anemones

[feixjai]

i and new to the anemones and clownfish and i was wanting to get some but i figured that i should ask here for some help. i have a few questions
#1 do clownfishes really need anemone or can they just live with a lot of rock work?
#2 are anemones hard to take care of?
#3 what happens if the anemones dies?
#4 do i need any special equipment to take care of the anemones?
#5 are anemones good for a 20 gallon tank?

 

[dory36]

1. It depends on who you talk to. Some people believe they need one and others believe anemones belong in the ocean. If you buy a tank bred clown, they won't have a clue what one is and will probably never use it. But, you might be lucky!
2. We've had an anemone for a little over a month now and it's not a lot of work. We feed ours about 3 times a week and our clown takes food to it when I do my regular daily feedings.
3. If it dies you need to remove it asap.
4. You need good lighting.
5. Again, some will say yes, some no. If you have a lot of coral, be careful. Anemones like to take walks occasionally and can severely injure coral in its path. I lost half a xenia and half a hammer due to my anemone. This is a picture of what happened to my hammers:

 

[maeistero]

my anen in my 55 is doing wonderful under low light conditions (2 48" marineglo's) it took about 6 months before the clown wanted to snuggle, but since then it's grown immensely. it was about 3" when i got it (a pink) and now it's up to 10" fully extended. it's the greatest thing in the world watching the clown grab food and take it back to the anen. i love it. i watched anen's at my lfs for quite awhile before i bought and noted their light conditions. some unpopular things at the lfs can live quite well for long periods of time under not-so-good conditions. those are the ones i focus on, as they will live a long time under perfect conditions.
imo :thinking:

 

[broncofish]

Originally Posted by Dory36
2. We've had an anemone for a little over a month now and it's not a lot of work. We feed ours about 3 times a week and our clown takes food to it when I do my regular daily feedings.
I'm not picking dory, but thats like saying I have had a kid for a day, and they are not that hard to take care of. Anemones live for hundreds to thousands of years in the wild. I think until you fully understand the complexity of an anemone then you should not get one feixjai.
Your clownfish will be fine with out one.
Yes they are hard to care for long term, and I don't usually consider keeping one as a success until after several years, and your anemone splitting(if you go with a breed that splits)
For long term success of an anemone, you need at a minimum VHO's or PC's, and for some MH's. YOu should also cover all the intakes to your powerheads, and overflows, and if you have a heater in your main tank then a heater gaurd as well. Also IMO if you are going to have anemones you should have a nice strong random current, so a wave maker or some decent planning of where you are going to aim your powerheads.
as far as in a 20g, here is a quote from one online store, that I would say has less than high morals when it comes to sizes for fish in aquariums
"They require an aquarium of at least 30 gallons, as they can grow up to 12" across in the aquarium."
Perhaps going with a hairy mushroom or some frog spawn would be a better solution, there is a decent chance of clowns hosting in either of those. They are easier to take care of as well.

 

[blemmy_guy]

Sounds like your picking to me. I really doubt anyone on here fully understands the all the comlexities of 99% of what we all have in our tanks. All be it some more than others, none of them were meant to live in captivity, yet they do.
I have kids, 5 of them for 17 yrs now and i still dont fully understand them! You were really coming down hard on someone whom you dont even know the extent of ther knowledge on anenomies and was only trying to help another fish lover. This is supposed to be a help board not a critisize board. however you may have been trying to help, it really came across like you were talking down t them instead of helping them. just my observation, if im wrong im sorry, but i dont think i am. ANd i agree with some of what you say, except for the part that the clown doesnt need an anenomie, they have them in the wild . I just think we should be a little less condesending when were trying to help others.
todd

 

[inkman2004]

Thanks Blemmy. Someone needed to tell Bronco that. He has this same thing to me several times and I have just bit my lip. I would prefer if he didn't answer my posts anymore.

 

[dory36]

Yes, thanks Todd! I appreciate your comment!

I was giving feixjai my personal experience with anemones. Yes, I've only had mine a few weeks but it hasn't been a lot of work in that time and it's thriving under my care. Ask me again in another month or two and I may have changed my mind!

But, as of today, that's my personal experience with anemones and if someone doesn't like my opinion, then GO AWAY!!

 

[kaotik]

1) No, clowns do not NEED an anemone, but in nature, anemone's are their homes so they would probably prefer one. Also depends on the clown, some wont even take to an anemone.
2) Yes, most anemone are pretty hard to care for because of their stong lighting and pristine water condition needs.
3) Remove it asap, as it could release toxic matter into your water
4) You need strong actinic lighting and pristine water conditions
5) Some anemones remain small 5-6 inches, so some would be okay i think as long as the tank is not overcrowded. I wouldnt have any coral in the tank with it though.