Anenomes and Tap Water?

[abjaza]

Hello all -

Again I need your advice. I was in my local pet store talking about anenomes and clownfish and it was suggested that I buy a book called Clownfishes. In this book it said that there was an internet study done on successful anenome keeping and 89% of the anenomes that lived more than 2 years were in tanks that used tap water and suggests that this is the best way to keep anenomes. Now...up until now I have been told that tap water is taboo and that you should use ro water but in this book it says that anenomes need the minerals that are in tap water. I'm a bit reluctant to do this. Can anyone give me any feedback on it?

Thanks so much as usual.

[Woodstock]

Wow... that's new to me too! What is the copyright date of that book?

I'll tag along to see what others have to say...

[abjaza]

The copyright on this book is 2001. It was written by Joyce Wilkerson and is called Clownfishes.

[BoomerD]

She is considered one of the foremost experts on the field of clownfish & their anemones, but I've never read or heard about the tap water thing. That runs contrary to everything I've ever heard or experienced in 30 years of being in the hobby. EXCEPT for the one LFS who still says that to successfully keep anemones, you just take a large powerhead, wrap the intake in several layers of DLS material for a good biological filter, use 2 or 3 NO bulbs, whatever you have room for, and a skilter or Bak-Pak if you can afford it. The same guy also says that the only successful way to keep salt water fish for any length of time is to maintain a high level of "Copper Power" in the tank at all times, and never, ever try to keep them with out it. You will only have problems. Needless to say, I don't buy too many fish from him, and the few inverts he brings in, (mostly dyed or bleached sebae anemones) usually dissolve in his holding tanks...

[abjaza]

Here is the section that speaks about tap water:

In the anemome study, only 39% of total respondents used tap water as make - up water but a whopping 83% of the anemomes kept alive for 24 or more months were in those tanks.

She gives a few different possiblities for explanations, two of which suggest tap water is better, the others are about the tendencies of hobbyists who use RO water. One being less feeding to keep nutrient inputs low and the other being use of a protein skimmer which reduces trace elements.

I'm a beginner and tend to believe what an expert writes however anyone can write anything and make it sound good if you aren't very experienced so that is why I am coming to you all for help. I also have heard that tap water is no good prior to this and that is why I am so hesitant. Thank you very much for your feedback.

[semigodd154]

i have a heteractis crispa (sebae) bought 18 months ago it was bleached and maybe 6inches across I have had this anemone this entire time under 180watts of NO flourescent light 2 30w 50/50 2 30w 10k and 2 30w actinic 03 I feed this anemone every 2 weeks with regular table shrimp soaked in selcon this anemone is hosted by a perca polymnus (saddle back clown) both are doing great and i use only tapwater for topoffs and 25% wc once a month the anemone has returned to its natural tannish color and has some green flourescents under actinic only BTW the anemone now opens to almost 15inches and will need a new home soon hope this helps but i am no expert it has just worked well for me.

[RanRoc]

I have the book also and remember reading that part. No clear explanation as to why that is, but many factors may be involved, not just that tap water may be better for anemones. I don't recall her stating what husbandry approaches were recorded or the actual water quality of each tap water respondent. I think her study was more correlational rather than cause-effect. In other words, the tap water may not have been the actual reason for the success of the anemones. And remember, the study was actually done a few years ago ( I think first publication of the book was in 1996) and I think only 100 people or so took the survey. Again, too many other reasons why the results came out as they did. I hope I am making sense.
-RY

[BoomerD]

And a LOT would depend on the quality of the tap water being used! Mine is absolute crap...I don't even drink it without heavily filtering it.

[Maxx]

In this book it said that there was an internet study done on successful anenome keeping and 89% of the anenomes that lived more than 2 years were in tanks that used tap water and suggests that this is the best way to keep anenomes.

