Richrod73 Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 I have a real problem! My maroon clown is bitting chunks off the side of my anemone! What can I do? Any suggestions? Is my anemone a goner? Please help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Can you provide more details or pictures? What type of anemone? How long have you had it? Has it been healthy? Have you actually seen the clown take a bite out of the anemone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClarkiiCircus Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Off of the foot or on the tentacles? Like actually biting them clean off, or just putting them in his mouth and spitting them back out? Check this out: http://www.greatbarr...s_clownfish.htm If its an innate behavior the clown could just be "practicing". I have seen loads of clowns seemingly suck on tentacles and then go about their day without it harming the clown or anemone. The anemone may close for a little bit, but then should open back up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richrod73 Posted August 7, 2012 Author Share Posted August 7, 2012 It's a cond anemone. Yes I saw the clownfish taking bites from the foot. The are several gaping cuts on the foot. I've had the anemone for 2 months and it's done very well, attached to the rock and hadn't moved until the last day or so. I checked the water chemistry as well, all is good except nitrates are high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teresa Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 I know its rare for clowns to host this anemone in the wild. And it's known to have a more potent sting. . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClarkiiCircus Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Anemones can survive with cuts on the foot however your water parameters have to be FLAWLESS so they do not get bacterial infections. I honestly don't know why the clown would do that. Condys are an atlantic anemone, so in the wild it ISNT hosted by clowns, none. However, clowns with wide ranges such as the cinnamon and the clarkii have been known to adapt to their sting and host it in captivity. The maroon is not one of them unfortunately They only host the bubble and the long tentacle in the wild (not to say that they CANT host it... there are always exceptions). My guess would be 2 things: 1) It likes the mucous the anemone's foot is secreting. The foot's mucous doesnt cause a sting, its for attaching only. However, it may be tasty for your clown. My clarkiis tear the crap out of any leathers I put in the tank: they literally gum the entire leather to pieces chewing off the mucous. 2) It is attacking the condy because it is in the clown's territory. Maroons are of a different genus than the rest of the clowns, which some people blame for their very high degree of agression and territoriality. If the condy recently moved, its possible that it moved somewhere the clown had already staked out. Maroons have a MEAN bite, and would potentially attack anything in their territory. My advice would be to make sure your water is perfect so the foot can heal: you REALLY need to lower those nitrates. Eventually move the anemone out of her territory to see if that helps. If not, you may simply have to make the choice between the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richrod73 Posted August 8, 2012 Author Share Posted August 8, 2012 Thank you so much for the suggestions! Does anyone know the best way to lower nitrates? I've tried all I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phillipd Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 The best and safest way to reduce nitrates is to keep up with your water changes. Also, you need to monitor what you're feeding. Overfeeding can cause high nitrates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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