Anemone myth?

[blanquita]

I have always wanted an anemone but from research I concluded they are extremely hard to keep alive for more than a year.
I know they need perfect and constant parameters and slight temp changes piss them off.
I was also told that if you keep a nem in a tank too small they will move around to try to get comfy and eventually die from lack of space.
Is this true?
I have a 29 gallon, is it too small? And what is the perfect lighting for them? I have CF 65w

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by blanquita
http:///forum/post/3244315
I have always wanted an anemone but from research I concluded they are extremely hard to keep alive for more than a year.
I know they need perfect and constant parameters and slight temp changes piss them off.
I was also told that if you keep a nem in a tank too small they will move around to try to get comfy and eventually die from lack of space.
Is this true?
I have a 29 gallon, is it too small? And what is the perfect lighting for them? I have CF 65w

You need a mature tank..At least 6 months up and running. Also T5s or MH lighting for most anemones. A rock anemone kept at the top of a tank on a rock with Power Compacts 4 X 65w 50/50 bulbs can be done because I have done it.
A small tank won't allow fish to swim around the anemone and they will get eaten or stung as they try and navigate around it.
All anemones seek out a comfy spot, they move when they want. Power heads are the main anemone killers.
From my anemone experience, once acclimated and dug into a happy place, they are tough and don't die so easy. Keep nitrates below 40.

 

[saxman]

nems aren't the easiest critter in the world to keep, and those that die within a year have likely starved, whether it's from lack of sufficient lighting or not being fed properly. they simply kinda just get smaller and smaller until they die.
they also require mature setups (> 6mos) for the optimum chance of living, and of course, getting a good specimen to begin with is key (i've seen some pretty bad-looking nems out there).
to be honest, your lighting is a bit dim, but you could keep a BTA (E. quadricolor) with little trouble, but i wouldn't try anything else except a Cerianthus (tube nem), which requires no lighting, altho it's not a true nem.
nems move around for several reasons, flow, food, lighting, etc. IME, BTA's like to have their "foot" in holes in the LR, and will tend to stay put if they are fed regularly (silversides is a good food).
HTH

 

[scsinet]

I have never had any trouble keeping anemones alive... except in nano tanks.
IME the type of experience you have with anemones varies greatly depending on light. A lot of their reputation comes from LFS owners who are absolutely notorious for selling anemones to customers with entirely unsuitable lighting. They absolutely require Metal Halide or T5.
It's not so much room with anemones, it's choices. Anemones move to where they are comfortable. A larger tank has more places to choose from, with varying flow characteristics. Smaller tanks are less likely to have a place that they find suitable.
Finally, anemones require water stability. I've found that they are more tolerant to temperature fluctuations and various water conditions, but water quality and chemistry changes are a real problem for them. Smaller tanks are usually less stable in this regard.
Whether a 29G is too small or not depends on the anemone. I wouldn't keep a carpet or a magnifica in one of those tanks, but a bubble tip may be okay, but even these can get huge for a tank this size.
Keep in mind that anenomes and clownfish are generally species specific. The most popular clowns, Percula and Ocellaris, often won't even host in a bubble tip, the most commonly kept anemone, while Maroon clowns almost always will. There are frequent exceptions to this rule, but you should research what clown you have (I assume you have a clown you want to host in the anemone), and figure out what the best anemones are for it. However, I wouldn't even try one without a lighting upgrade.

 

[rod buehle]

teh questions are sort of broad. First let me say that a wandering anemone is an unhappy anemone. If you can provide the right conditions and get a good healthy anemone to start with they can actually be quite hardy depending on teh species and, again, the environment that YOU provide. IMO, a biocube is not a good environment for any of the hosting species. Possibly an E.quadricolor ( AKA BTA) but eeven then, your lighting is likely under par (pun intended

)
There are many species of hosting anemones, and they have different needs depending on the type.. For instance, an s.gigantea ( a type of carpet) is probable one of the most difficult anemone to keep. They usually found in shallow tide pools where temps, salinity and other factors vary greatly every day.. even hourly... Will require very strong lighting and will do better in a surge type of environment. An S. hadoni ( a different carpet) is usually collected deeper and in sand /mud flats. The lighting requirements arent as difficult, but they wont appreciate the fluctuations that a gigantea will. I guess the point is, if you research the species of anemone that you have and provide the conditions for that anemone and not "anemones" in general, you will have much more success.

