Coral instead of anemone

[jmkelly2166]

What is the most "anemone like" coral that has a high chance of ocellarius hosting? I'm afraid to put in any anemone because I want to do corals.


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[thegrun]

My Duncan coral hosts my clowns. They just laid another clutch of eggs on it today.

There is never a guarantee that the clowns will set up camp in any specific coral. Mine used to nest between a couple of plating montipora before they adopted the Duncan.

[jmkelly2166]

Picture?


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[jmkelly2166]

how hard is duncan to keep?

[thegrun]

Easy, they need moderate to medium high water flow and will adapt to a fairly wide range of light intensity but generally grow faster under higher light.

[Dogshowgrl]

Duncan!!!! They are fun to feed and clowns love them!!

[CStrickland]

I don't have clowns but I recommend the Duncan as a good beginner coral. I got one of the single heads of these http://m.liveaquaria.com/product/pro...70&pcatid=2670 and it really took off in my tank. It survived a tank move and all of the mistakes I've made during that mess. My nitrates are on their way down now but when they were at 50 the Duncan was still doing ok. I can't post a pic now cause the lights are out, but it's up to about ten heads in the last 4 months or so.

The other thing I like is that unlike a lot of other fast growing coral, it doesn't spread out and take over your tank. So you get the instant gratification of watch new heads bloom and grow, with out the risk of things like gsp or Xenia. It's also one of the first things in my tank that makes visitors say "wow!" It's also fun to feed it and watch it grab food from the water.

But with the caveat that clowns are gonna do what they want. Make sure to get something you like too, as they may prefer a powerhead or the corner to be hosted in. That's true with nems too.

From your question it sounds like you think you can't have a nem and corals? If so that's not true, plenty of tanks have both.

[crocogator106]

I have also heard of clowns hosting frogspawns and hammer corals.

[davocean]

Frog and hammer are my favorite alternatives

[Apercula]

There is no guarantee a clown will chose anything as a host, but I've had them use mushrooms, feather dusters and leathers as well other suggestions here.

There was an appropriate host anemone available, she chose the duster.


Spawning in a mushroom cluster host.

[Reef Frog]

Wow clowns in a feather duster, never thought that would be possible. They seem to close up at the slightest disturbance. How long have you been able to keep feather dusters alive in your tank?

[davocean]

The only thing that is pretty much a gaurantee is it's natural host nem as to what your particular species would be found in the wild, but most I have had went to my frog or hammer eventually when I did not provide that, especially if it's large enough.
I'm also surprised that feather tolerates that.

[Apercula]

Originally Posted by Reef Frog

Wow clowns in a feather duster, never thought that would be possible. They seem to close up at the slightest disturbance. How long have you been able to keep feather dusters alive in your tank?

Judging by the pictures in my photobucket that I can date, the dusters were in the tank by January 2008, and gone around December 2009, so somewhere over a year and a half, but less than 2 years. I found one picture where she was in the feather duster, and 6 inches away was a long tentacle anemone, and a foot and a half away was a haddoni anemone (natural host for percula). She eventually found the LTA and left the dusters alone. When she chose the LTA I removed the haddoni, they were too close to each other, and I had a couple other large corals that it was also encroaching on.

[sepulvd]

My maroon decide to host my dragon breath macro

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[Nina51]

my pair is using a lavender mushroom. you can see the clutch of eggs in the center.

[Jah2707]

I second or third the duncan. I have a large on. about 2 to 2 1/2 inches across and everyone who sees the tank and does't know better says they love my anemone.

[vhuang168]

My lightning maroons alternate between 3 btas and an elegance.


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[Jscwerve]

PVC return line elbow.

That's what my clowns love. They hang out there. Top corner of the tank venturing out rarely. They suck.

I've got a nem, duncans, torch, hammer, elegance, you name it in the tank. They just stay at the top corner hanging out at the f&*^%$g return line.

So, no guarantee that they will host in anything.

[davocean]

Originally Posted by Jscwerve

PVC return line elbow.

That's what my clowns love. They hang out there. Top corner of the tank venturing out rarely. They suck.

I've got a nem, duncans, torch, hammer, elegance, you name it in the tank. They just stay at the top corner hanging out at the f&*^%$g return line.

So, no guarantee that they will host in anything.

I would bet you do not have the type of anemone that your clown would be found in the wild.

I agree any coral is hit or miss, but those of us who spend a fair amount of time in the anemone forum have come to recognize that even clowns that have ignored an anemone for a long period of time, once given the proper sea anemone as it would be found in the wild, host acceptance is almost always near immediate.

The most common issue we see is people buy any ol clowns, typically occs or percs, and any nem they come across, typically a BTA, and then wonder why they never pair up, and BTA is not a natural host for occs or percs

[jmkelly2166]

What is a good anemone for occs?


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[Joeb1983]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2375473

[Jscwerve]

Originally Posted by davocean

I would bet you do not have the type of anemone that your clown would be found in the wild.

I agree any coral is hit or miss, but those of us who spend a fair amount of time in the anemone forum have come to recognize that even clowns that have ignored an anemone for a long period of time, once given the proper sea anemone as it would be found in the wild, host acceptance is almost always near immediate.

The most common issue we see is people buy any ol clowns, typically occs or percs, and any nem they come across, typically a BTA, and then wonder why they never pair up, and BTA is not a natural host for occs or percs

There may be something to that, perhaps not in this particular case though. My clowns are simply idiots. It's an event at the house to see one of them anywhere but within a foot of the return they hang out at. The have NEVER been into the rockwork or anywhere near the bottom of the tank. The tank is 24"deep and they stay in the top 6" of it. I'm hoping that with time they will venture out. I may start turning off the powerheads at feeding time and lure them to a different side of the tank or something.

Sorry for the thread hijack. Just ignore me!!

[SFish]

Originally Posted by thegrun

My Duncan coral hosts my clowns. They just laid another clutch of eggs on it today.

There is never a guarantee that the clowns will set up camp in any specific coral. Mine used to nest between a couple of plating montipora before they adopted the Duncan.

What's the green coral?

[Jlicht15]

Mine clowns hang out in my gonipora


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[thegrun]

Originally Posted by SFish

What's the green coral?

"Frogskin" Acropora