The Clownfish- Anemone Conundrum

[RickLRMS]

I had planned (when my tank is ready) to start with a pair of juvenile clownfish. I like the thought of an anemone to host but in my reading have seen people reporting the anemone moving adjacent to coral and killing them so I ruled the anemone out. Then, yesterday, I read where in absence of an anemone the clownfish will choose a coral (torch, hammer, etc.) to host and will eventually kill it. So, couple of questions:
1: How likely are clownfish to kill the coral I add if there is no anemone?
2: If I add an anemone before I add other coral is it likely to find a home and stay there?
Bonus question: Am I overthinking this?

 

[lapin]

The nem will move if you dont want it to.
Mine is about 2 feet across now and next to a large leather. They both do just fine. This is not always the case.
The clowns will host in what ever they want.
They could kill a coral by irratation.
My pair host in a 2 headed torch now for 2 years. It has stunted its growth because it has not grown any new heads. The size is srtill the same so......

 

[RickLRMS]

The nem will move if you dont want it to.

*Laugh* That figures.

Mine is about 2 feet across now and next to a large leather.

I didn’t realize they would grow that large.

 

[argiBK]

Until they start hosting anemones, clowns are unpredictable at best. Some won’t host anything, some will host inanimate objects! But, if they do decide to host a coral, the coral will likely be stressed until perishing.

My clowns have even hosted anemones that weren’t ready and killed the anemone from too much love. Keep in mind, the clowns may even encourage the anemone to move to a location of their liking (my clowns whipped a carpet to death with their tails because they wanted it to move closer to a rock for them to lay eggs).

Anemone’s only really travel when they’re first placed in the tank as they’re searching for the spot that best suits their requirements. Once they’re settled, they rarely move (unless you change conditions, like lighting and water flow) and you can plan the rest of the tank around them.

I prefer to get the anemone first, let it get settled in the tank over a week or two, and, build enough strength to withstand the clown’s initial pairing with it. Then, add the clowns, assuming they won’t pair immediately (i.e. if you get non-natural pairs like BTAs and Oscellaris). Then, give it a month or two for both to settle on a final location. Finally, add the corals.

 

[RickLRMS]

@ARGiBK , thanks for your reply. This is a somewhat complex but fascinating hobby; these myriad details made the hobby attractive to me.

 

[George81]

I added an orange bubble tip anemone a few months ago, tanks has been set up since late Jan 2019, so I have coral in there, they move, and move, I had to relocate a few corals that the anemone got too close for comfort to,
it stayed put For a month when I added it to the tank and then went through a phase where it moved daily for weeks, like it was seeking out my clowns (seriously) it went right underneath the power head they were hanging they hung out And then kept moving....I was like stop moving! Your stressing me out. It Finally settled in its current spot and a few days later my clowns were in it. So it was worth it.
You can add an one after coral is in the tank, just be prepared to move coral Out of its way.

 

[RickLRMS]

You can add an one after coral is in the tank, just be prepared to move coral Out of its way.

Thanks for the reply. It was my impression you glue the coral down; how hard is it to move the coral later?

 

[RickLRMS]

I prefer to get the anemone first, let it get settled in the tank over a week or two, and, build enough strength to withstand the clown’s initial pairing with it. Then, add the clowns, assuming they won’t pair immediately (i.e. if you get non-natural pairs like BTAs and Oscellaris). Then, give it a month or two for both to settle on a final location. Finally, add the corals.

This is a new tank and the clownfish were to be my first fish. Still put the anemone in first?

 

[argiBK]

This is a new tank and the clownfish were to be my first fish. Still put the anemone in first?

Most will say to wait at least 6 months to add an anemone to a new tank since it's best to have gotten the tank past it's ugly period, have stabilized your water parameters and have learned what it takes to do so.

My order is only a suggestion, it's perfectly possible to get to the clowns first and then add the anemone later! Especially with a young tank and your first anemone, I'd recommend getting an easier anemone to keep, such as a BTA as they are hardier and more forgiving than others. If you go with the standard Oscellaris clowns, chances are they won't take to the BTA immediately and still give you the week or so needed to get settled before pairing.

Thanks for the reply. It was my impression you glue the coral down; how hard is it to move the coral later?

The general recommendation to wait 6 months for the anemone also applies to corals as they require the same stable water parameters. As you add them, you'll also be futzing around with placement to find each coral's ideal location in the tank, but instead of glueing each coral down, you can also drill the rock and insert the coral plug's stem. Also Cyanoacrylate (super glue gel) doesn't take much effort to dislodge from the rock, so if you need to move it can be done. The more permanent solution would be to use the gel in combination with reef epoxy.

 

[George81]

Thanks for the reply. It was my impression you glue the coral down; how hard is it to move the coral later?

if your using gel super glue its pretty easy to snap the plug off