Clownfish sucking on anemone

viper_930

Active Member
My clownfish sucks on a tentacle on his anemone once in a while. He just sucks one up, holds it in his mouth for like 10 seconds, then lets it go. The tentacle looks fine, no marks. Why do you guys think the clown does this?
 
T

thomas712

Guest
I've seen this once at my LFS, can't tell you why I'm just not sure, but it sure was cute.
Now if it were a kitten, puppy or something like that then I could tell you why, but with a fish, no idea :notsure:
Thomas
 

killafins

Active Member
Clownfish do give the food to the anenmoe, or give it some help, i've seent hem take food and deliver it to the anenome's mouth but by sucking on the tentacle, i don't htink it's feeding it.
 

akinda

Member
my smaller maroon does it also and it not even when its feeding. he sucks on the tentacle and move them.
 

shels

Member
I have seen both my male and female do it. They are very gentle, but I have never figured out why. They do not do it during feeding time, it kinda when ever for them. ????
 

overanalyzer

Active Member
It is called "mouthing" an anemone and some folks believe it is one of the ways the clownfish is able to avoid getting stung and producing the correct mucus/slime layer to avoid getting stung.
Need to do a bit of research but most folks think it is a familiriaty ritual at the very least - clownfish meeting and greeting and saying hello to mr anemone ....
if interested check out a google search on austrialia and clown fish ....
sorry about the spelling
 

killafins

Active Member
You know what Overanalyzer, you are ALWAYS trying to show me up! Why can't u just agree on my answer, i'm right, ur right cuz u agree with me and it's DONE.
Sigh, his answer is correct.
**Goes to his dark place**
 

overanalyzer

Active Member

Originally posted by killafins
You know what Overanalyzer, you are ALWAYS trying to show me up! Why can't u just agree on my answer, i'm right, ur right cuz u agree with me and it's DONE.
Sigh, his answer is correct.
**Goes to his dark place**


Hey it could be cleaning - personally my freaking killer female oscellaris clown,Salt, mouth's my dang bubble coral but will not host in it! I have not researched this - just repeating some stuff I remember from some late night website cruising ....
so don't be :mad:
be :hilarious
 

killafins

Active Member
HAHHA, i tried to be: :hilarious but the problem is ,what happens if i dont' rejuvinate, then i'm just a bunch of annoying dust thatn can't even be annoying anymore, UNLESS...
 

Zamman760

New Member
My platinum clownfish does this to my RBTA and it hosts it as well. I bleached the heck out of my RBTA and it is super milky white. That was a few months back when I first got it. It was a huge mistake on my part. I was afraid it wasn’t going to make it but it is dang near as normal as it could be. However the fish had hosted it almost immediately and has the entire time. As well as mouths it any time it passes by or while playing around in it.
 
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