Originally Posted by
jrotunda85
My question is in regards to my two Ocelleris clown fish who have been hovering around him. ... I was wondering how the LTA begins to host the Ocelleris, like the process that occurs.
Thanks for your help!
Clownfish and Damselfish are the only species of fish which can avoid the stings of an anemone, which can be quite potent. The exact mechanism by which this is accomplished is the subject of debate, and there are several theories which may all be partly responsible. The details of these theories are complex, but they fall into two major categories. One theory is that their slime coating is based on sugar rather than proteins so anemones fail to recognize the fish as food and do not fire their nematocysts, or sting organelles. A similar theory is that the mucous coating mimicks the anemone's own coating, a theory that is bolstered by the fact that it takes several days for a clownfish to adapt to a new species of anemone.
There is no acclimation period when a clownfish is moved to another anemone of the same species. Not all anemones make suitable hosts--many sting and eat clownfish. Also, particular species of clownfish will only use particular species of host anemones in nature. In captivity, certain clownfish species will adapt to certain other anemone species, but not many. Another likely possibility is that their unique movements, which are unlike any other fish, let the anemone know that they are not food. This theory is bolstered by the fact that juvenile Clownfish, which have no coating, will immediately seek refuge in any compatible anemone and will not be stung. Juvenile clownfish will not survive for long without the protection of an anemone, and few actually find one before being eaten.
So you see it all depends on where your anemone came from , was it wild caught and already used to a certain type of anemone? Was it tank raised an has never seen an anemone? Was it tank raised with an anemone?
I've read where it has occured in just minutes and other times days and months go by before it happens.
The fact that your clown fish are starring at it is a good sign, they may begin to rub the tenticals with their face first, then gradually all over their bodies until the proper immunity has been built up. If all goes well they will live in harmony. But every situation is different.
Good luck
Thomas
