C. Gigantia, Clowns, and you.

[chano]

After several weeks of debating if it was worth giving a shot or not I was not going to attempt to get clowns for my tank because of my condy. However my girlfriend got me three false percs today and had them acclimating In a 2.5g beta bowl when i came home. So i decided rather than take them back to the LFS. (thereby hurting her feelings and still not knowing how it would work) I would give it a shot and just monitor them closly for awhile to see how things go. I will document this here for any that may have similar concerns, thinking of attempting, or even accidently attempting this.
Day 1
Current contents 10 cirith snails (+ babies no idea how many but i have seen several on the glass) 10 blue leg crabs (tad smaller than a dime) 2 choc chip stars 1 brittle star,C. Gigantia in tank for 3 weeks. No new additions till today's Three false percs. All 3 Osc 1" give or take .05"
Water parameters
salinity 1.026
ammonia 0ppm
nitrite 0ppm
nitrate 7ppm
2:40 drip acclimate in 2.5g beta bowl at the side of the tank all in all about 6" from the anemone. 1/2 silverside fed to anemone 15 min before adding clowns.
Clowns added
First 20min in tank stayed in the back behind a piece of live rock.
min 24 one clown breaks away fromt he other two and over to anemone. Anemone pulls tenticle away, clown also swims away and goes to bottom left corner. Aparently playing in current.
Min 32 other two clowns begining to explore the right side of their new home (side away from anemone)
Min 48 Two clowns Join other clown playing in current ignoring anemone.
Min 1:22 All three clowns swimming near anemone. Anemone drawing in tenticles.
min 2:14 All three clowns still around anemone. Anemone begins "relaxing" and tenticles return to normal.
Min 2:45 Clowns (all three) return to right side of tank sitting in a smallish cave in LR.
min 3:09 one clown (same that broke off from group before) breaks off from group and does some exploring on its own. Begins swimming circles around CC star at min 3:12
Min 3:42 Rebel clown Still hanging out with CC star. Other two clowns swimming around all over tank.
Min 4:03 Now this is just odd Rebel clown rubbing its sides on CC star. CCstar begins moving.
Min 4:10 CC star on glass Clown still following it around. (OMG please tell me my clown is not going to host a CC star lol)

 

[1journeyman]

In a small tank three clowns is going to amount to 1 dead clown when a pair forms. I'm guessing when your girlfriend finds out 2 of them killed the third her feelings will be more hurt than if you would have explained this to her and taken 1 back.
Imho part of our responsibility and priviledge to this hobby is that we get to explain to others part of the complexity of keeping a tank. That includes properly stocking our tanks.

 

[chano]

Actually already thought about that possibility. I have a 55g currently cycling and a 20g sump/fuge with good water in it curing LR. If there is a problem one of the fish will be moved. I wouldn't put anything in my tank purposly without doing research on it. The anemone was put in there accidently but was immeadiately researched and made sure he was stable and happy before i even considered keeping him (let alone adding anything that could stress him farther). You have seen my posts and replied to them. I may not always be right but i ask questions and i do my research. So instead of assumeing i am putting fish in my tank without knowing anything about them you may want to ask first. I understand you are just trying to help people and inform but you know what they say happens when you assume.
P.S. Yes i kow a lot of people do jump into this with both feet and do things they shouldn't but not everyone is like that. Some people actually care a lot about their animals and wouldn't want harm done to them anymore than they would their own children.

 

[jonthefishguy]

How does an anemone get put in accidently? Did it just fall in?

 

[chano]

Hitchhiker on the LR i bought off the guy who had the tank before i did. He had three others in there and aparently missed one (was one but it split twice while he had it aparently in his 75g i doubt it would have done that in a 29). It was in a rubbermaid tub with the sand and most of the existing tank water.

 

[1journeyman]

Chano, I think you misread my post.
I know you know the issues, I was saying this a good opportunity to teach your girlfriend since she's the one that bought the incompatible fish.

 

[chano]

Originally Posted by 1journeyman
Chano, I think you misread my post.
I know you know the issues, I was saying this a good opportunity to teach your girlfriend since she's the one that bought the incompatible fish.
Absolutely i agree 100% yeah i think i misunderstood. Maby you have noticed as i have, that people tend to think everyone is an idiot unless they prove themselves otherwise. I apoligise if i offended. I am a bit sensitive about my animals and would in no way want them to face harm and tend to get deffensive about it. I did explain the danger to her and i am working on teacheing her my limited (but growing constantly) knowledge. In fact its only been about a month and already i am getting "you spend more time with your tank than you do with me" Fortunately she has no idea its also been well over $1000 and my MH haven't been ordered yet and the 55 isn't started other than LS and water.

