Pairing clown with BTA

[mamedina]

Hey all. Just curious what are some methods reefers have been successful with in regards to pairing a clown to a BTA

 

[Tahoe61]

I personally do not like introducing a clown and an anemone by putting them in the same container. I have seen too many clowns eaten by anemones with this method.

Believe or not sometimes taping an image of clowns in anemones to the tank can and has worked.

Or introducing the fish food in close proximity to the anemone.

Or just wait and see if it happens on its own. It always helps if the anemone is a natural host for that specific clown fish type.

 

[mamedina]

I agree don’t want to stress the clown and BTA by putting them in a container.

 

[mamedina]

How do the clowns find the nems? Is it just instinctual?

 

[kchristensen8064]

I've read that if you shine a flashlight on the anemone after lights out for a while it'll attract the clowns to the anemone. I'm getting ready to try this method with mine to see if it might work...

 

[DeniseAndy]

Not sure. I have tried nothing in way of introducing clowns to nems specifically. I had a nice large bta in a 210g with a pair or occellis (mocha & snowflake). Took them maybe 7 months to find it and begin being hosted by it. In my smaller tanks (6g), my babies clowns will take to a nem almost right away if available. Or they take to torch or hammer. Now my percs in my 40 have taken to nothing except my overflow pipe. Lay eggs there and everything . Dumb clowns.

My blackfoots took a few months to take to a bta, now they have all the btas in the 210g and let no other clowns in. Every time I have tried a nem in the sump with my clarkiis, they immediately love it and take to it.

So, proximity may help, fish desire is also a factor. Mine are all captive bred fish.

 

[Jeepguy242]

clown will host when they want to... i have an 11 year old clown that has never seen a nem host after 3 days.... it took the male another day or 2....


i had one before that took months to host a nem.... it just is what it is

 

[Flexin]

If you have a torch, hammer and an anemone, it’s a crap shoot :). Honestly as long as they are happy I’m fine with it. It will happen naturally, just like most things in a tank don’t force it, just let nature take it corse. Some go right to it, mine took a while before they started looking at every coral in the tank, and a BTA. They took to a Frogspawn. In my other tank unfortunately they went for a tube anemone got stung. Now they have no interest in any thing.. But I will give them time and have plenty available for them to choose from.

 

[mamedina]

So it sounds like it’s just a sit and wait game...

 

[Jeepguy242]

So it sounds like it’s just a sit and wait game...

Yep.

It will happen.

And wherever you put the nem won’t be good for him


He will move

And move


And finally settle where he wants

And the clowns won’t like it


And then when the clowns finally host the nem will move again.


Keep your powerheads covered when you have a nem

 

[davocean]

How do the clowns find the nems? Is it just instinctual?

It's very much instinct, to the point they really recognize best to the type of anemone that species of clown would be found in in the wild.
When you don't give a clown a natural host match, but rather an alternative/non natural match, THAT is when it can be a waiting game.
Given a natural host anemone, they usually dive in right away.

I also agree, do not force close proximity, this can be hazardous to clowns if they have have not adapted to the anemone's sting cells.

 

[accline]

I have zero experience with anemones and have another post saying as much. We added two anemones a week ago and within an hour my male clown was already bothering the anemone, then the female took over, so the male moved to the other anemone and uprooted the shrimp that was already hosting there. Now the shrimp has moved on to one of my thousand Kenya trees, the male and female clown are hosting in the original anemone (who has moved to the most remote area in my tank) and my second anemone is in real trouble. I can’t figure it out. It’s always something!!

 

[rkpetersen]

Just wait. It'll happen. Might take 6 months though. Then one day, you find that the clown is suddenly not only snuggling up to that nem, but also swimming in your goniopora and alveopora too.