Anemone Question

[amstar15]

I want to get an anemone for some clown fish to host in. the tank will be cycling with live rock, live sand, and about 60 gallons of reef water from my 75 when I tear it down (im starting up a 150 gallon tank)

wondering how you go about the anemone in the tank. once the tank is up it will have alot of lps, zoa's, and other corals.

so do you put the anemone in first and let it "roam" around until it becomes happy then add your other corals?

also what is a good anemone to get for clowns to host in?

 

[chrissaysyes]

Well, yes, put your anemone in the tank first, then add your corals. As far as clowns and nems go...
This is a compatibility chart.
Just be sure you know what you're getting into with an anemone and that you have sufficient lighting. Otherwise I'll hurt you.

 

[amstar15]

I have had a reef tank for over 6 years now. I have never kept an anemone so PLEASE DONT HURT ME.


so no I am not sure what I am getting into.

the tank will have 3 250 watt 14k phoniex bulbs on it with lumenacr reflectors. will go with 4 t-5's for actinic when the halides are out. (On before halides, off during them, and on after halides go off)

the water movement will be provided by (2) snapper external pumps (one for the closed loop and one for the sump return) as well as 2 modified maxi-jet 1200's

so tell me what else I should know about anenomes so you dont hurt me

 

[chrissaysyes]

Sounds like a great environment for a nem

If you're looking for one specifically to have a clown host it, you may want to try to find a nem and clown that are already paired up because there is no guarantee what so ever that your clown will host it. Bubble tips are good nems for beginners as far as nems that clowns commonly host. My favorite nem and the best (imo) for beginners is Condylactis. Condys are usually pretty easy to find. Bubble tips are too, just look out for ones that look stressed in the fish store. Make sure the mouth isnt gaping or stretched, make sure it's foot is in good condition and securely attached to something. Also be careful not to buy one that is so securely attached that the fish store owner could tear the foot while removing the nem from the tank because this is often fatal. When you buy the nem, take note of the size of it's mouth. Go ahead and buy some meaty food that is small enough to easily fit in it's mouth. Giving it too large pieces of food could cause it to stretch it's mouth or tear it's own flesh. When you add him to the tank, make sure you acclimate (preferably drip method) for at least an hour. Place the nem in an area as far from powerhead or overflow intakes. Keep an eye on him as he adjusts to assure he doesnt stray too close to any intakes. If he doesnt immediately take hold of anything when you add him to the tank, you can use a standard plastic pasta strainer. Place it over the nem until he gets his footing. It's pretty common for them to not inflate fully right away, also they deflate fairly often (usually at night) to expel all of the liquid and organisms within themselves. So dont freak out if the nem looks deflated an gross. The biggest things to watch out for are sagging mouth, losing grip/footing, and disintegration. If your nem begins to disintegrate then you have to get it out of the tank immediately. There is no coming back from that so what most people do is just siphon the body out. Trying to use a net will just spread that toxic sludge around the tank. I'm sure you already know that if a nem dies in your tank, then your tank is as good as nuked. Bubble tips tend to fair pretty well in tanks so you probably wont have any problems. I hear carpet nems are a lot more fussy and can be less hardy, however they are also commonly hosted by clowns. Anyways, good luck with everything man!

 

[Lynden]

Stichodactyla haddoni is a hardy carpet nem (on par with Entacmaea and Condylactis). Carpet nems aren't as good for reef tanks because their sting is second to none in the average reef tank. They will eat absent minded or unaware fish, and their sting packs a wallop to corals, other nems and human skin.

Entacmaea is by far the best nem for reef tanks, in my opinion and experience. Buy one, let it split, and give the clones away... creating gene banks is good. The original owner of my nems' tank crashed while on vacation... but their genes lived on in my tank.

My anemone population, before I switched tanks, dropped from seven to five. That means two bubble tips died in my tank. I didn't remove the bodies (thought they were just hiding); my tank wasn't nuked. However when I switched tanks, one split into three, so I now have seven again.

 

[Jonny967]

The only long term success i have had with anemones is with my two current spieces, a crispa (Heteractis crispa) and a green carpet anemone. My clowns host in both depending on their mood.

 

[amstar15]

any pics of the various nems everyone has?

 

[Lynden]

Yep... but the picture quality is HELLA terrible. Better pictures of the species I keep (bubble tips) can be found at karensroseanemones.com.

 

[scstone12]

I have about 315 watts in a 55 gallon, so about 6.5 whats per gallon. Is that a couple pc and a couple t-5s. Is that strong enough to have a carpet anemone?

 

[scstone12]

Sorry for that last sentence... i have a couple pc's and a couple t-5s with 4 blue lcds.

 

[Lynden]

It's probably enough for a Stichodactyla haddoni. Other species are more demanding.