Red Anemone
- Thread starter newmarine
- Start date
- Location
- San Francisco (formerly Manhattan!)
Hi Newmarine, how is your tank looking? From your last post and all the questions you asked, I thought you might take a step back and do some reading, and let your tank stabilize for a month or two before getting any more livestock?
An anemone is not necessarily a good choice for a new tank, or a novice aquarist.
Have you identified the species you have? Their care varies widely, depending on the species.
What lighting do you have on your tank?
Have you fed the anemone yet?
If you need some help with the species ID, please post a pic and we can help.
An anemone is not necessarily a good choice for a new tank, or a novice aquarist.
Have you identified the species you have? Their care varies widely, depending on the species.
What lighting do you have on your tank?
Have you fed the anemone yet?
If you need some help with the species ID, please post a pic and we can help.
here are my tank info. 60gal with 55w PC light, water quality good. temp at 27C/80F. the anemone is from bali. the reason i wanted to move is cos the place it landed is not very safe, near my powerhead inlet. and my clown fish doesn't seems dare to go near.
i have just started feeding it with plankton powder.
i have just started feeding it with plankton powder.
Just don't make any attempts to move it yourself. You might end up tearing something.
If you're hoping that it does move elsewhere on its own, then don't feed it yet. It might think that its found a choice spot, and will stay put. I wouldn't worry about feeding it at least for the 1st week while it's still getting acclimated. It will most likely move around quite a bit during the dark period and purge its system several times in the next week or so.
If you're hoping that it does move elsewhere on its own, then don't feed it yet. It might think that its found a choice spot, and will stay put. I wouldn't worry about feeding it at least for the 1st week while it's still getting acclimated. It will most likely move around quite a bit during the dark period and purge its system several times in the next week or so.
- Location
- San Francisco (formerly Manhattan!)
As mentioned, don't try to move the anemone. Move the rock it is on if you have to to get it away from the powerhead.
You only have one 55watt PC bulb?
A good resource on anemones is "Host Anemone Secrets" by Ron Shimek. Covers most species offered in the trade. If it is a red anemone, it might be a Rose Anemone (entacmaea quadricolor) and most likely will not be kept alive on plankton powder, especially with the minimal lighting you have. You will need to feed it (sooner the better, I wouldn't wait) with whole prey items, mostly crustacea. Shrimp are good as a basis, just remember to feed the whole shrimp, head and all, not just the tail us humans are used to eating.
Are you testing water parameters with test kits? Including salinity?
I don't want to sound negative here, but it sounds like you have just begun the learning process, as we all once did, and should at the very least read up on any specimens before you buy them. Or, ask the community here for help before buying. I don't think many people here would advise getting an anemone in a young tank, especially one with your lighting.
You mentioned you had borrowed a bunch of books to read in a previous topic, have you read them?
You only have one 55watt PC bulb?
A good resource on anemones is "Host Anemone Secrets" by Ron Shimek. Covers most species offered in the trade. If it is a red anemone, it might be a Rose Anemone (entacmaea quadricolor) and most likely will not be kept alive on plankton powder, especially with the minimal lighting you have. You will need to feed it (sooner the better, I wouldn't wait) with whole prey items, mostly crustacea. Shrimp are good as a basis, just remember to feed the whole shrimp, head and all, not just the tail us humans are used to eating.
Are you testing water parameters with test kits? Including salinity?
I don't want to sound negative here, but it sounds like you have just begun the learning process, as we all once did, and should at the very least read up on any specimens before you buy them. Or, ask the community here for help before buying. I don't think many people here would advise getting an anemone in a young tank, especially one with your lighting.
You mentioned you had borrowed a bunch of books to read in a previous topic, have you read them?
Entacmaea":1yononn9 said:
YES yes yes, always read read, research, then buy. Never buy anything without knowing EVERYTHING that you can possibly know about that species. and DONT hesitate to ask us, we will be more than happy to steer you in the right direction. and if you have one 55 watt powercompact, I would sell that anemone back to the lfs if you can and next time read before you buy. Its like my dad always says. "they make em every day." err well in this case, "the sell them everyday". but concept still applys. I'm not trying to be negative or discourage you in any way, just trying to help a brother out.
good luck.
What they have all said.
However, I want to bring to your attention that no flake or powder is going to keep your anemone alive unless you increase your light intensity from the current 1W per gallon to 3W per gallon. Also, you need to start feed your anemone meaty food, such as bits of raw shrimp, anchovie, silverside...etc. Most of the frozen cube is not good enough either.
However, I want to bring to your attention that no flake or powder is going to keep your anemone alive unless you increase your light intensity from the current 1W per gallon to 3W per gallon. Also, you need to start feed your anemone meaty food, such as bits of raw shrimp, anchovie, silverside...etc. Most of the frozen cube is not good enough either.
I always liked buying bags of frozen critters from the seafood department at wal-mart or whatever grocery store was nearby to feed the ones I had. But for your reference, not that Im the most experienced reefer in the world, (or remotely close to it). FWIW Ive never been able to keep an anemone alive for long over the years. Though I havent tried recently. (in the past 2 or 3 years.)
- Location
- San Francisco (formerly Manhattan!)
