Clownfish won't host to my anemone? + Feeding questions

[AthenaAndApollo]

So I have an ocellaris clownfish pair, and they've been in the tank for a little over two and a half weeks, whereas my RBTA has been in for at least a month now, and has found a permanent home nudged in one of my rocks. I'm pretty positive my female has seen my anemone multiple times, so I'm confused as to why they wouldn't host to it? I believe they've hosted to a corner in my tank because both of them will try and make themselves small enough to cuddle up in the top left corner every night. I've heard several different methods to try and get them to host, but I don't want to risk anything by putting them in a small space together. Is it a possibility that the clowns will never host to the anemone? I really wish they would, my previous pair hosted to it, and the anemone loved it.

I also have a couple questions about when and what I should feed everything in the tank. Twice a week I target-"shoot" phyto-plankton to all my soft corals (star polyps and zoanthids especially) and target feed mysis or squid once a week as well. My skunk cleaner shrimp is all about mysis shrimp, and will go steal the food from other corals (Torch, Open Brain, and even my anemone.) I'm afraid they're not getting enough nourishment, and even when I feed the shrimp first, he'll still come and steal all the food from the others. Are the corals getting enough nourishment from the phyto-plankton or do I need to do something about the shrimp?

[HVani]

Bubble tips are not a natural host for ocellaris clowns so it can take them a while to understand what it is. Usually they end up associating with a bubble tip, but it can take a while. My percs took almost a year.

 

That's what shrimp do lol. Your coral don't need to be fed they get what they need from your lighting. Feeding just helps outs. I wouldn't worry about it. I never feed my softies (well sometimes I feed mushroom cuz it's fun) and they grow just fine.

[AthenaAndApollo]

Bubble tips are not a natural host for ocellaris clowns so it can take them a while to understand what it is. Usually they end up associating with a bubble tip, but it can take a while. My percs took almost a year.

 

That's what shrimp do lol. Your coral don't need to be fed they get what they need from your lighting. Feeding just helps outs. I wouldn't worry about it. I never feed my softies (well sometimes I feed mushroom cuz it's fun) and they grow just fine.

My last pair (my female killed my male), so technically just the female, hosted right away, so maybe its just fish-personality? I'm not an expert on anemones but would the anemone know the difference between two different fish? I haven't seen my new pair even rub up against it, its almost like they're ignoring it so I wouldn't think the anemone is not allowing them to host or anything..

 

Oh okay, good, I was worried about him stealing everyone's extra nutrition.

[HVani]

It's all up to the individual clowns. Some get it right away and some don't.

[Tamberav]

My clowns took a few months and then one day... they were just in it.

 

For shrimp, if you give them something big and meaty like a chunk of silverside or frozen krill... it will keep them busy long enough to feed your corals. Pre-feeding them with smaller food like mysis has never worked for me.

[PiscesFish]

I feel like clownfish will host if they feel like they're in any kind of danger to your tankmates.

 

I have a clownfish and he has a GBTA and the day after i got my clownfish, he was in the nem. Im pretty sure he's a percula. . But anyways, he used to host it all the time, but now he's never really in it. Sometimes when he gets scared he would jump into the nem and sit there until he feels safe again but otherwise, he never goes into my anemone. I'm just glad that he prefers the anemone than my euphyllias lol :b

 

Also, his tankmates aren't really aggressive, so that's probably the reason why he's rarely in it.