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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

bubble anemone back from the dead..

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11 Dec 2007 23:35 #1 by Zulu (Vinny Keane)
I got a bubble anemone on sunday for my clown fish. It seemed to settle into the tank ok - although it did move into a gap under some rock. I tried feeding it yesterday, but it didn't take anything I could see.
Today when I came back from work it had changed colour, shrivelled up, and the tenticals had narrowed completely. Naturally I taught it was on the way out, so I removed the rock it was hiding under, and to this it it seemed to curl up and die.
So here we are a few hours later and it's back in great shape! and on the move again! I tried feeding it and an I think it took some brien shrimp, but I can't be sure.

So folks, I guess what I'm getting at is: Is this normal? Is there anything I should do/not do? Any tips?

Also, the clowns show no interest, any tip on how I can encourage them to pair up?

THanks a million

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12 Dec 2007 10:28 #2 by Seany (Sean Phelan)
What species clowns do you have?
Only certain species wil pair with certain anemones
Seany

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12 Dec 2007 10:38 #3 by Zulu (Vinny Keane)
I have two black clown fish. (Not yellow tailed mind you - pure black and white)

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12 Dec 2007 19:31 - 12 Dec 2007 19:32 #4 by Seany (Sean Phelan)
From my literature \"Clownfishes\" - by Joyce Wilkerson, highly recommended by the way, it seems you have a colour morph of the Percula Clownfish, Amphiprion percula. The black strain was first bred true at the C-Quest Hatchery (A commercial marine fish hatchery)in Puerto Rico some years ago.
If that is the case then your out of luck. The bubbletip anemone, Entacmaea quadricolor will play host to 13 species of clownfish in nature. However A. percula is not one of them. Neither is A. ocellaris, the false percula clownfish, in nature but they have been known to adapt them in captivity. But definitely not A. percula.

The natural hosts for A. percula are as follows,

Heteractis magnifica - Magnificant (Ritteri) Sea Anemone
Grows huge, ecologically important and difficult to keep alive.

Heteractis crispa - Leathery (Sebae) Sea Anemone
Can be challenging to keep

Stichodactyla gigantea - Gigantic (Carpet) Sea Anemone
Can be a fisheater in the aquarium

Also the following will host A. percula in captivity but not in nature...

Stichodactyla haddoni - Haddon's (Saddle Carpet) Sea Anemone
Will grow >2 foot diameter, needs daily feeding. Fish eater if hungry.

One more interesting point for you is that the bubbletip anemone is the only natural host anemone for the Maroon clownfish, Premnas biaculeatus in nature.

Hope this information is of some use to you

Kind regards

Seany
Last edit: 12 Dec 2007 19:32 by Seany (Sean Phelan).

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12 Dec 2007 20:25 #5 by Zulu (Vinny Keane)
Ahhh flip!
On that, I'd now consider buying 2 more juvenile clowns (maroon this time) but I'd be afraid the black clowns wouldn't appricate them. Any opinion? Good idea or very very bad?

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12 Dec 2007 22:15 #6 by Zulu (Vinny Keane)
...so, I got home today and the BTA looked good. It's settled into a spot between the rocks and looked ok. That said, I looked over there now (about 3 hours later) and it's all shrivelled up again!?!?

Is this normal or is it on the way out????

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12 Dec 2007 22:45 #7 by kieronr (kieronr)
This behaviour can happen from time to time with no adverse effects.What you need to watch out for is if it start to expel its insides (brown stringy mucous).There usually no way to save it when this happens.The BT is moving around to find a spot that it likes,you can try to fence it in with a few pieces of rockwork but be careful not to damage its base as this can lead to its death also.

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12 Dec 2007 22:56 #8 by Seany (Sean Phelan)
Zulu,

Be careful. Maroon Clownfish are known to be the most aggressive species of clownfish. I wouldn't if I were you. But others here might disagree. I am only quoting from the books. I will only get my first fish this week. A. Ocellaris pair!

Seany

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13 Dec 2007 15:05 #9 by Zulu (Vinny Keane)
....ahhhh flip! Is there any clowns I can get to suit? I'd really like to get them paired.

Cheers kieronr for the advice. Unfortunately, I think I so some slime coming from its mouth, so it might be bad news. Hopefully I'm mistaken though.

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13 Dec 2007 22:57 #10 by paulm (paulm)
Replied by paulm (paulm) on topic Re:bubble anemone back from the dead..
I have 2 malu anemones in my tank I have two pair of clowns and all is well.

It will take a short time for him to settle and accept the clowns . The waste comming from the mouth could be waste comming from the anus as it is the same part of the anemone.

