perc questions

[mayjong]

will percs host a bta? mine have no host as of yet...
also my male quivers and shakes (normal i know) to the female, but they have never laid eggs , as far as i can tell. should i put a shell somewhere for them?
they have been together almost a year. is it possible female is not old enough? don't they have to be 2 years old to lay?
thanks!

 

[mayjong]

anyone ?

 

[10galclowns]

I have a pair of Picasso's which are Percs and they host anemones

 

[10galclowns]

Btas*

 

[E30]

My perc did host the anemone not that long ago. It will happen with time.

 

[rockytop47]

Let me be clear on what your asking, they have no host yet? And your wanting to get them to host in a BTA? I found a list of the anemones Percs were known to host in the wild versus the size of my tank and went from there. The list is pretty small...

 

[Tmoriarty]

Anemone host, clowns associate, not the other way around

As for your question, yes perculas can associate with BTA's in the home aquarium but will not take to them right away every time, or sometimes not at all.

The natural hosts for Perculas are Giganteas and Magnificas (neither right for the 29g in your sig), so if you want a host for your clowns a BTA while not a natural host, is your best bet for that size tank and the lower stability that comes with it.

As for your clowns laying eggs, depending on the age of your female when you bought her (normally around 6 months or so) is part of the factor. The other is tank conditions, if they are not right your clown may never spawn despite being plenty old enough to.

If you want the best chance for her to lay eggs, remove anything that may be a threat, raise temps to 81-84, increase light cycle to 10-16 hours a day, increase feeding. Those are some of the things thought to induce spawning in clownfish. Also there is not a need for an anemone to get clowns to spawn, but it sure gives them a cozy home to protect the nest from. (a small clay pot works well for that also)

 

[mayjong]

thanks.
tank temp could be a factor. i keep mine around 78-79F