Clwon and anemone Questions

[spiropantaz]

Hey,

Just a few quick questions. Im new to reef keeping and never had Clown fish before. Purchased my first 2 clowns about 5 days ago.
My questions are.....

Why is it that my clowns swim around alll night? Do clowns rest like most other fish at night? Sometimes i see the large female swim to my plate coral(i unfortunately dnt have an anemone yet) and swim into it at night face first and stay there for a few seconds but the plate coral soon retracts all its tentacles and the clown fish has no where to rest?

Also why does the female snap her mouth together 7 or 8 times in a row and making a snapping noise with her mouth?

My tank is about 7 weeks old..... what anemone can i look at getting that the Ocellaris clowns will take to? One that might be easy to look after and not too boring in colour?

Any other important notes i should know about keeping ocellaris clowns?

Should i turn the pumps off when feeding? And what sort of things other then fish pellets and shrimp can i feed them?

[Dentoid]

New clown fish will wander aimlessly at first until they become familiar with their surroundings. They innately feel comfortable with a host. In nature, generally it's an anemone. In our tanks it can be anything, corals, clams, even inanimate objects. They seek protection from their host, it is in their DNA. It's a symbiotic relationship that is age old. When they don't have an anemone they will host with unusual and unnatural things.

With that being said, clown fish can, and do, survive long term in tanks without an anemone. However, it's not natural and a clown without an anemone robs you of witnessing one of natures most beautiful relationships.

However, your tank is not mature enough to house an anemone at this time. Anemones are difficult animals. They require stable systems and stable systems take time to establish. Stability in temperature, salinity and chemistry. They don't take change very well and can go down hill fast. Give your system time to mature before getting an anemone. In the meantime, do as much research as you can to familiarize yourself with this fascinating animal and its husbandry needs.

As far as the chattering goes, clown fish communicate with one another through sound waves. Check this out!

Scientists Deconstruct Clownfish Chatter : NPR

[spiropantaz]

Wow thats awsum! never knew that! So what sort of Anemone should i be looking at for a first timer? and how long before i can add one in?

[Dentoid]

A good beginner anemone is the Entacmaea quadricolor or Bubble Tip anemone. They come in a variety of colors and will host with Oscellaris clowns.

Many would say as a rule of thumb for beginners is to wait a minimum of one year. In this time one is expected to become familiar with reef chemistry, how to adjust it and how to recognize when things are going wrong. It also gives time for the biological system to stabilize.

This is not to say that all systems take this long to establish. Advanced aquarists, using the right equipment, can stabilize a tank in short order.

One of the most important pieces of equipment you can have is lighting. Anemones are photosynthetic and obtain much of their energy from carbon sources produced by photosynthetic organisms that live within their tissues called zooxanthellae. They require strong lighting in the aquarium. T5 at minimum, with metal halide being ideal.

[Ratpack]

I have to Occ. Clowns in my tank. I put a BTA in there two weeks ago and they have yet to go near it. Any tips to help them host it or is it pretty much hit or miss?

[robhart60]

Tim: I also added a BTA a few weeks ago and have a pair of occ clowns. They never looked interested in it until yesterday something clicked and now they won't leave it alone! I read somewere that Clownfish take time to establish the right mucus to handle an anemones tentacles. (I think this is likely to be true with tank bred Clownfish such as mine that had never seeen an Anemone before)
So be patient and if the Clownfish and Anemone are both happy then it will happen.

[Ratpack]

Thanks, I'll sit back and watch what happens.