How long should I wait before I get clowns for my RBTA?

[mille239]

As the title says, I just received a small (4") RBTA, and it is beautiful. I got it with the intentions of adding a pair of clowns of course, but wondered if it's small size would be an issue of clowns hosting it to death. Anyone have any advice, or information it would be greatly appreciated.

(oh, and the nem is very bubbly; it almost looks like an over inflated ricordea... you can't even see the mouth most of the time)

Thanks in advance!

 

[Slickcg33]

You are correct about clowns hosting small anemones to death, especially if there is a pair. Ive heard that a general rule of thumb is the anemone should be 3x the size of the clown. So take care of the nem, feed it often and it should be up to size in a couple months.

 

[Coral Hind]

It depends on the size and type of the clowns you pick. A pair of A. ocellaris, A. percula or A. akallopisos would be fine in a 4" anemone. However a pair of A. clarkii or P. biaculeatus would be very hard on it if at an adult size.

I would get two small juveniles that are no bigger then 1". This would allow them to grow as the anemone grows. It would also help to ensure you get a true pair and not two females.

 

[mille239]

Excellent, thank you both for your advice! Since I just got the nem, I will wait for him to settle in for a while, and feed him regularly (weekly).