how long should it take for my clown to "find" my bta?

[Korrine]

My platinum was in a lta before I bought her, which isn't natural. I've read they can adjust to the type of nem, but it's up to the individual clown.

 

[Korrine]

here
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1381958

click on Anemone FAQ

 

[Ben_n_Em]

I'm in the same boat. I've had 2 Ocellaris for about a year and added an RBTA about a week ago. One has showed some interest but definitely no "hosting". Good luck getting yours to dive in.

Lucked out this weekend. Got to watch one of the ocellaris start hosting in the RBTA. I was cheering him on during the process like it was the superbowl. He started hosting in a patch of green hair algae a couple of weeks ago and I guess finally realized the anemone would make a better home. So it took slightly over 2 months after adding the RBTA for the clown to take the dive in.

-Ben

 

[dublo8]

I have 2 tank bred clowns from a local reefer. I got them when they were only about 3/4" big. They were in the tank for about 2 weeks before I added my RBTA and it took them about 2 days to find it and about 1 week worth of "testing the waters" before one of them started to host it. Since my pair was still very juvenile I believe one is also taking on the female characteristics...clowns are goofy fish and not necesarily picky about anything in general. Just give them time and they will make it in. Luckily my nem stopped moving exactly where I wanted him too and that was right where the clowns hung out. So if the nem is in a part of the tank where the clowns don't congregate very often than it could take a little while or not at all. Good luck to ya my friend.

 

[pentrix2]

I had my clowns for about 2 months and they didn't host. I placed a picture of the clown and the nem, the next day they both died.

I bought home a new clown and he instantly hosted within a second.

The following week I put in two new clowns, mated, and they both hosted to my other nems immediately as well. now 3 of my clown fishes have their own nem.

I agree with rguyler, life is like a box of chocolate, never know what you'll going to get.

 

[psusocr]

Two clowns in my tank for 4 months now, two diff. species nem's and they host my purple cap! very annoying since they kill parts of my cap wiggling their tails and biting it. Nonetheless their cute little buggers.

 

[mr.iacuessa]

my stupid clowns wouldnt host an anemone, they chose frogspawn and zoas over the nem

 

[deangelr]

jorgeldelapaz, that BTA looks too small and unhealthy to be hosting a clown. I would suggest you isolate it from clowns and provide excellent conditions to give it a chance to return to good health.

rgentry123, ocellaris is not found with BTAs in the wild at all. I would say there's a chance it will go to the anemone, but definitely not a sure thing. It's been my experience, that when you add a natural symbiote, such as maroon, tomato or clarkii with a BTA, the fish will be in it within minutes (makes no difference whether it is captive bred or wild caught).

++++ 1

Most of these threads where people say "my anemone wont host" are because they are trying to pair unnatural combinations.. Although they are common in the hobby, you cant always count on the symbiosis to happen.

 

[xtlosx]

I have a oscil. and a black saddleback and neither bother with my RBTA or GBTA... They've been in this tank for 3 weeks, so there is still time of course, just hasn't happened yet.

 

[Remn]

Taping a picture on to the side of the aquarium sounds stupid, but it actually worked. My clowns started hosting in the new anemone within the same weekend of taping the pictures.

 

[stevie-o]

Taping a picture on to the side of the aquarium sounds stupid, but it actually worked. My clowns started hosting in the new anemone within the same weekend of taping the pictures.

taping a pic of what? and if you want a true hosting clown get a clarkii

 

[evsalty]

I had no luck with the pics. I put a pic of an occ in each of these in front of the respective coral and notta : GBTA, toadstool leather, giant fuzzy shrooms, frogspwan, hammer but again no luck for any of these. I then added an RBTA and 4 days later my clowns were being hosted. They still will not even look at my GBTA but love their RBTA.

 

[UnoZeus]

Patience my friend, patience. As soon as you stop worrying about it they will make friends. :rollface:

 

[Sfork]

I keep tellin people to use my method. Before introducing a nem give the clowns a flower pot. They will host the pot, because it's an awesome cave. Once they've been in it for a week, put the BTA in there. Watch the magic and hide the pot with some rocks once they're settled, a bonus is it makes the BTA easier to move later on.

 

[psusocr]

You fill the pot with sand and the nem? so the "cave" dissapears?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, for many years I had a breeding pair of ocellaris clowns that liked a green tree coral and never once went over to the RBTA's that I had. It isn't natural for them, so it didn't particularly surprise me.

OTOH, the tank raised ocellaris clowns I currently have were nestled within a gigantea (a natural host for them) within a day of adding it.