Clownfish do the darndest things

[NicoleC]

My baby clowns (okay, they aren't babies any more at over 1 1/2 years, but I think of them that way) have been showing an unusual amount of attention to one area of rock, even digging out a hollow in the sand there. They sailed through the bickering period a few months ago and are a true couple now. So I have been thinking they may be playing house, as clowns sometime do for a few months before spawning. No rock cleaning yet, though, but there's no suitable smooth spot there. I guess it's time to get these babies a piece of ceramic tile, I thought.

Today, the two were in there nook all morning - unusual, for them. I finally went over and looked at that section of rock more closely. I have a group of hitchhiker corynactis anemones there... ones that survived 4 days in freezing conditions on that rock. Hardy little guys.

I guess the clowns have found some "hosts!"

As I sat here and typed this, the male went over and experimentally rubbed himself against a lobophyllia. Perhaps the appearance of these hitchhikers has triggered some sort of instinctual response?

 

[Tomoko Schum]

I wish my clowns will wake up and smell the corals

My pair host one of locklines or the side of an overflow in 120. They ignore every corals in the tank. A single clownfish in my 15G is hosting my zoanthid covered rock. It wedges itself in a small crack in the rock.

Tomoko

 

[Harbour]

My clown seems to want to let my arm become the host -everytime I clean the tank - bites the fire out of me!

Harbour

 

[prncalbrt]

thats a cool thing nicole, what is the purpose of the ceramic tile? I have a pair of maroons that are finaly a couple, but other than that I wouldnt know what to do if they even got it right lol......they both are hosts in a carpet anem that is about 12 across .... and mine bite the blue scrubby whenever I use it to clean the glass....

 

[timrandlerv10]

tile=egg substrate

 

[prncalbrt]

Nicole, everything going ok out there in hartselle. Have not seen you post much lately.

 

[NicoleC]

My clown seems to want to let my arm become the host -everytime I clean the tank - bites the fire out of me!

She's just defending her turf. Your arm is the invader! I suggest elbow length gloves. Females kept alone tend to be more aggressive than couples.

I have a pair of maroons that are finaly a couple, but other than that I wouldnt know what to do if they even got it right lol......

You don't have to do anything. The larvae won't survive without some serious intervention on your part. Without, it's free coral and fish and anemone food.

And as Tim said yes, the tile is to give them a place to lay their eggs. Any smooth section of rock will do, though, I just don't have any and they do love the tile. My old clowns laid eggs on the stem of their frogspawn host until I got them a small clay flowerpot saucer... they transferred their attentions about as soon as I got my arm out of the tank.

they both are hosts in a carpet anem that is about 12 across .... and mine bite the blue scrubby whenever I use it to clean the glass...

I hope that's either a typo or a joke.

If your maroons are biting you and aren't drawing blood, they are just love bites. Wait until they get mad at you or the female is 6" long. Or they have eggs.

Nicole, everything going ok out there in hartselle. Have not seen you post much lately.

Just stupid busy, but everything is fine.

 

[stephish]

I have a tomato that is trying to wear out his BTA, he does not leave the anemone, period. He wallows in it by day and sleeps in it at night.

 

[prncalbrt]

no it was no joke about the carpet, its pretty big and they both love it.....and she does bite the scrubby but i dont use it anymore.

 

[sb1227]

My 5 year old "babies" (I got them when there were tiny so I still think of mine as babies, as well ) have decided to make this summer the time to "populate the sea". They began laying sometime in May and have been laying more eggs almost as soon as the existing ones have hatched. Poor things are looking a bit "tired". They have bred for a few years, but this year has been a little ridiculous.
They always called the piece of pvc pipe I had them in when they were small home, until I moved them into the 120 gallon tank last October. Now they host in my basketball sized Caulastrea and lay eggs on the same couple of branches. Funny, I've had that Caulastrea for years and they didn't touch it till I moved them.

Glad to know they'll have some "help" in the repopulation process.

 

[NicoleC]

If they are laying regularly, you need to be sure they are getting plenty of high quality food. Clowns can work themselves to death laying eggs, especially if they are spawning more than natural.

 

[NicoleC]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10678683#post10678683 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by prncalbrt
no it was no joke about the carpet, its pretty big and they both love it.....and she does bite the scrubby but i dont use it anymore.

My brain is fried. I could have sworn you were saying you use the carpet anemone to clean the glass...

 

[Nitroq2]

LMAO!!

 

[prncalbrt]

LMAO !!!! your a mess woman. i dont even like to touch that thing much less use it to clean something.

 

[NicoleC]

Now you understand my comments about how I hoped you were joking!

 

[prncalbrt]

lol....yes i did, thats the first thing to make me laugh in awhile.