Clowns Hosting......maybe......

stylolvr

stylolvr

New member
I have a pair of true Percula clowns in a 55gal with a purple-tip Sebae anemone, and they seem like they are interested, but just not quite enough. The defend the area around the anemone, but I have not ever seen them actually touch it. They swim near it (within an inch or so) and look at it, but won't take the plunge. The Sebae is about 4" in diameter, and the clowns are about 2 1/2" and 2". Can I do anything to help them find their way in, or is it just a waiting game?

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
I wouldn't do anything yet. Try to get the anemone to grow a bit faster by feeding it. Those clowns might beat up the anemone by playing in it too roughly if they jump in now. But, to get them to host, you may want to try not feeding the fish for a day or two, then squirt some anemone food into the anemone with a turkey baster. This may cause the clowns to go after the food and touch the anemone. They may realize what it is and stay in there.
 
I would just wait. Personally, I just let my clowns find the anemone on their own -- anemones can have very powerful stings, so I like the clowns to find it on their own, so that the chance of them getting eating is almost zero.

That is pretty small for a Sebae, so like was mentioned above I would try to get it to grow a bit more. Also, what color is it? Haven't seen a healthy one that small in a long time.
 
It is about 4" or so in diameter. It was pretty white with purple tips when I got is, but parts of it have started to darken a bit to a greyish color. It has dug into the sand in a great spot in the tank, and it is under 4x65W Dual Satelites.

I have silversides that I cut up for my brittle stars, would that be OK to feed this guy too? Or should I try to get it some more mysis? When I feed the tank, the clowns and some other fish will actually take food from the tentacles. I don't want to overfeed, but I do want to make sure that it is getting plenty of food.

Thank you all for the help. My wife is dying to see them wiggle in the nem.
 
Silversides, squid, shrimp (fresh table shrimp), or mysis are all likely to be eaten by the anemone. It's good that it is darkening in color. That suggests that the zooxanthellae are growing back. Sebae anemones (Heteractis crispa) aren't the easiest things to keep successfully. However, once established, they can be quite hardy. You might want to research the care of that species. BTW, true percs are natural symbionts with H. crispa, so hopefully they know that;-)
 
Maybe I can send them a memo......

I am thinking about trying a picture of the fish in the nems on the outside of the tank. Some have had some success with it - worth a shot I guess.
 
Finally got around to taking a few pics of the nem and perculas. They still have not touched it (at least when I was around), but they sure are curiuos about it, and are rarely more than about a foot away.

Here are the clowns hanging out by the nem.
209687Clowns_and_Anemone_small.JPG


And a close-up of the nem. The tips are tipped in purple/blue, and there is a neat striped pattern around the mouth.
209687Anemone_small.jpg


Does this nem have any chance of survival? It has been in the same spot for over a month now, and reacts when I get close while cleaning the tank. It will occasionally eat a mysis or two, but usually doesn't, and won't have anything to do with small pieces of silversides. I guess I need to get some squid or shrimp to try.
 
Very bleached anemone, possibly H. malu. It's hard to tell, but it looks like little rings on the tentacles, like is characteristic of malu. And, yes, it certainly has a chance with proper lighting and regular small feedings. Either squid, shrimp, or silversides would work. Just make sure the pieces are small, no larger than a pea.
 
They could in your tank, but H. malu isn't a natural percula host. At this point, it's just as well, the anemone is small and doesn't need the aggravation of a pair of clowns. BTW, those clowns look like ocellaris to me in the pic, but it's so small, I can't say w certainty.
 
So I noticed today that the nem has some dark red/maroon color at the bottom of the base. One side of the disc was lifted up a little, and I could see just a bit of red/marron between the rock and the sand, but definately on the base of the nem.

I thought to myself, nems don't have blood, much less red blood, so this must be color coming back to it, right? Please tell me I am not full of false hope.....
 
Well, I happened to be driving by a LFS yesterday, so I swung in and they had some really nice green BTAs. I brought one home, and it is doing very well so far. The clowns looked at it funny when I first put it in, but haven't quite taken the plunge yet.

The funny thing is, is that everything I read about BTA's was that they liked to wedge their foot into a crevice in a rock and leave the tentacles out. I placed it on a rock about mid-level in the tank, and it started to move immediately. I woke up this morning to find it hanging upside-down under that same rock and fully extended. It doesn't seem to be moving any more, but the base is basically vertical and the tentacles and mouth are facing towards the front of the tank. I think the Perc's are curious, but just don't understand why it is hanging upside down. I don't either........
 
is it under your rock? i bought a rbta 2 days ago now and the first day he moved around and then when i woke the next day he was under the rock i put him on and hanging completly upside down. i read almost everything i could find b4 buying it and ive read that for the first couple days it will go out of light-especially if its a vho or metal halide, because its just getting used to the tank. i heard also that when you add one in you should do it with your lights off. i thought the opposite, but thats whats been told to me. last night he came out and is in a "normal" position now with his foot between two rocks. i think you just need to give him time and let him do his thing :)
 
I have two Ocellaris Clownfish, and bought a Seabae about a month later. It took almost a year, but first one, then a month or so later the other took up residence, and now they rarely leave except to feed. I never thought I would see them host but it finally happened.

BTW, my Seabae looked similar to your pictures when I brought him home. It wasn't until I actually did some reading that I discovered that the beautiful white coloring was because of a lack of proper lighting (quite common in LFS.)

I know, I should have read up BEFORE I brought it home. Within weeks he turned a nice shade of khaki and has been so ever since.
 
The Sebae is still in the tank, and actually ate a small piece of krill this morning! YAY!!!! That's a good sign I guess, as this is the first thing he has eaten since I got him.

The BTA is still hanging upside down, but ate some mysis last night and is open with tentacles extended. Still no hosting, but they are (I think/hope) they are looking more curiously at it.
 
My GBTA did the same. I set it on a rock, it moved immediatley and hung from underneath a ledge, upside down. It extend sbeyond the rock and out in th eopen, but the foot remains on the underside of the ledge. Its been there since we added it a couple weeks ago.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14190252#post14190252 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pherbert

BTW, my Seabae looked similar to your pictures when I brought him home. It wasn't until I actually did some reading that I discovered that the beautiful white coloring was because of a lack of proper lighting (quite common in LFS.)
Click to expand...

The process of collecting the anemone from the wild, shipping it in nasty water in total darkness for a few days, and then putting it into a system with other anemones really stresses the anemone. The sub-par lighting of LFS won't bleach an anemone instantly. It takes weeks or months for an anemone to totally bleach from low light.

BTAs will hang upside down, kind of in a "J" shape. Now that you have two different anemones in your system, keep up with the water changes and think about running some carbon if you're not doing so already. Anemones will release chemicals to stop other ones from encroaching near them. These chemicals can really cause stress, and you want to limit that as much as possible with your bleached malu.
 
So the clowns moved into the GBTA this afternoon - only 2 days! The female seemed a bit timid and wouldn't let the male in for a while, and the nem got a bit irritated at first, but all is well now. They are both cuddled up nicely for the night inside the nem. The wife loves it!
 
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