Clown Biting Anemone

[IFbettas]

I got a new gbta for my pair of ocellaris clowns yesterday. I put it in their territory, and now today the female is very interested in it. The thing is that she keeps biting it, sometimes even pulling off very small pieces of flesh. Is it normal for her to do this while acclimating to the anemone? She isn't burying her self in it like you see most clowns doing once they get used to their host, so she is definately still getting used to it. Also, she is already clearing off a spot of rock under the anemone, do you think my clowns might want to breed? Thanks.

 

[IFbettas]

Now the clown is biting it so aggressively that it has shrunk up from its 6 or so inch diameter to a mere 2 or 3. Do you think he will stop? Or should I move the anemone? What will happen if he doesn't stop?

 

[Lmecher]

This is not common but it does happen. You should protect the anemone how ever you can. I had a clown that would suck on the tentacles but it didn't bite them off.

 

[IFbettas]

Now I moved the anemone to my other tank which doesn't have any fish at all in it. The clown harassed it so much that it was spitting all kind of things out of its mouth. Does this mean that the clown is just not compatible with anemones?

 

[Avgou]

It is suggested that GBTA be placed in the tank prior to buying the Clowns for a good couple months for it to acclimate and not be bothered buy overly aggressive clowns.

Mine did this for a bit and then it calmed down. Is it big enough to host them? That may be the problem.

 

[IFbettas]

It is a good 6 inches across, and the clowns are about 1.5 to 2 inches long, so I think it is big enough for them to host.

I would have preferred to have the nem in before the clowns, but the clowns were the first fish in the tank over 2 years ago.