clown behavior Q's

[EmilyT]

ok guys,
well with the addition of my first fish, ocellaris clown, i have lots of questions. not really. maybe 2.
1. are clowns supposed to swim like a yellow lab wagging its butt off?
2. my clown has shown no interest whatsoever in hosting my torch. should i help it out a little by doing that soda bottle thing or is that too cruel?

 

[chazertis]

they swim quite vigorously. i wouldn't be worried. just watch it's breathing. if its breathing a mile a minute, then i'd be a bit worried. i don't think u can really force a clown to host anything. this is what worked for me when i tried to get my clown to host the rbta. i taped up pics of clowns hosting in rbtas right to the glass of the tank. second, i bought one of those clownfish seaweed clips and dangled that in the rbta. i don't know what did it but about a week or two after they were hosting! if u try to force them together, good luck trying to catch the little guy! plus he might be too freaked out to be interested in the torch =)

 

[EmilyT]

true, true. haha i love the idea of the pictures! i did that to my cat once

 

[chazertis]

whoa. to try to get him/her to do.....what?

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum...91-getting-ocellaris-clownfish-host-rbta.html

 

[EmilyT]

ahhh thanks for the link
i made this little bed for her and i put pics of guy cats around the bed so she would sleep there lol
i was really little of course

 

[mpk730]

1. yes they do swim like that they may even move sand around the same way.
2. I wouldn't encourage them hosting a torch. they will get stung by corals. you will notice black spots on them and the torch may not fully open. I would try a lta or bta it will end up being safer for all. try to see where the clown likes to be in the rock and put your host there if he like that spot thigs will happen.
Good luck.

 

[chazertis]

theres nothing wrong with clownfish hosting coral. they initially get stung by anemones too. the black spots are transient. they'll go away once the two get acclimated to each other. the only bad thing about clownfish hosting coral would be they sometimes "smother" the coral to death

 

[mpk730]

my friends clown hosted a torchand never got its color back. just what I had experinced. My clowns stay in my BTA and look great.

 

[marki24]

Get either an anenome or a carpet for you clowns it will be a better option then a tourch.

 

[Awibrandy]

Emily a carpet anemone gets really big, not a good choice for a nano. I'm not sure on how big bubble tip anemone gets, so look into it and see if that will fit your set up.
The clown will host the torch, anemone or what ever if it choose too. You really can't force nature. Honey you've been really patient with everything else, don't push this one. My GS maroon immediately hosted the RBTA when I put it in the tank. The clarki host anything she feels like when ever, it can be a coral, or even palys, or she'll go in her cave. She is a few little clarki.
And by the way, in the past I had a clown actually annoy the heck out of a carpet anemone to the point that it died.
Patience my darling, wait and see!

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

They wiggle constantly.

Give it time it may host something, mine host a big mushroom I got from Dean.