Tricks to get A. Oc into BTA?

XSiVE · #1 08/27/2007, 09:36 AM

Just wondering if anyone knows of some tricks of the trade, so to speak.. to get some TR Ocellaris clowns to take interest in a BTA.

First, I know its going to take some time since it's not a natural host for them... I just introduced them to the environment last week. They have not even given the BTA a second look.. they seem to prefer to hang out in the opposite corner of the tank by the back side of one of my Koralia Powerheads where there's not a lot water flow.. however, they love to fight the current coming out of it to get there.. they will seemingly swim there for long periods at a time.. its a similar setup on the other side where the BTA is, but they dont even get near it.

The clowns are about 1" long or so, the BTA is probably 6" in diameter when fully extended... I'll take a shot of the tank when I get home with the current aquascaping and locations of things.

Their behavior just kinda puzzles me.. so I thought someone here might have an idea or two on how to entice them to take a look at the BTA.

CHARLIE AGUILAR · #2 08/27/2007, 10:09 AM

TR clowns may never host or they may do it over night. The problem w/ tr is that they have never seen a anemone so they dont know what to do w/ it. All i can say is time

XSiVE · #3 08/27/2007, 10:21 AM

hmm.. I wonder if I replaced the BTA with a Magnifica, Gigantica, other carpet or even a LTA they would be more likely to hang there.. I'm somewhat inclined to create a more natural setting for the fish..

Ugg I know carpets tend to be much less forgiving when it comes to other fish

I got rid of my GSM in favor of the Oc's because she was much too agressive. I could not keep any fish smaller than her in the tank.

Mr Stomato · #4 08/27/2007, 10:58 AM

Yea sometimes you never know waht you're gonna get. My maroons are the nicest fish in my tank. My TR Perc hosted my carpet from the LFS, through acclimation, and right into my tank. You couldn't peel off my TR perc off that anemone.

I think you might have better luck with a more natural host. BTA is really not one of them. LTA may work well and in my experience just as forgiving as a BTA. I would say that carpet is your best bet hosting wise, but carpets are a whole nother ballgame.

One thing you could do is get them both in a smaller environment, like a 5 gal bucket. If you bring a new nem home, drip acclimate it in a 5 gal bucket and acclimate the clowns to the bucket. Place the clowns in the bucket for a few hours. This is the method we tried at the LFS I go to. Worked on every TR clown we tried it on. The key is getting them away from their familiar playground. After they look cozy, move them all into the tank.

mapleredta · #5 08/27/2007, 02:21 PM

i put mine BTA into the tank and before he was done moving around my TR clowns were hiding inside of it.

M2B3J · #6 08/28/2007, 05:38 PM

my first ocellaris never took two looks at my gbta but when i introduced another ocellaris into the tank it went right in - both of them. of course till the male was sent packing

raleej337 · #7 08/28/2007, 06:53 PM

The first time I introduced a BTA in my tank, it took a week for my TR BW clowns. But the succeeding introductions of different anemones in my clowns (due to selling and buying new ones) itonly took few hours for them to notice.

MIKE ALERS · #8 08/28/2007, 07:10 PM

my clown's host my bta as well as i my condy.it's really up to the fish i think.btw way i tried placing a picture of anenome being hosted in the outside of tank..i can tell if that made mine host or maybe they just did it on their own.mines host just about everything in the tank.lol

XSiVE · #9 08/28/2007, 11:09 PM

Maybe once they get their pecking order / sex figured out (they're just starting to work on that now) then they might go home shopping

israelnajar · #10 08/28/2007, 11:15 PM

Try pointing a moonlight at your nem so that it is pretty much the only thing illuminated in your tank at night.

I am not saying this will work for you but it did work for me.

I had shined my moonlight on my BTA and overnight they were in the nem.

I didnt wait long enough to turn the moonlight on the other side of the tank and the next day they were split between the nem and my frogspawn.

Again that may be coincidence but it may not, and you did ask for tricks.

XSiVE · #11 08/29/2007, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by israelnajar
Try pointing a moonlight at your nem so that it is pretty much the only thing illuminated in your tank at night.

I am not saying this will work for you but it did work for me.

I had shined my moonlight on my BTA and overnight they were in the nem.

I didnt wait long enough to turn the moonlight on the other side of the tank and the next day they were split between the nem and my frogspawn.

Again that may be coincidence but it may not, and you did ask for tricks.

interesting.. I'll give that a shot.

Aaarrrggg · #12 08/29/2007, 10:54 AM

My B&W took just over a mth to start snuggling into its RBTA. I didn't do anything special, but I've heard placing one of those clownfish shaped feeding clips near the nem can get their attention. Good luck!

ahullsb · #13 08/29/2007, 04:32 PM

After a few weeks of mine not hosting, I waited until night when my lights were off. My pair would swim in place so I would nudge them over to the other end of the tank where my anem was. After getting them into that general area for a few nights, I woke up to find them in the anemone. Just try not to stress them.

fourts1 · #14 08/29/2007, 06:13 PM

I've had a BTA with my TR Ocellaris for about a year. The clowns are in the same area of the tank as the anemone(usually within 12" to 24") but have paid it no attention. Just bought a blue gigantica which I put in my sump for now. I moved the clowns to the sump and they immediately went in. Don't know if it was the new environment or the new anemone.

shrinky · #15 08/29/2007, 06:38 PM

Here's what happened with mine - they never wanted to host anything but my frogspawn, even though they had a nice GBTA swaying in their faces...

So I thought, I don't want the GBTA to go to waste, so I bought a really cool porcelain crab - for the first few weeks it sat in the GBTA, everything was fine... until I noticed the clowns suddenly took a new interest... well, within another week or two, the clowns had slowly harassed and outed the crab. They have been a happy couple in the GBTA ever since.

55semireef · #16 08/29/2007, 07:22 PM

From my personal experience, there isn't really much you can do as far as getting a clownfish to host an anemone they don't naturally host in the wild. It really comes down to the eagerness and personality of your clownfish. I am trying to get my mis-bar Percula clowns to host my GBTA but no such luck yet.

JillNairn · #17 09/04/2007, 09:42 PM

I had some tank raised clowns that wouldnt host. I put them and their new anemone in a hamster ball. In a few hours, they were wiggling next to it. After a day, they were loving it.

Jill

Aaarrrggg · #18 09/05/2007, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by JillNairn
I had some tank raised clowns that wouldnt host. I put them and their new anemone in a hamster ball. In a few hours, they were wiggling next to it. After a day, they were loving it.

Jill

Haha genius! I wish I'd thought of that.

johng723 · #19 09/13/2007, 11:09 PM

A lot of you guys are talking about how you moved your anemone and the clowns to different tanks/sumps/hampster balls, but I thought that the anemone foot usually attaches to a rock or subsrate so wouldn't it be difficult to move the anemone? Forgive my newbie questions

JillNairn · #20 09/13/2007, 11:24 PM

I did the ball trick after coaxing the anemone off the rock. I just turned the rock over so the amemone dangled on the wrong side and it started to move after a few days. Once it wasnt lodged into the hole it had put its foot, a power head did the trick and he released.

Jill