Farking! I hate this "hobby" sometimes......

SanguinesDream · #1 01-09-2014, 04:31 AM

We just got back from down south for the holidays and I spent my allowance on a couple of new corals and a lovely RBTA for my clowns because they've been molesting the carp out of my Favia and Aussie dendros.

I found a beautiful chalice at Marine Aquaria and had properly acclimated it for parameters, temperature, placement and lighting. It slimmed a week bit, but nothing that couldn't heal with no flow.

Until the clowns found it...........and nipped the sh!t out of it. I created a cover out of a shelf piece but they still went after it. I glued the receding tissue to slow the damage but they STILL are molesting it......when there is a lovely, new, RBTA that they haven't touched.

I farken lost it and am now tearing up my tank to figure out a way to save this chalice and keep the clowns off of it.

I want to pull the plug. Isn't this supposed to lower your blood pressure instead of giving you a coronary?

asylumdown · #2 01-09-2014, 05:16 AM

That is a giant PITA. I'd decide which I liked better/was worth more to me in dollars and sentimental meaning. There's a million more clownfish in the sea, and they're very easy to get (unless they're some sort of fancy designer clown of course), but expensive and hard to find corals are not always so easy to replace. At the end of the day, your clowns don't care if they're in your tank or someone else's. If they've got this habit for you, they'll likely keep it up with other corals so I'd want to make a decision about not just this coral, but all the others you won't be able to keep because of these specific and easily replaceable fish.

SanguinesDream · #3 01-09-2014, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asylumdown

That is a giant PITA. I'd decide which I liked better/was worth more to me in dollars and sentimental meaning. There's a million more clownfish in the sea, and they're very easy to get (unless they're some sort of fancy designer clown of course), but expensive and hard to find corals are not always so easy to replace. At the end of the day, your clowns don't care if they're in your tank or someone else's. If they've got this habit for you, they'll likely keep it up with other corals so I'd want to make a decision about not just this coral, but all the others you won't be able to keep because of these specific and easily replaceable fish.

I totally appreciate this rationale and if I were in a major centre, "adios amigos" to Nemo and his friends. But I'm the only one with illusions of grandeur in this area, so I have to figure out a better plan than fish flavored creamsicles.

Atm, the chalice is being covered by my large oscar net so that the clowns can't get to it. I'm trying to make room in my tank for this contraption to work. This allows me to do some tank maintenance that will likely take half the night, so not all is lost.

Thanks for humoring me, though.

I am just being a petulant turd whose shiny new toy got damaged.

asylumdown · #4 01-09-2014, 05:51 AM

ah, you're out in the boonies. That does make certain acquisitions rather more permanent lol.

Well it sounds to me like your real problem is that your have confused clowns. Solve that problem and all your coral frustrations disappear. I've read recently that taping a photo of your species of clownfish snuggled in tight to the species of anemone that you have in your tank can sometimes encourage them to go where they're wanted. It sounds wacky but it might be worth a shot. Another more proactive option would be to set up a laptop or iPad right next to the tank playing a video of your species of clownfish hosting in an anemone on repeat where they can easily see it.

Failing that, do you have any means of catching the clowns and putting them in a separate vessel with nothing but the anemone and some rock? Like take the rock the nem is on and put it in your sump or even a temporary rubber maid with the clowns until they get their act together? It's been my experience that once they start hosting an anemone, they'll stick with it even if you move both of them from one tank to another (though arguably my clownfish experience is limited compared to others on this board)

jorjef · #5 01-09-2014, 10:59 AM

I know your pain. Have emptied my tank of all fish two times, outlawed any type of shrimp, and have a mad obsession to kill any crabs in the tank. Cowrie snails and one lone astria from day one get passes to live among the corals.
I do have fish again but other than ironicly my gold bar maroon, are on a very short lease with a one strike policy

tang daddy · #6 01-09-2014, 01:19 PM

what kind of clowns are these?

I am sorry to hear this but unless its a designer clown that you spent $250 on I would sump them. I would not let any fish destroy my corals, they are as important to me as my fish. Infact come to think of it I have nems in my sump as a display and thinking I may just add some clowns in............

and if you have the space you could put an anemone in with them so they are forced to host.

1 more thing that came to mind was if they're still going for the chalice you could put the chalice in a perforated tray to bait the fish into going in so you can relocate them.

good luck

Madreefer · #7 01-09-2014, 03:22 PM

You have a PM

Poseidons Reef · #8 01-09-2014, 03:28 PM

I love clowns but can't stand the stress of them being in a reef, so I simply tied a 10g nano into my reef system and my mated pair of gold banded maroons happily reside in there with a few bt nems,
It's not hard to do with a small drilled tank and a separate return pump ( mj1200)

NickC · #9 01-09-2014, 04:30 PM

Are you sure its the clowns causing the problem? I have had tons of chalices in the past
And seen many others with clowns and chalices and have never heard of clowns eating a chalice or even a healthy coral. Ive noticed them nipping on damaged corals but never seen them attack and eat a healthy coral.

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