Start to clownfish hosting anemone?

TCseh · Jul 21, 2023

My clownfish somehow got a peice of the anemone free floating and started chewing on it. It seems like it ended up stinging there mouth. Do clownfish usually do/act like this when they are trying to vet accustomed to the anemone?
First picture is peice they tore off.
Second is the nem.
Third is the clownfish and how they keep opening and closing their mouths.

TCseh · Jul 21, 2023

Clownfish have calmed down in the time it took for me to make this post.

Mr. Mojo Rising · Jul 21, 2023

judging from the coral in the background, seems to be zero flow in your tank. Do you have any powerheads in there to move the water?

TCseh · Jul 21, 2023

LordofCinder said:
judging from the coral in the background, seems to be zero flow in your tank. Do you have any powerheads in there to move the water?

I turned the flow off to feed.

Anemone_Fanatic · Jul 21, 2023

It is normal for them to bite the tentacles of the anemone while getting used to it. Sometimes people have their clowns harass anemones to death. My theory is that it's because many clowns in captivity being introduced to anemones are adults which are capable of hurting the anemone when they bite it, while clowns entering an anemone in the wild are less than 1/2" and can't do any harm. It should be alright, even with adult clowns it works out more often than not.

TCseh · Jul 21, 2023

Anemone_Fanatic said:
It is normal for them to bite the tentacles of the anemone while getting used to it. Sometimes people have their clowns harass anemones to death. My theory is that it's because many clowns in captivity being introduced to anemones are adults which are capable of hurting the anemone when they bite it, while clowns entering an anemone in the wild are less than 1/2" and can't do any harm. It should be alright, even with adult clowns it works out more often than not.

I new clownfish nibbled the nem so they could get used to the toxin. 1 I have never seen it in person and 2 I didn't know they bite the tentacles of the nem off.

My clownfish are about an inch and the nem is 6+ inches so unless they are psychos it should be fine.

TCseh · Jul 21, 2023

Anemone_Fanatic said:
It is normal for them to bite the tentacles of the anemone while getting used to it. Sometimes people have their clowns harass anemones to death. My theory is that it's because many clowns in captivity being introduced to anemones are adults which are capable of hurting the anemone when they bite it, while clowns entering an anemone in the wild are less than 1/2" and can't do any harm. It should be alright, even with adult clowns it works out more often than not.

Quick question. I tried looking this up online but no answer. Do you are anybody else know how long it usually takes clowns to build the protective layer to nems?

Anemone_Fanatic · Jul 21, 2023

TCseh said:
Quick question. I tried looking this up online but no answer. Do you are anybody else know how long it usually takes clowns to build the protective layer to nems?

Not long. Only a few days, sometimes less. They may never actually use the anemone as a host though. I once lost a BTA because my clowns kept biting at it without ever living in the anemone.

littlefoxx · Jul 22, 2023

TCseh said:
My clownfish somehow got a peice of the anemone free floating and started chewing on it. It seems like it ended up stinging there mouth. Do clownfish usually do/act like this when they are trying to vet accustomed to the anemone?
First picture is peice they tore off.
Second is the nem.
Third is the clownfish and how they keep opening and closing their mouths.

Keep an eye on the nem! Like @Anemone_Fanatic said some can kill BTAs. My pair in my big tank almost did but I moved it to my other tank with the maroons and it’s doing way better. My female in the big tank is just evil though I’ve concluded

CO2TLEY · Jul 22, 2023

What type of clowns?

TCseh · Jul 22, 2023

littlefoxx said:
Keep an eye on the nem! Like @Anemone_Fanatic said some can kill BTAs. My pair in my big tank almost did but I moved it to my other tank with the maroons and it’s doing way better. My female in the big tank is just evil though I’ve concluded

How big were your clowns and nem? My nem is 6"+ and my clowns are just a couple months old at 1"+

TCseh · Jul 22, 2023

CO2TLEY said:
What type of clowns?

Mine are ocellaris x percula hybrid

twelvefive · Jul 22, 2023

I've seen bits like that around my tank a couple of times and wondered what they were. I'd say I've seen 2 or 3 in 4 months. Both of my nems are happy.

viper5dn · Jul 22, 2023

My onyx clowns did the exact same thing (nibbled on the tentacles a bit) right before they started hosting. The clowns had completely ignored the nems for ~1year before that.

TCseh · Jul 22, 2023

viper5dn said:
My onyx clowns did the exact same thing (nibbled on the tentacles a bit) right before they started hosting. The clowns had completely ignored the nems for ~1year before that.

I guess I'm lucky then. Because I got these 2-3 weeks ago.