clowns hosting corals instead of anemones

[dennis210]

Question, my pair of ocellaris (sp) clowns have been hosting my gonipora for about 4 months now. They never hosted anything before and now from constantly rubbing into and around it the gonipora is receding. I suppose I should get an anemone, but was wondering if anyone else has had clowns host other corals with detrimental results. The Goniora has been in the system for 18 months and was flourishing before hosting commenced. All othe corals in the 210 g display are fine. I have a huge hammer and another torch that I am afraid they might move into next.
Please comments welcome, I have had carpets before but no other anemone experience, friends have advised trying a bubble tip?

 

[jfingers088]

Its all up to the clowns every fish has a different personality. I got a pair of tru percs with a rose anemone in there and they have never even tried to go in it. I had to bring a beautiful huge frogspawn back because they were hosting it and now they are trying to host my bubble coral. I mean you can give it a try and see what happens but it doesn't mean it will go to the anemone. Alot of them eventually do move into a anemone but like i said you will have to try and just see what happens.

 

[dennis210]

thanks

 

[larrynews]

mine have always done that

 

[dennis210]

So with the zoo's and paly's it hasn't been detrimental to them?

 

[patandlace]

If you get an anemone that starts moving around it could start damaging the corals also. That happened to me when my anemone started exploring the tank.

 

[al mc]

I have had a pair of tank raised clowns in my DT for about 2 years. They virtually killed one 'hammer' coral, and moved on to a large colt that seems to be happy to host them. There is a large anenome in the tank that they could care less about. I have read that the tank raised ones are more likely not to host anenomes that wild caught. That has been my personal experience.

 

[dennis210]

By the way - Where in NH, I used to live in Bthel, Me. and drive through Errol
(sp) all the time - fished between Richardson and Umbagog!
Also just took out gonipora and moved it and the elegance to a friends tank.
The clowns are PISSED!
Got a small green with pink or purple tipped bubble anemone. As soon as it moved off the rock it came on I fed it frozen krill (thawed) and it has now stayed where I wanted it. The last three I set up in others tanks have moved and have only been fed where the owners wanted them to be - guess what the anemones stay where they get fed!

 

[dennis210]

Hey I just realized that you have the big green monster for your Avatar - way to go!

 

[patandlace]

Originally Posted by Dennis210
By the way - Where in NH, I used to live in Bthel, Me. and drive through Errol
(sp) all the time - fished between Richardson and Umbagog!
I live in Concord. Not sure where errol is.

 

[sh00tist]

Stick a small clay pot behind the anemone,they will almost always go in the pot,give them a few weeks.

 

[topfins-mj]

My tank raised perculas have taken residence in my brain coral, that is now irritated and lost some of the red algae that it had. I had to add some more flow over it to get them to move. they are wacked out.

 

[1journeyman]

"Hosting" is a fascinating activity. I wish we knew more about it.
I had a clown "host" one of my clams for a couple of weeks. The clam was so sensitive it would close anytime a fish approached it, yet the clam wouldn't close up and crush the clown (which is what I feared would happen). Eventually the clown moved to my anemone. (I need to dig up the pic I got of that)
Yes, clowns can "love" a coral to death unfortunately.

 

[bgrae001]

mine have hosted my torch coral for about 6 months now and I haven't seen any problems with the coral. It's doubled in size too.

 

[theappe3]

i have an O. Clown and it hosts my frogspawn. Frogspawn hasnt receded in anyway so its not hurting it.
Hosting is def. very interesting and would like to find out more about it!