhead. While nice too look at, clownfish regularly do some of the dumbest things imaginable.

 

[LiveFreeAndReef]

Look, just be glad they’re not hosting a heater, return outlet or powerhead. While nice too look at, clownfish regularly do some of the dumbest things imaginable.

Agreed, my clowns are in love with a powerhead at the moment I just added a blenny to hopefully entice them to leave their corner more often, there's a beautiful rainbow BTA waiting for them!

 

[zuri]

wouldn't worry about it that nem in its current state would die if it had 2 clowns bouncing around in it

 

[reefer_evo5]

it took a while for my clowns to hose my LTA. One thing that i did that worked for me was i left my clowns in a small isolation box inside the tank with the anemone in it for two days and it helped them host it. Good luck

 

[Hellic]

Jeff from the Saltwater Aquarium podcast recently put up an episode where he used a floating(?) pond basket from a store like lowes. He said he tried 10 times and was successful 10 times at getting them to host. Just some food for thought. Place them all in there and you may have some success as well.

 

[terraincognita]

You definitely can't force them but I had a BTA in my tank for several months and my clowns just didn't want to go in.

I netted them and put them in the Net and placed the net over my nem upside down so the only way they could get out was through the Nem. (Use red lights when netting it makes it so you can net them mostly first try and limit stress and see them, Apparently they can't see red? Idk but when I turn my lights on to only red they all just float for about 2 seconds like "wait what" and they definitely do NOT see the net coming, but they'll feel it so you gotta get it in a single swoop)

They swam out of the net through the Nem after about 5 minutes of not wanting to touch it, and then returned to their corner. I tried once a day over three days, and the result was the same each time.

However 2-3 weeks later they then hosted.

I'm not sure if I made them become aware of it, or what..... But one went first, then the other went a few days later, despite being bonded already.

Maybe I just was harassing them and being a mean bully in their eyes. But maybe I gave them a hint. I'll never really know.

 

[Lsuhunter]

Mine never took interest in my BTA. I tried a few of the suggestions above and even put both in a small box for awhile and made them touch the nem. But they want no part of it. One day I put a nice size toadstool leather in their corner and now it host them. They love it and sleep in it all day long, yet still prefer to sleep by the return nozzle at night. Can you try moving the nem to their special corner?

 

[jt8791]

Definitely depends on the clownfish and anemone you go with, natural hosts seem to be the most sure fire way to do it. I ended up changing my whole tank to make the rainbow bubble tip anemone the main focus of the tank. Ditched the community stocking that wasn’t quite working.

Pair of blood orange clowns came in today and one was in the rbta within an hour or two, happy as could be. Now just waiting for the nem to split and fill the tank up. A tank full of bta’s was my goal, even better if it’s all splits from one rbta.