Ocellaris Clowns

Would I be required to have an anemone with an ocellaris clown? I hear they are more susceptible to disease if they don't have an anemone. I heard it from a fish store, so it's always possible he was trying to sell me an anemone, so I wanted to clarify here.

 

I have a pair, i have had them for a year now and there isn't anything even resembling a anemone in the tank and they are fine. Sounds to me like someone wants to make a sale, I would stay away from that store.

 

negative! a clown fish can live w/o the anemone, I had one for over 3 years that I hand fed.

 

That's what I figured. I was actually taking a field trip to a store pretty far out of town because I heard it had a loot of good stuff there. It definitely has a lot of good stuff, and their display tanks are amazing. There fish selection and coral selection are awesome as well. I wouldn't say it's a store to avoid - just one to avoid advice from.

The GOOD news is, I hesitated in buying them before I got a straight answer about it, so that I can take a little more time stocking my tank, and wait for my water to be damn near perfect. I just really like the Ocellaris ><

 

I had a pair for 7 years without any anemones. They're fine without one.

 

Ditto, they are fine without one. If you do a reef tank they will probably take to any tentacle-like coral you put in. Tons of people have clowns that host frog spawn, mushrooms, toadstools, etc.

 

my clown in zoos
you dont need a anemone i would dissuade you from getting one. atleast tell you farther along in the hobby

 

+1 to everyone else.

As far as I'm aware, in the wild clowns pretty much need an anemone to survive. In the tank they can live happily for many years without one.

Clowns do however seem to have an inbuilt desire to host in something though so the addition of some sort of soft coral would be a good in the future (and it is fun to watch a clown hosting).