anamone too early.

E

elan

Guest
my tank is newly cycled and i am dying to get an anamone for my clown fish. I read many times, over and over, that my tank should be fully cycled for at least 6 months before adding one.
I guess i am just stobborn and i really want one, and willing to take the risk of having one die (although i am not sure of the entire risk)
If i get one (probably a very inexpensive one such as the Florida Condi ) and it ends up dying, will it ruin the entire tank? basically killing all the fish in the tank when it goes? or is the risk basically of the anemone itself dying?
And, does anyone know of any really hardy anamones? i hear the florida one is pretty hardy..
I will have a 175w MH for lighting and will feed it freeze dried krill and some mashed raw fish twice a week.
any ideas?
 
poiboy

poiboy

Member
Well, most say it's to early. Now if it dies it really depends on how early you catch it. When they die they melt. As far as feeding, I would not feed it dried food, because it contains small air bubbles that get caught in the tips causing it to fall off. Try cut shrimp, squid, 2/3 times a week. L8TR
 
sea goblin

sea goblin

Member
anemones being hardy is almost like an oxymoron.....If you are dead set on keeping one though you will have to monitor your water conditions almost daily to make sure that the water does not fluctuate in ammo or trites and trates. If or when it dies, as I am resonably sure it will, you will want to take it out emediately and do atleast a 10% probably more like a 20% water change.
Im sure if you have done the research then you know that you need the best water conditions...and in a new system its not gonna work, the tank is gonna fluctuate from day to day untill it matures. I hope for the best.....and i also hope you will reconcider your decision to get one.
Sea Goblin
 
poiboy

poiboy

Member
Try a LTA or BTA. I had both for 5 months and grow very fast. I traded in my LTA for a white BTA much smaller.
L8TR
 
justinx

justinx

Active Member
First, I know that you really want an anemone, but if you know that it is going to die, why waste your money, and the life of the animal? Not trying to be mean here or flame you or anything, just looking out for the best interest of the hobby.
secondly, an anemone, or anything for that matter dying in your tank will almost always spell disaster. Many times it can even cause the entire tank to re-cycle completely if not rectified. This is not a risk that i, as well as others are willing to take.
Third, there is no such thing as a "hardy anemone" except those left in the wild.
 
spsfreak100

spsfreak100

Active Member
I agree with JustinX.
If it dies, it's not an "Oh well" experience. These wonderful creatures are pulled out of the ocean, put on planes, flown half way around the world, just to be put in an immature aquarium which is not at all disigned to house them in any way. It's not worth the money, nor the time needed for caring for it.
Even the hardier species of anemone, including the Bubble Tip, still have a life. Don't base everything on the price tag for these creatures. Very few anemones make it past the 2 year mark, and I would say around 1% makes it over the 4 years mark, in the home aquarium. The longest i've seen an anemone alive in the home aquarium, would be 7 years. This would be compared to the thousands of years the anemone could possibly be alive in the ocean.
Anemones should be left in the ocean, where they belong. They aren't ment to be held up in captivity. Save a life, and please stay away from buying the anemone.
Clowns do not need an anemone to live a healthy and happy life in captivity. You can take that statement as a fact.
All anemones will have horible survival rates, and few live over 4 months. An Anemone of any kind should not be bought for the clowns. Anemones may move where they wish, which gives them a high chance of stinging other corals, getting stuck in a powerhead, or getting stung. Anemones are actually not "Real" reef inhabitants. Many have only been recently introduced into reef aquariums. For the most part, anemones do not survive well in the home aquariums. Even if you had the perfect setup, it probably will still die.
If you want something for your clowns to host in, I would recommend a Toadstool leather (Sarcophyton sp.) for your clownfish. These will make perfect hosts for the clownfish, and often will resemble an Anemone. Many other types of leathers including the Devils Hand (Lobophytum sp.), Spaghetti Leather (Sinularia flexibis) and Finger Leather (Sinularia sp.) will also work fine.
Other good hosts include the Colt coral (Cladiella sp., or, Alcyonium sp.), Kenya Tree (Capnella sp.-should be added to a mature aquarium), Alveopora (Alveopora sp.), Torch Coral (Euphyllia glabrescens), Hammar Coral (Euphyllia ancora), Bubble Coral (Plerogyra sp.), Green Star Polyps (Pachyclavularia sp.), Xenia (Xenia sp.?), Frogspawn (Euphyllia sp.), etc.
There were many I never meantioned, only due to the care level required for them, and the difficulty of keeping them sucessfully alive. Some of these include the Flowerpot (Goniopora sp.), Plate Coral (Heliofungia Actiniformis), and Elegance (Catalaphyllia sp.) to name a few.
Please do not buy an anemone. Save your money and buy it on something that will actually live.
But, as Broomer always says:
"Your Tank~Your Choice"
Graham
 
harrysreef

harrysreef

Member
SPS is giving you good information, however we have all given in at one time or another. If you really want to try wait for a while and let your tank mature a little more. Good Luck:p
 
E

elan

Guest
wow.. thank you!! thank you!! thank you!
I must say, this hobbie attracts some very kind and considerate people (not to mention patient people) lol.;)
I have decided agains getting the anemone and letting my tank mature in order to get some of the coral graham suggested (thanks for your advice :))
I am now sitting with my corals book by sprung trying to figure out which one my clown will like best. i understand your vote is for Toadstool leather. I am still going though my book but noticed that it lacks their temp environment. Do you know which one will enjoy 80-82? I have two 175w MH with acenics so i hope that is enough light.
poiboy, what is a LTA or BTA?:confused:
Thanks again all!
 
saltyshark

saltyshark

Member

Originally posted by elan
what is a LTA or BTA?:confused:
LTA = Long Tip Anemone
BTA = Bubble Tip Anemone
Glad you decided against buying an anemone...for now at least:D
 
spsfreak100

spsfreak100

Active Member

Originally posted by elan
i understand your vote is for Toadstool leather. I am still going though my book but noticed that it lacks their temp environment. Do you know which one will enjoy 80-82? I have two 175w MH with acenics so i hope that is enough light.
All the corals meantioned could easily survive under such a temperature of 80-82 degrees F. As long as the aquarium doesn't rise to 85 degrees or more, you would be okay.
I also want to second SaltyShark's statements :) We're all glad you decided to buy something that would live and thrive in your aquarium, instead of buying an anemone which most likely would have had a stressful life and possibly died within the first 4 months. Great choice.
Graham
 
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