What Anemone Should I Get?

vgl12

Member
Im about to get a 29g oceanic biocube and i got most everything figured out.Just one thing...... What anemone should i get???? im a beginner but i really want a pretty,bright colored anemone... if you could plz post some picture of your anemone or tell me what kind would be easy and pretty..... so if you would please help that would be great. Thanks
 

blownz281

Member
anemone is not for a beginner no matter what kind. but the easy ones would be with the right lighting flower anemones and they have short tentacles. Condy's need bright light and can grab the fish with there long tentacles. i would advise against getting one as they are hard to keep even for experienced people. as in they need alot more care then say zoo's,mushrooms which are easier. plus you need to cover over all filter intakes with netting or sponge filter media so they don't get sucked up into the filter. you need perfect water quality and a tank thats cycled for atleast six months. atleast T5 lighting... they are very fragile animals. PD and LEX will follow up.
 

perfectdark

Active Member
Its all been said. My advice is none for now... If you decide to not follow the advice my only recomendation would be to look into a healthy bubble tip anemone. You have a few things against you, you are new to the hobby so lack of experience in general SW reef knowledge, your tank is not established which can be a very dangerous to anemones your knowledge of anemones is little or none. Your tank is also too small for one to be kept long term, and depending on size can reek havoc on a small tank.
That said bubble tip anemones are the easiest of all the species however that doesnt make them easy. They still require a lot of attention and care, to insure its survival in your tank. If you find a small specimine then you would be able to care for it for a short time in a cube tank. However you would need to upgrade your lights first.
 

lmecher

Member
AMEN! Good advice.
Too many anemones end up the victim of "new tank syndrom" because people are impatient. Let your tank age and and do some research. Then when your tank is ready you will be too. Believe me when I tell you how bad it sucks when you kill one due to inexperience. : )
 

lexluethar

Active Member
Not much to add at this point, but i would like to recommend getting a tube anemone. Although they really aren't anemones at all, i believe this creature best fits what you are looking for. Your tank is new, and you are a beginner or sorts, and you want a colorful anemone (hard to find, most are a dull brown/tan color when healthy), so I believe a tube anemone would best fit what you are looking for. They have no lighting requirements, are hardier then most anemones, and come in some very vivid colors.
Just my two cents.
 

johnnyd

Member
Originally Posted by blownz281
http:///forum/post/2559776
anemone is not for a beginner no matter what kind. but the easy ones would be with the right lighting flower anemones and they have short tentacles. Condy's need bright light and can grab the fish with there long tentacles. i would advise against getting one as they are hard to keep even for experienced people. as in they need alot more care then say zoo's,mushrooms which are easier. plus you need to cover over all filter intakes with netting or sponge filter media so they don't get sucked up into the filter. you need perfect water quality and a tank thats cycled for atleast six months. atleast T5 lighting... they are very fragile animals. PD and LEX will follow up.
i have to disaagree with some of your comments, my tank was 1-2 months old when i added my anemone (rock nem) and it is healthy as can be. i also have a condy.
is you have good fitlration, skimmer, and lighting that suits an anemone thigns will be fine.
 

johnnyd

Member
Originally Posted by blownz281
http:///forum/post/2559776
anemone is not for a beginner no matter what kind. but the easy ones would be with the right lighting flower anemones and they have short tentacles. Condy's need bright light and can grab the fish with there long tentacles. i would advise against getting one as they are hard to keep even for experienced people. as in they need alot more care then say zoo's,mushrooms which are easier. plus you need to cover over all filter intakes with netting or sponge filter media so they don't get sucked up into the filter. you need perfect water quality and a tank thats cycled for atleast six months. atleast T5 lighting... they are very fragile animals. PD and LEX will follow up.
i have to disaagree with some of your comments, my tank was 1-2 months old when i added my anemone (rock nem) and it is healthy as can be. i also have a condy.
if you have good fitlration, skimmer, and lighting that suits an anemone thigns will be fine.
 

