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 ?