Host.. In a Condi?

[Bmgrocks]

Just got a condi today, and planning on getting 2 clowns

1 black ocellaris and 1 regular,

I don't mind them not hosting in it, but would they?

Have you heard of Clowns hosting in Condi's?

 

[Bmgrocks]

Well, does anyone know of this happening in the aquarium, being the most popular anemone and fish in lfs, im sure someone would know of an instance

 

[Tigger240]

i know a skunk cleaner will become very attached to it. well atleast mine did. please search the stickied threads, and google, there are lists of anemone fishes and which anemone they *may* host in.

 

[JamesJR]

I have seen clowns take to them right away but that doesn't happen very often. I think they might host eventually after a few years being in the same tank together because I have seen clowns take to funny things after being in captivity a while.

 

[SuperNerd]

They will most likely and eventually get eaten by the Condy. Condys come from the atlantic. Clowns come from the Pacific.

It's like pairing an atlantic pistol shrimp with a pistol shrimp goby from the pacific.

 

[Bmgrocks]

Get Eaten?!?!

 

[SuperNerd]

Yes, I believe while/if they sleep in it. Clowns don't need anemones. They will host in most things that look like them that are easier to keep such as toadstools (which are actually quite beautiful when they get bigger and many people use them to host clowns because at least toadstools don't move around and sting other corals).

 

[SuperNerd]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=753

 

[SuperNerd]

Besides, most anemones are collected from the wild and many are difficult to keep. Their cells don't die in nature. They live forever in the wild and death in the home aquarium is usually due to inadequate husbandry.

BTAs are better "beginner anemones" because they often reproduce in captivity and are more lenient about their environment but even these need care requirements similar to sps corals. Tank needs to be mature (most people wait at least a year) and maintaining calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium in addition to good lighting and filtration are all needed. Otherwise they may just just keep dying on you. Check out the anemone threads here if you're still thinking about a "clown anemone."

However, if you haven't been in the hobby that long or have yet to maintain other types of corals I would personally wait until I had more experience under my belt. Start off with softies, then lps, sps, and finally anemones.

Anemone success, unfortunately, is not measured in months. More like years.

JMO.