Anemones/Clownfish
- Thread starter ~sandman~
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Before you put an anemone in your tank, think very carefully about the conditions.
What are the param. of your tank? Size, maturity, water cond., lighting?
Anemones are fantastic when all is ok, but too many RK's fail after only a few months with these precious animals.
Let me know what your set up is first.
C J
What are the param. of your tank? Size, maturity, water cond., lighting?
Anemones are fantastic when all is ok, but too many RK's fail after only a few months with these precious animals.
Let me know what your set up is first.
C J
Well I don't have tank yet (I used to have one so I know a lil about anemones and fish etc.) so basically I'm looking at different options. It will probably be either a 20 gallon or 30 gallon but I might get a 55 gallon (unlikely though). I remember that I used to have tomatoes that bonded with an LT anemone.
Percula clowns and a LT anemone match up well. You are targeting a pretty small tank however. Hopefully you don't plan on keeping much else. They won't have much room to swim and have a good chance of becoming anemone food in small tanks.
LT anemones like deep sandy bottoms to bury their foot. Something like 5 to 6 inches deep. I'd suggest making a ring of live rock with a sandy clearing in the center. It should attach to the bottom glass on its own and use the rock work to support it self.
Strong indirect water currents. A downward water flow perhaps something such as water flow bouncing off the front glass. Try not to use powerheads. In such a small tank it won't take long to find the intake of a powerhead and get killed.
What lighting do you plan on using? I kept a brown LT anemone in a 55 gallon tank with 4x110w VHO's no problem. I now have it in my 180 gallon tank with 250w HQI lighting. It outgrew the 55g tank in under a year. (took up nearly half the tank).
LT anemones like deep sandy bottoms to bury their foot. Something like 5 to 6 inches deep. I'd suggest making a ring of live rock with a sandy clearing in the center. It should attach to the bottom glass on its own and use the rock work to support it self.
Strong indirect water currents. A downward water flow perhaps something such as water flow bouncing off the front glass. Try not to use powerheads. In such a small tank it won't take long to find the intake of a powerhead and get killed.
What lighting do you plan on using? I kept a brown LT anemone in a 55 gallon tank with 4x110w VHO's no problem. I now have it in my 180 gallon tank with 250w HQI lighting. It outgrew the 55g tank in under a year. (took up nearly half the tank).
Completely UNTRUE to say the least. Probably one of the biggest misconceptions is that anemones are hard to keep. I have found the exact opposite of the above statement to be true. Anemones are much more durable than they are given credit for.
Ritteri&Bubbles":we25ffs2 said:
:roll: Where would you get that idea from? You obviously have no facts to base that opinion on. You show me someone who killed a colt coral (if you can find one) and i'll show you hundreds, no thousands who have lost anemones (in many cases multiples). Now that's not to say that it has to be that way, but there are a whole slew of people who have little to no experience keeping anemones under innappropriate conditions, conditions that a colt coral would probably fair well under. You need to know what you're talking about, before you post. :evil:
Also show me how to propagate a carpet anemone, i've always wanted a frag... :?
lmao...i think im gonna fit right in with the new reefs.org. hey monkeyboy, we spoke the other day about my 6 yo LTA and tomatoe clown, aptly named elvis and presiclla. i have to agree with you, anemones are not the easiest things to care for. but once established, many do thrive forever! my personal opinion on reef aquariums in general has turned from a collective of different animals to specialty tanks. think about every consequence of every action you take. a 55 is plenty room for a LTA and a clown, but...a 14 inch LTA can and sometime will move and kill neighboring corals and such. as well as eat other fish. if an anemone is what you want to build a tank around it. dont get blinded by how many species you can fit in one tank...hell i had 30+ sps in a 30 long doing great until my favites grew 8-10 inch sweepers and my LTA acted as the cleanup batter. you have to remeber that these animals dont know theyre in a box, and will attempt to take as much space as they need, and let me tell you they will suceed. hmmm, is that enough banter for today? maybe...
loosbrew
loosbrew
Monkeyboy: I have seen JUST AS MANY CORALS DIE, in fact far more corals die from lack of knowledge or proper equipment than anemones.
Your last post was completely off the base of what I was saying actually. If given the right equipment and knowledge to care FOR THEIR NEEDS anemones are probably one of the easiest things to care for. And more so than corals. Sure there may be a FEW coral species that are hardy, but there are hundreds if not thousands of coral species that are much harder to keep than any host clownfish species.
Funny thing is that if you check over ALL BB's on the net you will find THOUSANDS of posts on folks losing corals for hundreds of different reasons. I have yet to lose 1 single anemone or anemone clone, and can name off alot of folks who are in the same boat. As for colt corals, I know quite a few folks on this BB who lost their Colt corals amongst others to massive temperature swings. Something that anemones are much more resilient to over soft corals, just an example given. And one last thing, after researching posts on folks who lost anemones, many of those same folks who posted a loss of an anemone have also lost at least one or 2 corals, and in some cases many more.[/code]
Your last post was completely off the base of what I was saying actually. If given the right equipment and knowledge to care FOR THEIR NEEDS anemones are probably one of the easiest things to care for. And more so than corals. Sure there may be a FEW coral species that are hardy, but there are hundreds if not thousands of coral species that are much harder to keep than any host clownfish species.
