why dont anemones eat clownfish...ive never had an anemone before but plan on getting one...if other fish touch the tenticles will they be eaten?...just curious as to why clownfish are special...

theres always a possibly that a anemone could try to eat a fish i believe

Clowns can be eaten, I've seen it happen.

Once, my service tech was trying to separate a Clark's clown from its BTA to bag them up, and the clown DOVE into the middle of the anemone and went right down its "throat". Game over for the clown :(

That was sort of an odd circumstance, but it can and does happen.

Jenn

I think the way it works is the anemone is trying to eat the clown, but the clown is immune to the sting?

I think the way it works is the anemone is trying to eat the clown, but the clown is immune to the sting?

That's what I'd thought too. It's not like the anemone has sense enough to go "hey, that's Steve, he lives here".

"hey, that's Steve, he lives here".

:lol2:

That's what I'd thought too. It's not like the anemone has sense enough to go "hey, that's Steve, he lives here".

lol

That's what I'd thought too. It's not like the anemone has sense enough to go "hey, that's Steve, he lives here".

:lol3: :thumbs:

From what I've heard there not immune at first, they work up an immunity to a peticular anemone.

I thought it was the slime layer that protects them from the stings. I wonder if it just protects them from the nematocysts, or if the slime layer stops the anemone from discharging them. If thats the case it may not register that "food" is close by.

Their behavior when they first start to host seems like they're building up an immunity. I've never seen one just dive right in.

Their behavior when they first start to host seems like they're building up an immunity. I've never seen one just dive right in.
like getting into a hot bathtub

i just wondered why its only clowns

I was reading up on this a few weeks ago, from what I gathered the stinging portion of the anemone is keyed to sting anything with a certain "taste". AKA anything that could be food or a competitor. Clowns and certain other fish produce a coating that makes it fall out of the "must sting it" category. It's the same principal as to why they don't sting rocks, or their "other self" when they split, yet they will sting another nem of the same species that doesn't have the same genes.

I always thought clowns were always getting stung but were immune as well, of course the above makes a lot of sense when you remember that when an anemone stings it discharges toxins which is very taxing on the anemone to replenish.