How many BTA's can I have in a 55 gallon?

[fireangel]

Hello All,
I just wanted to get some opinions on how many BTA's I can safetly keep in a 55 Gallon? If they touch, will they sting each other? My tank is an odd shaped 55g rectangle that is 30Lx20Dx20H. I have a 3" (80lbs) bed of live sand and about 45-50 lbs of live rock. I have had this tank set up for almost 3 years now as a fish only. I wanted a change so I was thinking that a Clownfish/Anemone tank would be nice. I have experience with Corals, but not Anemones. I want to keep 1 species of Anemone and a pair (or group) of Clowns. I like the BTA's the most and my LFS always seems to have a few different colors. Another question I have is if any of you have had luck with Percs or False Percs hosting BTA's? I gave away all of my fish except for my B & W False Perc pair which are still really young and not very agressive (they had a pair of Skunk Clowns among others with them before and were fine). I was thinking of adding a few more either B&W or regular ones and hope they will pair off and host the other Anemones. Please let me know what you think.

 

[threed240]

I would suggest only one. If your tanks parameters are good, the BTA will grow, maybe even split.

 

[dawman]

You only want one as with two they don`t even need to touch each other to kill each other . It is very common for your B&W Ocellaris clowns to host a BTA .

 

[nietzsche]

i thought you could keep the same species of anemones together and they wouldnt kill each other? like gbta, rbta will be fine touching each other.. i pretty sure they will be fine.

 

[vorlx]

I had no problems with my rbta and a normal bta in my 75g. That is until the rbta kamakazied into my powerhead. I wonder if the normal bta talked him into it out of jealousy. hmmm =)

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by nietzsche
i thought you could keep the same species of anemones together and they wouldnt kill each other? like gbta, rbta will be fine touching each other.. i pretty sure they will be fine.
I *think* the only true safe way to keep multiple anemones in the same tank is if they are clones.
That said, I think the research is rather lacking in this department. Some Grad student out there looking for a research topic really needs to get on this.

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by 1journeyman
I *think* the only true safe way to keep multiple anemones in the same tank is if they are clones.

TRUE.. from what I have researched the only real way to ensure that multiple anems will get along is if they are from the same clone.
Although in a large enough tank people have reported scenarios where they have kept multiple species of anems with no issues. But not every scenario is the same, and others have reported disasters.

 

[dawman]

Originally Posted by PerfectDark
TRUE.. from what I have researched the only real way to ensure that multiple anems will get along is if they are from the same clone.
Although in a large enough tank people have reported scenarios where they have kept multiple species of anems with no issues. But not every scenario is the same, and others have reported disasters.
+1

 

[nietzsche]

thats really weird, people on -- seem to think otherwise... oh well

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by nietzsche
thats really weird, people on -- seem to think otherwise... oh well
IMO Its because they are experiments that people have had success with. However, scientifically is there proof that clones of the same anems will co-exist. YES it has been scientifically researched to be successful, and I have to date not read of an instance where it failed. (although I havent read everything out there) As the later has been scientifically reasearched to be successful too, there are several instances where this was a failure.
I guess it falls under the same rule of thumb about clown fish species and mixing.

 

[dawman]

Originally Posted by nietzsche
thats really weird, people on -- seem to think otherwise... oh well
There really is no scientific proof on how they react to other nems either their offspring or one non related . It`s all from different experiences people have had with anemones . Anemones are mysterious and the world is still learning about them .
Some people get away with multiple anemones and others don`t . But in a 55 I wouldn`t try it .
I guess it`s like mixing clown species , I have done so with great results , but others haven`t . Also mixing anemones can put havoc on your tank and if clowns don`t get along you can remove them . With anemones , it`s too late by the time you see if there is something wrong . I sure wouldn`t want to have a big risk of destroying my tanks because of wanting two anemones .

 

[rod buehle]

If they are the same species, there is no problem. I keep multiple BTAs together. I have kept my giganteas together....

 

[nietzsche]

Originally Posted by Rod Buehle
If they are the same species, there is no problem. I keep multiple BTAs together. I have kept my giganteas together....
yeah thats what i thought. phender on -- says the same and lot of people on -- have a lot of experience with keeping them together and being fine.
thanks rod

 

[steelgluer]

I started with one BTA 2 yrs ago. It has slpit they have split and now I have 5 BTA'S so I would say clones are fine. They are all in a 75 and all on a the same 25lb rock.

 

[fireangel]

Thanks all for your comments and opinions. I think I'll play it safe and start with one. Hopefully he/she will be really happy and split for me.

 

[thomas712]

I've had more than 35+ BTA's from the same original parent. As to multiple species it is possible that there could be chemical warfare between them, it is simply a wise idea not to invite such problematic scenarios.

 

[msez2u]

That is a neat picture. I like the little clown with his head poking out from under.

 

[boostinger]

i have a rbta a gbta and a purple tip condy all in a 72 bow and they are all fine just my experence

 

[cpbirds407]

I've had different ones together and never had a problem. Just my experience.

 

[kerriann]

to be honest, i don't think there is any right or wrong answer to this question - it's simply a luck of the draw. i have a BTA and a Haitian LTA in a 24 gal nano that are quite happy together, despite what most expect. you could have one BTA in a 55 gal and it could not work out for you. IMO, if you're willing to keep an eye on the situation and take the risk of getting two or three then go for it. however, i'd wait probably 2-3 weeks before adding the next one. just don't wait TOO long because then the first one probably won't be happy about the new addition. also, you'll want to wait the first guy settles into wherever it's happy and drop the new guy as far away as possible.
in my case, i got the BTA first and let it adjust the about 2 1/2 weeks later i got the haitian. the haitian went right up the BTA, they checked each other out then the haitian settled on the other side. the BTA seemed to be purging a lot after that until we got an anemone crab, which hosted the BTA. now the BTA is bigger and more open than ever and the haitian sits right up front perfectly happy. neither have moved for, oh, 2-3 months now! whether or not any of these events are related, i dunno. and there's ALWAYS the possibility of my whole tank crashing but everythings great right now and i have yet to have a major problem so i'm banking on that for a bit.