<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10432937#post10432937 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sgallagher7
Am I wrong in thinking that a torch or frogspawn is a better alternative than an anenome? Iv read numerous threads recommending not to get an anenome no less than 6 to 9 months from start-up. Will clowns host in a frogspawn or torch. ( Dont have any fish yet, just curious).
Many complaints regarding anemones kept in tanks, aside from difficulty of care, is their movement. Most people new to anemones aren't prepared for them to move around and to crawl over rocks, with little to no regard for stinging and destroying any coral in their path.
In addition to that, anemones just seem to have a morbid, suicidal fascination with.... *dramatic music* powerheads. If you have an anemone in a tank without all powerheads properly and really tightly covered, odds are the anemone is going to find that one powerhead that isn't anemone safe, stick its squiggly little tentacles in, and get torn to bits. It's not a pretty sight, it reeks badly if you don't catch it right away, and a melting down anemone that's left to rot is a pretty fast way to ruin your tank. I'm not saying it's toxic like sea apples, but I am saying that any big pile of decaying junk is a quick way to put a jump in your ammonia levels! Ick, as in just gross, gross, gross.
However, this is not to say that I'm trying to discourage you entirely from anemones or other animals which exhibit hosting behavior.
Can we pause for a minute to talk about hosting?
Clownfish, in the wild, will take anemones as their host, most having a favored species of anemone to take as a host, but often accepting other, anemone-like things as a host. Take the true percula clownfish (
Amphiprion percula). In the wild, these clownfish are generally found in commensal relationship with the
Heteractis magnifica anemone. Unfortunately, these large, grand, and often exquisitely colored anemones are exceptionally difficult to keep in captivity, often wasting away and dying slowly. However, the percula clownfish will often be seen taking bubble tip anemones and long tentacle anemones as their hosts in captivity as a substitute. Even still, perculas have also been seen taking long polyped toadstool leathers, most
Euphyllia corals, heliofungias, xenia, zoas or palythoas (in some cases) and even clam mantles for a substitute host (although, sometimes, clams "bite" back!). Some clowns adopt anemone like or really flowing fake plants as their would-be hosts! Even pink skunks and other clowns will eventually take condylactis anemones as their host when given nothing else!
Now, here's the rub to the commensal clownfish behavior. It doesn't always work. Most noteably with tank raised clownfish from commercial situations. For some reason, it seems to be most associated with clownfish raised in a situation where they do not come into contact with anemones as young, as though the instinct never kicks in. But, this is not to say that even single tank raised clownfish will not take a host. Far from it. Just that some can be more reluctant to take a host anemone.
If you decide an anemone is a must and wish to try to experience this for yourself, might I recommend the common, green bubble tip anemone. It's hardy, can be beautifully colored, and, out of all the anemones, is one of the easier ones to care for, along with the long tentacle anemone and the sebae (the EASIEST anemones to keep are anemones that we consider pests in the reef tank, such as aiptasia, the majano, and the condylactis, all anemones which generally do not exhibit commensal behavior). In addition to all that, what makes the bubble tip stand out in my mind as the best bet, is the fact that they are commonly available, relatively affordable, and the most likely to host clownfish, even reluctant clowns.
If you really want a clownfish to host, I do have a caution. The easiest clownfish to get to host are, arguably, the maroon (both white and gold striped), the tomato, the cinnamon (isn't
Amphiprion melanopus fun to say?), and the clarkii. These types of clowns, however, have a huge downside. They all get to be large and quite snippy (I known some reefers who prefer to use the terms "jerks," "pushy," "aggressive," or "filled with personality"). They are definitely not material for tankmates if you plan to keep smaller or more timid and docile fish.
..... apparently... I got on the express train of thought and couldn't get off. Sorry.... that happens sometimes. I take it as a bad sign when my cat, Barry, who was waiting for petting and snuggles, is snoring before I finish a post.
:reading:
