Anemones? or stay away ?

[dboy999]

Just a question iam hearing alot or negativity towards having anemones in your tank?Just would like to hear some opinions on people that have had them or know alot about them.Was wanting to make my first anemone purchase bit not sure now.Just if i could get some ideas of maybe some hardier ones,one eassier to care for an maybe what to stay away from.tank requirments so on..i have a 75 with 410w vho's,80lbs lv an 80 ls,just inverts now an original 2 damsels that started cycle,cycle just ended..thanks

 

[reefnut]

I love anemones as long as they are in someone else's tank .
Seriously though, I have owned two anemones and both have died. The ones I had were never happy so every once in a while they would move and sting all of my corals that were in the path.
Now that I know more about anemones I will personally never own another. Not because I don't like them, just because it's so difficult to have long term success with them.

 

[kelldog4]

Sorry Dude:
I think everybody is going to tell you this is a bad idea - especially with your tank just getting started
You at least want to put off your anemone purchase untill your tank is well established and you are experienced taking care of it.

 

[dboy999]

thanks so far...was thinkin maybe wait a bit ,but would like one...gotta be someone out there thats have had some sucess?no?

 

[stumpdog]

dboy-
Don't forget patience can make or break you in this hobby. Sorry.
Jeremy

 

[katara]

IMO,not a good idea.Especially in a new tank.Chances are you'll regret it.
Get a nice coral instead..if it unfortunatley dies, you won't have to worry about losing everything else in your tank too.

 

[cb]

I got my anemone before I read all the negative things and so far mine is doing well I have a Condi anemone which from what I have read is the hardiest of all. They do however require spot feeding. I feed mine a couple times a week with frozen krill off a bamboo skewer. Mine seems to be very happy and has good color It does move some but always stays on the one side of the tank. I love the one I have but I would wait until your tank is older .

 

[broncofish]

When you know and understand all the reasons not to buy an anemone, then you may be ready to own one. I have kept Ritteri, Bubble tips, and Sabea. I have lost 1 sabea and 1 ritteri. I have had bubble tips, and ritteri split in my tank. I f you are looking to get a typical clown host type anemone here are my words of advice.
1. Wait at LEAST six months to get an Anemone
2. Anemones need strong lighting with in the 6500k-14000k spectrum
3. Feed feed feed your anemone. I feed my ritteri at least once a day(Krill, squid, and silversides)
4. STRONG RANDOM currents, alternating not a constant blast.
5. Be prepared to (depending on tank size) give up half of your tank to their hapiness
6. IME they do better with out RO/DI, I use plain RO, not because of tightness of money, but a decision
7. Start with a tank bred BTA, and be prepared for some wandering, and possibly losing corals to it
this list is just a small sampling. I talked to the every marine biologist, hobbyist, professional I could get to talk. I personaly think anemones are able to kept with success in a aquarium...it just means giving up a lot of other things and doin a LOT of research. Here is a pick of one of mine. HTH

 

[cb]

Nice anemone broncofish. It's true about how your willing to give up. There are things that we thought that we would like to have but didn't because we have the anemone. But we really like our anemone

 

[killafins]

Personally, i think half the people on this board arn't ready for an anenome (no offense) it's just because of these reasons...
Here's a few numbers to think about....
***50 percent of anenome's bought are dead within three months.
***5 percent of experienced hobbyists (2 or more yers of experience) had managed to keep an anenome for at least two years. Meaning 95 percent have failed.
1 in 13 anenomes are said to survive for three or more years.... 1 out of 32 will survieve five or more years. These are even worst and very upsetting numbers.
***Now with these animals, 5 years is considered success (which is quite sad) because in nature a clown hosting anenome can live past a couple hundred years. So around 5 years, the anenome is still considered an infant. THe reason why they survive so long is the wild is cause they only grow old when natural disaster, disease or something along those lines happen.
***Now, here's even a worst number... less than 3 percent of anenome's sold have ever made it to age 5...
***To put this all in prospective... these numbers compared to humans.... growing a child to one year would be considered complete success...
All of this information was from a very informative magazine labeled Tropical Fish hobbyist... i majorly paraprhased but the statistics were studied.... the writer of this article on anenome's was Rob Toonen, PH. D doing the ASK THE REEFER column

 

[broncofish]

Originally posted by killafins
the writer of this article on anenome's was Rob Toonen, PH. D doing the ASK THE REEFER column
Hey killa was this a recent article, or was it a bit older. Just wondering, because I've talked with Dr. Tonnen at some MARS meetings about anemones. I agree that most if not all newbies should not plan on having an anemone for well over two years. Also my understanding of anemones living much past 30yrs in the wild is, that it is a rarity, and only happens under the most perfect of conditions, at least that is the direction that current research is pointing. Still though I agree stay away until you are ready for this, and if you absolutely can not resist....BUY TANK PROPOGATED...I can't stress that enough.

 

[lesa]

THis is depressing

 

[bobo]

Stay away from anemones, leave them in the sea please. more than likely they will have a much shorten life in even the most established aquarium

 

[cb]

This is just my opinion But the anemones that you buy at the lfs have already been taken out of the sea so they are marked to live their life in someone's aquarium. Now if you do the research and have the tank conditions that are required and you are willing to put forth the effort that is needed to take care of one then why not who knows it may live longer in your tank then it would in the tank at the lfs because they just want to sell them you might actually enjoy it and take better care of it. I really enjoy mine I would not have plucked one out of th ocean but mine has better color and seems happy in my tank than most of them in the lfs. Again this is just my opinion on the subject.

 

[craig_08]

I don't know what you guys are talking about anemones being hard to keep. I had one and it has not only thrived, it has multiplied. Aiptasia is some of the hardiest stuff I have ever seen. Seriously though, there are corals that look like anemones that are easier to keep. If you must get one, wait at least 6 months after the cycle and go with a hardy species like Condy or BTA.

 

[tony detroit]

I have some "tank raised" aptasia myself if anybody's interested. Very hardy. IMPOSSIBLE to kill.

 

[cb]

Funny Tony But seriously I think anemones are like anything else in this hobby the end result is the effort put forth. I try to take good care of my anemone and it seems to be very happy. And if anything ever happens to this one I wopuld probably get another one because I enjoy them .

 

[killafins]

How longhave u guys had anenome's???
bronco fish, it was in March this year... i m completely jealous that u got to emet him, lol... he is brilliant.

 

[broncofish]

My most recent Anemone(s) (it split, and is about to again) I have had for about 6 months. I have had a BTA for 3yrs that I ended up giving away(trading) that has now been in my buddies tank for another 6 months now. I also did maintanence on a tank that had a 5 yr old BTA, and I cared for it for an additional 3 yrs, and last I heard it was still alive(it was at my old highschool). I think most people kill their anemones in one of four ways...
1. Not feeding the anemone...I would say feed it as much as it will eat, way more than the once a week I hear people throw around
2. Not enough light, or in the wrong color spectrum
3. Poor water quality/specs. Anemones are mostly water, the quality of your water(including trace elements) is the quality of your anemone
4. Having the wrong current. It needs to be random, not a constant blast ie...wavemaker, surge device etc..
Also a lot of anemones ship very very poorly(Sabea is a prime example) So I can't emphasize enough get one from a local reefer that has been tank propogated. Also I think sabea anems should be left in the ocean. As far as I know not once have they split in captivity, even when put under stress or cut, they will either heal or die.

 

[leigh]

Best decision I ever made with my tank was returning my BTA. It was healthy and doing just fine--but I always worried about it and was always concerned that it'd decide to start moving around again and sting corals. Really just more hassle than it's worth even if you can sustain it.