Anemone QUESTIONS

S

svoccio

New member
Hello
I recently introduced an Anemone into my tank for my Maroon Clown. I have been watching it and the clown seems to be in the investigating mode. He swims up to the Anemone but will not make contact with it. I also noticed that the Anemone stays on its side...It will not stay in a spot where its tenticles are fully exposed for the clown. This morning i found it under some of my live rock on its side. Any ideas?? I want it to stay exposed on my live rock so the clown has a chance to make contact with it. I know water flow is an issue for the Anemone. I have a power head creating current accross the front of the tank ....could the current be too strong? The Anemone seems to hide itself

thank you
scott
 
Not knowing what species of anemone we are talking about, it sounds like a sand dwelling species that had not been able to dig in.

It is certainly not a BTA or the Maroon would not have wasted 10 seconds before cuddling up.

Picture or species will be necessary to provide more info/advice, etc.
 
well the guy at the LFS told me it was perfect for a maroon. It has a 1 inch base that is orange and long white tenticles.. But i think the reason the maroon is not going inside it is because the anemone has been on its side trying ot move close to the rock. could it be possible that the current is too strong in the front of the tank? I have a 400gpm power head in my tank. My tank is a 46 gal bowfront and i have the powerhead facing across the front of the tang creating a pretty strong current that the fish love
 
IMO it does not matter what position the anemone is in, my clowns are always in it. I have a friend that has a pink tip that hides under the rock and the clowns still frolic like little school girls. It just needs time. Some captive breed clowns do not have the natural instict to host in the anemones like wild caught. And some still never take on that role. Time will only provide your answers. Doesn't sound like a problem from your anemone though
 
Not all LFS guys have a clue about what they are selling you. Such flow is not the problem and a Maroon would not care if it was upside down, etc., if it was a BTA.

From the description and commonly available species, you likely have one of the following:

1. M. doreensis, aka Long Tentacled Anemone, likely bleached. Typically costs more then $25.
2. Condylactis gigantea, aka Condy. An Atlantic anemone which clownfish do not naturally host in. If the price was less then $15 this one is likely your specimen.
3. H. crisp, aka Leathery, Long Tentacled, Sebae Anemone. likely bleached. Typically costs more then $25.

Regardless of the species, I would return the specimen and get a BTA, E. quadricolor. BTAs are far more tolerant while we learn to keep anemones and they are a preferred hosting anemone for Maroon clowns.

Head over here for some data on keeping the critters:

http://www.carlosreef.com/AnemoneFAQ.pdf
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7697356#post7697356 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NuccaTree
Some captive breed clowns do not have the natural instict to host in the anemones like wild caught.
Click to expand...
This is an urban myth.
 
I agree with NuccaTree, there have been times that my bta hangs upside down on the LR and my pair of clowns still hosting in it. Darting in and out. I'd say just give the anemone sometime to adjust itself, finding a spot it likes and attach. The Clown may take some time before it host. My pair didn't host for almost 3 weeks. I've heard that it can take longer.

The ball in pretty much in their court, all you can really do, is trying to provide a good enviornment, i.e. water quality, sufficient lighting for them.
 
well.. it does take a few hours for the clown to build up a slime coat so it can enter the anemone. mine will lightly touch it and graze it until it stops getting stung....
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7699083#post7699083 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TOURKID
well.. it does take a few hours for the clown to build up a slime coat so it can enter the anemone. mine will lightly touch it and graze it until it stops getting stung....
Click to expand...
Have yet to see the research paper documenting such a theory. There are however, numerous examples of specimens instantly adopting a hosting anemone, even captive bred specimens which never came near an anemone prior to hosting. Here is a recent post for example:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7672521#post7672521 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by adtravels
....We took the fish down in plastic bags and introduced them to specially made cages that were placed over the anemones, there were wrasses and groupers queing up for a free feed but not one of the two hundred we released that day were taken. Amazingly these fish who had never seen an anemone all hosted instantly, amazing what the presence of a hungry predator can do!
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, much of what we "know" in this hobby is based on minimal occurences and not documented through repeated experimentation.
 
Okay, I just went out and bought a pair of tomato clowns to try out a thought. they were tank raised. Just introduced together this week and not paired before then. popped them in the tank, the one went directly in the anemone, the other one got lost and nested in a large mushroom, oops, but then once it saw the other clown in the anemone, it joined it.

so in conclussion, some are just ingorant! IMO
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7697356#post7697356 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NuccaTree
Some captive breed clowns do not have the natural instict to host in the anemones like wild caught. And some still never take on that role.
Click to expand...
Very interesting information. I have never heard of that before. Have any references to that?

....We took the fish down in plastic bags and introduced them to specially made cages that were placed over the anemones, there were wrasses and groupers queing up for a free feed but not one of the two hundred we released that day were taken. Amazingly these fish who had never seen an anemone all hosted instantly, amazing what the presence of a hungry predator can do!
Click to expand...
A tank full of hungry predators will only further drive a clownfish to host an anemone.



At the lfs I work at, I had a Ocellaris pair in a coral tank with a Sebae anemone present. The clown pair had no interest in any sessile invert. All they did was hang out in a high corner and swam in the indirect current and ate. One day we added a large Niger Trigger to the tank because this one was for sale and it was previously in a reef tank(we knew it was reef safe). Almost instantly, the pair of Ocellaris took to the Sebae. They never left it again. Even when it was feeding time they were still really cautious. It was a sight to see. I wish I video recorded that.
 
Nice to read all this great info, buuuut the anemone is a green/pale LTA. I buy them all the time,sell at $36.00. The disk is the size of a salad plate. they can appear marbled,light tan, or greenish. I have become leary of them because I could almost (almost) swear one swallowed a maroon clownfish of mine. I don't believe that ANY clownfish will host with ANY anemone, might be that i've never tried the panther grouper test. I have tried the tiger moray eel test, didn't work. Well, that's my 2 cents
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7700962#post7700962 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rockhead21564
Nice to read all this great info, buuuut the anemone is a green/pale LTA. I buy them all the time,sell at $36.00. The disk is the size of a salad plate. they can appear marbled,light tan, or greenish. I have become leary of them because I could almost (almost) swear one swallowed a maroon clownfish of mine. I don't believe that ANY clownfish will host with ANY anemone, might be that i've never tried the panther grouper test. I have tried the tiger moray eel test, didn't work. Well, that's my 2 cents
Click to expand...
Any with Any is a bit extreme, but my A. polymnus are 8 for 8 including 2 non-hosting anemone species :)

Why would you need to buy LTA "all the time"?

Frankly, there is not quite enough information regarding svoccio's specimen to do anything but guess at the species.
 
well, at least you dont have a Tube Anenome, that thing doesnt host anything, other than its food.

Anyone heard of tube anenomies hosting?
 
If you scour the web you'll see a photo or two of clowns hosting in tube anemones and feather duster worms. Clowns are not always picky and it is quite amazing how some retractile critters can build up a tolerance :)
 
Traveller7,

I do aquarium maintenance and sale fish/inverts/corals to my customers. That is why "I NEED TO BUY ALL THE TIME". 5500 post on RC shouldn't make you snotty nor a know it all. I state that by his very detailed description and my experience as far as whats being pushed heavily by the wholesales network, in all likelihood (99.9%) it is what is being sold as a green LTA. Thank you for trying to condesend my thoughts.
 
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