Hardiest anemones? Least aggressive?
- Thread starter thered
- Start date
azonic
Active Member
I'd have to agree. They do need a lot of light to survive and 144 watts of power compacts doesn't seem like it would cut it to me.
I've kept a BTA and a sebae under 800 watts of halides with actinic supplements with success but I wouldn't attempt one without halides. They will probably live and seem ok but they will likely just die a slow death.
I've kept a BTA and a sebae under 800 watts of halides with actinic supplements with success but I wouldn't attempt one without halides. They will probably live and seem ok but they will likely just die a slow death.
T
thomas712
Guest
I think that lighting here is an issue as well, therefore no recommendations other than upgrade your lighting before even considering an anemone.
Thomas
Thomas
spsfreak100
Active Member
Remember that lighting isn't the only thing that helps to keep an anemone alive. There are many other factors that will help with the husbandry of anemones.
I did take a look in your signature. I noticed you had a gold stripe maroon clownfish. Are you buying the anemone for the clownfish? If so 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 clown. 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.
Anemones do best in the ocean, which is where they belong.
Take Care,
Graham
I did take a look in your signature. I noticed you had a gold stripe maroon clownfish. Are you buying the anemone for the clownfish? If so 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 clown. 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.
Anemones do best in the ocean, which is where they belong.
Take Care,
Graham
azonic
Active Member
While I do agree with SPSFreak's overall message(dont buy anemone), I don't agree with the advice about buying corals with the intent on providing shelter for a clownfish.
Not only will that stress a coral to no-end, some of the corals you listed have a very nasty sting when they feel threatened. Speaking from experience with one of the corals...the bubble coral...I had a small goldstripe maroon in my 90 gallon before I sold it....he used to hang around the bubble coral from time to time...one day the bubble coral stung him. It was such a sin to watch. The fish didn't die but for an hour or so after he had a very evident twitch every couple of seconds as a result(im assuming) of the sting. That being said, I would not recommend the use of any coral for the sole purpose of providing shelter for a clown.
I'd also like to know where the "4 month" survival time was obtained from? I believe that under the right conditions any anemone can thrive.
Not only will that stress a coral to no-end, some of the corals you listed have a very nasty sting when they feel threatened. Speaking from experience with one of the corals...the bubble coral...I had a small goldstripe maroon in my 90 gallon before I sold it....he used to hang around the bubble coral from time to time...one day the bubble coral stung him. It was such a sin to watch. The fish didn't die but for an hour or so after he had a very evident twitch every couple of seconds as a result(im assuming) of the sting. That being said, I would not recommend the use of any coral for the sole purpose of providing shelter for a clown.
I'd also like to know where the "4 month" survival time was obtained from? I believe that under the right conditions any anemone can thrive.
spsfreak100
Active Member
Originally posted by Azonic
While I do agree with SPSFreak's overall message(dont buy anemone), I don't agree with the advice about buying corals with the intent on providing shelter for a clownfish.
Not only will that stress a coral to no-end, some of the corals you listed have a very nasty sting when they feel threatened.
Azonic,
Clowns actually naturally host in many species of soft corals and numourous species of Large Polyp Stoney corals. Clownfish are found hosting in these corals in the wild. They aren't only associated with anemones.
Speaking from experience with one of the corals...the bubble coral...I had a small goldstripe maroon in my 90 gallon before I sold it....he used to hang around the bubble coral from time to time...one day the bubble coral stung him. It was such a sin to watch. The fish didn't die but for an hour or so after he had a very evident twitch every couple of seconds as a result(im assuming) of the sting.
If it was indeed a sting from the bubble coral, the clown would be almost paralized
The twitching is most likely a motion from a parasite, borrowing into the tissue of the clownfish.That being said, I would not recommend the use of any coral for the sole purpose of providing shelter for a clown.
Then what do you recommend for these clowns to use as a shelter? Since anemones are out, the only other places for these clown to use would be corals.
I'd also like to know where the "4 month" survival time was obtained from? I believe that under the right conditions any anemone can thrive.
Under the right condition, anemones may thrive. Yes. I am not at all disagreing with you on that. If the anemone is kept in the best possible enviroment, similiar or exact to that of its natural enviroment, it should very well thrive. Now, many aquarists keep their anemones in poor conditions. Who knows what it may be. It could possibly be that there's too much iodine in the aquarium. I see hundreds of threads with people who add regular additions of iodine, when in most cases, the tank has 3x enough iodine that it needs. There's most likely thousands of reasons anemones don't live too long in the home aquarium. Anyways, 4 months is the average time that anemones will live in captivity. Some even say 3 months.
I also apologize if this message came across slightly rude. It was not in my intention to make it sound rude.
Take Care,
Graham
hhands361
Member
Super intense Light I don't think is always necerssary for an anemone. I have a 50 gal with 200 watts of pc lighting. I have had my anemone (LTA) for like 7-8 months and trust me, its THRIVING. It has like quadruplued in size, eats well, and looks great and always has. But SPsfreak and Azonic are right in the fact that an anemone is not necessary for a clown and that there are many alternatives for a host invertabrate, especially with your lower light.
thered
Member
The anemone will not be for the goldstripe, which will be in another tank. My percs will be with the anemones but I know they aren't needed to keep my fish alive. Other threads say that 4.8 watts per gallon will be enough for some but not all types of anemones. I want an anemone because I like the way they look. But I will (and have )consider alternates. I do know that they are hard to keep but there are alot of things out there that are hard to keep.
sterling
Member
I got a condy about 9 months ago because my maroon clown stressed out my long tent plate and it died. i couldn't find a BTA so I settled for a condy (cheap if it didn't make it). It has tripled in size, my maroon LOVES it, he feeds it before he eats himself. Probably why it's grown so much.
It touches a colt coral and a frogspawn sometimes, and I was afraid they would eventually curl up and die from that, but so far it hasn't effected them. When it had gotten to this size and moved around some, where it started touching those corals, I thought about getting it out somehow, but as yet I have left it in the tank. I put a couple of rocks between it and the colt.
You'll see my lighting in my signature, my tank is a 125 gallon.
It touches a colt coral and a frogspawn sometimes, and I was afraid they would eventually curl up and die from that, but so far it hasn't effected them. When it had gotten to this size and moved around some, where it started touching those corals, I thought about getting it out somehow, but as yet I have left it in the tank. I put a couple of rocks between it and the colt.
You'll see my lighting in my signature, my tank is a 125 gallon.