Ocellaris clown don't host small rose bulb anemone??

An ngo · Mar 6, 2018

Hi everyone, I jut bought Rose BTA with 2" size. I put it into my tank last Thursday, but my clown just ignore my anemone and no sign to host. My tank 8 month old with soft and few LPS. I have 2 clown, 1 tang and 1 six line wrasse. I just wonder is my anemone too small in order to host those clown????

S-t-r-e-t-c-h · Mar 6, 2018

That's a very small anemone, but it's also not really a natural host for an ocellaris clown. I'd just leave it; in time and with some growth they might work out together, but it's not guaranteed.

ncaldwell · Mar 6, 2018

Ok this might sound weird but when your anemone is about 4 or 5 inches put a picture of a clown fish in a bubble tip on the tank by the anemone. Weirdly it's worked for people in the past. Might be coincidence but I had one host after a week of doing it. But currently it's to small and would likely be killed

An ngo · Mar 6, 2018

S-t-r-e-t-c-h said:
That's a very small anemone, but it's also not really a natural host for an ocellaris clown. I'd just leave it; in time and with some growth they might work out together, but it's not guaranteed.

Thanks for your advice, my anemone seem doesn't happy. I will try my best to keep it growth. By the way how long it it extend to bigger size????

An ngo · Mar 6, 2018

ncaldwell said:
Ok this might sound weird but when your anemone is about 4 or 5 inches put a picture of a clown fish in a bubble tip on the tank by the anemone. Weirdly it's worked for people in the past. Might be coincidence but I had one host after a week of doing it. But currently it's to small and would likely be killed

I plan to buy another big rose BTA for hoating those clown. Is it work if I put 2 anemone in there?

Sipec · Mar 6, 2018

An ngo said:
I plan to buy another big rose BTA for hoating those clown. Is it work if I put 2 anemone in there?

Yeah, you can put two nems together. Some speices you cant mix though. Also, welcome to r2r!

ColbyNTX · Mar 6, 2018

Most clowns these days are tank raised and have no idea why to do with an anemoe. It took my perc clowns 4 or 5 months before they started hosting my RBTA.

Ryan Marriott · Mar 6, 2018

I have had a pair of clowns and two BTAs for almost a year now and they have yet to pair with the BTA however my umbrella leather hosts them along with my feather duster:mad::mad::mad:. They are def clowns.

An ngo · Mar 6, 2018

Joey123 said:
Yeah, you can put two nems together. Some speices you cant mix though. Also, welcome to r2r!

Cool, if i put hadoni or giant carpet in. Will they fighting?

An ngo · Mar 6, 2018

ColbyNTX said:
Most clowns these days are tank raised and have no idea why to do with an anemoe. It took my perc clowns 4 or 5 months before they started hosting my RBTA.

I try to feed them in front the anemone with seem like they still ignore. Lol

ColbyNTX · Mar 6, 2018

They will ignore it until they don’t !

Sipec · Mar 6, 2018

An ngo said:
Cool, if i put hadoni or giant carpet in. Will they fighting?

Here is an anenome compatibility chart: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/anemone-compatibility-spreadsheet.254141/
Depending on how much experience you have i wouldnt do the carpet, they are kinda hard to care for from what i hear. Also they eat fish

Michael Llabona · Mar 6, 2018

I got lucky. Mine hosted immediately. Then I added a tiny black clown and the female welcomed him into her home instantly. Almost as if she was like hurry up this thing will protect you. Anyways, I've heard you can force the clown down pvc into the nem. Although I wouldn't recommend since it will be stressful for the clown. I also heard you can get a small specimen tank and have them in close quarters. Eventually the clown will touch the nem and biology takes over

Sipec · Mar 6, 2018

Michael Llabona said:
I got lucky. Mine hosted immediately. Then I added a tiny black clown and the female welcomed him into her home instantly. Almost as if she was like hurry up this thing will protect you. Anyways, I've heard you can force the clown down pvc into the nem. Although I wouldn't recommend since it will be stressful for the clown. I also heard you can get a small specimen tank and have them in close quarters. Eventually the clown will touch the nem and biology takes over

I was thinking those meathods too, but they’re both kinda stressful

An ngo · Mar 6, 2018

Michael Llabona said:
I got lucky. Mine hosted immediately. Then I added a tiny black clown and the female welcomed him into her home instantly. Almost as if she was like hurry up this thing will protect you. Anyways, I've heard you can force the clown down pvc into the nem. Although I wouldn't recommend since it will be stressful for the clown. I also heard you can get a small specimen tank and have them in close quarters. Eventually the clown will touch the nem and biology takes over

I wouldn't do that because it will stress my clown tho. I just let it be and keep eyes on them. Hope they will host my anemone when it get bigger

Makomek · Mar 7, 2018

My 2 O. clownfish will look at the RBTA from one inch away but never touch it, they seem like they want to go in but for some reason don't.
They seem to be around the anemone most the time and looking at it, I might have to push them in one day.

potatocouch · Mar 7, 2018

ColbyNTX said:
Most clowns these days are tank raised and have no idea why to do with an anemoe. It took my perc clowns 4 or 5 months before they started hosting my RBTA.

Naaaaaah ... this is not entirely true; yes they're maybe the case with tank raised, but not always. I call it a myth that tank bred clownfish can't host Nem in a jiffy.

davocean · Mar 7, 2018

Tank bred or wild caught does not matter, the instinct for a host is still very much there.

The issue is occs and percs,(Pretty much the 2 most popular clowns) are being placed w/ BTA's(because those are most common nems), and these are not natural host matches as found in the wild for those species of clowns.

If you threw in a mag or gig, most likely the occs and percs that have been ignoring BTA's, pretty much dive in immediately.

Also natural match to perc is H.crispa(What many call sebae)

And for occs a Mertensi is also a match, but those are lot less common, at this time anyway.

Yours may take to the BTA eventually, just usually takes longer.

An ngo · Mar 8, 2018

davocean said:
Tank bred or wild caught does not matter, the instinct for a host is still very much there.

The issue is occs and percs,(Pretty much the 2 most popular clowns) are being placed w/ BTA's(because those are most common nems), and these are not natural host matches as found in the wild for those species of clowns.

If you threw in a mag or gig, most likely the occs and percs that have been ignoring BTA's, pretty much dive in immediately.

Also natural match to perc is H.crispa(What many call sebae)

And for occs a Mertensi is also a match, but those are lot less common, at this time anyway.

Yours may take to the BTA eventually, just usually takes longer.

I'm getting the mag anemone now. Hope it won't fight to each other

Lance M. · Mar 8, 2018

An ngo said:
I'm getting the mag anemone now. Hope it won't fight to each other

Just be aware Mags are one of the most difficult host anemones to take care of. I also highly recommend having cipro and a treatment tank ready. Not available, ready for use.