Motivate Clowns to Anemone?

[Witchdoctor_h]

Is it possible to motivate a Percula to host in a Long-Tenticle? It might be a silly question and I apologize if it is. I have a pair of young Percs and got a LTA about two weeks ago. Does it just take time to get them to host it? Or can I help them? So far the only thing to take any interest in the LTA has been the cleaner shrimp. They seem to be buddies now!:D

Eric

[k_kagy]

You can either wait patiently for them to--if they ever do, or your can coax them in. If you do a "clownfish in anemone" or "clownfish won't go in anemone" search you will come up with a lot of ideas that people have tried along with myself.
However, I have a much smaller tank so it is more easy for me to manipulate my fish. GL
If you don't find anything useful let me know.

[Witchdoctor_h]

Great! Thanks for the help. The LTA is a decent choice, right? Say, as opposed to a saddle or a BTA.
Eric

[Witchdoctor_h]

Any opinions if a LTA is a good choice for a pair of Percs? As opposed to a Saddle or BTA?
Eric

[k_kagy]

I personaly dont have any experience with a LTA, but I do know that all my and other peoples percs have hosted in a sebae, carpet, BTA, torch coral, and the list goes on. So, I don't know if LTA are a natural host(don't think they are), but if they are going to host they wont be picky. Every clown is different though.

[clown fanatic]

i THINK ive seen a perc in a LTA. i personally have bought my last LTA mine moves way too much. anyways ive heard that some pple will put a picture of a clownfish in an anemone up to the aquarium, tape it there or whatever and the idea is to make the clown jealous in a way so then he/she accepts the anemone you have in your tank. a guy at my LFS told me this. these guys know what they are talkin about best fish store ive ever been to. but anyway give it a try you dont have anything to lose

[brianemone]

feed only close to the anemone, i mean right there on top of it so they have to go there to get food

[showjet98]

A way that has worked for me in the past is to catch the clowns with a net(which I hate doing) I always catch them with my hands if I can...but, catch them with a net then put the net right over the top of the anemone with the clowns in it, and hold it over the top until the clowns swim into the anemone...has worked for me many times, and they most often never leave it once in it:) good luck!

[catastrofe]

I think with captive clowns (especially tank raised), hosting is up to the individual fish and their "attitude".

For example, I've had a pair of TR true Percs for about 9 months. They've been hosting in a mass of red Xenia at the top of my tank for the entire time. About 3 weeks ago I purchased a BTA, not for the Percs as it's not a natural symbiont, but because I wanted to try my hand with anemones again (had zero success earlier this year).

Needless to say, the Percs showed no interest in the BTA. On Monday, I brought home a pair of Orange Skunks and an H. crispa (a natural host for the Skunks). These clowns had been hosting in a BTA at the LFS, and they dove right into my BTA showing no interest in the crispa. When I got home from work yesterday, I found the Skunks had been kicked out of the BTA and the Percs were hosting. I'm hoping the Skunks will move to the crispa now that they've been evicted.

I think the moral of the story is that there aren't any hard and fast rules for hosting. . .the fish are going to do what they want.

At least, that's been my experience. . .

:D

[km133688]

I read somehwere to use a lettuce clip that looks like a clown fish and place it close to/along side anemone. It was noted that this worked a good percentage of the time. I think this was from Joyce Wilkerson's book on clown fish but not sure. Good luck.

[Witchdoctor_h]

Great info everyone. Thanks a lot! I'll try some of your ideas.
Eric

[clown fanatic]

i wouldnt try to force them into an anemone i read in joyce's book that if they are scared into an anemone when thier mucose lvls arent up they can be stung to death

[MarinaP]

Originally posted by showjet98
A way that has worked for me in the past is to catch the clowns with a net(which I hate doing) I always catch them with my hands if I can...but, catch them with a net then put the net right over the top of the anemone with the clowns in it, and hold it over the top until the clowns swim into the anemone...has worked for me many times, and they most often never leave it once in it:) good luck!

I would NEVER practice this approach. Clowns will go in the anemones when and if they are ready. No reason to push them in, aside from your personal amusement :(

[showjet98]

I would never practice this approach either except for the fact that I was getting extremely impatient for them to host, it was taking them an unusually long time, they had a huge anemone with no one to bother them and they wouldnt go in, that is until I tried the net thing, and it worked perfectly, and like I said they havent been out since.

[MarinaP]

Originally posted by showjet98
I would never practice this approach either except for the fact that I was getting extremely impatient for them to host, it was taking them an unusually long time, they had a huge anemone with no one to bother them and they wouldnt go in, that is until I tried the net thing, and it worked perfectly, and like I said they havent been out since.

Patience, my friend, patience.

[badpacket]

"they had a huge anemone with no one to bother them and they wouldnt go in"

In both this case, and the case above with the new skunks added, it would seem as though territorial disputes or fear caused by new additions may help push the recalcitrant clown to host.

[geaston]

so at what point should you resort to corralling a clown to an anenome? 1 week? 1 month? etc.

i've had my anemone for about a week now and still no sign of love between my clown and the anemone.

[yhellomhan]

I've got the same problem, a pair of clowns today, and they havent gone in the anenome

[k_kagy]

They are your clowns, so depending on how much it is bothering you that they don't go in--be creative. It is fun to think of different ways you can get them to go in. Just don't do anything crazy. The clowns can get stressed out.
You can make a poster to put in front of the tank saying-ARE YOU TO GOOD FOR YOUR HOME! But that never seemed to work.