FAQs on Anemones and Clownfishes 2 Related Articles: Anemones, Clownfish & Anemone Compatibility By James Gasta, Bubble Tip Anemones, LTAs, Clownfishes, Maroon Clowns, Breeding Clowns, Diseases of Clownfishes, Colored/Dyed Anemones,  Related FAQs: Anemones & Clowns 1, Clownfish/Anemones 1, Clownfish/Anemones 2, Clownfish/Anemones 3, Clownfish/Anemones 4, Clownfish/Hosts 5, Anemones, Anemones 2, LTAs, Caribbean Anemones, Condylactis, Anemone Systems, Anemone Lighting, Anemone Reproduction, Anemone Compatibility, Anemone Selection, Anemone Health, Anemone Behavior, Anemone Placement, Carpet Anemones,  Anemone Feeding,

New Print and eBook on Amazon:   Anemone Success Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Entacmaea quadricolor (BTA) Compatibility - 8/19/07 Hi <Hello, Brenda here> Great website. It is very useful. <Thank you! Glad you find it helpful!> I have a 2ft by 2f by 2ft with a sump it holds 43 UK gallons my skimmer does 300 liters an hour. I have just bought a bubble anemone my tank is about 1 year old. What clown fish would you advise to host with my anemone and what fish could I keep with them? <Here are a few links to show you what clownfish host this anemone in the wild. http://www.carlosreef.com/AnemoneFAQ.pdf http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i1/Clown_anemone/Clown_anemone.htm In captivity there is no guarantee that a clownfish will host. As far as what other fish to keep with them, choose only reef safe fish. Here is a fish compatibility chart: http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/compatibility_chart.cfm . Be sure to research tank size requirement and care before purchasing. Brenda>

A suggested corr. <Hexacorallians of the World>  7/2/07 Dear Bob, Thanks for finding that! It is people like you who keep us honest. <Always glad to add my dos centavos> Hexacorallians of the World is built exclusively from the published literature -- nothing is original with me except for what I have published. <It is a wonderful tool. I thank you for your efforts> When I went into the guts of the database to search for the source of this record (I employ undergraduates, mostly, to enter data, and they sometimes select the wrong name), I could not understand the logic of that particular part of it. My systems administrator is on vacation at the moment -- as soon as he returns I will track down the source of this record and get back to you on it (and correct it if it does not accurately reflect the publication). Sincerely, Daphne <Real good... BTW, do you collect corrections to you and (Gerald) Allen's "Clownfish and Anemone" tome? There are a sprinkling of errors, disagreements for instance with the posted known symbionts there and your URL. Cheers, Bob Fenner, WetWebMedia> Daphne G. Fautin Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Curator, Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center University of Kansas website www.nhm.ku.edu/~inverts

Anemone seeking clown? - 3/21/07 Hello Crew, <Hello, Brenda here> I have a (I believe) unique, if not odd, question.  Do anemones seek out clowns to host by moving around the tank?   <No> I ask this because over the last 4 days I watched my BTA move from a location at the top of my live rock to the glass, overnight.  First, it moved to the top left, back corner and stayed there for two days.  Over night on the 2nd night it moved to the lower left back corner and was there for a day and a half (until yesterday morning).  By the time I returned home from work last night it had moved to the lower left front corner.  Last night, after the lights went out, my female percula went in and slept there for the night.  The male stayed very close but did not go in.  Neither fish had ever been hosted by the BTA in the past and have been together for several months.  As I've continued to think about this I began to wonder if the BTA knew how to find the clowns.  It sounds too weird to me to me to be true but the last three positions the BTA was in/attached to have been the last positions the clown pair has slept in the previous night.  Is this just a coincidence or did I see another amazing behavior of our saltwater friends? <It is odd, but is just a coincidence.  An anemone will move to find a comfortable position.  Hopefully it settles down soon.> Bob <Brenda>

Anemones and Clown Fish.. host/symbiont def.s  3/16/2007 Bob and Crew,     Not a question, more of a comment brought on by my ADD.  In the Clown Fish/Anemone Relationship, the Anemone is the Host and the Clown Fish is the symbiont.  It just drive me crazy to read that "My Clown Hosted the BTA". Thanks for letting me vent     Roy <Heeeee! Okay! BobF>

