The beauty of the relationship between the two is remarkable. A tiny fish making its residence within the venomous tentacles of the sea anemone seems difficult to fathom. But this is no cruel trick of nature - it is reality!
The reason behind their compatibility is that they have a give-and-take relationship between them. The clownfish, because of its bright colors, attracts prey for the sea anemone to hunt and feed on. In turn, the sea anemone feeds the clownfish with scraps or leftovers from its meals. Also, the clownfish prunes the sea anemone by eating up the dead tentacles of this polyp, and algae that settles on it. Better water circulation is given to the sea anemone when the clownfish fans its fins while swimming. The feces of the clownfish also provides as a fertilizer to the sea anemone.
Being very territorial, the clownfish drives away polyp-eating fish, thus providing protection to the sea anemone. In return, this polyp provides protection to the clownfish, as the predators of the fish prefer to steer clear of the venomous tentacles of the sea anemone.
Clownfish do not get harmed when they touch sea anemones. This is because the clownfish has a coat of mucus on its skin, which is made of protein instead of sugar. This could be a reason as to why the sea anemone does not consider the clownfish as an enemy.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/clownfish-and-sea-anemone.html