The best way to check if all is ok is lift it and smell then youll know if there is somthing wrong.

hope this helps

Paul

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14 Dec 2007 11:59 #11 by Zulu (Vinny Keane)
I've had a quick look on wiki and I've found a pic of my clowns (see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocellaris_clownfish the top clown (black and white with an orange face) looks exactly like my two.) So I believe I have a black melanistic or Ocellaris clwonfish (??? am I right???)

Thanks paulm for your input. To be honest I don't want to lift him. I'm afraid to. I'd prefer to let him settle. Last night he shrunk a bit when I put in the food, but I was late feeding the fish, so I went to bed. This morning he looked fine, so fingers crossed. (also nothing coming out of him)

What type of clowns do you have? I'd like to get two more if I could, but I don't want to introduce aggression either...

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14 Dec 2007 14:53 #12 by Seany (Sean Phelan)
@ Paulm,

You say you have 2 Malu anemones with clownfish. By deduction they must be A. Clarkii clowns as they are the only species that will associate with H. malu in nature. However it is known that the Maroon clownfish will associate with the Malu in capitivity. Which of the two species do you keep.

@ Zulu,
As stated earlier your bubbletip anemone will host 13 species of clownfish in nature plus A.ocellaris in the aquarium. It all now depends on whether you have A. ocellaris or A. percula colour morph. Very difficult to tell apart!
Try the following,

Physical Appearance
A. Ocellaris generally have 11 dorsal spines
A. percula generallly have 9 or 10 (not always true)

A. ocellaris usually have have 17 pectoral rays (can range from 16 to 18)
A. percula usually have 16 (can range from 15 to 17)

You may need toget a good photo of your fish to count these as a moving fish will be impossible.

Behavioural Observation
A. ocellaris tend to live in the middle third of the aquarium
A. percula like it near the surface

A. ocellaris are usually mild mannered
Wild A. percula can be gangsters in an aquarium. Even a maroon clownfish , generally accepted as the most agressive of the clownfish can be held at bay by a percula clown, which must be strange to see as perculas are one of the smallest species of clownfish and the maroon, one of the largest!

Good luck with the ID. Let us know how you get on.

Kind regards

Seany

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14 Dec 2007 20:27 #13 by Seany (Sean Phelan)
Excellent article on clowns and their hosts can be found here,

reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-10/hcs3/index.php

Seany

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17 Dec 2007 11:51 #14 by Zulu (Vinny Keane)
Hi Seany, thanks a million for that.
Unfortunately I can get a clear photo of either to count their spines, however they live in the top third of the tank and sleep on their side at the surface!
Also, there are more in stock in the fish shop and they are called \"Seabee clowns\" if that means anything???

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17 Dec 2007 20:52 - 17 Dec 2007 21:00 #15 by Seany (Sean Phelan)
Zulu,
Now I'm really confused. Sebae Clownfish is the third species we're now looking at!!!!!!
A.sebae is often a name misapplied to varous species of the \"Clarkii\" / \"Saddleback\" complex, however true A. sebae are quite rare in the trade. The second White stripe curls backwards into the dorsal fin at the top (See picture below). The earlier link you gave of a picture that matches your fish is not A. sebae). You really are going to have to post a photo of the fish as we're going around in circles here !:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Kind regards

Seany


Amphiprion sebae (Sebae Clownfish)
Last edit: 17 Dec 2007 21:00 by Seany (Sean Phelan).

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29 Mar 2008 00:54 #16 by Ballabooyeah (Ballabooyeah)
Replied by Ballabooyeah (Ballabooyeah) on topic Re:bubble anemone back from the dead..
I have the above clown hosting in a bubble tip anemone. I have 2 of the clown in the tank. One has the white on the tail like in the picture and the other does not. As the anemone is small the dominate clown would not allow the other one in. I call this one the woman.

So to beat her at her game i got another anemone. For 3 days the other clown wqould not go in untill one day - Bang. they both have there little house.

Only problem is I am planning on the wall tank they are in to be a sea horse tank. For this I am sure but need to look into in more detail I can not have any anemone as they can sting the tail of the seahorses.

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29 Mar 2008 04:09 #17 by Sharky (K McL)
Anybody got any tips on getting an BT anemone to come out from under a cave in the live rock? I got mine a week ago now and he has no intention of coming out! I fed him yesterday with a prawn which he devoured!

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29 Mar 2008 21:01 - 29 Mar 2008 21:12 #18 by Seany (Sean Phelan)
Sharky,

Leave it alone. IT will decide when and if it wished to move.

I recommend the website below if it is a BTA

www.karensroseanemones.com

Specifically visit this page regarding BTA's playing Hide and Seek.

www.karensroseanemones.com/hideandseek.htm

Hope this reassures you somewhat.
Let us know how you get on?

Kind regards

Seany
Last edit: 29 Mar 2008 21:12 by Seany (Sean Phelan).

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