Bubble Tip Anemone Under PC Light ??

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HayesAveLive

New Member
Hey Guys,

Long time since I've last been on Reef Sanctuary (wow, 2007?), but I need some advice.

Check it out:

I've got a 6-month-old, 75 gallon tank with 260 watts of PC light (actinic/10K).

Lots of nice clean live rock stacked all the way up to the top.

Just 3 small fish. No inverts yet.

Nitrate, phosphate both totally zero.

pH 8.2-8.3, Alkalinity 9-10, Calcium 420-430, T 77 F, S.G. 1.025.

My friends bubble tip anemone just split in two. (under MH light, of course)

I'm going to get the new BTA spawn from him to put into in my tank.

I plan to put it all the way at the top to maximize light since I know PCs are weak.

Will it die?
How long will it live?
How much should I feed it?
Should I get a maroon clown?

I know I should probably have it under MH or at least T5... but I got what I got, you know?

Thanks for any advice or opinions (even if they're pessimistic, lol),

Ian
 
Luukosian

Luukosian

Well-Known Member
From experience it sounds like you're already set on getting it no matter what anyone says. I have pretty intense T-5's and I wouldnt even try one.....but if you're going to do it, you're going to do it. Not trying to sound mean but it sounds like you already know this isn't ideal conditions for this anemone. I'd say skip it and try other less demanding specimens.

To answer your question in short...will it probably live....yes...will it thrive...no.

.
 
Octoman

Octoman

Well-Known Member
It will most likely die under PC lighting. Unfortunately, they can take months to starve to death so it is a slow death. I would not advise getting a clown unless you have an established anemone that is doing well. The clown will just harass an already stressed nem even more.

Your animal purchases should be limited by the equipment you have. Don't get animals with more advanced requirements until you can afford to provide everything they need. Otherwise, you are just entertaining yourself at the animal's expense.

Anthony - just a note, I've seen them thrive under good T5 setups. I have one thriving myself.
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
I am going to disagree on this one. Bubble tips are about the only anemone I would consider under PC lighting. They are much more forgiving than the rest of the anemone family. Particularly because of the lower lighting you will want to monitor your parameters even more closely as they will be even more important. Feed the anemone 2 or 3 times a week. Pretty much whatever you are feeding your fish. Mine has even eaten pellets though I would not recommend that. Krill or silversides or mysis shrimp are good foods. There is a school of thought that says feeding large pieces stresses the animal so you may want to cut the food up into little bits before feeding.
I would strongly advise against a maroon. They get very large and aggressive and you want to pay even more attention to your bio-load with the anemone there. There is no real reason to get a clown at all and if you got one the clown may completely ignore the anemone anyway. If you really want a clown I would wait at least a couple of months for the anemone to establish itself. A clown's "love" can stress and even kill the anemone. I would also suggest some of the smaller and less aggressive clowns if you really want one. Perhaps a Percula.
Best of luck
 
sasquatch

sasquatch

Brunt of all Jokes~
PREMIUM
I think with some prep this can work, Id suggest being sure your bulbs are very nearly new as pc's slide pretty fast, adjust your tank parameters as closely to the mother tank as possible and most important have your friend if possible start putting a screen on his tank basically reverse light acclimation to get it slowly down to your light level or its going to wander around and waste energy
 
C

cain

New Member
so many people with so many opinions and here's mine, your mileage may vary.


people say get an anemone between 8-12mos to establish your tank, i got my anemone on my 6th week of cycling, ammonia was still reading .25.
i feed him small/tiny bits of FRESH clams/shrimps/snapper/grouper/tuna basically whatever i can catch fishing, and i feed it everyday.
i've had him 3 years now and he has split 9 times.
i never gave or sold of it away.
my local reef club told me blah blah blah when i got the anemone, that am this and that,that i'm going too fast, that the anemone would die, that i would stress it, now everyone wants to buy my anemone, they can eat their hearts out!!!

BTW, am using T5 4 bulb lighting.

don't ever let anyone tell you it cant be done. Everything is possible, just back it up with solid planning and determination.
hooorah!
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
cain will all due respect you are the exception and not the rule. Sometimes we get lucky (Not in My case and not in most cases similar). Regardless you have a magic touch with your system and for that you deserve credit.

The only point I want to make is this... I see where HayesAveLive mentions
I plan to put it all the way at the top to maximize light since I know PCs are weak.
Click to expand...
To be honest that's little help at all. If not completely happy these animals are MOBILE and will move according to what their needs really are. Placing one in a particular place is futile in regards to it's long term happiness. Just realize that it can and probably will move around that tank until it is either satisfied in it's environmental requirements or it perishes. Hopefully NOT the latter of the two.

Good luck and Happy Reefing :)
 
Skyreefer

Skyreefer

Member
Shoot me down! But I'd say go for it!!!! There is no guarantee that a BTA will survive or thrive in any tank. I've read that people with pristine water conditions and super bright MH lighting have trouble keeping BTA's happy because they hide from bright light and eventually starve themselves under a cave. I've also seen cases where they do quite well in lower T5 lighting when given ample time to acclimate and occasional feedings. I have a BTA in a 90 gallon with moderate T5 lighting and after 3 weeks of hiding it came out in the mid section of a bommie I created for it. I feed it twice a week, but I may experiment with additional feedings. If you get a clown for the anemone to host, I'd say wait a few weeks for the anemone to adjust to your tank and start with a small clown. My BTA is about 8+ times the size of my percula that jumped right into the anemone when it came out of hiding. She doesn't spend all of her time in the anemone anyway, so I think they have a good relationship. Try it out and enjoy!
 
Skyreefer

Skyreefer

Member
Hey thanks cain. I have that site bookmarked and read through all of it before I bought my anemones. To be honest, I don't really want them to split, but grow and do well. Karen has a great take on anemones and I love the fact that she has kept her tank simple and stable through the years. She doesn't have state of the art filtration like most reefers "demand" and that is quite inspiring. I do agree with what BigAl said^ but it's obvious that so called rules can be broken and some animals will do what they do, while others will decline. Another tip I've learned during my nem acclimation experience is- place the anemone in a cave or crevice where it can hide it's foot deep. Don't place them on the top of the rock expecting them to stay. They have so called "feelings" and will go into hiding in fear of predation, too much light, too much flow etc. So placing them deep into a crevice will give them time to inch their way out until the are completely happy. There is nothing wrong with breaking the rules in any hobby.
 
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HayesAveLive

New Member
Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the opinions and info. Yes, I am definitely and going to do it since the BT is a free gift to me.

I know it will move around, but if it doesn't settle at the top on it's own, maybe change the way the water flows in the tank to make it decide to settle at the top.

I figured it's worth a try since it's a free anemone.

I'll leave the clown out for now. I do actually already have a big (3.5") maroon clown in another tank. Good point that he might stress the anemone if I put them together right away.

Thanks again. I let you guys know what happens.
 
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