Something to host my good sized clarkii pair other than anemone or my torches.

YoubetyourWrasse · Oct 4, 2023

Hi kind of a strange question. I had a 10 inch wild bta that I loved and found it after my 12 hour nursing shift attached to the limpet wide flow guard for my vortech. At least the limpet printed guard kept the anemone from shredding, but it was not in condition that I would be able to revive d/t the foot getting lodged in the small holes and it's internal organs beginning to come out the mouth. It was a beautiful specimen...I am pretty sad. My fear is my clarkii will start hosting the Euphyllia which I do not want. I have a good amount of real estate where the bta was in my 6 footer to place something in the space. After the close call with the nem, I would just like to keep corals in the mixed reef; however, I have grown fond of this clarkii pair and do not want to rehome them...likewise, I do not want them destroying the Euphyllia. They feed all my LPS just about it is hilarious...I just don't want them to host them. What would be a large soft coral that they might settle with? I feel with all the feeding they do they deserve a house. I just don't want to potentially shred a nem or lose coral to one going on a walk again. I think I finally learned my lesson of just keeping nems in species only tanks.

Spare time · Oct 4, 2023

I think you should give an anemone another try. I keep plenty of bubbletips in a mixed reef. You could also go for a long tenticle anemone. They tend to just roll around on the sand if they decide to move rather than crawl up rocks and glass or float up towards powerheads. That might be one to consider.

If you truly want to avoid an anemone, maybe look at something like anthelia.

exnisstech · Oct 4, 2023

Well nems are the natural creature for clowns to host in I believe . Maybe a haddoni? My clarkii loves hers

FTS this one hasn't moved since I placed it in the tank. In my experience they don't wander like bubble tips or even long tentacle but maybe I'm lucky

YoubetyourWrasse · Oct 4, 2023

exnisstech said:
Well nems are the natural creature for clowns to host in I belie. Maybe a haddoni? My clarkii loves hers

FTS this one hasn't moved since I placed it in the tank. In my experience they don't wander like bubble tips or even long tentacle but maybe I'm lucky

I think i want to stray away from S. Haddoni, Mags, & S. Gigantea...simply because I have some nice fairy wrasses, Tangs, Genocanthus, and I don't want them to turn into a woops...wrong turn situation. Nice blue Haddoni though

I love the reds as well. Yeah, IME Clarkii will go straight into an anemone of any type...compared to most clowns. I really dig my pair. I do want to give them some sort of housing....even if it is a welfare structure. Just a nem alternative.

Rtaylor · Oct 4, 2023

I don’t think the risk with a haddoni or gig to your other fish is super high, the clowns will keep other fish away and most fish avoid them on their own anyway. But if you really don’t want a nem, pulsing Xenia, gsp, toadstool leather all might work. Once clowns get used to anemones they don’t always take to a coral alternative. They might.

YoubetyourWrasse · Oct 4, 2023

Rtaylor said:
I don’t think the risk with a haddoni or gig to your other fish is super high, the clowns will keep other fish away and most fish avoid them on their own anyway. But if you really don’t want a nem, pulsing Xenia, gsp, toadstool leather all might work. Once clowns get used to anemones they don’t always take to a coral alternative. They might.

I was told big hairy mushrooms too. Just not Elephant ear. I was kind of worried they might take over though lol.

YoubetyourWrasse · Oct 4, 2023

Spare time said:
I think you should give an anemone another try. I keep plenty of bubbletips in a mixed reef. You could also go for a long tenticle anemone. They tend to just roll around on the sand if they decide to move rather than crawl up rocks and glass or float up towards powerheads. That might be one to consider.

If you truly want to avoid an anemone, maybe look at something like anthelia.

I am pretty sure the Clarkii played soccer with the anemone right into the Limpet nem guard. They are tenacious when a nem is trying to move so far that I have seen (with this pari). Problem with LTA is I have maybe 1-1.5 inch sand bed...I guess would be the same with Haddoni. I would probably do a Gig or Mag instead...if they would make it through cipro qt. As of right now just want alternatives because of the close call with the vortech and I have a significant amount of coral spread through the tank.