How long did it take your clownfish to host your anemone?

[Dorinda]

I've had my female clown for 3 years. She still likes the back left corner of the tank. I've had my sea anemones ( maybe 20 now) for over 2 years.
My male clown fish I've had for a year and he loves the sea anemones.
He hangs with the female when she's out of her corner, but then goes back to the sea anemones.
Some may never go near a sea anemone. ‍

 

[Kittypowpow]

I really want my little guys to host my anemone. I know some may and some may not. I was reading about things you can do to help persuade them to host it. The best being introduce the anemone first which didn’t happen for me. How long did it take yours to host? Did anyone try the photo method…where you put photos of clownfish in anemones around the tank? I know being captive bred they don’t always have the instinct either.

So I think I got super lucky, but I bought a pair of clowns and put them in the tank first. I added one BTA and didn’t have any luck, but then I added three more and all of a sudden the clowns couldn’t get enough of the BTA’s. They would sit in each one for a little them move to the next. Now I have several and they just bounce from nem to nem. I would like to add I have an anemone only tank so they don’t have many options.

 

[Tammylas]

It took months for our clowns to go anywhere near the anemones, but once they started they rarely stray too far away from them. I don't have enough experience to know if that is normal or why it took so long but watching them disappear into a bunch of bubble tips is pretty cool imo.

This was our experience as well, and after our anemone split, they go back and forth between both.

 

[primalpete]

Took less than a week. All of the sudden one of my naked clowns was like this BTA is mine now.

 

[hans4811]

Over a year ! And when they finally did, was pure accident. One of the nems happened to move over to the corner where they were, and the female backed into it by accident,,,actually saw her do this…and since then, neither the nem or the clowns have moved from that corner in over a year.

 

[Koh23]

Based on my experience, and of course this can be isolated cases, totaly anegdotal...

Wild caught clowns get into nem very fast, from instant to day-two when put into tank. (Considering that nem is already in tank)

Tank breed varies from months to newer. Mines are perfectly happy hosting wavemaker.....

I tried everyrhing, i take smallest cup, put nem inside with very little water, then put clown inside, with so little water that he was whole in anemone, kept it for some time, put them together into tank, i literally showe clown into nem.... No luck.

I even put nem few mm below pump, hoping that by chance one of them will get into nem.... Also, nothing.....

 

[vlangel]

I am still waiting, LOL. I've had the clown probably a year and a half - two years. At least the clown nuzzles the nem occasionally now, ha ha!

 

[kylec559]

The guy at the fish store said my clown would take his hair braid out and connect it to the anemones tentacles forming a lifelong bond like in the movie avatar. No luck yet.