To anemone or not with tank raised ocellaris .

[DD]

I am really on the fence when it comes to getting an anemone for my pair of clowns. I would really like to see them take to a condy anemone because they are so cheap,plentiful and hardy.What are the odds of this?I also am not a fan of purchasing any other type of wild anemone for conservation reasons.My other option would be a captive bred BTA from DR Mac. I am hesitant also because i have a tank with lps corals in it a torch, hammer, candycane and a frogspawn. The anemone would have to stay on one side of the tank which is pretty vacant except for some mushrooms which should not be a problem.also the tank is only 24' sqaure. I worry about it moving around and being killed by or killing the corals.If it did not move i could have a 12" dia anemone no problem. I am unsure if the clowns would take to it as they have not even looked at my corals with any interest. They just hang out in a corner of the tank and swim along the length of the front glass glass every so often.Any opinions on the host chances of a condy? Also i dont think they have paired off yet as they are both about 1 3\4" long I dont know if that makes a difference or not?Any opinions or advice would be appreciated!:cool:

[eco-tropic]

DD,

I would guess that you have a 35% chance that your ocellaris clowns would host with a Condylactis. Since A. ocellaris is only found in Heteractis magnifica, Stichodactyla gigantea, & Stichodactyla mertensii in the wild I fail to see how the purchase of Entacmaea quadricolor would increase your odds. Clownfish have evolved over thousands of years to recognize specific chemicals put out by their hosts. I don't see how raising them in a hatchery changes the aforementioned. I do applaud your hesitation to purchase a natural symbiot. I know there are many on this board who would disagree but I believe that the collection of wild anemones should be strictly controlled. They should be made so expensive that everyone in the chain of distribution is forced to make the effort to keep them in the best of conditions: this includes the hobbyist! I would also be very hesitant to introduce an anemone to the type of reef tank you have painstakingly created. It only takes one hasty decision to undo years of work. If you feel they need better accommodations then those that currently exist you could try the more sessile Sarcophyton. I've read some articles of late that claim it works great with A. percula. As far as pairing goes you would want to consider length of time together, level of aggression, and behavior. Give them 6 months and you'll know if you have a pair. I never consider them "mated" until they have produced a valid nest. Good luck!