Enticing clowns to host?

[FinsUp!]

I have 2 Ocellaris clowns, and have had them since my tank was a month old. I've added frogspawn, a toadstool and will be adding a long tentacle plate coral this weekend. They have so far refused to show even the slightest bit of interest in hosting! They just swim around the tank, and hang out at the surface (which I don't approve of, because the female has jumped into the overflow box and ended up in the sump a few times... One adventure ended in a near death experience )

I really want to avoid getting an anemone because I have a lot of coral that the nem would just sting. Are there any methods that have shown some success in getting clowns to host something? I know its ultimately up to them what they want to host, but they're starting to get on my nerves smooshing up against the front glass all day when I've bought them all these nice homes!

 

[dannyp02908]

The want a nem by nature. I have coral from one side to the other and my rbta doesn't bother any of it. Only lost a small patch of blue cloves (no real loss) to it.

 

[jazzsam]

I have one that hosts a few corals and I have 2 nems in there. No telling what they choose in my experience.

 

[FinsUp!]

I'll get a nem as a last resort if they won't host anything else (I really just don't like nems in general. Don't like stuff that doesn't stay where I want it to!), but seeing clowns host a wide variety of corals that resemble nems (my last clowns hosted a frogspawn), I'd love it if I could try to get them hosting a coral before I try a RBTA. My tank is still somewhat new (about 6 months) so I'm not sure I'm ready for one yet either.

 

[WoodRiverTroutBum]

Mine decided to host a colony of armor of god zoas that is in my sand bed. All fine and dandy except the female clown likes to try to dig under it and makes a sandy mess.

 

[Flame Angel]

I have no corals or anems... mine host an old nautilus shell.

 

[Duff485]

I actually got a nem a few months after setting up my tank and its never bothered any other coral and its been doing great. In fact, its split 3 times in a year and a half!

I know how you feel about the clowns. I actually bought the nem before the clowns and they refused to host it. They sat in the upper right corner of my tank for a couple months. I actually printed out pics of clowns hosting in anemones and taped them to the tank...lol. I don't think it really did anything though. One day, the female accidentally brushed the nem and voila! From that point on, they won't even go 6"from the nem now, they love it.

Long story short, unless you can get them to touch the frogspawn on purpose, I think you just have to wait for a random chance of luck.

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[afrankiewicz12]

yea my nem i got at 4 months hasnt killed or stung any corals even though it lays in a paly field

 

[Skeeter7424]

i have 3 nems, 2 are model citizens, one is a pain. constantly moving around. now before I got the GBTA that my B/W clowns host, they would host my colony of duncans.

 

[willray]

Try feeding them (may take a week or more) right near where you want want them to host.Their instinct to feed/care for a host IMO will kick in eventually.

 

[FinsUp!]

I started feeding them near the toadstool last night, and the female, who will nudge my hand until I let go of the food started following me down to the toadstool. She was eating near it and brushed up against it. She stared at it for a while (probably trying to figure out how to get the pellets that fell into the polyps out) but then went about her business hanging out in the corner. I'll keep trying and see if she eventually goes in.

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[turtletrax624]

i have 3 nems, 2 are model citizens, one is a pain. constantly moving around. now before I got the GBTA that my B/W clowns host, they would host my colony of duncans.

I think that the one is not happy is because it has not decided if it want low light or high light... Still trying to decide!! But I love nems, we were really worried about them before we started having them, and now we love them!.

 

[turtletrax624]

I have no corals or anems... mine host an old nautilus shell.

Yours would

 

[caputo08]

mine would host in anything bought nem and instead of hositng in that they decided to make a home in a candycane so who knows.