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by Chano
Absolutely i agree 100% yeah i think i misunderstood. Maby you have noticed as i have, that people tend to think everyone is an idiot unless they prove themselves otherwise....
We try to promote a friendly environment around here, but you are correct in that people sometimes do come across that way.
Glad to see you are teaching her the hobby! Don't worry, after the tank gets established you won't spend as much time tweaking it.

 

[chano]

Day 2
Over slept today lights didn't come on till 2pm. When the lights came on all three Clowns sleeping right at anemones foot. Fed about 10 live brine. They are begining to get very curious about me when i am near the tank.
They seem to be doing a lot of "playing" around the anemone till i go near the tank. Anemone seems unfazed. He actually looks more "inflated" today than he has. All of my current research indicates this is a good sign. If he felt threatened he would likely "deflate" rather than "inflate" 2 clowns seem to have either paired or are on their way to pairing. No aggression to third clown who seems just as happy to be off doing his own thing.
Third clown (I have named him James cause he is a rebel without a cause) Still really likes The CC star. He brought him a brine. CC does not seem to be overly thrilled with his new friend but he doesn't seem stressed either.
I will say its a tad strange that my clown has decided to host a CC star.

 

[armoreefer]

I posted in your other thread, but just to let you know, I have had my condy and maroon clown hosting together for about 2 years now.
I recently added another maroon and they paired up and now both hosting the condy. quite an amazing relationship.

 

[chano]

I have had very little change as of right now. My false percs are not very interested in the anemone a bit curious from time to time thats about it. On the bright side my CC is no longer being hosted i guess the clown finally gave up but all three of them have taken to my mag-float. I am thinking of trying the pic method but i am going to wait till the clowns get a bit bigger. They are just about snicker size to the anemone only without the peanuts and carmel filling. They do swimm around and sometimes though his tenticles and he has not stung or even "grabbed" at any of them yet. These are however living creatures and i am not going to push them out of fear of their untimely demise.

 

[reefmate75]

its a condylactice? them clowns will neverr host it...well my 2 maroons want nothing to do with my condylactice, well i take that back, my larger maroon has been aggressive to it and has attacked it many times pulling tinticals off and even tring to disloge its foot from under a rock, i have 4 RBTA and when i put the clowns in they headed stright for them, they know what they can get in and what will want to eat them, at my LFS they have a tank full of condylactice and clowns together...which is odd seeing a tank full of these and not a one clown in a anemone

 

[reefmate75]

as for that choco star...they tend to eat corals and ive heard on this message board that they will even eat anemones...has yours never ate yours?

 

[chano]

To say that they will never host it is really speculation as i have seen many examples on the contrary. I am not aiming for them to host it but if they do they do. I am more interested in them coexisting in the same tank with no issues. No my 2 CC stars give my anemone no problems. One was eating off his rock but finished whatever he was eating and headed the other way. Could be because my anemone is at least 4 times the size of the stars but they havent ever bothered him.
Recent changes. One clown seems to be turning female as it is begining to grow faster than the others it is about 1/4 inch longer than the other two which have grown about 1/8" in the two weeks they have been in the tank. All three clowns school together and there is no aggression issues.
Added a blue mushroom and a hammer coral this weekend. Clowns still hosting mag-float. I think they are trying to figure out why it won't eat the food they bring it.
Anemone is really indifferent to them as they swim all around it and even through his tenticles and he has still not stung or attempted to eat them.

 

[chano]

FYI i see that you have a bta and a condy in your tank this can be very dangerous as they can have chemical warfare killing everything in your tank. I think many people do things that aren't necessarily "the norm" i am simply trying to document this progress to help people who may has questions about these animals coexisting. My tank is closely monitored for much of the day as when i go to work my GF is home shortly after and i am home just before she leaves. This is a perfect oppertunity to try to help out IMO by doing as much research on this as possible. I know the risks and first sign of problems I have another tank ready to go. Please save your comments that this isn't going to work for the other dozen threads from people that haven't done their research because i have done mine and so far everything is fantastic. Again my tank is closely monitored and first sign of trouble someone gets transplanted. I am aware you are trying to help but so am i only i am trying to help by doing research not just rehashing what i have heard over and over.