How to get CLOWNS to accept ANEMONE

[calypso]

I have a 75 gal reef. My two Ocellaris clowns were happily "living" in their corn/fire/sand anemone, when I bought a beautiful bubble-tip anemone. I waited a few weeks for the clowns to "discover" the bubble-tip anemone, but they never did. So I removed the corn/fire/sand anemone because I wanted the clowns to live in the bubble-tip anemone instead. Well, guess what? They won't go in the bubble-tip. So a few weeks ago, I bought a green Saddel carpet anemone. Guess what? Those clowns won't go in that one either!! So now I have two beautiful anemones, and two stupid clowns swimming everywhere, except in the anemones. Beyond buying another sand/fire/corn anemone, what can I do?

HELP!

[Reinhold]

Be patient! Who knows why, but all of the sudden one day, my Percula Clown started spending 90% of his day and night sitting in the folds of my Green Open Brain coral. They had been together in the tank for months before it happened. Give them time to develop a relationship with one of your anemones.

[Elmo18]

Calypso,

I have a clarki clown and at first there was no anemone. I decided to get a bubble-tip anemone and it took about 2 weeks I think. The fish need time to get used to the anemone. Mine would nibble on its tentacles for some reason, and now after being in the anemone, my clarki has turned a darker brown/black color on the upper half of his skin. Seems like the anemone burns his skin because he was more orange before.

Also, I would be cautious of having a bubble tip and a green saddle in the same tank? Just be careful.

REgards,
Ilham

[calypso]

So far, so good, having the two anemones in same tank. They have both stayed put where they are. The bubble-tip is on the rocks, the saddle carpet is in the sand. I feed the anemones twice a week with silversides, and they seem to have adjusted well to my tank. Now if the clowns would just cooperate!!

Has anyone else had experience along these lines?

[PerryinCA]

There is no gaurentee that they will ever go in. There's really no way to coax them there either. Best is to buy an anemone that is know to be found hosting the ocellaris COMMONLY in nature.

Buying different anemones and trying them out is not the best or most conscientious thing to do, especially given their survival rate in captivity (which, even underestimated is nothing short of poor). Clowns don't need them in captivity anyway. Do yourself anemones of the world a favor and be patient before you buy a bunch to see what works.

And I'm not a tree hugger, or animal activist, just trying to save you some cash. Be patient, anything that happens in time is often worth waiting for.

-Perry

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Some call it evolution,
And others call it God.
Each In His Own Tongue (1908)
William Herbert Carruth 1859-1924

[Ninong]

Calypso, I have no idea what a "corn/fire/sand anemone" is but usually Amphiprion ocellaris will accept Entacmaea quadricolor and Stichodactyla haddoni in captivity, although they do not associate with either of those anemones in the wild. They will probably accept one or the other within a few weeks.

It would be a good idea to keep your two anemones as far apart as possible. If they get close, they will probably do battle.

Ninong [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img]


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Irrational Exuberance!

[Cinco]

I didnt have much trouble with my Ocellari (?) [img]/ubb/tongue.gif[/img] taking to my sebae anemone. I fed them over the anemone at first and they warily touched it at first now they'll bite me anytime I go near it.

[srgtkoons]

The nipping of the tentacles is the clowns developing an immunity to the anemones sting. just a little FYI

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I have the mind of a 5 year old and own a fire extinquisher you cant imagine the things i do.

[karun]

I had a similar problem. I have 2 ocellaris clowns and I got a bubble tip but they just ignored it. A month later I got a green carpet. Same thing. They would not go near it. I waited another 2 months and got a long tentacle anemone. They were in it within a few minutes of it being put in the tank. Now they barely leave the Long tentacle and it has grown quite large (12 inches). The carpet anemone has a shrimp living in it and it too has grown quite large (9 inches). The bubble tip has remained small (4 inches).

Hope this helps

Karun

[calypso]

I did see my smaller clown (the male) nipping at the tentacles of the bubble tip anemone today. Hopefully that means he's trying to get acclimated to it. I haven't seen him do that prior to today.

Thanks for everyone's imput.

[calypso]

Ninong, regarding the corn/fire/sand anemone - it's one that I've found precious little info on. It looked more like a finger coral than an anemone. It had lots of "branches" covered with tiny round polyps. It was pure white when I got it, and I had it for 6 months. By that time, it had colored up to a nice brown with neon green polyps. Anyway, I traded it in to my LFS, and they sold it soon after.

Prior to that, my clowns had lived on a fuzzy mushroom rock, and prior to that they lived in a Giant Carpet anemone (it died).

[calypso]

My clowns have finally "found" my bubble-tip anemone!!! It happened overnight last night. It's really great to see! I guess patience is the thing to have here. Thanks for all the advice!

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"The first rule of
intelligent tinkering is
to save all the pieces."