Pesky clowns hurting corals

[treesprite]

I have never had such problematic clowns as this little pair!

 

They have been sitting on and picking food off of my montis. At first it was just the orange & green that are on the same rock (they have grown into each other). The green monti now has a huge bleach spot and some smaller bleach spots. Now the clowns are getting brave and exploring the tank, so they have started doing the same thing to the Idaho grape monti at the other end of the tank.

 

I was hoping they would like my duncan like the last clowns did, and leave the rest of the tank alone, but they are ignoring it. I saw one of them once checking out the hammer coral (black stuff was already on the clowns), but I don't think they want to settle there.

 

Is it time to get an anemone? I was trying to avoid doing it.

[trockafella]

Could be time to just relax and let nature take its course.. Its a monti cap, it will grow back.. If your really that bothered by it then buy an anemone, but there is no gaurantee that they go right to it, they could continue what they currently doing, then what..?

[sen5241b]

If clowns cannot host their natural symbiont (or partner) the Anemone, they will host just about anything else that remotely looks like an anemone including hair algae. Clowsn can harass a coral to death. You may wish to take action.

Edited March 17, 2011 by sen5241b

[Glenn]

and, as Trockafella alluded to, even if you have an anemone in the tank, it doesn't mean the clowns will like it. I have two tanks with clown pairs (not "paired up yet :-( ) and RBTA's and neither pair is interested in the RBTA's. One pair hosts nothing while the other pairs hosts some large fuzzy mushrooms.

 

Nature is just weird sometimes

[treesprite]

But montis? Geez!

 

The hair algae thing is funny. I didn't know that the tomato clowns I had in the hex I used to have set up, were hosting in a huge mass of long hair algae behind the rockwork, until I was tearing down the tank. It was funny to see.

 

The biggest reason I hesitate about anemones, is that I'm afraid I'll end up with a wanderer who will kill things.

[trockafella]

Thats the price you pay to keep certain fish...

[gmubeach]

They will do that I had a anomee kill 6 colonies go under a rock, and die from lack of light:) After he died I lost another 3 colonies to the poison.... If your going anomee I'd give it a wide berth of coral free area... this will also allow it to split and give you more fun in your tank:)

[treesprite]

I think I have a good place in my tank - the center rock piece hasn't got anything encrusted on it yet (other than "pink" poci low down in the dark in the back of the rock where no sensible anemone would try to live - I don't know how that poci manages to thrive back there). There are some good foot nooks and the spot is probably at a perfect distance from the light for an anemone. Mayne it would work out.

[Jager]

forrest if you have access to any of the strawberry type containers, (especially clear ones) you can cover the corals they are bothering and the clowns will bang on the container til they find a new shiney thing to play with. once they are locked onto something it is best to deny them the item via cover or getting a tank divider for a bit or screen or w/e you can deal with looking in the tank.

 

if it gets bad move the coral to a completely different area with a higher flow. clowns have issues with high flow in one direction, so i used to hide their wanna be host in an area underneath a power heads laminar flow with th same light the coral loved, the clowns couldn't get close, the coral was happy in the calmer zone underneath the power heads "stream" and the clowns re hosted to xenia which i didn't care about.

[dbartco]

typically lta's and sebaes will keep their foot in the sand and not wander.