Looking to buy a anemone what to look for

[junnie]

I would like to put a anemone in my tank. But dont know much about them to go out and buy one. what do i need to know about them. What would be a good anemone to put in a tank with mushrooms,hammer,Blasto (did i spell that right),green star,zoo's,button,yellow Tang, purple fire fish,bar goby, yellow watchman,algee blenny,starfish,and a clown fish. Any breeds of anemone that dont move around that much.

 

[Roxy]

Junnie,
I have 2 sea alantic anemones on pink and on white with brown tips. i have had them in my tank for about 4 mos now they are doing good, but they do move around. i feed them krill. they love them and i have heard pieces of shrimp they will eat that too. I do not know if your other fish is compatiable with them. Maybe some one else can help but, i have shrooms, clown, polpys,blennys and of course featherdusters. They all seem to be fine hope this helps....Roxy

 

[BoomerD]

Most anemones can and will move until they find the "sweet spot" where light and current are to their liking. HOw old is your tank? Normal recommendations are 1 yr. Anemones require a well matured, VERY stable tank, and even the "beginner anemones" BTA's, require above average lighting. NO, you don't HAVE to have metal halides, but much more just a couple of PC's or normal output bulbs.

http://www.carlosreef.com/AnemoneFAQ.pdf

 

[Dragon Wrasse]

Some people do not recommend mixing corals and anemones, I would find one that you would like to have (carpet, long tentacle, BTA) and research it and make sure that you have the right lighting and water flow also you want to know if the anemone is aggressive and how long its sweepers can get. Remember just as BoomerD said it may take awhile for your anemone to settle down and until then it will float around your tank with the possibility of stinging other tank mates that it may come in contact with, including fish. My Long Tentacle floated around my tank so much that we named it “Mary Popins” it took over two months for it to settle down, two trips through my wet/dry and one scary trip into one of my power heads, I had to cut it free of the filter basket. During all this I had no Corals in the tank at the time….so far the anemone has been semi-stationary for close to eight months and has tripled in size…I feed it silver sides and krill and its home to my two Clarkies, my advise would be to study the type of animal you want to add before purchasing, make sure it is what you want to do. A Picture of “Mary Popins” can be seen in the photo gallery…..Good Luck and have a wonderful new year.

 

[cheeks69]

Are you looking for clown hosting anemones or atlantic anemones ?
The easiest hosting anemones to keep are BTA's and the Haddoni carpet anemone but the latter is very aggressive ! I had to remove mine it ate my Blue throat Trigger:bouncebox

As BoomerD mentioned although these are easier that's a relative term they still need a mature tank and proper lighting.

Rock Flower Anemones Curly-Cue and Tube anemones are easier to keep and don't require intense lighting the Tube in particular is non-photosynthetic so needs to be fed regularly but non of these will host Clownfish.

http://www.saltcorner.com/sections/zoo/inverts/softcorals/anemones/anemones.htm

 

[Witfull]

best advice, read, research and repeat. even the easiest of hosting anemones are difficult. they are touchy critters and if they are unhappy, they will die and foul your tank. also, look at as many pictures online as you can of healthy anemones, and then start looking at them in stores. get familiar with spotting a good one from a bad one. the more you do this the better chance of getting a good one when its time to get one. another thing about anemones is they may look healthy at first glace, but actually they are stresed or actually dying and you cant tell. they are long lived creatures, and unfortunately they are long dying creatures also. they dont suddenly die, they finally give up living.

take your time. choose wisely and you will be much happier.

 

[RanRoc]

ditto to all of the above advice. If I could do it over again, and had the extra space and $$$, I would have a seperate tank/system for my anemones. Ideal not to mix, but many dedicated reefers/hobbyists can get away with it. It's a struggle for me, and my anemones.
-RY

 

[ANIMALZ]

I see in your post that you have an clown fish. What kind and what size? One thing to consider is if the clown is too big for the anemone you want. I have seen clown fish pester their anemones to death many times-especially if the clown is too large for the anemone. If you have a large maroon clown, for instance, then you will need a large LT or other sturdy anemone to properly house the clown. The replys stating that anemones can sting and kill your other corals is good advice. I always try to tell people that if they want an anemone then it should be one of the first corals you put in the tank so it can float around and find a good home and you won't have to worry about it stinging other corals. In you case I definitely would not get any more corals before you decide if you want to get an anemone or not. Best of luck.

 

[junnie]

These were all good input on the subject i was looking for. as far as the clown go. He's maybe 3/4" big. Percula clownfish. He was a gift from my wife. So I would like to make his stay with us as nice as i can.

 

[Witfull]

another thing,,,clown fish do not need an anemone to be happy. they arent fussy, he will find a home and love it.

 

[junnie]

Thanks Witfull. I just like making my tank as real as i can. I dont like jumping in to thing without know about them first. Dont Clowns need a anemone, dosnt the sink of the clown become nasty if they dont move in to the anemone for a long time? The Clown fish has a protective coating that needs, I guess cleaned by the Anemone.YES/NO

 

[Witfull]

clowns and anemones symbiotic relationship is mutual protection and feeding. clowns keep nipping fish away from the anemone, the anemone protects the clown from predatory fish. and the clown will feed the anemone by grabing tidbits out of reach for the anemone. the clowns protective slime doesnt get cleaned by the anemone. clowns can get agressive no matter what home they choose to protect, be it an anemone, a goniopora, sinularia or a clump of algae~

 

[junnie]

I see. thats good to know. thank you for the insite. very helpful.

 

[Witfull]

anytime~

 

[reefjitsu]

I had a clown who hosted a plastic cave, the kind like they sell at Walmart. They aren't real particular, they just want a spot to call home. As far as the anemone/clownfish relationship goes....it is my opinion that this should only be attempted by experienced reefkeepers. I know that everybody is fascinated by this relationship but it leads to the death of thousand (millions?) of anemones every year. Despite the fact that they are sold at very cheap prices, despite that fact that they are sold as easy to keep, they are not for begginers.
Also, while it is true that in the wild, the relationship between fish and anemone is somewhat of a two-way street. This relationship changes in the confines of our tanks. It is my opinion that in captivity, the only one who benefits is the fish. For the anemone, it is only an added source of stress.

 

[dc2772]

I know that everybody is fascinated by this relationship but it leads to the death of thousand (millions?) of anemones every year. Despite the fact that they are sold at very cheap prices, despite that fact that they are sold as easy to keep, they are not for begginers.

As a novice, I had no problems with a maroon clownfish and a bubbletip anemone. I'm not sure that I had any more knowledge than your average novice. Possibly the one thing I did right that others might not is to have a sufficient amount of light over my tank. Maybe I just got lucky.