Gold-Striped Marroon hanging around anemone?!

[3Tripnip]

Hey everyone!
I have a green BTA in my tank and I recently added a Gold Striped Marroon clown. The clown has been hanging out right next to the anemone for a while now and seems to be brushing up against the tentacles quite a bit. Is the clown building up it's slime coat? I'm just curious if this is typical or not? Please let me know if anyone has had an experience like this. Thanks in advance!
-Trip

[itbechill]

Actually, almost every species of clown in the wild or in the tank, have a symbiotic relationship with anemones. Clowns are immune to the anemone's sting, and so they will actually live in the anemone, you will see him playing around in there, but what he is actually doing is getting cleaned by the anemone, if you put some squid pieces in there, the clown will bring them down to the anemone to eat. Its completely normal, and the clownfish anemone relationship is one of the cool parts of having a tank
Matt

[BlAcK_PeRcUlA]

Clowns are immune to the anemone's sting, and so they will actually live in the anemone, you will see him playing around in there, but what he is actually doing is getting cleaned by the anemone,

no... they aren't getting cleaned. Clownfish host in anemones because they are provided with protection from predators. there have been tests done that prove clownfish have a very thick slime coat compared to other fish and the theory is that this slime coat protects them from the stings of anemones and especially because it doesn't contain the proteins necessary to trigger the firing cells in the anemone's tentacles.

Part of that theory is that the clown might lose this slime coat if it is seperated from an anemone for a long period of time and needs to build it up gradualy again before it can reenter one totally. This is usually done by gently rubbing a tentacle once in a while and maybe even chewing on the tips of a tentacle.

[itbechill]

Actually, they do clean the clowns, in fact my anemone, has cleaned ich off of my clowns, also relax, this isnt a competition for whos right or wrong..

check with dr. foster and smith if you dont believe me

[3Tripnip]

Well, as shocked as I am, the clown is in the anemone now!!! I'm pumped! I only added the clown to the tank yesterday! Thanks for all the responses.
-Trip

[chipmunk]

Originally posted by itbechill
check with dr. foster and smith if you dont believe me Those overpriced mail-order experts? :D

[Corax]

Black_Percula <~~~ is correct, the immunity is built up, not a birth right...

And the Maroon isn't feeding the anemone, it's simply hiding its own food for later... I have one that "feeds" a certain hole in the liverock. Id say if you wanted to apply intelligence to the activity, then the most intelligent resident is the coral banded shrimp that knows to get to that hole and steal the food before the clown comes back... =)

[BlAcK_PeRcUlA]

Sorry if it seemed like i was being agressive but i just didn't want people to take wrong advice.

clowns are very hardy and can fight off ich in with their own immune systems most of the time. When ich is in the attachment form( forgot what it's called) it's really hard to kill and a few nematocysts from an anemone wont kill it. Anemone's stings are designed to capture certain foods and will not fire if they dont fell those. i dont think that ich is something that anemone would find tasty.

[jacobdol]

you are right about itch and anemones. Although I had similar experience with my maroons when the wite spot from my maroon disappeared after I added an anemone, I think that it has something to do with the anemone stimulating the clownfish immune system. Actually the newest theory states that clownfish muscus is based on sugar rather than protein therefore the anemone fails to recognize the fish as food. but in reallity nobody knows for sure.

[colemanitis]

Originally posted by BlAcK_PeRcUlA
there have been tests done that prove clownfish have a very thick slime coat compared to other fish and the theory is that this slime coat protects them from the stings of anemones and especially because it doesn't contain the proteins necessary to trigger the firing cells in the anemone's tentacles.I agree with this statement.