Anemone question... Need some advice

[ghstrider]

Guys, I would really like to put in an Anemone of some type in my tank in the future as i plan on adding a mated pair of black/white clownfish. My questions are :

1) with the type of lighting, livestock, corals, etc... Can i successfully have an anemone in my setup? If so then which one would you guys recommend (hardy, and the best bet for my setup)

2) When would be the right time to put him in (my tank is just under a month old and doing well)? I was thinking maybe after about 3 months if all continues to go well.

3) Should the clowns go in before or after the Anemone?


Here is a link to my build thread so you can see my setup:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/s...hreadid=1131397


Thanks in advance guys...
Eddy

[Ziggy953]

The first question I have is how long has your tank been setup? If it has been up and running for at least 8+ months then yes you could house an anemone. I would suggest a BTA as they are pretty hardy and will do ok with the lighting you have. It will need to be placed higher in the tank so it can get the light it needs. Clowns may or may not go into the anemone.

[ghstrider]

I really like the red bubble tip anemone RBTA but if i went with it in the future would it kill or damage my corals?? Should the clowns go in 1st or the anemone? What is better for pairing... the anemone 1st or clowns 1st?

my tank is almost a month old and is holding 60 lbs of LS and 75 lbs of LR, 2 cardinals, 2 small tangs, few shrimps and snails. I havent had an ammonia spike and my cycle was almost immediate. My parameters have been extremely steady at:

[bertoni]

Any anemone can kill or damage corals, and they sometimes seem to do that. For pairing, in some cases, clownfish won't accept an anemone as a host if they're older and haven't seen one. Other than that, order doesn't matter at all.

I'd get MH or a good-quality T5 setup, to maximize the odds that the anemone will survive, but some people are successful with less light. I'd also wait for 6-9 months at least before adding the animal.

[EdKruzel]

Jonathan,
I have to disagree with you just a little bit, the order does matter. The anemone should be first (after the tank is mature) and allowed to settle into an area. This doesn't mean it won't wander later, but it does reduce the odds. After the anemone is acclimated well and has a comfortable foot hold and grows large enough to host two clowns, then you can pick a small pair and add them to the tank. An anemone should be at least three times larger than the fish it will host.

Often when an anemone is added after the fish and especially if they are too large, the anemone will not be allowed to acclimate and the constant harassment will cause it to wander into neighboring corals.

[ZooZ]

anemone first....let it feel comfortable and adaprt before you add clowns thay may abuse it too much in addition to the stress it will go through while first being placed in the tank

[serum153]

Make sure you cover your powerheads until the nem attaches in the spot it likes best. I learned the hard way

[ChrisKil]

I agree with Ed. The anemone are usually sold small. I've heard of people putting a small BTA in a tank that already had clowns and losing it because the clowns were constantly thrashing around in it.

[bertoni]

Hmm, interesting point about the anemone. Mine was about a foot across when I bought it, so I hadn't remembered that issue.

I keep my powerhead inputs covered with foam at all times in the anemone tank. They can move at any time.

[ZooZ]

Originally posted by bertoni
Hmm, interesting point about the anemone. Mine was about a foot across when I bought it, so I hadn't remembered that issue.

I keep my powerhead inputs covered with foam at all times in the anemone tank. They can move at any time.

Ive heard of doing this but wont it decrease the flow to your filter? In addition to it being a nitrate factory? How do you cope with these issues?

[demonsp]

Anenome's can bother if not kill most coral. Although killing more unlikely. They will move around atfirst untill they find a good location. Then if conditions stay ecextly the same may not ever move. But if condtions change from flow to readings he will move and move untill conditions improve.

Also dont feed to much mb 1 shrimp a week to help control growth rate. Most bubble tips can get quite large under right conditions.

I added bubble tip first then 2 small tomato clowns. They took right away and the female only lets male in at night and only the edges hehe , women.
Anemone's can be more of a bother if you have alot of corals , most clowns will host almost any coral . My male hosts GSP , shrooms , and more.

[bertoni]

I clean the foam frequently. Rinsing it with fresh water and squeezing repeatedly is enough in my experience. Cleaning is an annoyance, though. The foam pads do reduce flow a bit, especially as they get dirty.