Anemone for my True Percula Pair?

smoney

smoney

Active member
Well, I got a pair of True Percula clowns, and I thought, that they just might take a liking to my Ricordeas which are pretty huge, but no such luck. They are looking for something to host so I was thinking about going with a RBTA.

I know that most anemones move around the tank, but my question is, Is there some way I could put it in a certain spot and make it stay somehow? Is there a technique to making an anemone stay in a spot? feeding it or something?
 
Entacmaea quadricolor would be a poor choice for a pair of Amphiprion percula. It is not one of their natural hosts and they rarely accept it as a surrogate host in captivity.

The following anemones are natural hosts for Percula clownfish: Heteractis crispa; H. magnifica; Stichodactyla gigantea. Of those, only H. crispa would be suitable for your 50-gal tank.

BTA's do move around more than most anemones but they move for the same reasons that any anemone moves -- to find a more suitable spot in the tank.

You might want to read this article for tips on how to care for an anemone.

Good luck!

:D
 
Thanks alot, that was pretty helpful. Just for my own reference, H. Crispa is a Sebae Anemone right?
 
Yeah, sebae is a common name for H. crispa. Sometimes that is the common name for H. malu too, but those are not commonly seen in the trade. If you decide on H. crispa, do your research. There are lots of bleached ones offered for sale and also dyed ones. Stay away from either of those.
 
I'm in the same situation as smoney and read the article posted above. Is it true you can't place any coral within a foot of H. Crispa? I would like to have my A. Perculas and anemone with other coral, is it possible?
 
Because anemones are much more difficult to keep than clownfish, the questions you should as are:
Which anemone will do well in my tank? and of these anemones, which anemone would function as host to my clowns?
Commonly available host anemones are:

S. gigantea and H. magnifica are natural host for A. percula are very difficult to keep and should not be attempt unless you really know what you are doing.

H. crispa and H. malu are natural host to P. percula also and are easier, but still difficult, to keep. They require a sand bed as the live in the sand.

S. haddoni are not natural host but most A. percula would do well with these also. They are sand bed anemone also (I saw one mature S. haddoni the prefer to live on the rock which is highly unusual)

E. quadricolor are not natural host of A. percula but easiest to keep in aquarium, and readily available. Many host A. percula in captivity.

Of these anemones, H. magnifica (sometime) and E. quadricolor (likely) cause A. percula to fade in color. There is no guarantee that a non-natural host anemone will host your clownfish. It may take months for the fish to move in one of these non-natural host (or maybe not at all).

So, the next question is does your tank have a sand bed in it? and how much light and current you have in your tank? Are you willing to change these to take care of the anemone you selected?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14012642#post14012642 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefKeeperRob
I'm in the same situation as smoney and read the article posted above. Is it true you can't place any coral within a foot of H. Crispa? I would like to have my A. Perculas and anemone with other coral, is it possible?
Click to expand...
By same situation, I assume you mean that you have a pair of Percula clownfish but have not yet acquired a host anemone for them.

H. crispa, as previously mentioned, is a natural host for these clownfish. E. quadricolor, while not a natural host, is sometimes accepted as a surrogate host; however, it is not a sure bet that it will be accepted by Perculas.

With any anemone, you should leave enough room around it so that when it is fully expanded, it will not make contact with surrounding corals. When doing this, take into consideration future growth of the anemone and the surrounding corals. There is always the distinct possibility that your anemone will not like the spot you have chosen for it and will move to a different, less spaceous location. This is especially true of E-quads, which are known for wandering around until they are satisfied that they have arrived at the best location available.

The reason you want to leave space between the anemone and the corals is not to protect the anemone, it's to protect the corals.

Good luck!

:D
 
My true perc pair just found the sebae (H.Crispa) i put in yesterday

206490DSC_0019.jpg
 
My onyx perc hosts a rbta. It is captive bred and only took a couple weeks to dive right in. Natural hosts to true percs present many problems that are very difficult for the average aquarists to overcome. They are too large, require extremely bright lighting, are very poor shippers, very expensive, etc. that is why so many will choose a bta. There is no gurantee your fish will host but many have had success with them hosting bta's.
 
My onyx were hosting in RBTA but the color faded very bad. Almost all orange. I kept the clowns from the RBTA while I was in the process of selling the RBTA and the color has come back some, although it hasn't recover the jet black when I first got it.
I'm looking into getting a carpet now since I can't stand the clowns not having anything to host.
 
OrionN - I thought H. Crispa is a natural host to A. Percula. I'd like to know the answer to this because I plan on buying both in the not so distant future.
 
I think H. crispa is a natural host of A. percula and you will not have any problem get them to into a H. crispa.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
percula pair
Replies
15
Views
1K
game misconduct
G
M
My Petco Clarkii Pair Laid Eggs
Replies
18
Views
2K
Dustin07
D
ClownBubbaJoe
Help To Build A Dream Anemone & Host Fish, Crab & Volcano Tank.
Replies
14
Views
165
vlangel
vlangel
B
Ritteri Swollen Mouth
Replies
8
Views
632
Bakeman
B
R
Clownfish in a small tank
Replies
13
Views
2K
Reefing102
Reefing102
Back
Top