Should I get a carpet anemone for the clown fishes?

[Anonymous]

Got two ocellaris for my bday, and they are my first fish purchase in past three years. Not a fish person, but the kids want something more interesting that just something that look much more dynamic that colored living tissue over some calcium carbonate. Anyway, I have a hammer coral and a plate coral in the 150 gal, and I don't know if the clownfish may take one of them up as host. Not too sure, but I don't know if that will be a bit detrimental to the coral health. The clowns were rubbing against a carpet anemone in the store, and I wonder if I should wait or go back to the store for that carpet? My main concern about the carpet is that I don't really like sea anemone. All my corals in the past are eithe LPS or SPS. Even the clowns are a hassle for me, since my tank was very low maintenance. With three kids, I guess it has to be. The only fish that did well in my tank is mandrain fish. Just drop one in, and never have to do anything for it for years. Will the carpet have complications in term of extra thing that I need to do, like fish it out of the back of the tank? Or keep it away from my clams or other corals so that they don't sting each other?

 

[Anonymous]

The easiest (i.e. difficult, but least difficult of the bunch) carpet anemones are Stichodactyla haddoni, but these aren't natural hosts for A.ocellaris. For that you'd have to get a Stichodactyla mertensii, Stichodactyla gigantea or Heteractis magnifica. Unfortunately all are considered the most demanding of the hosting anemones. Check out this factsheet for more info (NB: this is a direct download).

http://www.carlosreef.com/download/fclick.php?1

A warning though. If you already have that Mandarin, it will just be colorfully wrapped candy for a carpet anemone of whatever type. At the very least you'd have to install a moonlight LED and keep your fingers crossed 24/7...

Tank bred ocellaris might host in non-natural hosts, particularly Entacmaea quadricolor (aka the ubiquitous Bubble Tip Anemone). But it's a bit of a gamble...

 

[Anonymous]

Clown fish do not need anemones. Mine have hosted in leathers and even a bubble coral. Some just never host with anything. They will do fine in your eef either way. My advice is if you do not want anemones, do not get one. They will do fine just the same.

Plus, I had a S.haddoni and it took some time moving around, rearranging my tank(yes it moved some very heavy rocks with it's foot causing rockslides and screwing up my aquascaping). That's when it settled in and began picking off fish one by one. Back to the LFS it went and I am much happier now with my clowns hosting in a leather.

Clowns in leathers:

Clowns in carpet:

 

[Anonymous]

The clown in the first pic is the same clown as the last pic. The pic in the leather is most recent.

The second photo shows my tomato in a toadstool leather, which I have since fragged and sold. Now she lives in a bubble coral.

 

[Ben1]

Yeah there really is no need clowns will host in so many different corals, and I think you answered your own question in this...

My main concern about the carpet is that I don't really like sea anemone

If ya don't care for them then just stay away, and safe yourself the $.

 

[Anonymous]

If you do the anemone thing, get a bubble-tip as opposed to a carpet. Life expectancy in captivity with carpets, last I read, is still pretty dismal, whereas folks whose tanks are going well can end up with their bubble-tips reproducing they do so well.

 

[Anonymous]

If you do the anemone thing, get a bubble-tip as opposed to a carpet. Life expectancy in captivity with carpets, last I read, is still pretty dismal, whereas folks whose tanks are going well can end up with their bubble-tips reproducing they do so well.

They are easy to keep, just feed them very expensive fish. That is the key. :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

I guess I am not getting any anemone until the mandrain fish is gone. The last one lasted about nine years, so lets see how long I have to wait this time.

 

[Anonymous]

This morning, I see one of the clowns is rubbing on the hammer coral for several minutes before the light went out... interesting.

<edit:> One question, how rough do clowns get before I need to worry about separate them? There are only two ocellaris clowns and a mandrain fish in the 150, so space is definitely not an issue. The clowns are pushing one another, and I don't know if that is normal. During the light off period, they often occupy the opposite ends of the tank, but when light comes out, they stay together. No visible physical damage yet, but it is only the third day. One is 20% bigger than the other, FWIW.

 

[Anonymous]

The clowns are pretty playful. Don't worry about the rough housing just yet.

 

[Anonymous]

This morning, I see one of the clowns is rubbing on the hammer coral for several minutes before the light went out... interesting.

<edit:> One question, how rough do clowns get before I need to worry about separate them? There are only two ocellaris clowns and a mandrain fish in the 150, so space is definitely not an issue. The clowns are pushing one another, and I don't know if that is normal. During the light off period, they often occupy the opposite ends of the tank, but when light comes out, they stay together. No visible physical damage yet, but it is only the third day. One is 20% bigger than the other, FWIW.

20% larger isn't much of a difference. However, if you had two females, I think they'd have killed each other by now. How large are they, again? (If you posted their size, I don't remember.) Hopefully they're still small so they can sort things out for themselves.

 

[Anonymous]

They are about 2.5 inch.

 

[Anonymous]

That's pretty big to start, especially for A. occellaris. Just watch for them tearing each other apart, missing chunks of fin, and so on. If they do that, you'll need to replace one with another significantly smaller (at least half the size).

 

[Anonymous]

The bigger one is ... I'm pretty sure now... hosting on my hammer coral, but the smaller one never do that. The little one stays close to the bigger one watching her rubbing /playing in the coral tentacles. Is this normal for the smaller one to stay away, or if they may eventually go into the coral together? The hammer coral is about 6 yrs old in my tank, but due to recent events, only have 3 small heads.

 

[Anonymous]

Alright, now both of them are on the hammer coral, and it is like two full grown adult trying to get into a crib. The hammer coral does not look like it likes it very much. Just let the nature take its course, or I need to rescue the poor coral?

 

[Anonymous]

it sounds like they've decided to host the hammer. If you put an anemone in there now I'm not sure they'd even notice it, let alone take to it. Just let them host the hammer.

 

[Anonymous]

I am not going to put an anemone there, but a bit concern about the effect of the clowns hosting on it. It is not not that big even though I had it for like 6 yrs. When fully expended, it is about 3 inch across for the biggest head.

 

[leftovers]

If you have a tank for an anemone you should host your clowns in them, they in my experience do better, spawn and spawn regularly, won't harm other corals as they can and many times do as they look for a suitable host.

Clown fish in the wild are ALWAYS in anemones. Anemones in the wild though may not have a clown fish.

Should you decide at a later date to add an anemone a bbt is the simplest and safest. The only fish they ever eat are injured. Healthy reef fish sold in the trade today are all bright enough to stay away from anemones, its in their make up.

The most hazardous is the carpet, as its tenticles are tougher and stronger for the unwary and stupid fish than bbt's.

My maroon clowns have hosted in anemones for 12 years now and never have i lost any fish to the anemones and i have rather giant rose bbt animals. (12"+ rose and 4 of them now...). Sure you COULD lose a fish but again its the sick and dying as healthy stay far away. the clowns too will naturally kick out anyone in their anemones territory and keep the anemones happy and healthy.

 

[Anonymous]

If I go with a rose bbt, I don't have to do anything more than what I am already doing for the corals, right?

 

[Anonymous]

Leftovers makes an excellent point, as I've never observed wild clowns hosting anything other than anemones. The anemones are situated always well within extensive coral colonies, again from what I, personally, have seen.