Clown changing hosts, possible?

[redbrick1]

I've got a pair of regular tank bred and raised false clowns....I think...bought from petco. They are rubbing my hammerheads to a slow death. So I bought a BTA hoping they might find the nem a much more attractive option. The Hammerheads are shriveled up and the clowns are laying eggs every 2-3 weeks near by. So has anyone here experienced clowns switching hosts? The nem is approx 4-5 inches across. It's eating almost daily, shrimp, octopus, etc....

(I hope it wil grow bigger fast so the clowns will be more enticed by the nem...of course I have no bases for this idea...)

Any thoughts welcome,...I've had the hammerheads for a few years now and I'd hate to loose it to a pair of clowns.

 

[rssjsb]

Is there any way you can move the hammerhead temporarily? If not, could you cover it with a strawberry basket or something to keep the clowns out of it?

 

[redbrick1]

Is there any way you can move the hammerhead temporarily? If not, could you cover it with a strawberry basket or something to keep the clowns out of it?

Yes it is possible, but extremely inconvenient. Inconvenient in the the sense that the location where the clowns lay their eggs is attached to the same rock that is attached to the hammerheads. I could break off the crowns of hammerhead and relocate them...but man....that would be a major undertaking..... Your second options sounds like a good one...the hammerhead colony is about 8-10 inches across....maybe a bit more. I've got several plastic nets I saved when I buy potatos, tomates, etc...thinking that they might come in handy one day....maybe I construct a mesh box????

See the thing is, when the clown fishes' environment changes...I notice the female get really upset. Last time she destroyed my 5" colony of monti-digits...so the idea with the least amount of impact is probably the best approach. She's mean...very mean. She's attacked my hand when I reach in.... She would also cause such a dust storm all the rocks in the tank would be blanketed with sand leaving several pockets of bare glass beneath.

 

[MikeInToronto]

You'd probably have more luck with a natural host rather than a BTA. I tried switching mine to a non-natural anemone species and the occellaris clowns wouldn't budge from their hammer. The hammer survived so it wasn't too bad.

I've even had a pair of clowns (saddlebacks) that would swim between every surrogate host in the tank as well as their natural carpets; a fluffy paradise.

 

[redbrick1]

You'd probably have more luck with a natural host rather than a BTA. I tried switching mine to a non-natural anemone species and the occellaris clowns wouldn't budge from their hammer. The hammer survived so it wasn't too bad.

I've even had a pair of clowns (saddlebacks) that would swim between every surrogate host in the tank as well as their natural carpets; a fluffy paradise.

Yeah I tried the basket/cage setup...it's definitely a no go. The clowns freaked out....too traumatic. I would love to have a carpet, but I understand those nems get really huge! My tank is only a 58gal....so....not sure what I should do at this point.... The hammers are still holding on....but they are not happy for sure. Any other suggestions? If it weren't for my fiancé...the clowns would gone by now.... As it is now...they are the only two inhabitants...