I don't doubt it Tackett, it is tough to make anemone's thrive, in general. And I don't think it has everything to do with experience level either, so don't be sell your skills short! Luck, specimen health, etc. have a lot to do with it I think. That, combined with the fact that they are essentially immortal (without the regular aging mechanisms other animals have- they can live for hundreds of years!) should give us all pause. I advocate only buying clones, or captive raised specimens like those offered by DrMacCorals.com or getting them from other aquarists.
We should strive toward this goal for all corals anyway.
Allright, I'm off the soapbox.
We should strive toward this goal for all corals anyway.
Allright, I'm off the soapbox.
Thats nice but with anemones the only ones available regualrly are E. Quads and if thats not what you are looking for you have to buy wild. I do agree is BTA is what you want go TR. I have had my H. Malu for just over three years now and it has lived through everything.
I also agree you should start feeding it right away but not with the powder, any of the items mentioned above would work better. If it came form bali, it probably hasnt ate anything it some time and could already be starving, IME you can tell this if its not very sticky any longer. If it rejects all the larger foods, try finer chopped silversides to start.
All anemone tanks need to have sponges on thier powerheads...get those covered ASAP or you may loss that new purchase very fast.
- Location
- San Francisco (formerly Manhattan!)
BEN wrote:
"Thats nice but with anemones the only ones available regualrly are E. Quads and if thats not what you are looking for you have to buy wild."
You are right Ben, there are not very many captive bred anemones out there- and that is a problem. I suppose I just have a different philosophy, that "what you are looking for" should begin with, as a basis for wanting the specimen, that it must be captive raised- rather than the other way around- deciding what you want THEN seeing if it is captive raised. It is just so easy- and I have done this too- to make the impulse purchase at a LFS, rather than taking a little more time and effort, and sometimes a little more money, to search for, and buy captive-raised.
I admit this view may be painted as too extreme by some, and definitely involves making some slight sacrifices in the range of specimens you are able to keep in your tanks. But so many corals are now available captive raised(virtually all SPS, many LPS, softies, zoos, etc. that the only specimens that one(meaning me!) can argue must still be taken from the wild are anemones, fish, and some of the ancillary specimens like shrimp, cukes, etc. (which are nice additions, but we can CHOOSE to do without them).
Gosh, I thought I was off the soapbox! You would think I raised money for ecological education programs or something? :wink:
Ben- congrats on keeping your Malu for 3 years, quite an accomplishment.
"Thats nice but with anemones the only ones available regualrly are E. Quads and if thats not what you are looking for you have to buy wild."
You are right Ben, there are not very many captive bred anemones out there- and that is a problem. I suppose I just have a different philosophy, that "what you are looking for" should begin with, as a basis for wanting the specimen, that it must be captive raised- rather than the other way around- deciding what you want THEN seeing if it is captive raised. It is just so easy- and I have done this too- to make the impulse purchase at a LFS, rather than taking a little more time and effort, and sometimes a little more money, to search for, and buy captive-raised.
I admit this view may be painted as too extreme by some, and definitely involves making some slight sacrifices in the range of specimens you are able to keep in your tanks. But so many corals are now available captive raised(virtually all SPS, many LPS, softies, zoos, etc. that the only specimens that one(meaning me!) can argue must still be taken from the wild are anemones, fish, and some of the ancillary specimens like shrimp, cukes, etc. (which are nice additions, but we can CHOOSE to do without them).
Gosh, I thought I was off the soapbox!
You would think I raised money for ecological education programs or something? :wink: Ben- congrats on keeping your Malu for 3 years, quite an accomplishment.
When I buy any animal for my system it starts with me. What I like and what I have the skills and space to care for. If I don't like it but its captive raised why buy it over the anemone I like and believe I can care for properly. I rarely make impulse buys at the LFS anymore.
I do have a 20L on my dresser up stairs that is 100% TR. Base dry rock was used, one captive bred fish and all captive SPS frags. Maybe One day other animals will become available as TR from the wild ones that people bought.
That being said, of course if captive bred is available I would get that first, as they are proven to be healthy and established to aquarium life.
I do have a 20L on my dresser up stairs that is 100% TR. Base dry rock was used, one captive bred fish and all captive SPS frags. Maybe One day other animals will become available as TR from the wild ones that people bought.
That being said, of course if captive bred is available I would get that first, as they are proven to be healthy and established to aquarium life.
- Location
- San Francisco (formerly Manhattan!)
Ben wrote: "If I don't like it but its captive raised why buy it over the anemone I like and believe I can care for properly. "
Short answer: because it is taken from the wild, and will live five years in a tank, and five hundred on a reef.
But I hear ya Ben, we will just have to agree to disagree. I'm just arguing that hobbyists' selection pool of organisms could be more narrowly focused on captive-bred specimens than it is currently in the hobby. I just wish more people put more value on it as a selection criteria. I'm not suggesting people put something they don't like in their tanks, but I think there is a wide enough range of corals (not fish yet) to choose from, that it wouldn't hamper creating a great looking tank by going purely captive-bred.
Short answer: because it is taken from the wild, and will live five years in a tank, and five hundred on a reef.
But I hear ya Ben, we will just have to agree to disagree. I'm just arguing that hobbyists' selection pool of organisms could be more narrowly focused on captive-bred specimens than it is currently in the hobby. I just wish more people put more value on it as a selection criteria. I'm not suggesting people put something they don't like in their tanks, but I think there is a wide enough range of corals (not fish yet) to choose from, that it wouldn't hamper creating a great looking tank by going purely captive-bred.
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
