Need help with clowns and Carpet Anemone

[larry broderic]

Hello i recently purchased what i was told was a pair of true perc clowns. they have been in the tank for about 3 weeks now. i decided to get them a nice carpet to host. Before when i had a true clown and a carpet i could barely get the carpet in the water before the clown raced to it. these clowns dont even acknowledge the anemone. I was wondering if any one has any advice, encouraging words or stories, or anything that can be of help. Also if you think i got screwed on the fish and got false percs please let me know. any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[subielover]

How big is your tank? What lighting do you have?

 

[larry broderic]

30 gallon with a 15 gallon sump
150 watt halide with 2 65 pc
8 hours hqi 10 hours actinic 8 hours moon light
Maxi jet power head
500 gph sump pump
55-60 lbs live rock
2 inch live sand bed

 

[nuro]

ive read an awful lot supporting the theory of "hostign" being a learned behavior and not an instictual one. If these are aquacultured clowns theres a chance they may never host it. theres alot of resources out there about how to encourage it. google "encourage clown hosting", also i cant remember off the top of my head but i want to say true perc arent the preffered anemone fish for carpets... i think pink skunks are. dotn quote me on that

 

[rod buehle]

Of the 3 different "carpets", only S. gigantea is a natural host for percs. That doesnt mean that they wont acccept your hadoni as a host, but it is not a natural host.

 

[lexluethar]

Carpets are also known to eat fish, including clowns. As Rod said they aren't normally known to host carpets - and if they do there is a chance the carpet will eat it.
As for helping this process along, IMO it is something that is instinctual to them, but can be 'learned' or triggered much faster by seeing another clown host.
I've heard of people putting clowns that look similar to them hosting anemones that look similar to yours. Put that picture up against the glass for a few days.

 

[rod buehle]

Originally Posted by LexLuethar
http:///forum/post/2850093
Carpets are also known to eat fish, including clowns. As Rod said they aren't normally known to host carpets - and if they do there is a chance the carpet will eat it.
As for helping this process along, IMO it is something that is instinctual to them, but can be 'learned' or triggered much faster by seeing another clown host.
I've heard of people putting clowns that look similar to them hosting anemones that look similar to yours. Put that picture up against the glass for a few days.

Be careful with common names. "Carpets" such as S. gigantea, ARE a natural host to percs, and they arent as prone to eating fish as the "carpet" S. hadoni. ( Yes, I have heard of hadonis eating percs too) The problem with S. gigantea are probably one of the hardest anemones to keep. Or maybe I should say that they are the hardest one to find a healthy one from the get go..
The picture technique is something that I hear works.. I have no personal experience with that though.

 

[larry broderic]

i have heard of the picture method as well. i printed a few pics of clowns hosting carpet anemones. After a night in the tank with the anemone and looking at their fellow cousins enjoying their anemones, one of the clowns was very interested in the anemone this morning. he literally looked at the picture then rubbed against the anemone for a sec then swam back to the pic and then swam back to the anemone and scrubbed deeper and longer. This sheraid went on for about 20 mins. then i realized i was late for work. 12 hours later when i came home the lights were all off the anemone was 1/4 of the size it was when it was open and neither clown was near it. its mouth was wide open, but it was shriveled. Most of the corals were closed and quite a few rocks had fallen down.
i dunno why it was all closed up and had its mouth wide open. the only thing i can think of is maybe my six line wrasse got gobbled up. i haven't seen him lately.
the anemone was sold to me as a saddle carpet anemone.
a google search came up with a species name of Stichodactyla haddoni

 

[larry broderic]

know that the light is on the other clown has moved into the anemone. still no wrasse and the other clown has no interest in the carpet anymore. i think that the clowns are battling for the --- role in the tank. one is nipping at the other one alot. his fins are losing their color and he is a tiny bit smaller. i was told that the biggest one will become female and the smaller one with be male. the female should establish dominance. How long until they stop fighting each other. and will they both share the anemone?

 

[larry broderic]

well someone came out of hiding with some help of food