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User1
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View BadgesIt took my clowns 10 months to figure out that they would like the anemone! I had just about given up hope, then for some unknown reason they moved in. Now they won’t leave it!
I guess the only advice I can give is just be patient.
Similar experience here also. Our original rose bubble tip was in my sons 29 gallon bio cube. He added a pair of black / white true percula (i believe they are true, could have been false but this was almost 10 years ago). Anyway he thought they would go right for it but they didn't. They went everywhere but. Some reading, some time, some more reading, and we sort of came to the conclusion that they may not pair up or be allowed to host in the RBTA. One month, two. Then my son left a note on the tank hoping maybe one of them could read and say that the keys to the new home (RBTA) was under a rock on the left. That didn't work. Month three, four. BTA split and now we have two. Didn't seem to help any and by now we are 7 or 8 months in and my son draws a picture this time thinking maybe they do sign language or needed a visual. Didn't seem to help.
About a month later the larger one was in the original BTA while the other wasn't. It was more friendly with a hammer coral. Another week went by then we saw them both in the bta's rotating between them. Two rbta's is too much in the 29 gallon bio cube so we setup another one. This sort of went back and forth over the next 6 years until we merged everything into a 40 breeder. 14 or so BTA's later the clowns continued to host in what we believe was the original. They are now in a 210 gallon upgrade but we have since reduced the BTA's to a more manageable 7.
I've read some people, and seen videos, of people using a 5 - 6" piece of PVC or Acrylic and point one end at the BTA the other end dump the fish. I'm not a fan of this approach because the nem has to be ok with it. No...means no. And if the fish doesn't react properly to no then it can be food or killed due to a nasty sting it wasn't expecting.
My suggestion is reading up on what nem type you want to keep and their respected hosted fish. Do some reading and when you find one that works for you buy and give them time. Chances they will bond over time. BTA's and percula's have a good rep. However, I cannot speak for the designer fish.
Best of luck.