I can only figure the anemone ate my 5 year old clarki clownfish. I went out of town for the weekend, came home and couldn't find my clownfish anywhere, around the tank, floor, behind the tank ect. I noticed the green bubble tip anemone the clarki was hosted to looked bigger than usual. Has anybody else experienced this? I just cant see that big of a clown being swollowed by an anemone maybe 3 times the fishes size. Things that make you go hmmm.
Green bubbletip feasted on Clarki
- Thread starter Reefer24
- Start date
Slakker
Premium Member
I have never heard of a BTA eating a live fish in someone's tank, let alone a clownfish...and clarkii's are some of the stronger swimmers. I also seem to recall E. Quadricolor being a natural host species for the Clarkii, so IMO it seems unlikely that the anemone is to blame...
Anything else seem out of the ordinary?
Anything else seem out of the ordinary?
In "A Field Guide to Anenomefish and their Host Anenomes", by Fautin and Allen., Clarkiis are the only clown that will use any of the host anenomes. BTA's are the anenome that hosts the most clown species. So a good match.
Three days is more than long enough for a reef to devour a dead fish.
The book is a biology book btw. Biologists don't call them clownfish.
Three days is more than long enough for a reef to devour a dead fish.
The book is a biology book btw. Biologists don't call them clownfish.
stagefright13
New member
Not a chance the BTA ate the clarki. Something else happened.. Look for it in the overflow or sump ya never know.
1337TANKHAX
New member
I don't know if I agree with anyone here. The most insane coincidence here. I was away for the weekend and it seems that my GBTA has swallowed my GSM. I was only gone for two days. I've had that clown in my system for almost a year now, and I added the anemone only a month ago. I have been feeding it very sporadically because it throws up three times a week when I try to feed it krill. So I haven't been feeding very often and I guess he got hungry and now I can't find my clown ANYWHERE. The funny thing is that two weeks ago my new blenny also disappeared. Both very healthy fish that were thriving in my tank until this anemone came along.
1337TANKHAX
New member
I'm sure that mines a gbta. I'm just interested in tagging along and seeing if others have experienced this. Or if anyone is SURE that a bta could/would eat a clown.
1fishkeeper
Premium Member
Was it sick or anything wrong with it that you seen before you left for the weekend. Now if it was sick and wasnt doing well then the BTA could have had it for a meal. That is the only reasoning that I could come up with.
1337TANKHAX
New member
Sorry for the threadjack. :/
Mine had been sick for a couple weeks when I first got it, & I finally found out that for some reason my nem hates when I use cyclopeeze. After that though it has been looking the best that it had ever looked. Even without supplemental feeding. Its about 8 inches from my 70W 14K. I did notice that my clown was swimming less in the nem and more around its foot before I left though. Maybe it wasn't the nems first attempt and thats why my clown was acting funny.
Mine had been sick for a couple weeks when I first got it, & I finally found out that for some reason my nem hates when I use cyclopeeze. After that though it has been looking the best that it had ever looked. Even without supplemental feeding. Its about 8 inches from my 70W 14K. I did notice that my clown was swimming less in the nem and more around its foot before I left though. Maybe it wasn't the nems first attempt and thats why my clown was acting funny.
1337TANKHAX
New member
well ive heard of clowns even hanging half in/half out of the hosting nem's mouth, so couldn't it just decide that it's hungry?
phender
Active member
The sting of a BTA isn't strong enough to catch healthy fish of any kind, much less a clown who has already adapted to the anemone. A clown would have to lose most of its slime coat before the anemone would sting it and even then the BTA's sting is too weak to grab a clownfish.
Unless you can feel the body of the clownfish in the anemone or the bones of the clown have been deposited outside the anemone, your clownfish has either jumped or been consumed by your reef.
Anemones don't decide anything, they don't have a brain. They only react to stimuli. Acclimated clowns don't stimulate the anemone to do anything.
Unless you can feel the body of the clownfish in the anemone or the bones of the clown have been deposited outside the anemone, your clownfish has either jumped or been consumed by your reef.
Anemones don't decide anything, they don't have a brain. They only react to stimuli. Acclimated clowns don't stimulate the anemone to do anything.
1337TANKHAX
New member
well ill be tearing down my tank tomorrow for an extreme cleaning session, as the added bioload of my recently deceased GSM had had a pretty big impact on my tank. if i find anything else that might have been it ill update, but as of right now im still a little skeptical. That clown was completely healthy in my tank for almost a year up until i added that nem. i guess there are a few other things that could have gone wrong though.
It really is a mystery to me. My GBTA is actually split and has 2 mouths, together equalling a softball size. The Clarki has been paired with the GBTA for almost a year and about a week before the fish went missing the anemone split. Could the 2 mouths be more logical for consuming a clown?
