New Clowns and my RBTA

zt444a · #1 01/23/2006, 11:10 AM

I just purchased a healthy looking "pair" of clowns at the LFS. I have a very nice RBTA in the tank.

What can I do to get the more attached to each other, and entice the clowns to move into their new home?

How long should I give them to "discover" each other?

Jim Z. · #2 01/23/2006, 12:48 PM

Hi,

Give them time. Some clownfishes will never become closely associated with an anemone due to the anemone being the wrong species. It took my tomato clowns about 12 hours to find their host BTA. In this case, they did not see the anemone and once eye contact was made--they both dove right in.

Jim Z.

zt444a · #3 01/23/2006, 02:17 PM

I saw the male make eye contact and even investigate, but this was not too long after introduction to the tank. It would be a shame, as the anemone is quite nice.

Just wondering if others have experienced various amounts of time.

larac · #4 01/25/2006, 01:45 AM

I have two true percs, the female took a month to find the RBTA. It was while I was cleaning the tank that she swam over to a new area. Yours may never take to it of course, but I have heard some who said theirs took months to host.

Stormtrker · #5 01/25/2006, 09:12 AM

I purchased two baby false percs yesterday and was amazed when they both went into my large GBTA after only 2 1/2hrs in tank! They both spent the night in it. Now if I can just get them to eat.

Carla

zt444a · #6 01/25/2006, 09:47 AM

Mine are somewhat piggies, and eating has been no problem. The female will even take small bites of Prime Reef from my hand when she is real hungry.

I have carefully herded them over to my RBTA once or twice by putting a little dip net in the water. Not enough to really stress them, but I am sure now they know where the anemone is at. They still seem to prefer the opposite end of the tank though.

Stormtrker · #7 01/25/2006, 02:39 PM

Howard, Don't get discouraged if it takes a little time for them to go into the anemone. I think I just got very lucky as I don't think it is the norm for them to do so this quickly. I have read many posts with such variety of time frames for this to occur. I have a clarki clown in a larger tank that is trying to get a spaghetti leather to host her. I put a new RBTA in that tank last week and she has never seemed to notice it.

Carla

zt444a · #8 01/25/2006, 11:26 PM

They currently like my pink tip frogspawn more than the RBTA... Fickle fishies...

bigworm616 · #9 01/25/2006, 11:48 PM

what kind of clowns are they?

adtravels · #10 01/26/2006, 06:23 AM

I think the last post has nailed it depends on the species and if they are tank raised or wild. My 1and a half inch tomato clown was in my green bta when I still had my hand gently holdin the anemone in place while its foot took to the rock when i bought it!! (no lie)
My last tank in england I had two ocellaris that never went in the bta I bought so after 6 months i bought a pair of orange skunks and the went in it straight out of the bag.

zt444a · #11 01/26/2006, 11:38 AM

They are a pair of Perculas. I am not sure if they are tank raised or wild caught though.... I want to sat tank raised.

mhe · #12 01/26/2006, 01:00 PM

I've had a pair of Percs for about 9 months - they picked the upper part of the 90 gal tank near a powerhead and the outflow for their "home" and didn't stray away much at all.

Then last week I got a 6" RBTA and placed it in the middle of my tank, and after four days the male found it, then two days later the female.

Now they're both living in it all the time, looking happy (almost too happy - it's amazing to see them snuggle in and around it)?

Another example of it takes time...

- Michael

davocean · #13 01/26/2006, 06:53 PM

From what I've heard, most ocellaris or false percs don't really go to anemones.
I have 2 anemones which used to host 2 clarkis. Clarks got mean as they got bigger, so I traded them for a small maroon, who dove in to both anemones, back and forth from one to the other.
I have 2 ocellaris that never went into either anemone until the smaller one grew curious of the maroon.
Now he goes into one of the anemones, but does'nt live in it like the maroon.
The maroon as well as the clarkis also spot fed my anemones.
They'll grab brine or mysis or even seaweed and spit it into the anemones. Very cool to watch!
Good luck to you!

CorbetJackson50 · #14 01/26/2006, 10:56 PM

i just bought my rbta yesterday and my pair of maroons were in it in less than a half hr amazing. the thing is the anenome isnt super happpy with all the comotion.

davocean · #15 01/27/2006, 12:11 PM

One of my anemones seemed a little bothered at first.
Clowns were constantly proding it to open up.
They get used to each other.

bigworm616 · #16 01/27/2006, 03:06 PM

i say this all the time so i hope people arent getting too annoyed with me, but perculas and ocellaris clowns dont naturally host in bta's. The only anemones they naturally host in are considered to be at best challenging. so they may host in your bta they may not. You may want to get a clown that will host in a bta for sure like a tomato or a maroon. However, dont mix clowns they tend to not get along. Good luck.