 

[hunt]

Originally Posted by blanquita
http:///forum/post/3244315
I have always wanted an anemone but from research I concluded they are extremely hard to keep alive for more than a year.
I know they need perfect and constant parameters and slight temp changes piss them off.
I was also told that if you keep a nem in a tank too small they will move around to try to get comfy and eventually die from lack of space.
Is this true?
I have a 29 gallon, is it too small? And what is the perfect lighting for them? I have CF 65w
I have two BTAs in my 29g, and they are thriving.

I they only moved a few inches from where i put them, they are pretty small, and qnce they get bigger i will sell one, but all i do is give them light, good water conditions, and a piece of silverside once a week.

 

[mr.clownfish]

Originally Posted by Rod Buehle
http:///forum/post/3244389
teh questions are sort of broad. First let me say that a wandering anemone is an unhappy anemone. If you can provide the right conditions and get a good healthy anemone to start with they can actually be quite hardy depending on teh species and, again, the environment that YOU provide. IMO, a biocube is not a good environment for any of the hosting species. Possibly an E.quadricolor ( AKA BTA) but eeven then, your lighting is likely under par (pun intended

)
There are many species of hosting anemones, and they have different needs depending on the type.. For instance, an s.gigantea ( a type of carpet) is probable one of the most difficult anemone to keep. They usually found in shallow tide pools where temps, salinity and other factors vary greatly every day.. even hourly... Will require very strong lighting and will do better in a surge type of environment. An S. hadoni ( a different carpet) is usually collected deeper and in sand /mud flats. The lighting requirements arent as difficult, but they wont appreciate the fluctuations that a gigantea will. I guess the point is, if you research the species of anemone that you have and provide the conditions for that anemone and not "anemones" in general, you will have much more success.
ive read that haddoni anemones like to roam around a lot.
and mine does roam a lot... so this is normal?

 

[kirqleffna]

Wow thats really interesting. Thnx for sharing.

 

[btldreef]

I've kept anemones in all my tanks, 14G to 155G and under all types of lighting, LED, PC, T5HO, MH.
Here's the issues:
Nems need PERFECT water parameters. An anemone should not go in the tank of a new hobbyist. A new hobbyist or even a seasoned one should not purchase an anemone unless they really know what they're looking at, because there are a lot of unhealthy, yet still colorful anemones out there. Someone who doesn't know what they're looking at goes, "That's so pretty, I want that." They bring it home, it dies in less than 6 months and they wonder what happened.
Anemones will usually move around when first introduced to a tank, but usually will eventually find a place to call home that makes them happy. If your anemone never settles into one spot, it's not happy. Changing the flow every other day to try to make the anemone happy will only aggravate it more, a lot of people do this and in turn, the nem suffers and dies.
Feeding:
You can't just place food on the anemone and expect it to eat. A) It needs to be hungry and B) The pieces need to be small enough for it to digest. I NEVER feed anything other than the food I feed my fish, regardless of the size of the anemone. I've noticed that with large anemones, if they get accustomed to eating larger chunks of food, they are more likely to grab a fish. Keep the pieces small. I just shoot a little fish food in their direction during feedings once or twice a week. Let the food flow through the tentacles rather than just plopping the food on the mouth.
They can survive in smaller thanks, for your tank, you'd be far better off with a small BTA that is a baby off of someone else's so you might want to look on some local reef forums to see if anyone has had an anemone split lately and they're willing to sell.
DO NOT buy an anemone that has been kept high up on the rocks under MH lighting, it will die in your tank. Try to find someone (whether a local reefer or LFS) that has kept the anemone further away from the light or under PC or T5 lights, this will greatly improve your success rate. DO NOT buy an anemone online, you need to see it and know what you're getting. You need to know what kind of water parameters and light parameters its been kept under.