Nem or Hammer/Frogspawn/elegance for clown?

[GorillaSmack]

Thank you in advance!

New to the Hobby. Have a param checked thriving reef 29g Biocube. Truelumen 12" dual LED lighting upgrade. 12k/453 & 453nm, Refugium, Wave maker, skimmer, ato, with all the dossing essentials on deck.
no fish currently. cleaner crew active.

I have been doing some research, in general i understand all nems move around and find their preferred spot (cant hate). I have some frags already placed in the tank.. about 13.. Torch coral, Elegance, and Hammer coral present.


although nice aesthetically and its important symbiotic relationship..
i was wondering if i should avoid the stress all together and let some clowns "Host" the coral i mentioned above?..
heres the the tank today. elegance coral pic also ..about 4" diameter


it is situated away from most other specimens.. i know they can get vicious.. placed her under the inflow vent away from glass and wall with ample space to get a bit bigger.

think some clowns will be happy with my current set up.. or will anemone make my clowns happier?

[snorvich]

The correct terminology is that anemones (or sometimes corals or even pieces of equipment) "host" clownfish; the clownfish "associate with" one of the above. Unfortunately if a clownfish chooses to associate with a coral, it may damage or kill the coral.

[amber3k]

Just a heads up, I had a clown kill an elegance from playing in it too aggressively.

[bundybear1981]

One thing to remember is that in our tanks there is no guarantee that the clowns will even host an anemone, or host at all. In nature the anemone helps to provide a safe hiding place from predators which should not exist in our aquariums.

They MAY choose to associate with a host but they may just ignore it completely. They don't need to have a host in our aquariums to be happy.

[GorillaSmack]

@Snorvich-- Thank you. .Speed typing. amended.

@amber-- Snuggle monster huh?! no kidding. think an anemone might like the rock on the lower right of the photo.. that nice scoop in the rock might be nice.. i can place some sand in there.. the flow would be perfect and lighting too i believe.. you think..?

[GorillaSmack]

@bundy- Ahh.. i have read that clownfish can host even a power head.. think the relationship is all about safety..?

[BarryV]

Before adding an anemone the general rule is at least six months after the cycle.
Just my .02
Barry

[GorillaSmack]

@Barry-- patience.. seems like a nem should be placed first when you consider how indecisive they can be

[ca1ore]

Originally Posted by bundybear1981

One thing to remember is that in our tanks there is no guarantee that the clowns will even host an anemone, or host at all. In nature the anemone helps to provide a safe hiding place from predators which should not exist in our aquariums.

They MAY choose to associate with a host but they may just ignore it completely. They don't need to have a host in our aquariums to be happy.

The bigger factor, frankly, is whether one matches naturally occurring host and hostee. Put a magnifica anemone (very hard to keep, I understand) in a tank with a pair of ocellaris or percs and it'll take about 2 seconds for them to dive in. Put in a BTA, and it's 50:50 at best.

[GorillaSmack]

@Ca1ore-- who wouldnt dive in !! that Magnifica is truly magnificent. never seen that one. thanks for the eye opener.
i read that it likes high placement to ensure it gets adequate lighting.. this is a good thing for i think.. my scape has a scoop in the live rock on the very peak of the
set up. i can move my torch lower.. and place a mag up there (should it like it ) ... no..? my research doesnt really indicate whether sand placement is best..
thoughts..?

[BrokenSpoke]

I have a clown hosting in a frogspawn and another hosting in a finger leather coral. Both clowns, and corals, have been happy for many years. Point is that you never know what a clown will choose

[GorillaSmack]

@Broken-- Thanks for the info fix. as long as feed my friends and keep an eye..
i should be fine. still dont know what to place in that rock .. bottom right of tank.
has to be an impressive specimen.. suggestions.?

[ca1ore]

Originally Posted by GorillaSmack

@Ca1ore-- who wouldnt dive in !! that Magnifica is truly magnificent. never seen that one. thanks for the eye opener.
i read that it likes high placement to ensure it gets adequate lighting.. this is a good thing for i think.. my scape has a scoop in the live rock on the very peak of the
set up. i can move my torch lower.. and place a mag up there (should it like it ) ... no..? my research doesnt really indicate whether sand placement is best..
thoughts..?

Mags are really tough to acclimate. Just read the various horror-stories over in the anemone forum. Need s a mature tank, and a reefer willing and able to treat it with antibiotics should and when that be necessary. They do live up to the name, though, and love high light and high flow. It's also helpful to 'maroon' them on a tall rock so they cannot lay waste to your tank.

[amber3k]

I had a saddleback clown that laid claim to all four rbta and my elegance in my tank. He was rehomed after killing the elegance. My two little clowns that are left constantly play with the rock the has two rbta on it and play in the sand constantly, the sand is their host, but they can care less about the two rbta I have left.

[amber3k]

Originally Posted by GorillaSmack

@Snorvich-- Thank you. .Speed typing. amended.

@amber-- Snuggle monster huh?! no kidding. think an anemone might like the rock on the lower right of the photo.. that nice scoop in the rock might be nice.. i can place some sand in there.. the flow would be perfect and lighting too i believe.. you think..?

And it really is a wait and see game with the anemones. Put them where you like but they can move, and they move quicker than you think. I had some that moved to very high flow right in front of a power head right under the lights and were happy there. I moved them a few months later lower down with less flow and two were extremely happy, two decided to walk back up the rock.

[hogfanreefer]

My female black ocellaris associates with a goniopora that doesn't always appreciate the attention. The male is all over the place, sometimes in different colonies of zoas but usally in a duncan. I have a frog spawn bigger than all the other corals they associate with put together.

[GorillaSmack]

@-- Ca1-- Woooooow. doope.!

@Amber - im afraid of the walking... hate for my tank to look like a tornado ran threw it !!

@Hog--Thank you for the input. reassuring for sure.