Matchmaking

[yardboy]

So I go to the Philippines to dive, every bubbletip I see has tomato clowns in it.
I have a tomato at home hosting a Sinularia, not a marriage made in heaven.
I decide when I get home that I'll move the tomato into my 150 (set up for three years), which only has two small tangs and a coral beauty, and after it acclimates, get a rose bubble tip and relive my diving experiences every day!
Friend calls and says he's found someone who wants to get out of the hobby, so is getting rid of her livestock.
I go in halves and get a RBTA...... with a happily hosting occellaris

I have the Rose in quarantine with the occellaris, (clown is "med." size) and the tomato in the 150.
Oh, and I have a small occellaris in a nano.
What to do? Move the RBTA into the 150 for sure. With Occellaris?
And small Occe? Will the Occe. kill the tomato or vice versa. Will the big Occe. kill the small one?
Gee, I didn't realize the complications!
Help!

 

[yardboy]

Well, no responses so I just went for it, a step at a time.
Since I figured that the occellaris would want to follow his anemone, I caught him and held him in a small container while I put the rock with anemone in the 150 tank. Then I got the occe in a net and dropped it right over the anemone so he was instantly aware of where it was. I also did this after lights out.
This morning I got to witness the meeting of the occe and tomato who has been residing in the 150 for awhile. A little posturing but no overt aggression. Lights on and the RBTA began swelling very nicely, looking better than he had in the previous owners tank or in the quarantine tank (which may have had too much flow)
This evening I'll decide about putting the smaller occe in the tank and take some pics to post.

 

[BigJay]

I'd keep them separate or they'll fight over the nem.

Some people have had luck mixing clown species, but it's not easy.

 

[yardboy]

Well, they didn't fight, apparently the tomato just ran his *** off. The Occellaris is pretty docile, despite being bigger. Bummer is I originally wanted the nem so I'd have a host for the tomato, now I feel sorry for the occe and I've got another who'd likely make a cool pair, but I can't catch the tomato. I was afraid my impetuousness would get me in trouble.

 

[Slakker]

i'd pull the ocellaris and put it in the nano with the other one...i've always loved tomato clowns, a pair of tomatos in a BTA would be really cool.

 

[Don-Coraleone]

its hard to say. who ever is more domminant will take the anemone and the other clown is sol.

 

[Patrick12]

You can also get another RBTA for the nano or the 150 and then they can both have one. That is what I did. I have 3 BTA, a mertensii and a haddoni. To go all with that I have 4 ocellaris clowns, a pair of Clarkii clowns and a pair of Tomato clowns. The ocellaris and clarkii are all in the same tank with the carpets and the BTA and the tomatoes are in another tank. All host.

 

[yardboy]

After taking ya'lls advice into consideration, I decided to go with the numbers and captured the tomato and took him out. Afterwards I caught the small occe that was in a nano and put him in the 150. He'd been hosting a Caulastrea in the nano so between the big occe and an unfamiliar anemone he was still hiding behind a return when I got up this morning. Within an hour of some light going into the 150 though he sidled up to the big Occe and got to be friends and took his first tentative tail swipes at the anemone. I feel certain that he will be fine when I get back from work. While I agree that tomato's are very cool, I had a spawning pair for some years hosting a Sarcophyton and they got pretty harsh in the tank, throwing rock and frags and keeping the sand stirred up. I finally sold them to a breeder who is doing well with them and the one tomato I have now came from them.
I put him in my prop system and will decide whether to get another BTA for him in the 150. I'd really like a Cryptodendrum for the 150 though, to host anemone shrimps.
Thanks for the advice guys. I do have some pics but ran out of time to post them before I came to work.

 

[yardboy]

So here they are together in my 150. Hopefully they'll "all live happily ever after".