How can I get Clownfish interested in an Anemone?

herring_fish

herring_fish

Crazy Designer
What tricks are there to encourage Clownfish to take up residents in an Anemone?

I have to apologize in advance. I know that this has been ask and answered many times but I looked through the FAQ and didn't see what I was looking for.

I have had two pair of Percula Clownfish since I started my tank, about a year and a half ago. The bigger pair seems to like a rock that is covered with mushrooms but I didn't have any Anemones in the tank until a few weeks ago. I bought a Rose Anemone but it went unnoticed by the clowns. I just bought a large Yellow Striped Clown with an Anemone that is its home. The Yellow has been docile, staying in its Anemone almost all of the time. The Perculas have not taken a lesson.

What can I do to get them interested in the Rose?
 
what i did were:
-used my hand (did not work)
-put pics of clowns in anemone (did not work)
-lighted the anemone at night (did not work)
-finally used a small basket, put my rose in it and then caught my pare of clowns in it. Put pellet food in the rose but the flow brought them out. However, 1-2 days later i found one of my clown decided to host my rose. A day later, two of them shared the rose. Finally, put them back to my tank, placed the rose where i wanted and the clowns could find it.
 
The one thing that has always worked for me --- time.

I am not a fan of forcing clowns to be hosted -- could very well end up with eaten clowns if you put them in a confined space with an anemone and they aren't ready.
 
It took about two weeks for my picassos to start hosting my gbta. During that two weeks, they barely even looked at it.
 
tagging along for an answer too ~ !
I've had my clown for 2 weeks and she did not even look at the anemone once..
But she's got around trying to host in my filter inlet & Koralia for a bit..

Just a curious question, in the wild, do juvenile clowns dash into the nearest anemone once they can? Or is it a time thing too?

Cheers,
Ryan
 
Not an expert by any means, But i think it has to do with a chemical response between the fish and the Anemone and until that is there the Fish will not go near it or may be eaten. Please correct me if i'm wrong, But i think i read that somewhere?
Bill
 
^ +1. It has to do a little with the chemical discharge of the anemone. The best way to explain this is the white substance that spews from an anemone. If the clown becomes compliant of this substance and comes in contact with it, the anemone will recognize it as its own and not FOOD!
 
Like what was said before. I have had my percs in one tank for almost a year now. Durning that time I have had a RBTA in there with them. They never even looked at it. I then placed a gig in the same tank. And with in 2 days there were living the life in it. So I would have to go with time and natural host.
 
Depending on how you acclimate your clowns, I usually float the bag right above the anemone. In their state of stress/panic they usually try to swim towards it, shoving their faces into the bag. Then just release them carefully near the anemone. Always worked for me.


Seeing that your clowns are already in your tank, just give it time. It's worth the wait.
 
The bigger pair of Perculas have won the battle over the Rose Anemone. The victory was short live however. I bought a Yellow Striped Clown, that came with an anemone, just before I started this thread. At first it stayed in its anemone but things have changed. It has decided to take over the Rose Anemone. No"¦it has not given up the other one. It hangs out in one for a while, chasing the others away with ease and then it swims to the other side of the tank to occupy the other anemone as well. I think that it will have to go. If it is out of the tank, there would be two different anemones that the two pair of Perculas could nest in. First, I have to catch the Yellow Stripe.
 
My New Anemone

My New Anemone

I wanted to catch the Yellow Striped Clown but I don't have a clear plastic trap yet. I thought that I would hand a net in the tank. I put some food in it and hoped that the fish would get used to eating from it. It is the second night and the small pair of Perculas have taken up residents in the net and no other fish go into the pocket so far.

NewAnemone.jpg
 
I would be careful using a net with a maroon clown -- they have cheek spins that can/will get caught in the net.
 
I wondered the same thing when I first got my nem. I don't think forcing them is a good idea and i've heard of clownfish dying as a result of being forced into a nem.

what worked for me was a combination of waiting and changing their existing hosting spot. i have a natural host (s. gigantea), and it still took about a month. but since they first got in they never leave it. the male joined first, then the female a week or two after.

i discuss it a bit here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1809346

my clowns used to be "hosted" by the return nozzle so i directed a powerhead there to make it less comfy. immediately they began to hang out in other spots in the tank and after about a week the first clown went into the nem. it's kind of a strong suggestion that they leave the place they're firmly attached to, but it still gives them the choice of whether or not and when to enter the nem. worked for me.
 
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