here is the relevant section...from "Clownfishes", by Joyce Wilkerson. Pg 47:
"Copper, zinc, selenium, iodide, and iron have all been theorized as essential anemone trace elements. In the anemone survey, only 39% of total respondants used tap water as make up water, but a whopping 83% of the anemones kept alive for 24 months or more, were kept in those tanks. Only 14% kept for more than 24 months were in tanks using highly purified water from reverse osmosis, (RO), despite those representing 61% of the tanks surveyed. In a nutshell: respondants using tap water for make up were 6 times more likely to maintain anemones for more than 24 months than those using RO water. Four possible explanations come to mind:
1) Tap water contains trace elements needed by anemones. (An exception: chlorine and chloromines in municipal water can be toxic if used before treatment or aging.)
2) Anemones fair better ina nutrient-rich water than in nutrient- poor water.
3) Anemones in tanks using RO water may be sparsely fed- if they are fed at all- as part of a concerted effort to keep nutrient inputs low.
4) Hobbiest's using RO equipment may be employing other higher tech devices that have an impact on anemones, (such as protein skimmers, which reduce trace elements"

many factors may be involved, not just that tap water may be better for anemones. I don't recall her stating what husbandry approaches were recorded or the actual water quality of each tap water respondent. I think her study was more correlational rather than cause-effect. In other words, the tap water may not have been the actual reason for the success of the anemones. And remember, the study was actually done a few years ago ( I think first publication of the book was in 1996) and I think only 100 people or so took the survey.

Exactly.......Several things were not mentioned in this recap of the survey...one of the primary things missing IMO is the health of the anemone when purchased or obtained. Collection practices have come along way since this study was completed and published. Remeber that this study was done at least a year before being published and all sorts of stuff have changed since then.
Personally I have a LTA which I've had for almost a year now, (11 months) and I run a skimmer and use RO/DI water. IMO getting a healthy specimen is one of the most important factors in anemone survival. Another is a careful understanding of what these animals require in terms of environment. The BTA and Haddoni carpets are regarded as the easiest anemones to keep, (generally) the LTA's and many others are considered more difficult. And finally, the Gigantea, (S. gigantea) carpets and the Magnificent or Ritteri anemones, (H. magnifica) are considered the most difficult to keep and delicate/stringent on environmental conditions. If you cant provide the environment needed for these animals, they aint gonna make it. That simple. And if you get one that is in bad shape, ( is not eating at the LFS,and has no feed response), odds are it aint gonna make it.
It can be done, and I', certainly not trying to convince you anemones are impossible so don't bother.....
Nothing could be further from the truth...just staing that the study isnt saying everything, that I see some pretty big flaws in what she's saying right there, and that you really need to be aware of what you're getting into w/ these animals.
Reading up on them and doing the research like you are doing is great. Please dont stop. You will have more success and be able to do more in this hobby if you research first and buy later.
Here is a link to the research library forum on anemones, here @ RS. It also has the actual published study on anemones that this is from.
Good luck and happy reading.
Nick

[cheeks69]

I know I'm gonna get lambasted for this but I have always used Tap water in my tank. I had a Sebae anemone (Heteractis crispa) and when I bought it it was bleached although I didn't know it at the time and it colored up and did extremely well, it tripled in size in about 6-7 months even though I only have 130w of PC's in a 42gal tank unfortunately it wrapped itself around a heater and perished. Just my 2 cents

You can see it begin to change color at about 3 months



Here it is just before it perished

[Maxx]

I know I'm gonna get lambasted for this but I have always used Tap water in my tank.

Cheeks,
If your areas tap water is good enough to use, then go for it. No worries on that, just jealousy here. The local water here in St Louis isnt good enough for use in reef tanks.
Good looking anemone by the way. Sorry to hear about its loss.
Nick

[wooddood]

i'll agree if you have good tap water go for it but like most of us our water is bad i know mine is but i'm on a well now so i have to use an ro/di unit.

[abjaza]

Thank you all for your excellent feedback. As for the use of tap water, how do you know if your tap water is acceptable? I guess I will probably just keep using RO water to be on the safe side though.

The other option I guess is that she says that there are some soft corals that can be used to keep clownfish instead of anemomes. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks again

[Travis]

I know some bottled water companies will do a full test of your water. Also, your local government has to periodically test the tap water and publicly divulge those results.

To do some elementary testing, try mixing some saltwater using tap water and then use a nitrate and phosphate test kit. Another thing you can do is use a TDS meter to measure the total dissolved solids in the water. My tap water's TDS is a bit over 200, while out of my RO it is zero... that says a lot IMO.

[sorcerer]

Originally posted by abjaza
The other option I guess is that she says that there are some soft corals that can be used to keep clownfish instead of anemomes. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks again

I have a pair of ocellaris that are hosted by a large colt coral. A friend of mine has a maroon hosted by a large brain coral and another has a pair of clarkii that are hosted by a huge frogspawn.

One of my other friends has a pair of percs that are being hosted by a maxijet 1200 power head. They don't seem to understand why it will never take the food they bring it......