Incentives to Host

[TrevorHenry]

Just as the title says, are there incentives for anemones you can practice in your tank to promote hosting?

I have a very odd pair in my tank and would love for some sort of hosting to happen.

Condy Anemone (Don't host often but do have some known to host)
Clarkii
B.Perc.

The Clarkii seems to notice the anemone more than the Perc.

 

[Zerodeception0]

They don't host Condys, only seen a few. I have one black clownfish hosting a green Condy. Just got lucky.

 

[TrevorHenry]

No clown host anything. The anemone host them. Condys are not known to host anything but the question was more of are there any incentives to promote a anemone to host.

 

[garygb]

Put naturally occurring clown/anemone combinations together and you will almost always have success. With your clarkii, this would be any of the natural host species. Percula are more particular, but often host with BTAs in captivity, if you don't want to keep one of the natural hosts such as gigantea or magnifica, which have poor success rates.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Put naturally occurring clown/anemone combinations together and you will almost always have success. With your clarkii, this would be any of the natural host species. Percula are more particular, but often host with BTAs in captivity, if you don't want to keep one of the natural hosts such as gigantea or magnifica, which have poor success rates.

+1. a BTA would be a good choice. They are commonly available and you can pick one up for $20 nowadays. Much easier to go that route than trying tricks LOL. Good luck.

 

[ThRoewer]

... are there incentives for anemones you can practice in your tank to promote hosting? ...

The anemone really hasn't much say in that matter, it's all up to the clownfish. So there is no need to convince the anemone.

The various A. clarkii forms and their close relatives are the most likely to accept non-host anemones. This is especially the case with wild specimen.
I had a A. chrysogaster that quite literally forced himself on a Actinia species.
Condylactis are even more likely to be accepted.

That said, I would rather go for a natural host - in the case of A. clarkii that's pretty much every host anemone species there is.

 

[OrionN]

Concentrate on the fish, they are the ones that decide to use the anemone or not.
Since clownfish use anemone for protection, if you provide some sort of threat to the fish, they will more likely go to the anemone. This just make sense to me. Often, once the fish is healthy and comfortable, I put my hand in the tank and wave it around a little. More often than not, this induce the clowns to dive into the anemone.
Be careful with certain species of anemones. I would not try to do this with any of the carpet anemones (especially the Atlantic Carpet) or LTA. They may eat the clowns. Condy and BTA does not have a very strong sting so given the clowns a strong incentive (bodily threaten them with your hand) to seek protection would be OK.

Try this, you this more likely do the trick than anything else you try.

 

[TrevorHenry]

I have seen people putting a small little container in there water. Cutting small slits in it and hanging on the side in the water. They then put the anemone in the container and the clown so they are forced to be around each other and people have been okay results. I have a green brittle star who has only been a problem once but it hasn't really pushed them into it for them to notice it. I'm considering the container idea for maybe 30 minutes a day everyday for a week