Training clownfish for nem

Methodzx860 · Jan 23, 2022

Hey everyone.

So i have a pair of clowns that ive had for almost a year now. About a month ago i purchased a RBTA and put it in the tank for them. They ignored if for a few monthsnow so Ive decided to get an isolation box and put the clowns and nem in close proximity to speed up the process.

Long story short, they have displayed hosting behavior for the past week. Every night they would sleep in the nem etc. . Now i have reintroduced them into the main tank and .... they wont go near them anemone. They are back to hosting the back corner. How long should i keep them isolated with the nem in the breeder box ? Or should i just allow them to now "discover" the nem on their own in the main tank ? This is the 2nd time i reintroduced after observing the hosting behavior. The first time they where isolated for about 2 nights before being released into display.

Thanks in advance

YOYOYOReefer · Jan 24, 2022

some just wont host. i have several pairs in my reef and most host but there is one pair that just does their own thing

Methodzx860 · Jan 24, 2022

YOYOYOReefer said:
some just wont host. i have several pairs in my reef and most host but there is one pair that just does their own thing

thats the thing though i personally watched them displaying hosting behavior in the isolation box, stubborn lil a****

oceanjunkie · Mar 1, 2022

Came here to ask this same question. When my clowns were through with QT I picked up an rbta and put it and the clowns in a big floating basket in the DT. By next morning the clowns were all up in the bta and I released all into the tank. The clowns went one way and the rbta went another and since then (about 5 months ago) they haven't gone back in.
The nem just split so I grabbed one and put it in the basket and was able to get both clowns in there too. They almost immediately went into the nem. Now I'm wondering how long to leave them in there before releasing them back into the DT. My LFS suggested several weeks to a month. Kinda makes sense....will give them time to build a relationship with the nem, and to forget the stupid spot they had been hanging out in the tank (top corner almost out of sight). Thoughts?
OP, did you have any luck since January?

Methodzx860 · Mar 2, 2022

oceanjunkie said:
Came here to ask this same question. When my clowns were through with QT I picked up an rbta and put it and the clowns in a big floating basket in the DT. By next morning the clowns were all up in the bta and I released all into the tank. The clowns went one way and the rbta went another and since then (about 5 months ago) they haven't gone back in.
The nem just split so I grabbed one and put it in the basket and was able to get both clowns in there too. They almost immediately went into the nem. Now I'm wondering how long to leave them in there before releasing them back into the DT. My LFS suggested several weeks to a month. Kinda makes sense....will give them time to build a relationship with the nem, and to forget the stupid spot they had been hanging out in the tank (top corner almost out of sight). Thoughts?
OP, did you have any luck since January?

Crazy how similar our situation is.

No , sadly. After I reintroduced into the tank after about 2 weeks in isolation they haven't gone back to the nem.

The nem split shortly after as well so I didn't want to stress is til this date . My clowns also host a corner of the tank

I'm thinking about maybe sticking some type of LPS right where they host/sleep to see what happens.

Would love to know how u make it through though if u succeed.

damsels are not mean · Mar 2, 2022

I don't think you can. Either the anemone wants to host them and they want to live in it or they don't. I've seen lots of tales of taping pictures of anemone hosting on the glass or feeding next to the anemone and so on but it seems they just host or don't and sometimes change their mind in 5 years.

oceanjunkie · Mar 3, 2022

Methodzx860 said:
Crazy how similar our situation is.

No , sadly. After I reintroduced into the tank after about 2 weeks in isolation they haven't gone back to the nem.

The nem split shortly after as well so I didn't want to stress is til this date . My clowns also host a corner of the tank

I'm thinking about maybe sticking some type of LPS right where they host/sleep to see what happens.

Would love to know how u make it through though if u succeed.

I guess I'll just leave them in the basket for a while. They look nice and comfy in the anemone. Will try to remember to follow up when I release them all back into the tank.

Nigel35 · Mar 3, 2022

Let the clown decide wether he wants to host the anemone. Arranged marriages don't always work well!

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Mar 3, 2022

oceanjunkie said:
I guess I'll just leave them in the basket for a while. They look nice and comfy in the anemone. Will try to remember to follow up when I release them all back into the tank.

Just let them be. As others have said, it can take years and/or may not ever happen. But keeping the clowns in a smaller area (the basket) is not going to be good for them, and there's no use driving yourself crazy worrying about it. Just like if you bought a puppy to keep your other dog company... If they just don't end up liking each other, you can't force it.