False perc clowns in carpet anemone

Rmckoy · Mar 31, 2020

Has anyone ever experienced clownfish being stung by carpet anemones ?

I woke up this morning everything was normal .
My one clownfish seemed stuck to the carpet anemone .

I have read cases of carpet anemones eating clownfish that they host .....

Is this why they have never went close to it since owning them ?

D-Nak · Mar 31, 2020

I'm guessing that the carpet anemone is a haddoni? Both gigantea and mertensii are natural hosts of ocellaris, it shouldn't be an issue.

There are only a few cases where a haddoni may eat an ocellaris:

1. The clown was dead or dying and floated into the carpet
2. Something spooked the clown and it dove into the carpet without being previously acclimated.

Lastly, if you have a S. helianthus anemone, which is commonly mis-IDed as either gigantea or haddoni, then you have an anemone that is not a clownfish hosting species, which will definitely eat a clownfish.

Rmckoy · Mar 31, 2020

I’ve had this anemone for a few years .
I just got the clownfish about 4 months ago and they have never went into it .
I’ll attach a few pictures of both the burnt but still living clownfish and the anemone

bam123 · Mar 31, 2020

Don't stress. Now that they've been stung, they will develop immunity and go back for more loving:))

Big G · Mar 31, 2020

The clown looks like it may have Brooklynella. Pics are a bit blurry, but it looks like the skin is peeling/sloughing off.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/brooklynella.247938/

Rmckoy · Mar 31, 2020

I know for sure it’s a sting or burn ..
I pulled the clown fish out of the carpet this morning after watching it struggle trying to get away .

Rmckoy · Apr 6, 2020

So ...

This might have happened again .
the same clownfish , same anemone and burnt/stung twice as bad. I wasn’t home to remove the clownfish as soon as it touched .
Are ocellaris hosts to the species of anemone I have ?
Or should I consider adding a pair or group of skunk clownfish ?