Clown Question

[::pete::]

My Perc seems to have a clef lip. Is this something to be concerned over or is it just deformed? It eats and swims and shows no abnormal behavior.

A couple different angles.

http://www.maast.org/albums/prafferty/1_G.jpg

http://www.maast.org/albums/prafferty/2_G.jpg

http://www.maast.org/albums/prafferty/3_G.jpg

[Instar]

Is the tissue missing between the upper lip and the skull? The color pattern and shape does not indicate a mutation of the mouth to me as those are common mutations. Something to think about; some of them are caught by island natives in the wild with bait and small hooks. If thats the case and its not infected, it should heal if the damage wasn't too extensive. As you can imagine, they fight like crazy when on the hook so they can tear that membrane that joins their lip to their head and do a lot of damage. Feed it a balanced diet and really keep an eye on that crease for infection just in case. They could get a hole there from an infection too. Does it have a host other than a mushroom?

[::pete::]

It doesnt seem to go straight through and other than that it looks and acts healthy. As for a host it was in a cap when I took the picture, but usually at night likes the power head. There is another perc, 2 ocellaris and a black and white perc, but not one host in either of the anemones. They tend to go for the frogspawn and zoos as well as the powerhead.

[scuba_steveo]

They do not host in the anemone? That is strange. What kind of anemone is it?

[alexwolf]

mine dont host in the anemone either. I see lots of clowns that dont host in them, Jim Norris's hosted in Scar rather than at least 2 rose BTA's I knew of.

[::pete::]

Not all clowns will just host in an anemone especially if they are tank bred I have been told. The anemones are both bubble tips one is a rose and the other green w/ pink tips.

[::pete::]

but not one host in either of the anemones

I take that back. I went to have a better look to make sure I could not see through the upper lip and couldnt find either of the percs :? . I then went to the side and they were both in the green bubble tip :shock: , this is the first time I ever had a clown host in an anemone :D .

http://www.maast.org/albums/prafferty/DSCF1826.jpg

[Instar]

These species are not usually takers on the bubble tips. You're fortunate and perhaps soon to be a papa. They normally settle on a host when they figure out who is male and female and start thinking about what it may take to spawn one day.
I wouldn't worry about the lip. Sometimes they get stung by little critters they pick up and it makes the inside of their mouth swell a little. I'm figuring everything will be fine with that one so long as water is good and diet includes some frozen brine shrimp. Feed them at least daily, twice is better.

[cailan]

anybody's host in green star polyps? that's where i find mine hanging out alot- guess he's a little confused

[Instar]

I have a pair of GSM's that host in a combination of xenia, zoos, mushrooms and yellow polyps. They move during the day from one to the next. Always the same ones near where they lay eggs. When I put the smooth leaf caulerpa in with my Ocellaris, they host in the weeds!

[::pete::]

Is there truth to what I was told? A tank bred clown isnt taught and doesnt know to go to an anemone, but you can put them in a container together for a few hours and they will find it in the tank.

[Sherri]

My black & whites host in a large colt where they laid eggs at the base of it....looks like they are clearing the sand around the colt again....getting ready to spawn again maybe?? Funny to watch them sleep inthe "shrunken" colt at night - they wedge their bodies between the branches. hehe

[Andrew]

Some tank raised clowns seem to jump right in, others take a while. Several years ago, I had an ORA cinnamon clown (small) in my 29, later got a good sized bta. The clown dissapeared shortly after placing the anemone in the tank, I thought he got eaten. Few minutes later I spotted him wallowing among the tentacles having a grand old time. Didn't take him more than a few minutes, he seemed to know what the anemone was (this is also their natural host in the wild).

Ocellaris and percula normally host in Heteractis magnifica (ritteri) or Stichodactyla mertensii (one of the carpets), both notoriously difficult to sustain for long periods of time; ocellaris and perc are not normally found with bta's, although they may accept them in captivity.

HTH

Andrew