clowns and zooathlids

[gmlee]

Any ideas on keeping my clown fish from biting on my zoo's

[goliwala]

What I did was to get them a small flower pot, worked for me. The started to hang out in or near the pot.

[gmlee]

Thanks. Anything else?

[ThRoewer]

It is not really biting but rather a mechanism to get the slime of the zoanthids onto themselves and their gills, likely as protection against parasites.
I have seen the same behavior with my first percula pair before they got their gigantea. They would mostly stay in their flowerpot but sometimes swim over to a green star polyp colony, rub their noses on it and suckle on the polyps.
With anemones clownfish do the same and regularly suck on tentacles.

[gmlee]

Interesting...thanks for the info

[hogfanreefer]

Yep they're not biting or eating. Mine almost look like they are trying to bury themselves in the duncan, goniopora, zoa colony, etc. that they are trying to use for a host. They did this so vigorously and persistently they killed a goni. My duncans tolerate this abuse very well.

[gmlee]

Well I noticed my one clown, the more agressive of the two a few times holding the edge of the zoo in his mouth for a few seconds. There doesn't seem to be any damage though nor does he try to occupy the small colony. I just didn't know what he was doing

[fearyaks]

Yeah my female Occy will just hang on the BTA's tentacles when she's lazy. I suppose you could try to get an anemone that will properly host them?

[gmlee]

Eventually yes

[e048]

One of my pairs host a garden or shrooms and they nibble and rub on them

Your clowns are hosting the Zoas try getting a hammer or a Duncan and they'll switch over I had my other pair host gsp until I put in a frogspawn then boom now they live in it