Clown-eating carpets?

[Chelsey]

I am setting up a snowflake/anemone tank and I was contemplating getting a small carpet for the clowns to host in. However, I DO NOT want to lose my snowflakes to an anemone. I know they eat other fish, but the clowns will be the only other thing in this tank. Has anyone ever had a carpet eat their clowns?

 

[phender]

Yes, it is possible for any anemone to eat a clownfish if the clown does not acclimate itself properly.

Of all the host anemones, haddoni (saddle) carpets are the most likely it eat a non-acclimated clown.

 

[elegance coral]

I wouldn't worry about a host anemone eating your clowns. It can happen, but I could hit the lottery too. If your fish are healthy they should be fine.

 

[Chelsey]

how does a clownfish acclimate to an anemone?

 

[phender]

Some of the more robust clowns like clarkis will just swim right in and get stung a little. The more they move around in the anemone the more anemone slime they get on them and the less they get stung.

The more delicate clowns like ocellaris and percula will swim very close to the anemone and sort of move their fins to bring water from the anemone to them. They will also brush against the base of the anemone (away from the tentacles) for a while before braving the tentacles.

There seem to be two thoughts as to why clowns don't get stung. One is that the clown's slime coat is chemically slightly different than other fish and doesn't trigger the anemone to sting (at least not as much). The other theory is that the clown obtains the slime from the anemone and coats itself with it. Still others think that it is a combination of both and may be slightly different for different clowns (the slime layer of clarkis for example seems to be thicker than other clowns) and for that matter different fish. There are other fish like some damsels, wrasses and even cardinals that can associate with anemones during certain stages of their lives.

 

[Vi3tKid420]

they have a layer that protects them for an anemones sting, as long as they are healthy in the tank then they should be fine. rarely happens

 

[speckled trout]

I've always heard it's because they have an unusually thick slime coat.

 

[Zaita]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13495881#post13495881 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by phender
There are other fish like some damsels, wrasses and even cardinals that can associate with anemones during certain stages of their lives.

Indeed. Bangaii fry will be hosted by an anemone for protection. Oddly enough, my adult female Bangaii is quite fond of my H.Crispa and is capable of burying herself in it with no problems. The anemone is 1ft across so it's hardly a small one.