Re: Keep away from all Anenomes or just BTA's ?  3/5/07 Thanks for the reply Mich.   <You're welcome!> Ok...since I have brand new carpets and hardwood floors throughout the house,  it might be wise for me to keep away from all Anenomes.   <Ahh...yeah!> Someone in the Crew listed safer alternatives for clown hosts, as Xenia and Sarcophyton.   <Clowns will sometimes host in these and others.  Though many clowns, particularly captive raised, won't host even when placed with appropriately matched anemones.> I pulled these two corals up on LiveAquaria.com and found several different species for both Xenia and Sarcophyton.  For instance, when I searched for Sarcophyton, LiveAquaria listed Long Polyp Leather Coral (Sarcophyton sp), Yellow Fiji Leather Coral (Sarcophyton Elegans), Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral etc. For Xenia, they list Pom Pom Xenia (Xenia sp) and Silver Branch Pumping Xenia (Xenia elongata) Is any particular species a better choice as a host to clown fish....or are all equally a good choice? <I think all are equally iffy choices.  As stated previously, many will not host period.  My recommendation to you is only get a coral you are interesting in keep on it's own merits because there's a good chance that your clown will not host in it. Often times the coral isn't exactly thrilled that there's a fish trying to hang out with it either.  I have also seen clowns host in members the families Caryophylliidae and Trachyphylliidae.>   Thanks again! <Welcome!  -Mich> Pam <Hi Pam> Ok....so don't expect a clown to host....and be thrilled if they do.  :) <Exactly!> Thanks again Mich! Pam
<Welcome!  -Mich>

Toadstool sys., Percula/anemone hosting 12/18/06 Hey everyone! <Greetings, Mich here.> Sorry if I ask too meany <many?> questions.  <little, nasty, or number?  I'm guessing you mean number.> I know you are busy! <How did you know?> But who else am I going to go to?...The LFS...? <Hehehe ...there are some ones out there.>      I have an LTA. I was wandering how rare it is for p. clowns to host these? <In the wild only four species of clownfish are typically observed with this anemone, the Percula Clowns (Amphiprion percula) is not one of them.  However in an artificial environment, artificial things happen.>   I also have a green toadstool. I know, shouldn't be together. It came on a VERY small pc of rock. Too small to weight it down upright, and too small to wedge into the live rock without hurting the coral itself. I've tried super glue gel. Didn't work so well. <Yes, I have experienced this frustration also.> So I resorted to a rubber band (natural color). <Good solution!> Will there be any trouble with this being in the system? <No.  This should not cause problems.  The rubber band will dissolve with time.> Hopefully it works for a while! <It should.> The poor thing probably has fallen 5 times in a month! <and can't get up!> It is pretty secure now though. <Did it get Life Alert?> Thanks so much for your help! <You are quite welcome.> By the way, the clownfish anemone page on the chat forum isn't working! <Oh, thank you for this, will notify.> <<On WWF? On WWM; what is the URL? RMF> Keep up the good work! <We'll do our best!> Hope to meet you all one day! <It's always nice to put a face with a name.  Remember aquarium conferences are fun!  -Mich>  

Rose BTA, clown rel.  11/27/06 Hello Crew, <Hello, JustinN with you today> I Have been reading through the forums, but have not found what I am looking for.  I just purchased a gold stripe maroon clown XL for my 65 gal. tank and I wanted to buy a host for him.  My tank's lighting is provided by one 175 watts 14k HQI bulb and by two 65 watt Actinic bulbs (130 watts total).  I supplement my water with Kalkwasser mix every night using an evaporation method.  I also use strontium. <Sounds good so far> My inhabitants are as follows 1. Sailfin Tang <...> 2. Naso Tang <...> 3. 6 small damsels 4. 1 long spined urchin 5. 1 Decorator Crab 6. 2 Cleaner Shrimp 7.75lbs. of Live Rock 8. 3"-4" of sand bed 9. Crocea Clam <You are on a road to, if not already, overstocked for this tank. There is simply not enough room afforded in a 65 gallon tank for either species of tang, much less both. The cluster of damsels could prove to be problematic too, they can be bossy little buggers!> My question is this.  How can I introduce the anemone without the clownfish bothering it while it tries to acclimate to the new tank? Thank you for your time <Not a whole lot you can do but let nature take its course. There is a possibility the clown won't host the anemone immediately as well. Hope this helps you! -JustinN>

Anemones and clowns  - 2/15/2006 Greetings Crew! Having some time ago upgraded my main display to a 90 gal, mixed reef, I now have beautiful, 55 gal. 48x13x22, with a full oak cabinet sitting idle. My thought, is to turn this tank into a dedicated anemone/clown system. Wanting to keep this simple and relatively low maintenance, I am considering putting in two Entacmaea quadricolor -one near each end, and on their own rock mound- and a few clowns in the tank. Other than a  cleanup crew, this would be the only livestock. My first question: is this feasible or practical? <Not a good idea... maybe one Bubble tip... or two clones...> I know the lighting expense, etc... will be considerable for such a simple display, but my wife (and I)  enjoy the symbiotic interaction. I have an Amphiprion frenatus in the reef that frolics among and between a hairy mushroom and a colony of star polyps without any apparent harm to either, and it's quite entertaining. My second question is about the success of mixing clowns and the numbers of fishes. Maroons, Premnas biaculeatus, are not in the plan. With a tank of this size what are the thoughts or recommendations from the "Oracles of Aquarium Knowledge"?  Also: Have you considered putting your daily FAQs into a one week archive? It would really be great! Thanks for all your hard work; I \ we really appreciate it! Roger Lea <Our "oracular visions" re are posted on WWM. See Clownfish Systems, Compatibility... Bob Fenner>

What Anemone? - 09/03/2005 I was originally going to buy an LTA but after reading your site and seeing you recommend a carpet anemone for perculas that's the one I would want to buy. I have a 55 gallon tank with a wet dry filter and 260watt lighting  is this enough space for the anemone? <No....  Quite honestly, the only one I'd really be comfortable recommending is a captive clone of a bubble-tip/Entacmaea quadricolor.  Please read here for more:  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm .  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Carpet Anemone Question 7/20/05 Hello Crew! <Hello> Thanks again for all your help, you guys and gals are great! I have a 120g marine tank that is doing great (in part to y'alls help) and I just added a Carpet Anemone. It is pretty big (foot is approximately 4-5 inches wide). My first question is regarding feeding: I have been reading all the information on the WWM website and extrapolated lots of good information,  however can the anemone live on a combination of Phytoplankton, Oyster Eggs and Kent's 'smorgasbord" or do I need to add other protein (i.e. uncooked shrimp or small fish) to its diet? <Shrimp or small fish, no goldfish.>My second question is regarding the 2 percula clowns I have in my tank, they don't seem to be the least bit interested in the anemone. Is there a chance they will ever go in the anemone? Aren't carpet anemones supposed to be percula clown's 'preferred' anemone? <Most clowns sold these days are tank bred, so the clown has never saw an anemone and chances are they will probably not enter it if they have not already.  Keep in mind that a very small percentage of carpets live for more than two months in captivity.  I'm hoping you will be in the small percentage.  James (Salty Dog)> Thank you for your wisdom!

Clowning Around With Anemones (Who Lives With Who?) Hi, <Hi there! Scott F. here today!> I have a 20 gallon tank with 2 wild Sebae Clownfish and a Royal Gramma. I also purchased a Purple Condylactis anemone. I was told by my LFS that the clowns might take to the anemone or not. <More likely not, as Condylactis are found in the Caribbean, where there are no known Clownfish species. Occasionally, the clowns may take up residence in the anemone, but this is a real random occurrence. The Condylactis is one of the better choices for anemone keeping, however. > So I decided to get it and take a chance. I have had it for a month now with 110 watt power compact and moon lights, it eats every day Mysis shrimp and cocktail shrimp and has grown some since I bought it. My question is this, if the sebae clowns won't host with it, can I continue to leave it there, or should I place it in my 55 gallon with my wild True Percula Clowns, which  have had an anemone in the past (a BTA). My electric got shut off during a storm the anemone moved to get more light and cut it's foot and eventually died, before that it was eating and doing well with the clowns living in it. <Well, this is not really a relevant fact, because the BTA is a potential host for a range of Clownfish species, whereas the Condy is not. The fish generally do not "learn" to adapt to the anemone. Rather, the immunity to its sting is a chemical adaptation. Again, the likelihood of establishing a symbiotic relationship with the Condylactis is remote, but possible.> The reason I ask, is I'm building a house and when I go to move the tanks I thought that the sebae clowns might do better  in the 55 gallon tank and put the True Perculas in the 20 gallon with the Condy anemone and see what they do with it if the Sebae Clowns haven't taken to it in the next 2 months. <A crap shoot, as they say! Instead, if you must have a symbiotic relationship, you may want to look into some of the symbiotic shrimp known to inhabit these anemones. Do a little research on the web and see what you can find!> I hope this made sense. I'm just trying to figure out where the best place is for my fish and the Condy, it is so pretty and looks much better than it did at the store. <I understand your point, but I think that you should just leave the anemone where it is and continue to provide the best care possible. If the Clowns do take to it, that's great. If not- you have a lovely anemone that is doing well, and two nice Clownfish!> I have 230 w power compact on my 55; both tanks have power filters, live rock and lace rock for base, protein skimmers that are collecting stuff daily. All tests results come out fine. Lora Frakes <All sounds fine, Lora! Feel free to experiment, but do enjoy the animals that you have! Anemones of all types are a precious resource, and you need to continue to do all that you can to provide the best possible care. Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>

Condylactis Anemone - 06/01/05 I recently bought a Condy at my LFS and the salesman told me that pretty much any clownfish would host with it. <<Really? I would disagree considering this anemone is an Atlantic specie and clownfish are NOT found in the Atlantic. This unnatural mix usually winds up with one or the other animal being killed. Do have a read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/condylactis.htm >> Well with more research I found that the only decent choice would be a tomato clown. <<Hmm...based on what criteria, I wonder?>> Are there any invertebrates or fish that will naturally host with this anemone and will it cause problems with the animals I already have in the tank? I have...  1 3.5 in dwarf fuzzy lionfish 2 damsels 2 hermits 1 chocolate chip starfish <<I'm not aware of any symbionts for the Condylactis anemone, as for your existing tank inhabitants, a large Condy could pose a threat to your fish. Regards, Eric Russell.>> Algae Control Hello WWM, I love the web site.<Thank you> Your knowledge and expert advice is incredibly helpful. I have a 'newer' tank 120g approximately 5 1/2 months old. I have 5 fish (2 perc clowns, 2 fire fish, and a royal Gramma) 3 anemones, coral banded shrimp, cleaner shrimp, several crabs, and snails. I have 2 questions: 1. I seemed to be having a red/brown algae problem on my substrate (sand). It is growing like wild fire all over the surface of the sand. Is this good or bad?<No one likes nuisance algae although it is not life threatening for sure.  See here.  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/algaeconMar.htm.  After the tank matures will the algae lessen or is it a problem that needs to be addressed now.<Need to address it now.> 2. My two clowns wont go near my anemones I have a bubble, long tentacled and a magnif anemone. Will they eventually? <Probably not if they haven't entered it by now.  The Ritteri you have is the anemone of preference for them.  The bubble anemone would be around third on the list.> The clowns were introduced into the tank first. Thank you for your time. <You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>.

BTA and Clowns - II Hi, What anemone ranks second easiest to keep with Perculas and false Perculas and what sort of lighting do they need? What is the chance that the Percs will accept the new BTA?  <The BTA would be one of the "easier" ones to keep. My choice for the "second easiest" would probably be the Ritteri. Keep in mind that no anemones are easy to keep in that sense of the word. For a BTA I would use at least 4 1/2 watts per gallon provided the tank is under 18" in depth. You don't mention tank size in your post, it would be more helpful in determining lighting correctly. James (Salty Dog)> 

Tank Bred or Wild - part II? III? Hi, <Hello again> I just wanted to know which clownfish looks more like 'Nemo' is it the Amphiprion ocellaris or the Amphiprion percula? <the percula>  And is there one of these clown fish that is more likely to host the BTA than the other? and also which one has more chance to host the BTA Tank Raised or Wild ? Thanks <Generally either the percula or the ocellaris both will host to a Bubble tip anemone, though a wild caught one is much more likely to host than a tank raised which may have never seen an anemone. Your local fish store may have clownfish in with anemones already so you might be able to get some that have already hosted and or paired. Hope this helped> <Justin (Jager)>
Re: Tank Bred or Wild Hi, <Hello> Is there any other things that can contribute to them hosting the BTA? <Not really just give them time and a healthy BTA> And what sort of lighting ETC does the BTA need? <I highly recommend that you look this information up on www.wetwebmedia.com  as there is a lot of information on what to do for various anemones.> Thanks
<Hope that helps. Justin (Jager)> 

