Best anemone substitute for ocellaris/least likely to die of being wiggled in?

[Tired]

I know captive-bred clowns don't reliably host, and I know the ones that /do/ will often host things like filter outlets and hair algae. But I want to try giving my upcoming clownfish something to host, and I don't really want to try keeping a BTA. I want a mixed reef, not a BTA species tank.

So, what coral is reasonably likely to attract clownfish to host it, and able to put up with being hosted? I was thinking maybe a rock of xenia, isolated on the sandbed. Fast-growing, waving, no skeleton to bump flesh against and harm, and they should be able to shove into it like it's an anemone. I see some really cute videos on Youtube of clownfish in xenia, and the xenia seems fine.

Any tips on getting them to actually take up residence? I was thinking of getting a big plastic bottle, cutting the bottom off, adding ventilation holes, and putting it over the coral rock. Like how people keep fish from stealing a coral's food. If I could get the clowns in the top of the bottle by any reasonable means (probably use a Gatorade bottle or something else with a large mouth), they'd be contained nicely, and I could leave the bottle on for a few hours so they had a chance to get the idea.

Xenia can't sting in any way, right? I wouldn't want to trap clownfish with an anemone, since they have to acclimate to it, but I don't see any way for xenia to hurt a clownfish.

 

[tnw50cal]

Before I got an anemone, mine liked my gobstopper zoas and my Duncan

 

[teethdoctor23]

Hammers, frogspawns, octospawns, Duncan’s, your power head, the top right corner of your tank…clowns will allow pretty much anything to host it. Captive bred clowns are unpredictable.

 

[Jeffcb]

My captive bred love their Gonipora. They are always in it and it doesn't seen to mind. However the Goni does close up at night.

 

[teethdoctor23]

My captive bred love their Gonipora. They are always in it and it doesn't seen to mind. However the Goni does close up at night.

I assume they just found the Goni on their own and made it their home, huh?

 

[Jeffcb]

I assume they just found the Goni on their own and made it their home, huh?

Yes they did and actually it took months to jump in it. It is pretty big now.

 

[powers2001]

@Tired watch this video of the ClownTube Slide. Seems to work well, I will try it myself.

 

[Rmckoy]

I have a bubble tip anemone that my clowns want nothing to do with .

 

[ilikefish69]

Mine loved my green hairy mushroom, i had about 4 of them all next to each other in the sandbed, they would host in it and suck the tentacles of the mushroom individually like a straw. Really …interesting… to watch.

nowthose clowns are being hosted by my neon green condy anemone, keeping it with no problem in a mixed reef as it found its spot it likes and stays put. But i would not bet on that happening again. Giant green hairy mushrooms, mine split 4 or 5 times in 3 months

 

[Jekyl]

My advice is to not focus on it. Clowns do what clowns do. It took mine hundreds in anemone and 2 years before they were hosted. I wouldn't recommend anyone to base their decisions off of a hopeful host. Plenty of people have mixed reefs with anemone also.

 

[CubsFan]

I’ve had success with sarcophyton in the past. Doesn’t spread out of control. Easy to care for. My clowns are hosted by a large hammer coral now. I’ve had success in the past with hairy mushroom corals and other euphyllia. They’ll pick a power head if they feel like it.

My clowns spend most of their time in the back corner of my tank laying eggs on the glass behind the hammer coral. I don’t really see them unless they’re hungry. Nerds.

 

[Tcook]

Colt coral

 

[X-37B]

I have a large frogspawn that my clown lives in for the last 6 years.
It avoided it for a year at first.
I have a pair of clowns I got when they were very small 1".
I had them in my 120 for over a year and they did not host anything.
I took the 120 down and put them in the 30g remote fuge. Afer 6 months I located an anemone that came from a tank breakdown. It took them 3 days to take to it.

 

[Tired]

My advice is to not focus on it. Clowns do what clowns do. It took mine hundreds in anemone and 2 years before they were hosted. I wouldn't recommend anyone to base their decisions off of a hopeful host. Plenty of people have mixed reefs with anemone also.

Eh, I don't want to deal with a BTA potentially wandering around. RFAs, sure, I'll keep those. They stay put. I don't want to come back to a BTA sat in my acan garden.

I know the clowns might go host the heater or some other nonsense, but I figure there's no harm in trying to provide something they might like, particularly since I do actually like the look of some forms of xenia. And I'm hoping I can boost my chances of getting them to be all cute and wiggly in something by providing a coral that's good for wiggling in. If they still go after the heater, at least it'll be funny, and not just for lack of any better options.

I'd also prefer to avoid leather corals, since they seem to be particularly prone to chemical warfare.

 

[Jekyl]

And I'm hoping I can boost my chances of getting them to be all cute and wiggly in something

After the 2 years of trying every internet trick I could find they finally were hosted. For my trouble? I barely ever see them and I get bitten every time my hand is in the tank. Pretty sure the female took a chunk out and spit it at me one time.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

I just asked the same question in another reef group I'm in, and 2 people said large toadstool leathers worked. Another said hers loved green hairy shrooms.