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I’ve had 2 false Percula clown fish almost since the very beginning of starting my 75 gallon aquarium. My first fish was a blue damsel that lived through the initial cycle and is still alive today, although a far fatter than he used to be. My clowns were the next two additions to the tank.

It was really a toss up as to which were my favorite fish, my 2 Percula clowns or my flame red hawk fish. Unfortunately my decision was made for me last week when “Red” as we called him was found dead one morning. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but I guess fish sometimes die for no apparent reason. Losing him or her was tough though as both myself and my family grew to really like him. If you are looking for a fish with some beautiful color and personality, get a red hawk fish. I swear “Red” was more like a dog than a fish!

Anyway, back to my clowns. I tried my first anemone about 3 months ago, a blue Condylactis. They were really inexpensive at the local pet store and I was really hoping my clown fish would host in them. They didn’t even give it a second look. Each day I’d wake up hoping I would find them nestled in it’s testicles, but not such luck.

Saltwaterfish.com had a special a month or so ago on Curly Q Anemones. I didn’t think the clowns would like them, but again they were inexpensive and neat looking. I figured it wouldn’t hurt. They arrived and took up their positions in my tank.The clowns?  They could care less. They hung out by the same rock outcropping in my reef they had been at for more than a year. By the way, the Curly Q Anemones aren’t near as pretty in my aquarium as I thought they would be. A few people have mistaken them for algae! Personally, I wouldn’t purchase them again.

A carpet anemone

I was off from work today as my wife had what we thought was going to be an all day commitment. Turns out she only needed to stay for the morning, so we headed out to grab some lunch together while the kids were in school. On the way home, we stopped off at the local pet shop. They had a beautiful purple colored carpet anemone. It was a little steep in price, but not too bad. It looked very healthy, so I decided to try one more time to find my little clowns a “house” to live in.

Christmas Tree Rock

While having the clerk fish out the anemone, my wife found something pretty neat called a “Christmas Tree Rock“. Its a rock covered in coral, that contains what looks like multi-colored and tree shaped feather dusters. I had never heard of this before. I’ve learned the hard way a few times to not purchase anything without researching it first, but since it was the last one they had I didn’t want to miss out on this little find either. So I pulled my Blackberry out and did a little surfing.

While Christmas Tree Rock aren’t easy to keep, they didn’t seem to hard either. Just basic filter feeders that require low light and don’t like to be in an area with too much motion. I had the perfect place in my 75gallon, so I asked the clerk to bag up the Christmas Tree Rock as well.

In the tank

I floated them both for about a half hour and opened the bags. I did the Christmas Tree Rock first, placing it in that perfect location. I them opened up the Carpet Anemone. I poured both the anemone and water into the net. Another lesson I learned a while back is to NEVER put water from the pet store in your tank. With Anemone minus water in the net, I placed it in the tank, below where my clown fish hang out.

The Carpet Anemone didn’t land exactly where or how I wanted it (my wife said it looked like it was showing it’s butt to us), so I reached in to move him. Unlike other anemones I’ve dealt with with in the past, these guys are sticky! REAL sticky. So instead of using my hand, I used the net to position it.

We watched things for a while. The clowns were curious, but didn’t look like they intended to go too near it. My kids came home from school, and we all gathered around the tank watching the new additions. A bit later, my wife and I headed to the grocery store to pick up some dinner.

Upon returning we were greeted at the door with a loud “Dad! The clown fish are in the Anemone!!!!”. What??? No way!!! I rushed to the tank and sure enough both clowns were in the anemone. The female in particular. She was having a blast, nuzzling it, rubbing herself all around in it and cleaning it out. The male kept trying, but she would push him out. He was a persistent little guy though and she finally let him in.

I was grinning from ear to ear. My little clowns had finally hosted in an anemone, and not just any anemone a really beautiful and rather large carpet anemone. I asked my wife to snap some pictures. My favorite is the second picture in this article.

Ah, the joys of a saltwater aquarium! I know they are tough, and sometimes I just feel like quitting, but it’s moments like these that make it worth it. They are so cute!