The Relationships between Clownfish and Anemones

    Anemones and clownfish are very interesting when they are together. Many wonder why the clownfish stays so close to the anemone. It is because they have a symbiotic relationship. A symbiotic relationship means working/living together to benefit from each others presence , or having a relationship where each side gets its share. For example, the anemone protects the clownfish from other predators while the clownfish brings the anemone food. Another example is zooxanthelae algae which lives within the tissues of corals. The algae simply has shelter by living within the tissue of the coral while the coral itself receives food produced by the zooxanthalae.

    Anemones are quite sensitive creatures. They can not handle poor water quality while the clownfish is a little more tolerable of water quality. Therefore it is most important to provide the correct water quality. Anemones also need very intense lighting and water circulation to carry away waste and bring nutrients. The lights feed the anemone and without the lights the anemone will wither away and die. If you see that your anemone has lost color and is shrinking and expanding often, that is a bad sign and means you anemone is not happy, and there is not much you can do to save it. Anemones are very slow in telling you how they feel. Once you find out that it is not happy then it is too late to save it. Good and healthy anemones are fully expanded and showing good color. An anemone may be much better off in a reef tank rather than a fish only tank. They can not handle high levels of waste. Even then a reef tank may not be the best idea because anemones will sting surrounding corals. If you place an anemone in a reef tank, make sure you give it plenty of space around it and try moving the anemone as little as possible. 

   Clownfish and anemones are quite interesting to watch because it just seems a little strange to see a fish and a cnidarian (stinging celled animal) together. The clownfish are immune to the stings of a anemone. But sometimes the anemone may eat the clownfish. If you find your clownfish missing, then suspect it was the anemone if there was nothing else. If a predator of the anemone comes too close, the anemone will shoot out these small harpoon like stinging cells which paralyze the fish. That is how the anemone protects itself from predators and that is why the clownfish likes to stay so close to the anemone. Supposedly, the clownfish does not activate these nematocysts (stinging cells) because the fish contains a protective slime which feels to the anemone like its own self.

    The success of keeping an anemone really depends on the water quality, lighting, circulation, and stability of an aquarium. When buying an anemone from the fish store, make sure that the mouth is not left wide open and that is it not torn anywhere. You have about a 50% chance that the anemone will live because of the way it was collected. Many aquarists mishandle the anemones and can easily hurt them. Also, if you see the anemone on a rock, buy the rock too so that you don't hurt the anemone when taking it off the rock. If that is not possible then use a credit card and slide it under the foot of the anemone to get it loose. Make sure that the anemone is under water all the time. If the anemone dies in your aquarium, remove it immediately so that it does not pollute the water, they can really cause tremendous pollution if left to decompose. On the whole, anemones are quite difficult to handle and are not recommended for beginner aquarists. I urge anyone that successfully raises anemones to share their information with us all. Please drop by any comments/interesting facts on anemones.

Good luck with your anemones and clownfish!

-Matt Martin

For Greater depth of information on clowns and anemones, Check out this great and insightful book!