HELP: Why my clown has left the anemone since in the tam
 

Hi everyone, hoping to get some help. I bought a clown fish and anemone together from shop. Since its been in the tank it hasn't gone back to the anemone. I had another tank raised clown in the tank already that seems to hang to the top of the tank, not sure if this hasn't anything to do with the clown not taking up home back in the anemone... The anemone is a pink tip and the clowns are both ocellaris. If any one has any ideas to bring both clowns into anemone would be appreciated... Cheers ... p.S.. Water quality is good, good lighting and other fish are doing well... Healthy tank.... Second Clown and its anemone have been in the tank for 3 days so far, Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Good luck typically they will do what they want. I've seen clowns that only host in leathers or torches or not host at all. from what I've read it is a crap shoot. if they hosted before they may go back, but they may not like where the anemone is. Might be a territorial ego battle for a few days with the new clown in the tank.

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What is the species of the anemone?

Yeah, what type of anemone? One fish store tried to sell me a pink Haitian if im correct on the name, but it is an anemone that doesn't host any clownfish. Luckily I have a smart phone hehe. I looked it up in the store.

Agreed. The only thing you can really do is keep your nutrients low and parameters stable and leave everything alone. Having hosted before, there is a little better chance it may return to the nem; it just might take a while to adjust to the new surroundings.

The pink Haitian is a condylactis which doesn't host in the wild (no clownfish in their region); they have, however, been known to host clowns and damsels in captivity. BTW, the OP stated that his nem was hosting the clown at the LFS- that's why he bought them together. :)

Oops! Thanks lol by together I thought the OP.meant at the same time. Good luck with you're clowns/nem!

Its a Pink tip anemone... The clown that I bought with the anemone was already hosting when i bought from the shop, this is why we find it so strange that now the clown has no interest to host with the anemone now we have move them to our tank. The clown I had originally that is hanging to the top of the tank, the other seems to go and hang with the little clown at the top of the tank once the lights have switched off. Would this be alittle 'monkey see, monkey do'. Are there any tricks to have both clowns find the anemone? or should I remove the tank raised clown out of the tank and see if the other clown will re-host with the anemone then add the other clown back to the tank ? hopefully then the tank raised clown may follow... ?? any sugestions please let me know... its driving us crazy...

Pink tip anemone is not a type it is a description of the anemone. Understandable to not know the name but perhaps a picture would help us identify it for you. Thinking of anemone that can be pink tipped means it is most likely a condy/BTA/sebae, all of which can have pink tips (others can to but I don't see them in the LFS often). Either way without a picture we can't identify it for you.

If your new clownfish is a juvenile and the one you already had is a female than there is a good chance your new fish is following her around looking to match up. If she eventually finds the anemone he will try to follow her eventually, or perhaps he may go back in on his own. Either way the chances are more than likely that your anemone is not a natural host to your clownfish.

That means that even though you saw the clownfish with the anemone in the store there may be a low chance that it will re-associate with the anemone in your tank. Not saying it is impossible or unlikely but that it is possible your new fish will ignore the anemone completly.

If you want your fish to associate with your anemone your best bet is to use an anemone they naturally associate with in the wild. Magnificas and true carpet anemones are natural hosts to your clownfish in the wild but may or may not be suitable for your tank.

Fish hangin at the top could be low oxygen levels. Whats used for water flow in there and the tank size?

A pic would be most helpful. What matters most in getting a clownfish to be hosted by an anemone is putting a natural host in. For ocellaris, magnifica and gigantea are natural hosts. If you provide a natural host, it's almost a certainty that your clownfish will quickly go to the anemone. The instinct to go to a natural host anemone species is based on scent, recent empirical evidence suggests.

what I'll do is get a picture of both anemone and clown.... thanks for your help so far...The little clown I had originally always hangs to the top of the tank , when I had purchased him this is where he and all his brothers and sisters used to hang together in the tank where I bought him/her, I have other fish such as a yellow tang and a dotti and they are doing okay and do not swim to the top the the tank at all so thinking it can't be oxygen probs... once I have photos of the clown and anemone I have i'll post them for you to see...

this is a bbigger picture of the anemone we have in the tank...

It is a BTA, E. quadricolor, which is not a natural host of Ocelaris or Percula clown fish. In captivity, they may accept this anemone as host or they may not.

In saying this, the clown and anemone were already hosting, it was only since we have taken the hosted pair from the shop and put into our tank the clown has become uninterested... it sounds as though its a 50/50 chance of rehosting.. If anyone has any tricks i could use to provoke the rehsoting of these 2 species please let me know.... all suggestions are greatly appreciated... thanks for all the help so far.....

The clowns are never closely stay with an unnatural host. My Percula never more than a few inches away from my Magnifica or Gigantea. With unnatural host they can just come in and out but no tight association like the one between the clowns and their natural host.

okay, so what is the natural host to the ocellaris clown?

Heteractis magnifica and Stichodactyla gigantea are the two natural hosts occasionally seen in the aquarium trade, Stichodactyla mertensii is also a natural host, but are imported very infrequently.

Thats what I have seen at the moment :) Yesterday one of my percula was hosted by my H.Malu. This morning 2 of them were hosted . Then suddenly my smile has gone. both left the anemone and swim few inches above. I guess you are right about weak bonding.:thumbsup: