This Yellow and Black clown fish that has killed at least 5 nice
anemones by molesting them to death finally met his match. Last weekend
I bought a large brown and white striped carpet anemone, for the first
time since i had this clown (2 years) it did not get close, and let the
carpet settle in really good. I was very happy to see the anemone
getting a chance to get comfortable without the clown pestering it.
After 2 days the clown went in and was being cool, not too rough. Today
I fed the tank and the food bully is gone, I guess the carpet was
hungry. Now do I buy another clown? I can not find any info on this
brown and white carpet, any help would be appreciated.

Thanks Sheldon

michael lawford

Be careful - I have had heard stories of people that have lost whole tanks
of fish to those carpet anenomes and its odd for them to take a clown - I
thought clowns were immune to all anenomes?

As a matter of interest - what did the clown do to kill the anenomes - can
you expand on how a clown would molest an anenome? ;-p

~m

wayne sallee

Yes carpet anemones are real bad at eating fish, even
clown fish. Often times clown fish can live in a carpet
anemone for a long time, but it's risky.

Clownfish can get too rough on an anemone, especialy if
the anemone is too small. Frilly mushroooms often make
better host for clown fish becaus they can take the
beating better, they are all around hardyer than anemones,
and they don't move around the tank like anemones.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets
Wayne@WaynesPets.com

therock

Clownfish and Anemone Compatibility

There is a definite closeness between clownfish and their host anemone. The
anemone provides protection for the clown, and in turn for this protection
the clown feeds and cleans the anemone and also may even drive off fish that
could be harmful to the anemone. These two animals share a true symbiotic
relationship. But will any clown go into any anemone? The answer to this
question is most definitely NO!

Each of the clownfish varieties has a definite preference as to which
anemone is suitable to become their home. For instance, a False Percula
(Ocellaris) clown would be very at home in a carpet anemone, would probably
accept a bubble anemone, might put up with a sebae anemone, and wouldn't
even consider an Atlantic anemone.

The following table pairs each variety of clown species with the anemone
that would be accepted.

False Percula Clown - Amphiprion ocellaris Carpet anemone
Ritteri (Maroon) anemone
Saddle anemone
Bubble anemone
Percula Clown - Amphiprion percula Carpet anemone
Ritteri (Maroon) anemone
Saddle anemone
Bubble anemone
"Sebae" Clown - Amphiprion clarkii Sebae anemone
Long Tentacle anemone
Ritteri (Maroon) anemone
Carpet anemone
Saddle anemone
Bubble anemone
Tomato Clown - Amphiprion frenatus Bubble anemone
Long Tentacle anemone
Sebae anemone
Maroon Clown - Premnas biaculatus Ritteri (Maroon) anemone
Bubble anemone
Long Tentacle anemone
Pink Skunk Clown - Amphiprion perideraion Long Tentacle anemone
Sebae anemone
Ritteri (Maroon) anemone
Carpet anemone
Saddle anemone
Bubble anemone

Bubble anemone = Entacmaea quadricolor
Long tentacle anemone = Macrodactyla doreensis
Sebae anemone = Heteractis malu
Ritteri (Maroon) anemone = Heteractis magnifica
Carpet anemone = Stichodactyla gigantea
Saddle anemone = Stichodactyla haddoni

wayne sallee

Maching up anemone fish with the right anemone makes clown
fish hosting much easyer, but while clown fish have their
preference, they do sometimes take to other typs of
anemones, but it's much easyer to get an anemone that they
prefer.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets
Wayne@WaynesPets.com

The clown would fan its tail at the anenomes very very consitant and
very rapid and then nose them so much the anenomes could not open up
and take a good footing and get cozy. In out In out like a million
times a minute.

I just wonder what kind of carpet is this one?

Thanks Sheldon

jaime r-s

Hi;
The symbiotic relationship between anemones and clown fish is not a
coincidence. It is an ongoing evolutionary path that has nothing left for
chance.
In the same way you will not likely find two compatible species by just
trial and error. Yes, there is a great chance that a young fish and a young
anemone may develop a symbiosis even when not the proper type but that is
very strange and will not last under stress.
What makes the skin of the clown fish inmune to the anemone's tentacles
is not its colors or form. It is the chemical composition of its skin.
That is either acquired by genes or by a rare but probable event. The clown
eats parts of its neighboring anemone (in the wild) and incorporates into
its skin the ID markings. In your case what may had happened is that the
fish was testing the strenght of the anemone. Remember the association is
that the anemone provides shelter and food while the clown keeps the anemone
clean and atracts other fish. If the anemone doesn't catch a good share,
the clown will take what ever it can get. If the anemone is not strong
enough the clown, specially in a closed system, will challenge its ability
to catch fish by harrassing it. The anemone has no eyes and doesn't know
what is going on around it. It is an opportunistic animal that will catch
just what comes by.

Well, I hope you understand that a good match is better achieved if you
go to the best library available and start reading about your species.
There is no aquarist book that is going to tell the story better than a good
science magazine.

jrs

Thanks for all of the replies! The brown on the carpet is starting to
turn green, He lives the clown died. I am going to wait a long time
before adding anything new and feed the carpet every week.

Thanks Sheldon