Funny thing is that if you check over ALL BB's on the net you will find THOUSANDS of posts on folks losing corals for hundreds of different reasons. I have yet to lose 1 single anemone or anemone clone, and can name off alot of folks who are in the same boat. As for colt corals, I know quite a few folks on this BB who lost their Colt corals amongst others to massive temperature swings. Something that anemones are much more resilient to over soft corals, just an example given. And one last thing, after researching posts on folks who lost anemones, many of those same folks who posted a loss of an anemone have also lost at least one or 2 corals, and in some cases many more.[/code]
Anemones are MUCH harder to keep than almost ALL softcorals.
Colt, Mushroom leather, Sinularia - these are all suitable "beginner" corals that will also host clownfish.
It is much more responsible to recommend one of those beginner corals than to say that an anemone is "easy" to keep. The original poster doesn't even have a tank yet - and you are telling him anemones are easy to keep!!??? ROFL.
It may be easy for you R&B, but then you are "special."
Cheers
James
Colt, Mushroom leather, Sinularia - these are all suitable "beginner" corals that will also host clownfish.
It is much more responsible to recommend one of those beginner corals than to say that an anemone is "easy" to keep. The original poster doesn't even have a tank yet - and you are telling him anemones are easy to keep!!??? ROFL.
It may be easy for you R&B, but then you are "special."
Cheers
James
Actually I know of many beginners who have no problems whatsoever. "Beginner" is such a loose term. Every single person on the BB is by right a "Beginner" as we have only scratched the surface of reefkeeping. But any "beginner" can easily keep an anemone if he is PROPERLY INFORMED on the needs of the animal in question. 99% of all anemone/coral/fish deaths are by UNINFORMED hobbyists. Yet I know of many "Beginners" with no problems who did the proper research on keeping animals. And since this person has an obvious link(reef.org)to information, he can easily get the proper needs for the animal he so desires to keep. If someone wants to start out with an anemone, so then let him. I did with NO PROBLEMS, and many other folks fall into this same category. We did our research with great results.
Funny James how you recommend "Sinularia" corals as beginners. I have found a lot of threads on folks with sinularia that killed off or severly stunted the growth of LPS and other corals. Seems the knowledge of copatibility of its noxious terpentines wasnt mentioned............great beginner coral if you as k me........ :roll:
Funny James how you recommend "Sinularia" corals as beginners. I have found a lot of threads on folks with sinularia that killed off or severly stunted the growth of LPS and other corals. Seems the knowledge of copatibility of its noxious terpentines wasnt mentioned............great beginner coral if you as k me........ :roll:
Another statement that proves that even the "experts" on this BB are in fact as much a beginner as anyone else when you look at the big picture. Clownfish, even captive raised ones dont live in a coral, they use that coral as a temporary shelter, as its in their genetics to look for their proper home. Dont think so? Just place the proper host anemone for the clownfish in question into the tank and it will eventually set up its permanent home, just like in the wild. No substitute for the real deal. I would have thought an "expert" would even back this claim up.
It's not like an anemone is an innocuous harmless tankmate, right? 
If we had to bet on which would win in an agression battle, a soft coral vs an LPS or an anemone vs an LPS - I'd put my money of the anemone to kill just about anything.
Soft corals are really easy to keep. If I had to pick the "easiest" coral for a beginner, it would be the brown mushroom leather - Sarcophyton sp.
Hmm...which would you recommend for a beginner:
Mushroom Leather
or
Anemone
Seems like a no - brainer to me.
Cheers
James
If we had to bet on which would win in an agression battle, a soft coral vs an LPS or an anemone vs an LPS - I'd put my money of the anemone to kill just about anything.Soft corals are really easy to keep. If I had to pick the "easiest" coral for a beginner, it would be the brown mushroom leather - Sarcophyton sp.
Hmm...which would you recommend for a beginner:
Mushroom Leather
or
Anemone
Seems like a no - brainer to me.
Cheers
James
But a "Beginner" is supposed to know that right James?? How does he find out about its terps??? Through research??? Case closed.
THe term easiest to keep is yet another loosly used term in this hobby, and it all falls back to my statement on determining needs. :roll:
Ritteri&Bubbles":qj40qxnw said:
Well, I guess if sinularia released terpentines, we'd be in trouble. But since they release terpenoids , you can expect a little reduced growth of your stonies, nothing that can't be cured by a little activated carbon. :roll: BTW, sinularia is a great beginners coral!
R+B, your argument is founded on a lack of experience. You're becoming a "well since it worked for me it will work for everyone" reefer, not a great idea, and not very resposible.
