Any way to help the hosting process along?

[Jeff]

I have a second tank with a pair of black percs and an RBTA. All are doing well but after a couple weeks the clowns have not found their host. I know that this is a shot in the dark but is there a way to help things along? Anybody have any ideas?

 

[Jeff]

Anybody?

 

[57vert]

As you will read in other threads, tank bred clowns may never catch on.

My percs only started hosting a RBTA two days ago after having them 5 months.

Patience, patience, patience.

I have heard of no way to hurry the process along.

 

[ILLiDaN]

jeff so did you RBTA end up splitting or was it a false alarm?

 

[Jeff]

It did, twice. I think the shock of going from T5's to halides may have caused it. It did it only once before when I took it from halides to T5's.

 

[ILLiDaN]

Wow thats pretty cool

 

[salty316]

Competition from rival clowns can help. I had a similar issue, until I printed off a picture of another clown and placed it against the glass. It took a few seconds and now they're inseparable.

 

[Jeff]

WOW, I never thaught of that lol. I should print off a pic of my marron clown thats in a different tank and use that to scare them into the anemone.
Thanks for the tip.

 

[fittiger]

If you don't have any other corals/sessile inverts in the tank this might work. It did with mine.

My clowns hung out mostly in a certain area of the tank. So I moved the rock with the anemone to that area. The next day the male was popping in and out of the anemone. I moved the rock back to where it was originally and the male followed it. The female did shortly after.

 

[ILLiDaN]

let us know how that goes jeff

 

[vegaskid11]

I have a pair of percs and a pair of maroons both of which I got as juvenile and both of witch immediately began hosting nems. Three months ago I bought a lion fish for my reef (more like rescued the fish) and the guy threw in his last survivor which was a badly beat up and near death adult maroon. After he was in my system for around three weeks he was again healthy with color and no torn fins. He has never attempted to host. I two open BTAs and one open capet along with tons of frogspwan and he never seems remotely intersted in them. He just cruises the tank like a damn chromis. Both of my other pairs of clowns have never been outside of there nems perimeter. I could probably put a 12 x 12 box around them and they wouldnt know the difference.

I dont think he will ever host anything.

 

[fittiger]

ILLiDaN...is that perc for real in your avatar?

 

[ILLiDaN]

Tell you the truth i don't know lol

 

[Jeff]

Well, I got a PM from Mojo Jojo (Joey), he suggested I put the clowns and the anemone in close quarters so I did. I put them all in a gallon size bowl and actually used my hand to gently push the clowns into the anemone without too much stress. I did this for about 20 minutes and they seemed fine. I then put them all back in their tank and the clowns went back to their origional spot which is hovering under the Sea Swirl lol.
I think I will let nature take it's course...

 

[taylor t]

When I got my rod's clown babies, he told me to acclimate them in a gallon or a bag together, and they should host quickly. I put them in a bowl with almost no choice but to swim in the nem. Then added a little water every once in a while to make it deeper. Then I just let them go and they were hosting together. Took about 2 hours though. Just my experience.

 

[Jeff]

I may pull the clowns and anemone out again tomarrow and put them in a small container again until they host or an hour passes. Or I may just do nothing and let nature take its course. I dont know why I am so impatient with this.

 

[Tang Salad]

Another option: At night when all lights are off, including ambient lights in the room, shine a focused flashlight directly onto the anemone. Keep it there for a while. Often the clowns will go to investigate, and 'discover' the anemone that way. You may have to do this several nights in a row.

It worked for me with a maroon and a BTA.

 

[taylor t]

I did the same thing as Tang Salad, only I cupped the clowns and "forced" them to swim into a nem. (forgot about this way). they took to it almost immediately. When it was dark, and they swim sideways at the top of the tank, almost "intoxicated" like, cup or "catch" them, shine a light on the nem, and "force" them to swim in it. It was a gentle coax, and they stayed there all night, and day there after. Good luck.