how to get my clowns to host...

aquaguy24

Active Member
i've had 2 true perc clowns over a year..they were in my 24g for a year and i recently moved them into a 90g..since i had them, they never been near or seen an anemone...i want to get an anemone to see if they will host it...right now they are hosting my overflow box..im looking to get a BTA cuz its the least aggressive anemone...what are my chances of them host the BTA...
 

heatheryjoy

Member
My clowns host my overflow box too. I have a HUGE bubble tip anemone in my tank and they have all been in there together for about 6 months. They won't even go near the anemone! My bangaii cardinal hosts it though. Very cool thing to see!!
 

liljay0418

Member
Its always a toss up if they host, mine have no problem hosting on any one of my R.B.T.A.'s theres 7 in my tank and they go back and forth.
 

perfectdark

Active Member
IMO/E hosting is never a sure thing. However some factors that increase or decrease your chances for success are, weather the fish are wild caught, aqua cultured or tank raised.
I have read theories that an anemone hosting is a learned application. Tank raised anemone fish, seem to take the longest to want to reside in an anemone. Aqua cultured have a slightly higher success rate while wild caught seem to have the highest. Although there are scenarios where that theory is shown to be false, the majority of the time from ME it seems to hold some validity. I have a wild caught sumatra perc, and a tank raised ocellaris together. At one time I had only the sumatra perc, and my RBTA, the perc would not look at my anemone. I added a wild caught true perc about 3 months later, it took immediately to the anemone. In a day the sumatra perc threw the TP out and took over the anemone for herself. The TP died (another story) but, the Sumatra one kept her anemone, and when I added my tank raised ocellaris it only took 2 days for it to take to the anemone. Prior to that scenario in the time my tank has been running I have had 5 tank rasied ocellaris, 4 orange and whites and 1 black and white, none wanted my anemone. Out of all the wild caught specimens I have had all but 1 took to my anemone within a day. 4, true percs, 3 B&W saddle backs. This is just based on my experience and I know there are scenarios that contradict mine but if it will help I thought I would offer it.
 

blackjacktang

Active Member
Originally Posted by heatheryjoy
http:///forum/post/2651625
My clowns host my overflow box too. I have a HUGE bubble tip anemone in my tank and they have all been in there together for about 6 months. They won't even go near the anemone! My bangaii cardinal hosts it though. Very cool thing to see!!
Can I see some pics of you tank and anenome?
 

aquaguy24

Active Member
my true percs are wild caught so i guess my chance are on the good side..im kinda thinking twice about adding an anemone cuz the stinging facter..might sting the corals that i add....but i might add the anemone first to see where it stays and then add corals after....
 

aquaguy24

Active Member
Originally Posted by liljay0418
http:///forum/post/2651687
Its always a toss up if they host, mine have no problem hosting on any one of my R.B.T.A.'s theres 7 in my tank and they go back and forth.

7 anemones? wow.. how big is ur tank..and how is there no war going on in there...
 

perfectdark

Active Member
Originally Posted by aquaguy24
http:///forum/post/2653188
7 anemones? wow.. how big is ur tank..and how is there no war going on in there...
They are all clones of one anemone... its the best way to keep multiple anemones in one tank without starting a war.
 

jthomas0385

Member
I have 2 percula clowns and a BTA. It took about 2 months before they hosted. Once they do though it is really something to watch.
 

vincent6396

Member
I bought a pair of tank raised b&w ocellaris clowns and they wouldn't touch my rbta but as soon as I added a h. magnifica, they jumped right in. Funny how each fish acts differently.
 
My clown fish even took to a condi-I bought it just for an experiment to see if it would host it and sure enough within an hrs time of being released into the tank, even as the disc was still trying to seat itself - there was my maroon clown making a jump house out of it. Now it has a beautiful Rosetip to play in. Again mine did not take more than an hr- I think one trip around the tank to see what was dumped in and then he saw it- Happy Camper!
 
That is the same story with my Saddle back Clown fish and my Maroon clown fish.. the saddle back found my Anemone within minutes of the anemome being added to the tank... the maroon took about a day to get it her anemone after I added it, seemed as if she made a round around the tank and ran into the anemone, she flipped out and went bannanas in the anemone, I have never seen a happier clown :)... for the most part my maroon hosted my skimmers micro bubble catcher hehe, until I got my Anemone... so i agree with everyone else its a 50/50 thing but not necassary to have an anemone, but is a very beautiful and majestic thing to watch them cuddle the crap out of another creature that ussually kills things!!! like someone said on here there clown hosted a condi lol, or filters, powerheads... good luck and let us know how it goes for you!!!
 

zippgirl

Member
I guess I am lucky, I have 2 tank raised ocellaris and after I upgraded to T-5's got a RBTA, the female started hosting after a couple days the male followed in about a week. The RBTA is small so the female keeps pushing the male out when she wants in. But they love their anemone.
 

kellenr

Member
Originally Posted by aquaguy24
http:///forum/post/2651581
i've had 2 true perc clowns over a year..they were in my 24g for a year and i recently moved them into a 90g..since i had them, they never been near or seen an anemone...i want to get an anemone to see if they will host it...right now they are hosting my overflow box..im looking to get a BTA cuz its the least aggressive anemone...what are my chances of them host the BTA...
I'd say pretty slim. Both True & False P. Clowns prefer a Long Tentacle Anemone. I started with a Condy, then got a BTA, then finally got a LTA (still have all 3 peacefully). My clowns wouldn't host anything except the powerhead. Finally, 3 months later, the large clown started hosting the LTA. Maroons are the main ones that like the BTA's. You can get both, just put them on opposite sides of the tank and watch them. Mine haven't moved since I footed them. The BTA tried to a couple times but I put him back, now he's been there for a long time. You'll really have the best chance with an LTA. They may not host at all, ever. Like I said, mine took almost 3-4mos. I had given up hope. Well good luck.
 

johnnyd

Member
my wild caught maroon started hosting about 3-4 days after being in my tank. atfer i added my powerhead is started hosting my pink tip hatian anemone. my wild caught true perc started hosting my LTA in about the same time frame, as soon as it was dropped into the tank it dove into the torch coral and came flying out lol, guess it got stung then it slept in the LTA one night and has been hosting it ever since.
 
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