Torch Corals - looking for experiences
 

Can't decide if I want one and try to get my clown to love it

I have a small frog and a small-ish branching hammer that are happy enough
I thought about putting a torch 'near' them

Hoping for some input from owners please

Edit:
I should have included ...
My clown is only an inch right now, and I won't have 2

my clowns killed my torch.. when frightened they would dive into it crushing it.

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I have heard similar stories at the lfs about torches and clowns. Best off getting a small nem. I have frogspawn and a little flower pot which I have seen clowns being hosted by both before online, bit my clowns show no interest. I'd love a nem, but since my tank is small and full of sps I feel it would be an unwise purchase

Right now I'm against a nem
I don't yet want something in my tank that can wander around, stinging things at will, and possibly kill itself on one of my MP10s

Yeah I hear ya, I'm hoping mine decide to go to the flower pot, cause they are p!ssing off my zoas :P I have heard mixed opinions on them being hosted by flowerpots, some have had good experiences and some bad, I hear the main concern all around is keeping them alive :P the flowerpot I mean. How big are the clowns?

My clarkii clowns have hosted my frogspawn and now alternate between the nem and hammer coral. They are now developing black spots on their fins but the hammer seems ok. Don't know about the torch, I have one in my other tank, but I also have a nem in there the clown rarely moves from. I have found the clowns will try to find something, before the nem, they were sleeping in my button coral. This doesn't answer your question about the torch coral, just saying if the clowns want to find a host, they will.

Kenny, I originally forgot to add to my post ...
I'll only have the one clown and right now it's about 1 inch

Coralgurl, it's quite funny, about them finding whatever host they want
In the QT/observation tank, he hung out on top of a quiet one 1200 pump
Now, in the DT, he hangs out under a monty I glued against the overflow where it meets the back glass
It's quite comical when a snail finds it's way under the monty and he shakes away, thinking he'll scare it off

I'd like to get the clown hosted in something closer to the front of the tank
Not only for viewing, but for easier feeding too

I would say it doesn't hurt to add the torch or something hardier that can handle the clown, but you may have to move your monty and put the torch in its spot. If the clown takes to it, slowly move the torch where you want it, the clown should follow.

Clowns are funny, took my black and white one a week hosting various corals until she found the nem. She did like the fuzzy mushrooms too. I've also seen them in toadstools (not mine) but in others tanks and the coral seemed fine with them.

I have a large torch in my main DT, 2 hammer's, a large frogspawn and a huge toadstool and my clowns won't host anything. :(
Not sure why. My torch doesn't appear to sting anything. Every day my skunk cleaner is in there stealing any food I give it. And most of my other fish swim through its tentacles easy peasy.
My other pair of clowns are hosting a huge matt of GSP I have in my cube. I don't think you can choose where or what they'll host or even IF they'll host anything. All ya can do is put it in your tank and see what happens :)

I tried the whole putting a pic of clowns hosting a torch on the side of the tank so they'd see the idea, but it only freaked them out and they moved to the other side of the tank (which they NEVER go to) until I took the pic down. Their reaction was totally weird :D

Maybe the clown in the pic was too big ?
It can scare them, or at least intimidate them. At least that's what I've read

So, anyone have any experiences with a Torch that would make me think twice about buying one ?

Not from me, I love mine. It flows really nice and gives nice movement in the tank, especially if you have variable flow with a wave timer or Eco-tech's.

Feed it and it will grow. Mine loves Mysis :)

Mine killed my Torch ,open brain and plate.

I bought a RBTA ,they are hosting there now.

If they host on any LPS there is a high chance to kill them.

Thank you

I've read, all over the web, stories of success and failure with clowns and torches
I'm hoping my little guy in a larger torch may be successful, but I'd still like to hear lots more input :smile:

And I'll add
I initially thought of getting some kind of BTA, but, of course, I am looking for an easier critter

I find torches the most sensitive to keep healthy of the three (torch,
hammer and frogspawn) So I would think it would be effected the most by any rough treatment from a clown. My Maroon moves from my torches, to the toadstool but is very gentle compared to other clowns I have had so I haven't had any problems.

