Tips on how to get clowns to host an anemone?

[Weboh]

My water parameters are finally right and stable, so I'm hopefully getting an anemone tomorrow. I'm getting a BTA for my percula clowns and from what I've read, there's a 50/50 chance of the clowns hosting in it. How can I increase those odds?

There's a part in the live rock they seem to like and treat like an anemone (rub up against it like I've seen clowns at my LFS do and generally hang out there a lot—especially at night). It's near the top in good flow and high lighting, so I think a BTA would like it there. Would putting it in area the clowns have already made home base increase their chances of hosting?

Or if it turns out they don't like it, is there a 50/50 chance they'd like a clone of it when it splits? I'm not sure exactly what makes the clowns choose their anemone.

[fishkeeprian]

You can't really choose a spot for a BTA. You can put it in a preferred spot and hope it stays there. If it's not happy there it will move around until it finds a spot it's happy with I. E right amount of flow and light etc. BTAS are not natural hosts for Percs but doesn't mean they with not finda home in it. Just see what happens, dont force them in to a relationship. I have two good size BTAS and my Ocellaris clowns don't go near it, they like to sleep in a head of frogspawn.

[RivieraBayReef]

This never worked out for me. I two percs and they've hosted a wells brain coral (to the point of killing it), but have never tried to get close to our, now massive, RBTA. Just a little frustrating.

[reefwiser]

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[Thepipbull]

I've placed my clowns in a small basket with the Nem took less then and hour for them to be up in it. had a buddy try and it took his a couple day but successful

[MrDemonicAngel]

I'm struggling to get my clowns to host my rainbow bta. Unfortunately I got the rbta before the clowns and its fully made itself at home in the tank (exactly where I wanted it) so I don't think removing the bta to a basket is an option for me. Everyday I've been showing youtube videos of clowns hosting btas to my clowns. May sound silly but it does seem like they are approaching the rbta closer and closer. Hopefully it'll happen soon.

[nathan_krauss]

I have had my clowns for about a year now, they have been living in a flower pot, I added a rbta a few weeks ago, my female black ocellaris has finally gone over to it, but the pot and the anemone are on opposite sides of the aquarium, so she goes back and forth. I thought about moving the anemone over to the pot, but i don't think it would stay in that location.

[sppf121]

Where did you find that large clear slide?

[ca1ore]

No way to increase the odds - clowns will either view the BTA as an acceptable host or they won’t. Since it’s not a natural host anemone, it’s 50:50 at best.

[ocellaris123]

Natural host is best easiest route, but go-figure in my tank my perculas utilize the btas as opposed to the gigantea.

[Uncle99]

Had a pair of Percs take 6 months, then, one morning, they were in the BTA and have never left since.

The best advice is to do nothing, no moves, no placing, nothing, just plain old patience.

[D-Nak]

Natural host is best easiest route, but go-figure in my tank my perculas utilize the btas as opposed to the gigantea.

You have some weird percs. :headwally:

[Apercula]

Had a pair of Percs take 6 months, then, one morning, they were in the BTA and have never left since.

The best advice is to do nothing, no moves, no placing, nothing, just plain old patience.

I had a similar experience, and agree with letting them do it on their own schedule.
My female A percula didn't use any host for several months, then she was hosted by a feather duster for a while, less than 6 inches from my LTA, one day she wandered into the LTA by accident and less than a half hour later it was her permanent home.

[ocellaris123]

You have some weird percs. :headwally:

Ha yeah, I dont mind, the bta's are 4x the size of the gig

[laverda]

I no of several people that used photos of clown fish in anemones taped to their tanks to encourage them with good results. My first clowns took a few months before the female seemingly over night discovered my BTA. She then became aggressive toward her partner and would not share the anomonie. Then my BTA split and they each had one for a day. The next day the clowns were behaving like lovers again and hosting both anemones together.
A friend gave me a clown he had had for 6 months without ever hosting his BTAs. It took it a few days before it hosted with my other clowns. I had plenty of BTAs so it my old pair accepted it after a few days as well.

[lpsouth1978]

I tried EVERYTHING to get my Occ's to accept my BTA to no avail. Then out of nowhere, long after giving up, they decided one day that the BTA was the best thing ever.

You can't force them to pair with the anemone. Just wait and see. They may one day decide to dive in, or they may never.

[Weboh]

This is an old thread. My clowns did eventually start hosting the anemone but shortly after, my tank sprung a leak and I had to move everything. They haven't touched the anemone in the new tank... :(