why does my cleaner shrimp attack only my clown?

[kertong]

Hey everyone - I'm new here, as well as being new to the hobby (I've only had my 30gal saltwater for about 6 months now. currently in it now are 2 firefish, 1 engineer goby, a yellowtailed damsel, and a ocellaris clown. i'm running a skimmer as well as a biowheel/filter... with a bubble coral, green bubble tip anemone, and some button polyps. my bubble coral already propogated!)

Anyway, I guess I have two questions.

First of all, as the topic title says - at night, when all my fish go to "sleep" in their hiding places, the ocellaris clown alway stays out. and my cleaner shrimp always slowly sneaks up on him, and when he's in close distance, he pounces and attacks my clown? What the heck? He also steps all over my bubble tip anemone and makes him close up.

Second of all - I want my ocellaris to accept the bubble tip as a host, but I hear it may or may not happen? Any tips on this? I heard about getting a fake plastic clwonfish and leaving it near the bubble tip anemone, but I can't find a plastic clown. What are your experiences with ocellaris clowns and bubble tip anemones?

Well, again, thanks in advance. I hope to participate in this reefs.org forums a lot more often in the near future.

edit: Oh, and the ocellaris is captive-bred, if that helps any.

ciao,

 

[Anonymous]

I have a clown and a cleaner shrimp that constatntly play with each other. They chase each other around the tank. Kind of funny sometimes.

As for the clown and the bubble tip I am not sure. My clown hosts in a branch hammer for the most part but will sometimes go to a toadstool leather when its polyps are out.

A plastic clown you could probably use a clown plastic veggie clip.
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[Reefguide]

Kertong, cleaner shrimps are called that for a very specific reason. They clean off parasites off of fish and feed on them. The shrimp will not harm your clown. My clowns have never allowed it though but my tangs would and is completely normal. Most shrimp set up a "cleaning station" where fish go to for cleanings, you may notice that some of your other fish will go there if pestered by parasites. I remember calling my LFS when I started out and asking the same thing. In my experience, when the shrimp figure out that you are regularly feeding them them will stop cleaning all together in most cases.

As far as the bubble tip can't help you there. I have never heard of using a plastic clown. You have had this clown alone for a while already and if you were to add even a real clown he would at least in the begining show hostility toward him, so I think he would realize rather quickly that the clown is an imposter ! :lol: Again, I have never heard of that but it doesnt mean that it wouldn't work. I just don't know. Someone else might be able to help !

Good luck & welcome to the board/hobby !

 

[kertong]

Hey guys, thanks for the replies.

I am aware that the cleaner shrimp will clean parasites off of my fish - but I have never seen it "pounce" on a fish with such speed. When my hippo tang or firefish lazily swim by, it'll just "feel" them with his antennae feelers. But when my ocellaris swims by, he'll just *jump* at him like he wants to kill him. It happens to only my clown, for some reason.

Also, Reefguide - about the plastic clown. I've been told that to "encourage" a clown to move into a host anemone, you can place a plastic clownfish/veggie clip right next to the anemone. Chances are, the real clown will swim to it thinking its a fellow clownfish - and hence, near the anemone. I really don't know how well this works, though.

I've heard the "false" sebae/clarkii clowns, or tomato clowns just love bubble tips. However, I've heard tomato clowns can be fairly aggressive, although I've also heard conflicting reports.

Is it possible to keep a clown other than a ocellaris clown, living peacefull with my ocellaris?

Thanks, guys.

Oh, btw: if you're curious, here are some pictures of my tank:
http://www.csboyfriend.com/photos/newfish.html

It's changed considerably since, though. I've added a solid black background, the yellow tang is gone (he's way too big), and I've moved around the rockwork to make a "rock wall" slightly centered in the middle, and I've added a green bubble tip anemone and clown, of course.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Reefguide]

Oh, oh... A blue tang and a yellow tang in a 30g... The tang police will ctach ya man !

Anyways, the cleaner seems to act differently with the clown than the tangs? Thats odd... hmm... Don't know what to tell you. Sorry!

 

[kertong]

Heh heh - yeah, the yellow tang was more of an impulse buy (i know, very stupid of me), so as soon as I realized he was a bit too large for my tank, I gave him away to MandarinFish who is also on this board.

As for the blue tang, I got him from a friend, he's only about 2 inches across, and looked very emaciated when I saw him first. So I took him in, fattened him up, and he's doing great! He swims happily, doesn't have that lumpy skinny abdomnial area, and is in general very happy. But I know he'll grow to be too large for my tank (even right now he's pushing it), so I'm also giving him to MandarinFish.

But yeah.. when the cleaner shrimp wants to clean a tang or another fish, he'll just slowly swim up to him. However, with the clown, he'll pounce and swim at the clown with incredible speed. 8O

Oh, oh... A blue tang and a yellow tang in a 30g... The tang police will ctach ya man !

Anyways, the cleaner seems to act differently with the clown than the tangs? Thats odd... hmm... Don't know what to tell you. Sorry!

 

[aquarist=broke]

What are your experiences with ocellaris clowns and bubble tip anemones?

Got a bubble tip three months ago. Took about a good hour for my clown to Host.

On to month four the anemone looks like this(see below), she and my resident clown have a new friend.

No fights yet and the smaller clown went for the BTA about two minutes into his introduction....

I should note that my resident clown started acting like he/she had an anemone in some hair algae. I watched this go on for a few weeks before I purchased the BTA.