So, Sandman, if you've learned anything from this topic, get your tank well established (6+ months) and some thriving coral, then think about getting a tank raised bubble tipped anemone. They are as hardy as you can get, and a failure with them won't result in a negative impact on natural populations. Good luck!
Just some experience to add to the conversation..
In my humble experience, lighting and filtration methods will make or break anenomes in a tank. My reef has an overflow, which is in my opinion, the best for anenomes. I've encountered problems with filters with intakes and lost an atlantic anenome to powerhead (it was covered, but he managed to wedge himself into the cover.)
Ad far as lighting, my initial reef setup had only 160W of normal flourescents, and over a 75 gallon tank, the Bubble Tip withered and eventually died. But after he was removed, my pair of Cinammon Clowns readily hosted a nice piece of Bubble Coral. However, all of the activity around that coral by the clowns eventually killed it off. (My light did suck too.)
Anyway, I upgraded to Compact Flourescents over X-Mas and restocked the tank. About 3 months ago I picked up another Bubble Tip. After only two months, and after being lovingly hosted by a pair of Maroon Clowns, I now have 2 anenomes.
The clowns do sometimes like playing in my torch/hammer/frogspawn coral, but again, that sometimes stresses the coral and may lead to problems.
And some other observations on the clown-anenome hosting. The Cinnamons took some time to take to the anenome, but when they did, they became very agressive anytime I even tried to enter the tank to maintain. (I didn't even come close to the anenome/coral, and they were all over me.) Their hosting wasn't nearly as helpful as the Maroons I keep now. The Maroons are constantly picking up pieces of brine/shrimp/food and feeding their anenomes.. The Cinnamons "groomed" theirs, but I never observed direct feeding. And they don't bother me when I go in the tank, unless I get too close to their house for comfort..
Hope this helps.
In my humble experience, lighting and filtration methods will make or break anenomes in a tank. My reef has an overflow, which is in my opinion, the best for anenomes. I've encountered problems with filters with intakes and lost an atlantic anenome to powerhead (it was covered, but he managed to wedge himself into the cover.)
Ad far as lighting, my initial reef setup had only 160W of normal flourescents, and over a 75 gallon tank, the Bubble Tip withered and eventually died. But after he was removed, my pair of Cinammon Clowns readily hosted a nice piece of Bubble Coral. However, all of the activity around that coral by the clowns eventually killed it off. (My light did suck too.)
Anyway, I upgraded to Compact Flourescents over X-Mas and restocked the tank. About 3 months ago I picked up another Bubble Tip. After only two months, and after being lovingly hosted by a pair of Maroon Clowns, I now have 2 anenomes.
The clowns do sometimes like playing in my torch/hammer/frogspawn coral, but again, that sometimes stresses the coral and may lead to problems.
And some other observations on the clown-anenome hosting. The Cinnamons took some time to take to the anenome, but when they did, they became very agressive anytime I even tried to enter the tank to maintain. (I didn't even come close to the anenome/coral, and they were all over me.) Their hosting wasn't nearly as helpful as the Maroons I keep now. The Maroons are constantly picking up pieces of brine/shrimp/food and feeding their anenomes.. The Cinnamons "groomed" theirs, but I never observed direct feeding. And they don't bother me when I go in the tank, unless I get too close to their house for comfort..
Hope this helps.
Saying Anemones are easier to keep than leather corals is like saying SPS are easier to keep than mushrooms.
Obviously animals thrive under condition that meet their requirements. On a whole, soft corals thrive under, and tolerate condition that is high in nutrients, lower in light requirement. This make them easier to care for beginners who often have higher nutrient and lower light level than some one who know what he is doing and intentionally set up a high light, high flow, low nutrient system. While occasionally there are novice reef keeper who first set-up meet the requirement for SPS or Anemone, an overwhelming number of them will not.
Putting a mushroom under 400 W MH with high flow, and that mushroom will likely died every time while putting an A. millepora there, it will thrive. Does this mean that mushrooms are harder to keep than a Millepora? I don't think so.
BTW, Sandman seem to be a true novice per his posts quoted below:
I think you are very irresponsible by given novice reef keeper the advice that Anemones are easy to keep and are easier to care for than soft corals.
Minh
Obviously animals thrive under condition that meet their requirements. On a whole, soft corals thrive under, and tolerate condition that is high in nutrients, lower in light requirement. This make them easier to care for beginners who often have higher nutrient and lower light level than some one who know what he is doing and intentionally set up a high light, high flow, low nutrient system. While occasionally there are novice reef keeper who first set-up meet the requirement for SPS or Anemone, an overwhelming number of them will not.
Putting a mushroom under 400 W MH with high flow, and that mushroom will likely died every time while putting an A. millepora there, it will thrive. Does this mean that mushrooms are harder to keep than a Millepora? I don't think so.
BTW, Sandman seem to be a true novice per his posts quoted below:
R&B,
I think you are very irresponsible by given novice reef keeper the advice that Anemones are easy to keep and are easier to care for than soft corals.
Minh
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