Help with anemone and percula

[Namscam]

Ok i realized that my rotteri anemone seems lonely without a clown fish to occupy it so I went to jandL and got myself a true percula clownfish..Right when I put it in, the zebra damsel started to take a bit out of its body/...Once I saw that I quickly turned off my lights and soon after 2 hours or so the clown fish found refuge within my 8 inch rotteri...but the damn damsel is ruthless, it just waits for the clownfish infront of its doorstep, never leaving the clownfish..once in a while they take a bit off each other. Are damsels this aggressive???
anyways it has been a week now and when I feed the tank, the clownfish does not get out of its home to get the food. I have tried to take the food directly to the clownfish by placing it in the anemone's tentacle, but for some reason, the food doesnt even stick to the anemone...so now I have a non eatting clownfish and a non eatting anemone...what should I do??? feed the tank at night??? because right now i feed it when the lights are on..also the clownfish looks stressed out alwayz breathing heavily...
I need help soon or else: clownfish + anemone - food = double death :cry:
Thanx in advance

[Quinn]

I can't speak from personal experience, but everything I've read indicates that damsels are the devil in the flesh (or scale).

[BCOrchidGuy]

I believe most damsels can host in an anemone as well. Clowns and Damsels are in the same family as well if I'm not mistaken. Damsels aren't normally known for being gracious hosts in the tank.

Doug

[Delphinus]

Actually damsels usually only take refuge in anemones as juveniles. Dominoes (Dascyllus trimaculatus) do for sure anyways, but I'm not sure about other species of damsel. According to my handy-dandy book by Fautin and Allen anyways, they make no mention of other damsels.

Some damsels can become holy little terrors.

I'm a little concerned that the ritteri wouldn't take food. What kind of food was it shunning? What do you normally feed? Ritteri's tend to eat a fair bit. Have you tried feeding it mysis (Piscine Energetics brand)?

[Namscam]

I have alwayz been feeding my rotteri mysis (PE)...just in the last week he hasnt been eatting with the percula hosting him

[Buccaneer]

Get rid of the damsel !!! :eek:


If sharks had a damsels personality we would not be able to swim in the sea at all !!! :razz: :mrgreen:

[UnderWorldAquatics]

as has been said, most damsels can be little buggers, damsels are great feeders and thats about it, although a few like the fiji blue devil damsel with the bright orange tail are usually pretty mellow, and yeah, damsels are classified as anemone fish... your anemone should accept freshwater mysis shrimp, snapper, and any ofter smelly meat from your local seafood deli,
Its up to you, but I would take apart the tank, catch the damsel, and find it a new home...

new home: My stone fish says "In my belly" (fat bastard accent needed)

[Delphinus]

Other way around Kyle :razz: Anemonefish are classified as damsels. :mrgreen:

[UnderWorldAquatics]

I have been humiliated.... :cry:

lol yeah what he said^

[Namscam]

b4 I put in the percula, my anemone has been eatting well..accepting any kind of meat I put on his tentacle...when the percula made it its home, the tentacles wouldnt stick to anything anymore...I m thinking because the clownfish is stressed out, its producing more mucus than needed therefore with the excess in mucus in the proximity of the rotteri, i will not sting anything..does that sound even slightly right??

[UnderWorldAquatics]

it might just take the anemone awhile to adjust to its new room mate, I have had it happen before...anemones can go for weeks without food, but the sooner you can get it eating the better!

[Namscam]

well thank you for all of your help... also what is the easiest way to get the damsels out without tearing the whole tank?? get a trap??

[UnderWorldAquatics]

there is not really an easy way, in the end tearing apart the tanks is usually the easiest...

[yifan917]

I think the clowns that JL carries are all tank raised (so far)....so it might be hard...they never saw an anemone b4...you know........ or maybe they'll go in by their natural behaviour :biggrin:

[Namscam]

the false percula are tank raised I believe..i dont think the true percula are

[yifan917]

Yes they are, accroading to JL staff.....and that's what it says on the tank too.....(16.95 for true percs?? :eek: ....don't think so...)

[Namscam]

actully according to jandl it says false percula tank raised 16.95
then on tank beside it , it says true percula 18.95...nothing else I believe but i could be wrong on the price but i m sure I ve seen the tank raised part on the false percula tank....I WAS just there yesterday...they could be tank raised but it didnt say it on the price that was on that tank...only on the false percula tank

[yifan917]

Hmm.....I am comfused now....maybe you can check on their web site...it says 16.95....I was there this afternoon too..... :mrgreen:

nice clowns anyways :biggrin:

[BCOrchidGuy]

Looking at the home page on their site it says, ORA captive bred Percs and True percs @ $16.95 Black Percs @$34.95 If you go to the new and noteworthy it says the same thing but with pics.

Doug

[Namscam]

yup they do have some nice clowns...
well now i cant really say much cuz you were there most recent :frown:
Darn it now my only excuse for trying to be right is that lets just hope i m younger than you therefore I have a better memory :biggrin:

[beaker020]

To get the DAM-sels out you could always try goin fishin! Some people have reported success with very small fish hooks (with the barb filed off of course). IME all damsels are the devil incarnate, I hate the little buggars.

[Namscam]

hmmm fishing in my own fish tank...will just be like fishing out of a bucket :biggrin:
i ve never thought of that, but i dont want to kill/hurt the darn thing.....I would still want to give it to someone as a gift (would that be too evil of me to give it to a fellow reefer knowing the harm that that thing can do??)

[BCOrchidGuy]

you could give it to my ex wife.... (just a thought)

Doug

[Namscam]

lol :lol: :lol:

[yifan917]

have you tried "the trap" ??

I used it for catching my darn spothead goby and another 2 DAMs..... they should work.

[BCOrchidGuy]

If you need a fish trap, King Ed has two, I just made them for them.

Doug

[Namscam]

at this point i have not tried anything....because ,my lights are off and I ve just decided to take them out an hour ago....so i ll prob do it in the weekend when i have some free time...thanx for advice