Encouraging Clownfish to Host

[Vitaly]

I recently introduced a GBTA into my tank. I have a pair of clowns that have been together for severals months and appear to be hosting my PVC return for some time now.

I really want them to move their little butts over to the anemone. I have read many interesting and outlandish methods for "encouraging" clowns to host into an anemone. Ideas ranging from placing mirrors or pictures of predatory fish against the glass...to corralling them into the anemone.

Have any of you actually used any method, successfully, to facilitate your clowns to host. I have read that it may take months, years...or even never happen.

Thanks.

[Nikon_Guy]

From personal experience and much of what I have read, clowns may or may not host in what you want. It’s up to them.

However, I believe you will stand the best chance of making it happen if you ensure that the anemone that you want them to host in is placed in the upper one third of the tank with open area around it. For some reason the clowns I have had always seemed to be happiest up there.

[redvipe2010]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9489482#post9489482 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Vitaly
I really want them to move their little butts over to the anemone. I have read many interesting and outlandish methods for "encouraging" clowns to host into an anemone. Ideas ranging from placing mirrors or pictures of predatory fish against the glass...to corralling them into the anemone.

Have any of you actually used any method, successfully, to facilitate your clowns to host. I have read that it may take months, years...or even never happen.

Vitaly,

I have three different pairs of clowns, two hosted immediately, the oldest pair I've had about 17 months, and they don't host. They will occationally check out my GSP, but when its lights out, they move to the upper corner of the tank.

I don't believe there is anything you can do to convince them to host. What species of clown do you have?

[Zestay]

ive read of using a decoy clown fish. havent tried this but the post i read said it worked in hours. the person took some form of plastic clownfish .. the other clowns went to check it out / establish dominance and said whoa check out this nem,, than the guy pulled out the decoy.

simple for him dont know if it will or wont work for you
i am unaware if this will or will not stress your nem or not. your call.

[Vitaly]

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[Vitaly]

Thanks for the comments and ideas. I will just wait a bit longer and see what happens.

I had not heard about the "decoy" approach, but think I will try that if I can find a plastic clownfish. It seems relatively easy and stress free ...for me and the fish.

[FLReefGirl]

My clowns took over 2 months before they hosted the anemone. My black damsel hosted it after about 3 weeks. After about a month of the damsel in there the clowns finally decided to check things out. Every night they would go closer and closer, then they started to rub their bellies on it and swim away, then they finally hopped in w/ the damsel. Now all 3 try to squeeze in. It's funny.

[IPowderBlueTang]

I had a pair of false perc clowns for 2 years and would host on my magfloat magnet cleaner and they had an LTA and didn't even care for it. Got rid of them and added a tomato clown and it took 2 hours for it to host in the LTA.
Got a Ritteri anemone and drop a new set of false percs in, fresh out of quaratine tank and they both dove into the Ritteri anemone right away! I had a smile cheek to cheek!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some clowns are known to take a year or more to host in an anemone. I would just get rid of them and try another pair! Some clowns will never host an anemone.

[uscharalph]

I read somewhere that pictures of clowns in anenomes did the trick. I tried it and it didn't work.