Brainwashing Fish?!

I have been looking up ways on how to get my mated pair of misbar oscellaris clowns to host in my new rose bubble tip anemone. Many articles mentioned that hosting in an anemone is a learned trait, that is more so than an instinctual trait.

One of the most common suggestions that I came across was to tape pictures of clown fish that were hosting in an anemone to the tank and show the clowns how it was done. Well I was thinking that it would be somewhat hard to learn how to do something from a picture.

With that in mind, I found a clip on youtube of a clown hosting in a rose bta and put it on a playback loop and placed the computer close to the tank where the clowns hang out. My question is...will this method eventually brainwash my clowns into hosting?

I plan on playing this video daily until the trait is learned in both fish.

 

It is definitely a learned trait IMO. My captive bread clown would not host until I got a wild caught that was already hosting at the LFS. As soon as the captive bread saw it host it jumped in. Maybe a plastic clown on a stick. Use it as a puppet. Clowns are so silly it just may work.

 

That's a good idea to try. I've read the same thing about the pictures. Seems a little silly at first but I've heard it works. Let us know...

 

When the lights go out, shine a flashlight in the anemone. I've heard the clowns will head over and go right in. Never tried myself as my clown doesn't need encouragement.

 

The flash light idea has been known to work... believe it or not....
Give it a try and GOOD LUCK!

 

K+K+K+

Never heard of this one, but it makes more sense than any other I've heard. Every clown I've had is fascinated by light. This is the most logical training method I've heard thus far!

 

I got mine to host a frogspawn after hanging a bunch of pics of other clowns hosting a frogspawn. Worked in days. I just added a large rbta and I may do the same for that one because I would prefer they host the nem vs the frogspawn.

 

I bought an lta, and my cinnamon clown did not want anything to do with it. I put a picture of the same type clown hosting an lta on the tank, and my clown started to host in 4 days;D.


If I hadn’t seen it for myself I would have believed it.

 

I've heard a few reports from reputable sources of this working as well.

 

But once the lights go out don't the fish go to sleep? As per the flashlight, should it be a small light or a large light directed at the nem? Also, don't clowns need some time to build up their protective slime coat before they just jump right into a nem?