Gozer_1

My Tomato Clown has developed a strange little behavior. I have a patch of redslime that just barely hangs on to it's life. It's right in front of the Clowns cave. Lately she has taken to this patch as though it were an anemone. It's just a little peach fuzz of a patch but she snuggles down in it and rubs on it and generally acts like it would with an anemone. I've heard of them pairing up with some corals and such, but redslime? It has a bit of algae fuzz in it too. Worried me at first, but she is happy and healthy. Almost feel bad attacking it every week with a siphon hose, but I have battled with the slime and I refuse to allow it a foothold.

Butterfly

Maybe she feels sorry for it
Carol

Gozer_1

LOL She's making me feel sorry for it. Today is tank clean day and I have been putting it off thinking about the fact that I need to go in with a tooth brush and the siphon.

bhcaaron

maybe its just a reaction to the familiarity to it. For example, I know some animals, like dogs and lions, will start going crazy rubbing on some plants. Most animals do this to leave a scent mark, but a few of the plants have a particular smell, like the scent of another of its same specie. Maybe there is something about the bacteria that is close to something the anemones have.

Just a thought

leximommy

maybe....she cant get sick from it can she?

Gozer_1

No it's just cyanobacteria. I had a real problem with it for awhile when I first started out. I just can't seem to get this one patch to go away. I think she hangs out there so much that the slime is getting lots of nutrients from her waste. I guess it's kind of "symbiotic" lol. It's right in the entry to her cave, so I think she feels safer hanging out on the "porch" with a little fuzzy stuff to help hide and it's probably softer than bare rock. Maybe it feels good to rub on. It's definitely not a scent makring thing. It's the exact same behavior you see clowns doing with a host anemone. I always compared it to cuddley cat behavior. Like when they rub on your leg. Who know's, she eats fine and is plenty active so I just don't worry about it, except for feeling bad when I scrub it out. Sorry fishy but the slime must go.

bhcaaron

Have you thought of placing an anemone near by so the anemone can replace the slime?

Gozer_1

I personally don't believe in keeping anemones. It's just a personal thing. Anemones rarely live more than 4 years in captivity or so I read. No one knows how long they live in the wild but it's believed that they live indefinitely. Some are believed to be a hundred or more years old. Anemones are very unique creatures and we really know very little about them. I have read that most people keep their anemones for less than 3 years before they die. I think one article said that only %5 of captive anemones live more than 5 years. I don't have personal experience so I can only repeat what I have read so don't take my word for it, though I've read a lot about them. Keeping an anemone with a clown was what got me into SW. After reading various online things and a book called Anemonefish and Their Host Anemones, I decided I didn't feel right keeping an anemone. Not to mention the light requirements are too high for my setup so I couldn't keep one if I wanted to. On top of that anemones sometimes pick their own spot in a tank, so moving one in front of the cave wouldn't work. Also, the fish has to decide to take up residence in the anemone. It's not an automatic thing. So red slime patch it is.

bhcaaron

LoL. Yeah I've read that too, and I understand where you're coming from. Slimy fun it is then. Hmm... Why not take advantage and buy a fake anemone and try to see if the red slime will grow on it?

leximommy

lol read my mind aaron.... i know you want to get rid of the slime but why dont you try the "puppy training" aproach.... get a fake anemone, rub some red slime on it and hope it will grow a liitle (just enough to get her to go to it....) then replace the slime you scrub away, with the anemone. then once she gets the hang of the anemone, SCRUB THAT SLIME LIKE YOUVE NEVER SCRUBBED BEFORE!!! lol and hope she stay atached to the anemone....

bhcaaron

Maybe because great minds think.

hahaha

leximommy

alike? or did you mean to do that? lol ok by the way...im tired of playing tag...i miss our instant gratification convos....lol when do you think youll be on next?

bhcaaron

Its was purposefully.

Gozer_1

Hmm Fake Anemones interesting idea. I don't know. I suppose if I found a REALLY good fake one. It would have to be pretty freakin real though. I've never seen one that looked half way real. I will keep that in mind though. Thaks for the idea. I've always looked past fake stuff, never took the time to stop and put my mind to it. I guess great minds don't always think. Thanks for the idea.

bhcaaron

Gozer_1

So now th Clown is laying down on the fuzzy rock. Green Algea has pretty well taken over control of the "spot" from the slime. When I first saw her laying on her side on the rock, I freaked out but when I went up to the tank she swam away into her cave then came out and acted normal. She eats normal. You can tell she is trying to lay down. It's not like she is lethargic or anything. You can see her making little fin motions to keep herself on her side. She wants to do it. Has anyone ever heard of this behavior in a clown before. Usually when a fish is laying on it's side there is a problem, but she doesn't show any signs of being ill unless it's a mental illnes lol. I have seen clowns with their hosts before and her behavior started out that way but I have never seen one just lay on their side. I hope I'm worried for no reason.

reef freak

I've heard of an anemone staying alive in captivity for 12 years.

How long has the Cyano been there? Usually a clown will check out something for a while before trustiing it, unless it's an anemone.

Gozer_1

I've been battling the patch for quite awhile. It's right in front of her favorite cave. I've gotten rid of most of it after doing some scrubbing and siphoning over a couple days. I think it made the clown upset because she's been all over the tank lately. Trying new caves it seems. Kind of acting insecure. I feel bad but I couldn't let the slime get a hold. It was ever so slowly expanding. I haven't seen any fake anemones that would look real enough to put in. I don't know what I should do. I want my fish to feel at home but I don't have near the setup to even try a real anemone if I wanted. Maybe she'll just get over it. I hope so.

Gozer_1

She just loves cyano patches. Cleared up the one spot but found another when moving some rocks around. When I started cleaning it up the clown visciously attacked me repeatedly. She was very mad at me. lol She's taken to a patch of zoanthids now and I've cleared pretty well all of the patches of cyano I could find. Silly fish.

Oil_Fan

lol...she wants her algae!!

Gozer_1

I guess so. I read an article from an underwater photographer. He said he'd been attacked by Anemonefish more than any thing else in the water. Protective little things. lol