Hmm, that's a good point about it being the most sensitive of the 3
I even looked into a toadstool, but don't want one of those to die in my tank

Well, I'll leave this out there for another day or 2
If I don't get any 'good' replies, maybe I'll have to look into a BTA

her eis my two cents

had a torch clowns didnt touch it at all in my 50 it still dies a rotting stinky mess

just got another torch for the 180 we will see how that goes .. they are more sensative but essentially you dont "need" your clowns to host anything as such let nature do its thing they may host a rockand be happy about it.. just buy the corals you wish to have and let nature do its thing. if at first you dont succeed go a different route next time. i persoanally try everything once the fun things twice.

besides this is your tank not the clowns
they are evil bsterds anyays

There ya go!! A 'little' research on BTA never hurt anyone... Let me know what you find out after 10 or 15 marathon nights of research.:razz:. The best advise you will ever receive for most things in this hobby is what you deduce from your experiences from your tank. What works in someones elses tank may not work in yours, or mine or the next guys....Time to take a few chances...lol. You have enough 'book' smarts, time to get some 'tank' smarts. Let your tank do the teaching now!!

like how you boycott crabs...lol

Sigh
Some valid points

No point killing a nice torch just cause I want my clown to live in it

Guess I'll be doing some BTA thinkin'
Thanks guys

Boycott seems a little understated. :lol:

:snipersm::israel::fencing::laluot_14::smash:

Don't worry too much about the BTA moving a lot. Initially, it may move around to find a spot it likes, but once it does it usually doesn't move very much at all. I put mine right over a crack between 2 rocks and it immediately put its foot into the hole and has not moved. When I kept my other BTA's years ago they didn't move from their spots move for years until they split and then one would move away.

My problem now is I must have captive bred clowns as they won't host anything. Which could be a blessing in disguise I guess.

i had a small clown use a torch as a host and he didnt hurt it
also im not sure if your were asking if you could put a torch and
a hammer etc close to each other? i had to keep my torch and hammer
away from each other or they would sting

Yea I killed my first bta some how, but had it for a month in my 16g and it never moved lol, i guess cause it was dying? :P

i have a toadstool they his in now. also you could they rics or zoos.

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I had two torch corals die from brown jelly. Clowns never tried to host it but they always had a nem to host. I had success with this current torch but still lost 2 heads. The remaining head is doing great in the new setup.

My clown loves my Aussie Duncan.. he wont go near the FS or Torch.

Heres a pic or two....

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...5/IMG_0618.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...5/IMG_0624.jpg

Lovely Duncan! It looks much nicer than mine. Mine has lost even more heads since you saw it. I think I'm down about 1/3. Hopefully your clown doesn't muck it up.

My torch corals seem to be doing better. They're extending nicely again, and are puffing up to full size. The look really good (and the clowns look really cute in them . . . I can't stay mad at those two for long ;)).

Torch corals are evil, My rbta didn't do half as much damage when it wandered around the tank as my torch coral does stuck in one place.

The torch has taken out 4 heads on a hammer coral, 3 heads on a frogspawn and managed to kill a bubblecoral overnight that was a good 6" away from it :twised:

I have a very healthy torch coral as well as healthy frogspawn and hammer coral. They are all within about 18" of each other and are flourishing. On top of that I have a black percula clown and a regular orange percula. The two are just dating, they hang out together all day unless they have a lover's quarrel, but each hosts its own coral. The black clown host the torch and the orange hosts the hammer coral. I got the corals about 6 months ago. Since then the torch went from 1 head to 3 heads and the hammer went from 6 heads to 12 heads.

When I first got the corals, I had a second orange percula that lived in the frog spawn. This clown like to suck on the tentacles, the frog spawn didn't like it and poisoned the clown.

My Duncan, it does fine with the clown, opens up good with him swimming through it. I have it low in the tank (not in the sand, on a rock at the bottem) with some strong lighting and it loves it - its growing new heads. It doesnt have a ton of flow either.

You could consider cutting off the dead heads. Get out your dremmel.