- Joined
- Mar 11, 2019
- Messages
- 129
- Reaction score
- 157
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
2 months. Not sure what species of clown they are. if they are just some really small species or are immature but they are definitely about half “normal” clown sizeSome clowns never host. How long have they been together?
It was a huge clear pipe, not sure where Marc sourced it, but it definitely worked for him.
You could try a a couple different things. The first thing, and least labor intensive, is when you feed the clowns, drop it near the nem.
A bit more disruptive, but you could also transfer the nem and clowns to a smaller tank, like a 10 gallon and see if they can find it easier, then move them back.
Otherwise, just patience and hope.
This makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. The analogy I like to use is cats and catnip. Domesticated cats still like catnip and this trait is innate. Same with clownfish. Give any captive-bred clownfish their natural host, and you'll typically see an instant bond.Most clowns bred in captivity are several generations removed from their ancestors of whom were hosted by anemones.
2 months. Not sure what species of clown they are. if they are just some really small species or are immature but they are definitely about half “normal” clown size
It may take a while. If they are immature, they might be same sex. One will have to change sex. You’ll see this by the one which will grow larger. That one will be the female Give it time
marc Levinson introduced his clowns to a nem via a pipe leading directly into the nem, and the clowns never left it.
interesting fact about bta not being natural host. a tid bit that i shamefully did not knowI'm going to try to clarify a few of these statements:
This makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. The analogy I like to use is cats and catnip. Domesticated cats still like catnip and this trait is innate. Same with clownfish. Give any captive-bred clownfish their natural host, and you'll typically see an instant bond.
They look like juvenile, captive-bred ocellaris.
Immature clowns are technically sexless. They are neither male nor female. When they reach maturity, one will become female, one male, and the rest remain sexless. If the female were to die or move on, the male typically takes her place, and one of the subordinate fish will become the male.
I like a lot of things that Mark shares, but this one is really risky. While it may work, there's also a very high chance that the clownfish could be killed by the anemone.
Since the clownfish are ocellaris, and BTAs are not a natural host species, it's hit-or-miss when it comes to hosting. There really isn't much that you can do to get it to happen. Just needs time and patience. If you really want to see the clownfish and anemone symbiosis take place, get a natural host anemone for ocellaris -- H. magnifica (Ritteri), S. gigantea, or S. mertensii (Mertens).
I'm going to try to clarify a few of these statements:
This makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. The analogy I like to use is cats and catnip. Domesticated cats still like catnip and this trait is innate. Same with clownfish. Give any captive-bred clownfish their natural host, and you'll typically see an instant bond.
@D-Nak
Regarding this comment, I don't mean the following to be argumentative. I respect your opinion and you very well may be right. A while ago I engaged in a similar discussion on this forum on this point and posted the following:
I agree with your points about correct matching and instinct, in my opinion, the idea behind captive bred fish losing some of their behavioral traits is not exactly misinformation. There is some research to this effect. A research paper published by the National Academy of Sciences says the following: "...the hatchery environment during early life stages induces significant physiological and behavioral changes that may ultimately reduce the fitness of hatchery-born fish." (https://www.pnas.org/content/114/49/12964). This quote also points to two other papers that discuss fitness changes in hatchery-born fish. Mind you, most of this research is done on salmon and not clowns and anemones, and it's endpoint is to measure fitness, not a symbiotic relationship; but the point is that there can be changes in captive-bred fish over generations.
I want you to know that I respect your opinion and again, I want you to know that I 100% agree that the right clown should be paired with the right nem for very obvious reasons. In many ways, we are trying to replicate nature, so why fight that?... right???
I aim only to make the point that there is peer-reviewed literature in nationally-published journals that do indicate there can be behavioral changes in captive bred fish, and so in my opinion, some of these changes could indeed occur in clownfish.