What is the smallest anemone that will host clowns?

[pfan151]

I'd like to get an anemone for my snocasso's that I will be getting next week but I only have a 24g Nano cube so I don't want the anemone to dominate the entire tank. I was thinking of just trying a few different corals that the clowns may eventually host instead but I would definitely prefer an anemone. My lighting should be able to handle any anemone/coral. Any suggestions?

 

[jefathome]

BTA's are probably your best bet if you are 100% on an anemone.

 

[greech]

BTA's are probably your best bet if you are 100% on an anemone.

^Agreed. It will still get fairly large though so you will need to adjust coral placement accordingly. Since BTAs inhabit the rocks, corals on the sandbed should be safer. No guarantees though as the BT can move over time.

 

[Toddrtrex]

The "smallest" would be an H. Malu, which should get up to 10", but they are difficult to find. All other hosting anemones can/will get bigger then 15".

 

[AquaReeferMan]

Look into hairy mushrooms. My onyx clowns love their field of them...

 

[pfan151]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I was actually looking at the hairy mushrooms as a possible alternative to the anemone. I'd much prefer those over some of the leather corals that I have seen clowns hosting before. Nice to see that yours took to them.

 

[jeff@zina.com]

There's a pair at my LFS that hosts in a Maxi-Mini Carpet anemone. It may be that way because the Haddoni at the other end of the tank has two large Clarkii that chase everything away.

I have a friend with a 24 gallon with a pair of occelaris that host in frogspawn. Though the frogspawn is as large as the largest BTA I've seen...

Otherwise, I'm a fan of RBTA or a coral, such as frogapawn, torch or even green star polyps. Though I like the hairy mushroom idea.

Jeff

 

[velvetelvis]

Toadstool leathers, especially the long-polyped variety, can also work well. Unlike many LPS, they also seem to handle the clowns' loving attentions without ill effects. If you do a search on YouTube you'll find a lot of videos of clownfish being hosted by toadstools.

 

[Photo_John]

a 24g wont be stable enough generally to keep a anemone happy

 

[Anemone]

a 24g wont be stable enough generally to keep a anemone happy

Sigh.

The way you have worded this comment is actually incorrect. A 24 gallon tank can easily be stable enough to keep an anemone happy. It really depends on the abilities of the hobbyist.

It is much more productive (and less negative) to say that smaller tanks can have large swings in water parameters, so an anemone should only be attempted in a smaller tank after a hobbyist has gained experience with smaller systems.

Kevin

 

[SkullV]

I'm planning for a BTA in my 24g nano. It will be the only thing in their with it's pair of clowns though. No other corals or anything.

 

[89Foxbody]

You could try a Lavender Mushroom, Hairy Mushroom, or a Frogspawn if you don't want to go with an anemone.

 

[teemee]

surprised no one has mentioned the aurora anemone (heteractis aurora).
It hosted my tomatoes, before they moved onto a bigger anemone in my system. The live in the sand bed, don't get too big, and are quite pretty.

 

[Sebastian J.]

I hear Majano colonies are accepted as hosts by some clowns.

The same also goes for nests of Cribinopsis crassa, a small Anemone species that looks like BTAs, but grows much smaller. I'm not sure about availability outside of Europe, though. This is an individual I had, shortly after it split. Before that, it was about twice as big. The maximum size is around 6″.

I have also heard some people talk about how different morphs/strains of BTAs seem to reach different sizes, so maybe you can find one that stays small.

 

[scbauer]

Sigh.

The way you have worded this comment is actually incorrect. A 24 gallon tank can easily be stable enough to keep an anemone happy. It really depends on the abilities of the hobbyist.

It is much more productive (and less negative) to say that smaller tanks can have large swings in water parameters, so an anemone should only be attempted in a smaller tank after a hobbyist has gained experience with smaller systems.

Kevin

:thumbsup: Very well said... couldn't agree more.

 

[isseym328]

If you go get an anemone, make sure it is big enough to host a pair of clowns. If the anemone is too small sometimes the clowns "snuggle" it to death.

 

[bradleym]

I hear Majano colonies are accepted as hosts by some clowns.

The same also goes for nests of Cribinopsis crassa, a small Anemone species that looks like BTAs, but grows much smaller. I'm not sure about availability outside of Europe, though. This is an individual I had, shortly after it split. Before that, it was about twice as big. The maximum size is around 6″.

I have also heard some people talk about how different morphs/strains of BTAs seem to reach different sizes, so maybe you can find one that stays small.

DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been looking for this anemone for a year now!!! Everybody told me it didn't exist (I didn't know the name or if it was real) so I ended up getting a group of beadlet anemones but I would LOVE to see these show up in the US! At least I have a name now, thanks for posting.