clownfish hosting

**dreams** · 05-16-2006, 09:54 PM

well, first i must confess to big newbie mistake.......after my tank got going i bought a flower pot.....which has been doing quite well for the last 4 months, to my surprise & shock....i really try to keep this coral happy

anyways, out of the blue today, the clowns decided to start hosting this critter.....the flower pot does not seem too pleased by this.....is there something i can do to distract them from it?....maybe something that is more hardy for them to play in?

**fat walrus** · 05-16-2006, 10:10 PM

dreams, if your clowns find a more attractive host, they will move. i've had exactly the same problem with my flowerpots. if the clowns continue to use it as a host, the flowerpot will cease to open. get a bta soon. also, the legend of the difficulty of keeping flowerpots is in my own opinion overstated. a lot of the bad reputation came when reefers did not feed their tank anything close to the amount today. everyone was terrified of poor water quality. i read an article about 10 years ago when one hobbyist kept nothing but flowerpots. i gave me an inspiration.... my oldest gonipora is now about 8 years old. the thing is they just need to be fed really well, and have enough pulsating water movement to keep them clean. if i remember correctly, the heavy mucus needs to washed away from the coral before it leads to bacteria infection which will lead to poylp loss. but course, i'm just a hobbyist.

***Rob*** · 05-16-2006, 10:32 PM

yes, a clown will kill the Goni...

best is to separate them, and get the clown to host in something else.
you can put in a divider until you get it hosting in something new, like another coral, or an anemone
check out the Goniopora podcast show for loads of info on caring for and keeping these corals
i personally wouldn't say they are doomed in captivity, but they are not "easy" corals. i had one that was about a year old and when my clown starting hosting in it, it died in about a month or so

**dreams** · 05-16-2006, 10:36 PM

the thing is they just need to be fed really well

you know, that is what i thought, from my experience so far....the better i feed the tank, the happier it seems....and if it has good flow, not too strong, but decent

i was so hoping you would tell me about a different coral i could get......i may have to breakdown & just get them an anemone

if they don't lose interest by thursday, i'll decide then....that is when the new critters arrive at the stores

**dreams** · 05-16-2006, 10:37 PM

okay....i'll make a divider.....that will work!:-)

will frogspawn work...i read it will

**gwen_o_lyn** · 05-16-2006, 10:44 PM

Have u tried moving the flowerpot? I like that you aren't supportive of getting an anemone- many factors need to be considered before making that purchase.

I would move the flowerpot and put a hardier coral in its place. My clowns are hosting in a toadstool leather.

***Rob*** · 05-16-2006, 10:49 PM

thats a good idea...
try to reposition the goni...
some clown will loose track of there "homes" if they are quickly moved

**dreams** · 05-16-2006, 10:56 PM

okay, ill try that first...thanks guys:-)

gwen, everything i have read has said not to take them out of the wild.....so, i have a hard time w/ that whole issue

**Reefbaby** · 05-20-2006, 10:22 AM

Wendy - my clowns host the Euphyllia in my tank and both the coral and the fish seem to be pretty happy with this.

When you refer to flowerpot coral, are you refering to Alveopora or Goniopora?

Before I had the Euphyllia, the clowns used to hang out in the alveopora. After awhile, the coral adjusted and didn't stay closed all the time and I didn't think that the coral was suffering due to the clowns. But, each situation is a different one!

V · 05-20-2006, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by Rob

thats a good idea...
try to reposition the goni...
some clown will loose track of there "homes" if they are quickly moved

50/50 chance here, individual temperment vary. some seem to display an uncanny inteligence in regards to us and their own tank boundries. in the meantime id take a trip to the hardware & pick up some plastic drain pipe guards that come in a roll. make a covering around your coral so light can still get though un-impeded, but the clown is kept out. if she does'nt find something new to claim & host within a few days, u could be up for a new coral or a ............plastic cup...lol

**dreams** · 05-21-2006, 09:02 AM

christi, it is a gonipora

veriann, it took them all of about 3 seconds to relocate to the new location

i separated them and the flower pot is happy again...and the clowns are not happy at all

the guys at my LFS said that the clowns hosting any coral is really bad for the coral...that they are really rough on them....*sigh*

V · 05-21-2006, 09:14 AM

fantastic, i love happy endings, feel free to wipe my last schpeal off the thread!
& kick the king of overkill back to the orange lunch box! <<<<<<<is that it, im not sure? it was orange something

**Reefbaby** · 05-21-2006, 09:14 AM

Then I would suggest trying to find something else less sensitive that they'll be happy to host in....maybe they'll get distracted from the goniopora then...

**dreams** · 05-30-2006, 10:26 PM

an update on this.....well, i flower pot in the 110g....then, the clowns were added, a few days later....it took clover all of about a day to find the flower pot (and she won't let crimson near it)

on the upside, the flower pot doesn't seem to be upset about it...maybe more flow in this tank?.....i dunno...anyways, it doesn't seem to be broke, so i am leaving it alone for the time being

**fat walrus** · 05-30-2006, 10:41 PM

keep a watchful eye. sometimes it takes a period of constant iritation before the coral becomes stessed.

**dreams** · 05-30-2006, 10:53 PM

i will, walrus.....first second i suspect it is upset, i will nip it in the bud

**gwen_o_lyn** · 05-30-2006, 10:58 PM

Originally Posted by dreams

the guys at my LFS said that the clowns hosting any coral is really bad for the coral...that they are really rough on them....*sigh*

prolly true for many corals, but I have to say I got clowns living in my toadstool leather, which is a hardier coral, and I frag the hell outta it. Corals and clowns can work, but be cautious.

**gwen_o_lyn** · 05-30-2006, 11:00 PM

Originally Posted by dreams

okay, ill try that first...thanks guys:-)

gwen, everything i have read has said not to take them out of the wild.....so, i have a hard time w/ that whole issue

I have read that too and I see so many n00bs get anemones and they don't make it and unfortunately the clown and anemone is what attracts so many into this hobby. Very sad indeed.

Maybe fragging anemones will become more popular and keep us from harvesting them out of the wild.

**fat walrus** · 05-30-2006, 11:03 PM

Originally Posted by gwen_o_lyn

prolly true for many corals, but I have to say I got clowns living in my toadstool leather, which is a hardier coral, and I frag the hell outta it. Corals and clowns can work, but be cautious.

toadstools are incredible. i have one living in a 150 with a pair of mated hawaiian dragons, and it grows even though that tank is never fed anything else except fresh whole tiger prawns. i tell friends that if they cannot keep a toadstool...look for another hobby.

**gwen_o_lyn** · 05-30-2006, 11:06 PM

lol, very true.

**dreams** · 05-30-2006, 11:26 PM

i see toeadstools and think, "man, i should get one of those"....but they get so big and i don't know that i could "cut" one

i guess i could have my daughter do it.....in her bio tech class, her teacher nicknamed her " the butcher" because she was so good at doing the dissecting...lol

**fat walrus** · 05-30-2006, 11:37 PM

it is really not so bad. i can't kill or hurt anything, but when it comes to coral, i know that i am doing good, so the squimishness is not there.

V · 05-30-2006, 11:41 PM

can have your apendix out on the cheap right dreams?
as for the rest of us, i think its ok for mates rates, just as long as we dont wake up and find ourself in columbia missing more than just our apandix lol
hey what are daugthers for!