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View Full Version : Clowns and flowerpot corals?


MikeP
10-03-2006, 04:46 AM
I recently bought a flowerpot coral, it opened up all the way the day after I put it in but now my 2 clowns have started to host in it and it doesn't open up much any more. Will it get used to the clowns and open up soon?

bassman
10-03-2006, 11:02 AM
No it probably will not and from what I have been told the clowns will harm it. They will rub their slime off on it and when it retracts it will pull some of that slime inside itself which is not healthy. Plus they are not fond of the thrashing about from the clowns.

Kabong
10-03-2006, 12:38 PM
Try covering the flower pot for a few days and see if they will host something else.
Otherwise you might as well sell it.

MikeP
10-03-2006, 03:38 PM
Try covering the flower pot for a few days and see if they will host something else.
Otherwise you might as well sell it.
There is nothing else in there that they will host. They are the first two fish I bought several months ago and they have never hosted in anything else I have. Can I buy something that they might like better so I can keep the flowerpot?

Quagmire
10-03-2006, 04:22 PM
If your not ready for an anemone,you can try frogspawn or hammer.No guaranees that they will host any of them.Flowerpots can be a challenge in themselves with out the clowns added to the mix.

niloc16
10-03-2006, 04:52 PM
i have a pair of black percs that a fairly good size that host in my flowerpot and have been doing so for the past 2 months or so with no ill effects on the flowerpot.

OCDP
10-03-2006, 05:35 PM
i have a pair of black percs that a fairly good size that host in my flowerpot and have been doing so for the past 2 months or so with no ill effects on the flowerpot.

I think this is one of those "it works for some, not for others" . I think for the most part, flowerpot's and clowns aren't usually a good mix. Even frog's and hammers aren't the best.. as they will irritate them as well... but those two are more likely to adjust to the clowns.

fortheloveofcrabs
10-03-2006, 06:20 PM
I had a flowerpot coral in my nano with two clows who never touched it (they had an anenome though) The coral later moved to my larger tank where my clown goby liked to sit it, which didn't fair well for the coral at all. They seem to really hate touching...

I moved the FPC back to my nano, got my goby a brain coral which he loves to death, and re-introduced the flowerpot coal and so for so good.

MikeP
10-03-2006, 09:06 PM
How long do you think I have before the flowerpot will get hurt? I have read both negative and positive comments about this (here and other sites) so I'd like to wait it out for a bit, I will get an anemone if I need to but I don't want to jump the gun and rush out to buy one. If I do have to get an anemone which type?

SeaHorse_Fanatic
10-03-2006, 10:59 PM
It all depends how vigorous your clowns are hosting in the coral. If they're really beating it up with their tails, then asap. If they are very gentle & the coral doesn't look like its getting damaged, then you have time. Bubbletips & Long tentacle anemones are the ones most people have success keeping in captivity. Do you have halides, because anemones do like lots of light. Some people are able to keep anemones under PC & such, but MH is what I keep mine under now. In the past, my LTA was raised under 96w PC & 2 T5s.

Anthony

revgeoff
10-04-2006, 03:05 AM
I had a clown that killed off the same type of coral. Recently my perc decided to hang out in my frogspawn...so I went out and picked up a nice lime green BTA. BTAs are not nearly as aggressive as some other anemones.
My perc went right for the BTA as soon as it hit the tank...although he does still take a quick rub in the frogspawn every now and then.