Fantastic video of clowns in the Marshall Islands

[Winwood]

Just a wonderful video displaying really great, natural scenes that I'd love to replicate in the home aquarium. I've always wanted a cube tank with nothing but a haddon's carpet and nothing else. Well the carpet and the fish that go with it of course.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_dSPdjhKj0

 

[Sagz70]

That is an amazing video, wish I could have a huge anemone with multiple clowns hosting it like that!

 

[iClown]

Thanks for the amazing video!

 

[SDguy]

Wow, so much life around one solitary anemone at the beginning of the video!

Are those tricinctus at the end? I love that sort of half black look.

 

[Daniel62]

So what are we missing? Why can clowns be in groups like this in the wild, but we have such a hard time keeping them in groups in our tanks. Is it simply tank volume?
Great video.

 

[Ron Popeil]

i would say the bigger issue is the threat of predation in our home aquariums. without that, the dominant clownfish can chase their insubordinates all over the tank, well away from the anemone, where as this would be very risky in the wild.

great video colt. maybe the chrysopterus from that video are now in your aquarium!

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Wow! Absolutely wonderful. Thanks for sharing that!

 

[phender]

So what are we missing? Why can clowns be in groups like this in the wild, but we have such a hard time keeping them in groups in our tanks. Is it simply tank volume?
Great video.

In addition to what Jordon said, what we don't see in a quick snap shot like that is that the population of the subordinate clowns is somewhat dynamic with lower ranking fish being chased out and others being recruited.

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

Great vid,I liked the H mag and pink skunks.

 

[Winwood]

Yeah Peter those are tricinctus. One interesting thing I've read about is that generally only juvenile tricinctus are found in the haddonis in the area. Very few adult breeders inhabit these anemones. This might help explain the extreme population densities seen in them.

With tricinctus accepting a large number of species as hosts, perhaps as they mature they go in search of other species that leave them less exposed to predation like E. quadricolor, H. crispa and S. mertensi.

Also as a side note, Fautin and Allen never listed S. haddoni as a host species in their book.

 

[Daniel62]

Good info guys thanks

 

[phender]

Wow, so much life around one solitary anemone at the beginning of the video!

Are those tricinctus at the end? I love that sort of half black look.

Yes, and the first two groups are tricinctus as well. The amount of black on the them is quite variable.

..............

Also as a side note, Fautin and Allen never listed S. haddoni as a host species in their book.

That's probably because they don't list S. haddoni ranging as far as the Marshall Islands. It's a little strange since they don't seem to be uncommon there and Gerald Allen did a clownfish study there in the 1970's. To be fair though, anemones were not classified the same as they are today, but still.....

 

[Throttle]

Sweet vid thanks for sharing

 

[hobogato]

i hope you dont mind if i add this video that i came across today

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT2jeGcjPkU

same anemone and same diver a year later

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQh84u0N04o&feature=youtu.be

 

[Winwood]

Man that anemone is incredible! Thanks for posting!

 

[SDguy]

Jaw dropping! So what gives the anemone that color in its tissue? And what is the evolutionary benefit to it?