Clownfish Hosting Coral

Hi all,
Just getting started and I know I'm going to be getting some clownfish after my first cycle is finished. I really don't want to do anemones because I've read some horror stories about them taking out entire tanks. I've heard that they'll sometimes host different corals and I'm just looking to get an idea of what those would be and what other people have had success with?

I saw this video of a clownfish playing in some coral (0:20)
and from my very amateur experience in coral id, this looks like a xenia? Can someone confirm that or correct me on what it is?

(Also, I know they don't need an anemone or coral for them to be happy, I just like watching them in it )

 

anthilia would be a good choice to start with. I have a large open brain that mine play in.....however i had to move him because they were stressing the brain to death

 

clown fish are crazy fish they will reside in anything my reside in all of my zoas and tried to reside in my clam but the first time it closed up on one of them that was the end of that lol

 

I have had frogspawn host clowns and be happy...

but clowns will try to be hosted by anything they can get into. I have also seen unorthodox objects like a very large plating monti cap, green hair algae, powerheads, rocks, softies and leathers, and in one tank a gigantic clam hosted two clowns inside of it!!!

 

ok good to know they're less picky than i thought. I guess I just wanted to get some good possibilities in there for them to pick to try and avoid them choosing to host the corner of the tank or the return pump, which I've heard about lol. But it seems like you can have anything in there and they're still just going to choose whatever they want

 

yeah pretty much.
there are a few ways to guide them but its mostly up to them.

 

Can you give me any hints on how to guide them?

 

i just get the clowns as babies and when i toss them in the tank i just place them directly into the coral i want to host them. they typically stay in there for safety at first and then just stick around because it is where they are used to.

other methods i have heard are to tape a picture to the aquarium (but I am not sure this works that well) and also i have heard that using a laser right after lights out will work. the clowns will chase it around the tank and then you just put it directly into the coral that you would like to host them and they will chase it in and hopefully decide to stay there.

 

My green fuzzy mushroom looks alot like a gbta and my clowns love it so much they sleep in it at night

 

They actually lay on it like a bed