Clownfish and Coral

[Kibouchi]

Is a clownfish a soft or stony coral fish? I was told that if a tank-bred clownfish does not inherit an anemone, it may settle in a soft coral or the polyp of a large coral, which could affect its skin negatively. Is this true? I have to plan out the life I want in my reef tank, so I decided to pick a point of original to base everything around. I love coral enough to where I don't have a preference between stony and soft. However, I was told that certain fish need certain types of coral for the ideal ecosystem. Any thoughts?

[Parrothead]

From what I have gathered from here, and my own observance in my tank, a clown if does not have it's natural host may host in anything it takes a liking too. I had one host in a leather tree coral:eek3:, it generally doesn't hurt the clown but may piss off the coral or harm the coral by hosting or attempting to host a sps or lps coral

[gregr]

One time I saw a clown hosting in a feather duster I've also seen them host in zoos, clams, all different types of Euphyllias, Cataphyllia, Goniopora, Alveopora, Xenia, Scolymia... just to name a few

[Ninong]

Is a clownfish a soft or stony coral fish?

It's an anemonefish. In its natural environment, it lives in an association with its host anemone. That is the only way it is found in nature.

Some other damselfishes -- blue damsels come to mind -- live in association with staghorn Acropora corals. They rarely stray more than a few feet from the sanctuary provided by the staghorn's branches and they will dart back inside at the slightest hint of danger.

I was told that if a tank-bred clownfish does not inherit an anemone, it may settle in a soft coral or the polyp of a large coral, which could affect its skin negatively. Is this true?

Well, yes and no. First of all, being tank-bred really does not affect the clownfish's attraction to its natural host anemone at all. This attraction is instinctive. It is not a learned behavior. The tiny baby clownfish that settles out of the plankton following its larval period is instinctively drawn to the appropriate species of anemone. There are no parent clownfish around to teach it which species of anemone to choose. It is thought that there are chemical cues that the anemone gives off that are recognized by the tiny baby clownfish.

However, if a grown clownfish loses its anemone host, for one reason or another, and goes for a period of time without an available host, it will have to acclimate itself to the new host anemone, once it finds one that is available. It does this by gradually making passes at the anemone's tentacles to build up its mucous coating. This acclimation period may take a few hours or it may take a few days. This sort of behavior is usually observed when you add an appropriate anemone to a tank that already has clownfish without a host anemone. Sometimes the clownfish accept the new anemone within a few hours and sometimes it takes days or even weeks. If the anemone is a natural host, it is almost certain that the clownfish will accept it providing they don't already have a Goniopora that they call home.

I have to plan out the life I want in my reef tank, so I decided to pick a point of original to base everything around. I love coral enough to where I don't have a preference between stony and soft. However, I was told that certain fish need certain types of coral for the ideal ecosystem. Any thoughts?

First off, don't even think about adding an anemone to your tank for at least six months. That will give both you and your tank time to settle down and adjust. Second, you don't really need an anemone for your clownfish. They can do quite well in captivity without one. There are quite a few soft corals that clownfish will adopt as a surrogate host when their natural host anemone is not available. I don't recommend keeping either Goniopora or Alveopora corals in the same tank with clownfish because they usually find it VERY attractive. So attractive that they will sometimes use it as a home even when there is a natural host anmeone available. Both of these genera of corals are too difficult for beginners anyway and should never be placed in a reef aquarium that is less than a year old.

However, if you have it in the back of your head that you're going to add a couple of clownfish and maybe get them a host anemone several months later, it is wise to know which clownfish and which anemones form natural associations. You don't want to get clownfish and then learn later on that the only anemones they accept are entirely too large and too difficult to keep in your aquarium.

When it comes to clownfish, it's always a good idea to get two of the same species so that you will have a mated pair eventually. Always buy tank-bred juveniles. There is no reason to buy wild-collected clownfish. Just about every species of clownfish is now being captive-bred.