Suitable material to make molded false anemone for clowns Ok, here is my dilemma, I have looked and looked for a natural looking simulation of a sea anemone. <Mmm, there are a few companies that currently make faux anemones... none are very real in appearance or "action", being too stiff> The only one I have found is at http://www.gellife.com/.  However, this company is no longer in business. I have now decided that using a clay or plaster based mold which I will line with plastic wrap.  What I need is some type of very flexible silicone or food safe rubber compound that I can heat and pour into the finger mold that we are making.  Then we take polished stones or other aquaria safe weight and silicone attach the fingers to the stone. <Sounds good> Thanks for any information you can give me, I love your site it is extremely helpful. Best regards, Chris Rabkin <I would experiment, given information from folks in the molding business, trying flexible materials that will stay so, and are non-toxic to aquatic life. Bob Fenner>

Anemones for Anemonefishes Hi guys, Just a quick question regarding compatibility between a juv. Australian harlequin ( 3") tusk and a pair of saddleback clowns in a 75 gal  system. Would it work? << Yes I think so >>  I would also like to house an anemone.   I ' ve kept anemones before, particularly bubble tips, and had them  reproduce.  Would the tusk bother the anemone? << No, I think he would leave them alone. >> and if not which would be  suitable for this particular clown species?  I' ve read that they associate  with Haddon's anemone ( they tend to be difficult in captivity) but  would a bubble tip be just as reasonable?  << Bubble tips and carpets are fine.  Also, they don't need anemones to host, and many Sarcophytons and xenia will work well. >> Thanks.   Happy  Holidays. Nicholas <<  Blundell  >>

Heeeeeeelllllllpppp..... anemone issues Hell-o  Been using the website a long time, never thought I would use it though <?>....  Anyways...  I have had a marine reef tank for 1-1/2 years now in a 75 gallon tank.  Last month I bought a 120 reef ready tank, Excalibur skimmer, power compact light system, 120 canister filter, and a bio wheel filter.<Sounds like a nice set up, though I am not in favor of bio-wheels and canister filters for reefs.> My goal was a tank with a lot of corals and a few reef fish.  I got a yellow tang, 1 cleaner shrimp, a flame angel, a hippo tang, and a lawnmower mower blenny, and a percula clown.  I have 120 pounds of live Fiji rock, and 4 mushroom corals. <So far so good. No overcrowding and no major incompatibilities.> I bought a bubble anemone and placed it where I wanted it.  Well it of course moved where it wanted to.  I knew it would do that before buying it so I am not concerned. <Power compact lighting is probably barely enough light.  If the anemone continues to wander, consider giving it up or increasing your light.> I have had it now for 2-3 weeks and it is tucked between 2 rocks and every time I try to feed it (small silversides) it will not hold onto them.  I watched the guy at the pet store feed his and it closed around the food and within about 25-30 minutes opened back up and the food was almost gone.  I was wondering how long it can go unfed. <This is not uncommon with newly moved specimens.  They will rarely accept food unless they are fully expanded.  It will be fine for several weeks without feeding.> The clown wants nothing to do with it. <Also very common, especially since BTA's are not natural hosts to Percs.  Give it time.> Also I got a liquid food for my mushrooms called Marine snow plankton diet they recommended it at the store for filter feeders.  And I feed them once a week. My question is that will the anemone filter feed and will my mushrooms multiply and what should I do about the anemone not eating? <Anemones and mushrooms are not filter feeders and will not eat the marine snow product.  Very few commonly kept reef animals will.  The mushrooms will multiply in time, often to pest proportions.  Give the anemone some more time to acclimate and withhold food until it fully expands. Helpless in Western PA...... Christopher J. Negley <If you are in western PA, please see www.pmas.org  We would love to have you drop by a meeting.  We have lots of really knowledgeable members who are glad to share their experience.  Best Regards.  AdamC.>