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How long does it take for a clown to host a sea anemone?


mwheeler

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I have two false clowns and a seabay anemone and a bta. How long should it take for them to host the anemones? They have been together for about a week now. I don't think the clowns are a mated pair i put them in the tank at separate times. One has been in the tank since I started (about 3 months ago) and the other was just added last weekend. The seabay has been in the tank for about a week and a half and the bubble tip was added last weekend.

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I have seen clowns that will only host a powerhead.

 

I have a pair of clowns that started hosting frogspawn coral after about 2 years.

 

BTAs and sebae anemones are not "natural" hosts for false percs. To have the greatest chance of success with your clowns, use a Ritteri (Heteractus magnifica) anemone. It is the anemone that false percs will naturally host in the wild. The only problem with H. magnifica is that they are poor shippers (many will die from stress of shipping), they need BRIGHT lights, and they do best under point sources of light (MH instead of PC or T5). They also like to pearch on the tallest place that they can reach, and love high flow areas. They are considered for "expert" reefers only.

 

If you want something to host your BTA, choose maroon clowns. Sebae clowns would be ideal for your sebae anemone.

 

I have heard that if you put pictues of clowns outside the tank near where the anemone is then the clowns will tend to want to "protect" their territory, and start hosting quicker. This method did not work for me.

 

dsoz

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I have heard of people netting the clowns and placing them in a plastic bag with the anemone for an hour or so. Sometimes this kick starts them into hosting.

 

I did that once when I was transfering them from one tank to another. I.E. I put both in a small bucket where the clowns would inevitably brush up against the anemone. It was actually pretty funny to watch. The first couple of times they acted like something had slapped them. Then they started brushing up against it on purpose and would come away twitching.

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  • 3 weeks later...
well to answer my own question my clowns just started to host my sea bay last night and they are still in it. (clap) (rock2)

 

Very nice. Chances are they both will be happier. Your probably going to notice them beginning to take care of the anemone too.

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Sweet deal, i've heard false percs are difficult to get to host. I have a mated pair of onyx that host a seabae and a hammer coral. I also have a pair of clarkii's that host a finger leather. I had false percs that would rub on a torch coral every now and then but they never seemed to host it and they eventually died anyways.

 

Hows your seabae doing? mines been in the tank for 2 months and still seems a bit jacked up and stressed. Its getting some darker color now its not so bleached but it doesn't like to attach to the sand and its mouth is always open which i've heard are all bad signs. but it doesn't seem to digress, it just doesn't get any better.

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Sweet deal, i've heard false percs are difficult to get to host. I have a mated pair of onyx that host a seabae and a hammer coral. I also have a pair of clarkii's that host a finger leather. I had false percs that would rub on a torch coral every now and then but they never seemed to host it and they eventually died anyways.

 

Hows your seabae doing? mines been in the tank for 2 months and still seems a bit jacked up and stressed. Its getting some darker color now its not so bleached but it doesn't like to attach to the sand and its mouth is always open which i've heard are all bad signs. but it doesn't seem to digress, it just doesn't get any better.

 

It sounds like it's on the road to recovery. It can take a year or so to nurse one back to normal if it's been neglected. Many times they never recover but having the color intensify so it isn't as bleached is a really good sign.

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It sounds like it's on the road to recovery. It can take a year or so to nurse one back to normal if it's been neglected. Many times they never recover but having the color intensify so it isn't as bleached is a really good sign.

 

Thanks for the info, i try to spot feed it like once every 2 weeks after i feed the fish, but the clowns then to steal its food. I've also been told that they don't need to be fed if you have good lighting, which mine is under 250w halides and VHO's.

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Thanks for the info' date=' i try to spot feed it like once every 2 weeks after i feed the fish, but the clowns then to steal its food. I've also been told that they don't need to be fed if you have good lighting, which mine is under 250w halides and VHO's.[/quote']

 

If the clowns don't feed it then I would do so once a week anyway. I don't feed mine but that's only because my cinnamon clown does it for me.

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The Sea Bay is doing good. It was almost all the way bleached out when I bought it about two months ago and now it is almost all the way colored out. It just has some white spots left on the very tip of its tentacles. And my clown seems happier.

 

DSCF4002.jpg

 

DSCF4001.jpg

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I have 5 bta and a pair of false clowns for a year now with no luck. The pair of false clowns i had before did host but it took 3 or 4 months at least. The false and true perc's don't actually host with bta in the wild, what they really want is a carpet anemone.

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