Clown without an anemone

[AndrewRosenbaum]

I'm a beginner reef keeper and would like to buy some clownfish. I don't think it would be suitable for me to keep anemone as I'm not that experienced yet, but I want them to host my xenias.

Will the clowns aggrivate the xenias, if they actually host it, so much that they will die?
And would an elegance coral be a better host than xenias, both in terms of the coral and the fish's benefit?

I've also got a small green polyped leather, mushrooms, anthelia and zoas. Lighting is 6 T5s, tank size 25 gal.

 

[elegance coral]

I would avoid mixing clowns and elegance corals unless you have an apropriate host for the clowns, so they don't bother the elegance. Clowns can kill any coral, but you're much safer with xenia or shrooms.
You said, "some clowns". You may already know this, but just in case, you don't want to get more than two clowns.

 

[jbax]

like EC said clowns can get to rough for an elegance coral.

ignore my avatar. that was when the clowns were young. now that they are a mature spawning pair. they drop elbows on the elegance coral from the top rope. so i had to put the coral in another tank.

 

[Mongo77]

I seen a few over the years hosting in frogspawn and leathers with no ill effects to the corals.

 

[Nyc Joe]

Mine hosts a Duncan.
Both are Doing great.
The clown feeds a few heads which is great.

 

[hans24hrs]

I have four clowns, 2 percula, 1 black and 1 maroon. I also have 2 elegance in the tank. I did however get the clowns, and corals from someone breaking down their tank due to moving. the previous owner was very experienced and actually had an online business for years. I have not had any problems, nor did he, with the elegance and clowns together. I am sure now that I said that I will lol. You don't have to always have a host coral for the clowns but they do much, much better if they have one.

 

[lucky_snapper]

I have two Ocellaris clowns in my tank and I have a green Haddoni, 2 RBTA, and LTA and they have chosen to host my torch, hammer and frogspawns. They won't even go near any of the nems. I got the clowns from a guy who had a 20 headed frog spwan that they hosted so I am sure that is why they go toward the corals..

 

[ange062]

My true perc hosted to my large frogspawn, and the coral ended up nearly killing the clown!! It had "jaw stuck open" syndrome, was lethargic, and had red spots around it's mouth. I put the clown in a breeder box and it was 100% again in about 2-hrs so I removed the frogspawn (that dang thing stung me really bad a few times anyway!!). Afterwards it hosted to a large zoa colony and it seemed like an OK relationship. My two new clowns haven't taken to a specific coral yet.

Point is, yes, you should be fine without a nem. But every coral / clown combination is different so just keep an eye on them!

 

[AndrewRosenbaum]

So would a frogspawn/hammer be a better host?
I'm wanting to go with easier to care for coral so out of elegance, frogspawn and a hammer, which do you think is the hardiest coral?

 

[velvetelvis]

So would a frogspawn/hammer be a better host?
I'm wanting to go with easier to care for coral so out of elegance, frogspawn and a hammer, which do you think is the hardiest coral?

Elegance would probably be the most difficult, followed by torch, and then frogspawn. But my personal favorite "host coral" for clownfish is toadstool leathers (Sarchophyton). Some of them look quite-anemone like when they get bigger, and they can't hurt your clowns (by stinging them, for example). Your clowns are also unlikely to hurt the toadstool, since they don't have a skeleton like LPS; and IME, the toadstool quickly gets used to the clownfish wiggling around in it. If you do a search on YouTube you'll see a number of videos of clownfish being hosted by toadstool leathers.

 

[Dukester]

a torch coral is a good faux host, my false perc hosts its fairly roughly and the coral still looks great.

 

[Dukester]

Heres mine goin at it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keycIZ22TJ8 - Clownfish with torch coral

 

[AndrewRosenbaum]

Elegance would probably be the most difficult, followed by torch, and then frogspawn. But my personal favorite "host coral" for clownfish is toadstool leathers (Sarchophyton). Some of them look quite-anemone like when they get bigger, and they can't hurt your clowns (by stinging them, for example). Your clowns are also unlikely to hurt the toadstool, since they don't have a skeleton like LPS; and IME, the toadstool quickly gets used to the clownfish wiggling around in it. If you do a search on YouTube you'll see a number of videos of clownfish being hosted by toadstool leathers.

Yeah, I've heard of clowns hosting to sarcophyton, but my current leather is just a frag green polyped leather so I'll probably bu a big long polyped one. Will their polyps retracts from them being ruffled by the clowns?

The clowns at my lfs all live in the hammer, torch and frogspawn tank so I think they are pretty tolerant to the coral in that tank.

 

[velvetelvis]

Yeah, I've heard of clowns hosting to sarcophyton, but my current leather is just a frag green polyped leather so I'll probably bu a big long polyped one. Will their polyps retracts from them being ruffled by the clowns?

The clowns at my lfs all live in the hammer, torch and frogspawn tank so I think they are pretty tolerant to the coral in that tank.

They seem to get used to it pretty quickly. After four or five days, the sarcophyton I kept with my clarkiis stayed open no matter how much the female (she wouldn't let her mate into it!) snuggled around in it. The funny thing is that it still retracted its polyps if anything else (a hermit crab, or me) touched it. It's interesting that a cnidarian that hasn't evolved to host clownfish can apparently still "learn" to tolerate their presence, and even (again, apparently) distinguish between them and other invaders.

 

[wolfador]

mine host my jager heater...

 

[Mike_Noren]

apropriate host for the clowns

Clowns also stress symbiotic anemones, sometimes to death. Been there, done that, repeatedly. They really are best kept alone.

 

[AndrewRosenbaum]

What about macro algae? haha