mrshall1027 Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 We picked up a Red Sherman Anemone from fishcraze1 last Saturday and our clowns finally started hosting in it tonight! Our two clowns didn't seem to notice it was even there so yesterday I was able to catch them in the net and let them loose right by the anemone. I guess it worked because today they are all over him and not coming out. Such an awesome sight!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishcraze_1 Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Hey. Good going. Glad to see your clowns are hosting it. Took them long enough. They usually host these babies within a day or two. Lol. Hope everything else is doing well. Great pictures by the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainK Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Love that! Waiting for mine to do the same but now my anemone crab is in my rbta... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mlaw Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I've got an rbta in my tank with two clowns and they don't seem to notice it. Of course it is tiny, about the size of a silver dollar. How big does it have to get before the clowns can host it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesreyn Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I've got an rbta in my tank with two clowns and they don't seem to notice it. Of course it is tiny, about the size of a silver dollar. How big does it have to get before the clowns can host it? Clowns don't always host. I've had clowns in tanks with anemones that never hosted after years of being together. They say taping a picture to the tank of a clown hosting sometimes works. I've never tried it myself so I don't really know if it helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrshall1027 Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 I've got an rbta in my tank with two clowns and they don't seem to notice it. Of course it is tiny, about the size of a silver dollar. How big does it have to get before the clowns can host it? I'm not sure. Ours is about 5-6" but he's been more closed up lately (around 2-3" in diameter). Both my clowns have been all over him since they figured out he was there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SChrisEV Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 LOL... taping a picture... that is funny! I have plans to add a RTBA for my clowns. My thought was to capture the clowns (should be pretty easy they are not net shy) and put them with the nem in a breeder for a few days and see if they take to eachother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrshall1027 Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 I heard of the picture thing too and that's what I was going to try next, as silly as it sounds. If that didn't work, I was going to do the same thing as SChrisEV and have the clowns and the nem in a separate smaller container for a few hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClarkiiCircus Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Haha I actually studied the picture thing for a senior thesis project, and it actually has no scientifically significant effect on the fish's ability to host. Basically, someone online said it worked and then everyone started trying it. The reason they THINK it could work is that there is a school of thought that hosting is a learned behavior, which is simply not true. WILD CAUGHT fish host, or they die. Simple as that. So, your best chance is to choose an anemone that your clowns would host in the wild. While the bubble tip is NOT a native host to the ocellaris, captive bred ones are known to be able to do it. I would NEVER recommend forcing a fish into an anemone, as it can, and will kill them. (chasing, netting, bottle over them, etc.) The fish generally have to condition themselves to the sting of the anemone, and adjust the pH of their mucous coating so they can become acclimated, just as you would acclimate them to a new salinity or temperature. If you want to encourage hosting, place the anemone and the clowns in a colander together, clipped onto the side of your tank with a large clamp of any kind (spring clamps work best). Leave them for a few days, feeding as normal- the waterflow through the colander should be adequate to keep everybody happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClarkiiCircus Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I've got an rbta in my tank with two clowns and they don't seem to notice it. Of course it is tiny, about the size of a silver dollar. How big does it have to get before the clowns can host it? They most definitely can host at any size! Haha I have an ocellaris who is OBSESSED with her bubble tip that is about the size of a quarter-half dollar. I want to get her a new one so badly, but she's just so in love with this one. Mind you, she can't truly fit in it, so she just swims around the edges, beats it with her tail, and attempts to rub her whole body on it. It's a hysterical sight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 mine needs some remedial clownfish school Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeeperKeeper Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Hey ClarkiiCircus, you should repeat your thesis project using a VIDEO of clowns hosting, like set an iPad up by the tank. Wonder if that would work. Not surprising if fish can't recognize their own kind in a still photo, but maybe video would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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