perfectdark

Active Member
Originally Posted by johnnyd
http:///forum/post/2560161
i have to disaagree with some of your comments, my tank was 1-2 months old when i added my anemone (rock nem) and it is healthy as can be. i also have a condy.
if you have good fitlration, skimmer, and lighting that suits an anemone thigns will be fine.
There is the chance that yes your tank can reach stability and the hobbiest be lucky enough to aquire a rather hardy animal and not have issues with water perameter swings etc etc... however the % is minimal and yes there are circumstances where it happens. Much like the scenario of, I have a perc and a maroon clown together and they get along just fine. This maybe true however as a rule its not something that is recomended. If the out come of the scenario happens as expected the hobbiest cannot come back to say, how come this happend? Taking on an anemone this early is chancing a lot, getting lucky is gambling IMO, not something I would recomend.
 

tj51

Member
I had a sebae it wilted everyday and finally didn't come back. I currently have a bubble-tip and it is doing very well, so that would be my recommendation; however, the rose anemone is sure a great looking one. I was at a LFS the other day and saw a "mountain dew" anemone which was also cool
 

blownz281

Member
Yes sometimes you can get away with stuff.. but with a new tank, water chemistry is not as stable as a older tank with all the extra bacteria in the sand bed and filters. Years ago i had glass anemones living in complete darkness in a filter one time. because babies got sucked into the filter. They were in there for months until i decided to kill them off. so it comes down to not worth stressing the animal out or killing it. petstores do that enough as it is. It would be great if compaines started selling BTA clones and other anemones that they could get to split or manually split them. so that the impact in the wild wasn't so hard. i always see condy's rotting away in petstores,then they turn around and add more to the tank the next week. such a waste! or the anemone looks okay to beginner and its bleeched,color dyed,or just not healthy then dies and makes a mess of there tank.
 

vgl12

Member
thanks man that makes me feel better..... im thinking that after 4 0r 5 mounths i may get one ( after i know alot about them and My tanks doing good)
 

lexluethar

Active Member
Its also about consistency. While after a few months SOME peoples tanks are stable, the hobbiest themselves are still unfamiliar with the tank. Water changes, salinity changes, mixing the right amount of water, adding water, taking water out, changing filter pads, all of these things can contribute to an unstable tank. So even though your tank may have zero's accross the board and your temp, light, and sg are right on, that doesn't mean that after your water change the following week it still would be. I found it took me about 5 months of just water changes before i felt completely comfortable with the process. And it took me that long to get the mixture down pat, sometimes i would add too much salt to a new batch, sometimes too little, things like this can contribute to an unstable tank as well. So it is best advised to wait until your tank is stable and you are totally familiar / comfortable with the general maintenance of your tank before adding something as fragile as an anemone.
Your tank your choice, we are just advising you not to do it based off of the success rates with new tanks. Like john said, it doesn't mean it won't work, but I for one would be advising someone to purchase one because it worked for me, we need to look at the larger picture and realize statistically the odds are against you if you purchase one.
 

perfectdark

Active Member
Originally Posted by tj51
http:///forum/post/2560370
. I was at a LFS the other day and saw a "mountain dew" anemone which was also cool
Never heard of it... I would be curious to know what species they are claiming to be a Mountain Dew Anemone. I would be concerned that it is either a dyed LTA or a bleached BTA under heavy actinics being flouresced by them showing that ever so popular mountain dew electric green color.
 

tj51

Member
Next time I'm there, I will try to find the species. It had green and white tenacles and the foot was greenish.
 

tj51

Member
blownz I sent a PM with the store's info if you want to call and find out what the anemone is called
 

perfectdark

Active Member
I am wondering if this is the anemone you are refering too...This is a Anthopleura xanthogrammica more commonly known as Giant Green Anemone. Its natural color is this green due to the presence of an algae known as zoochlorellae along with zooxanthellae. They are found in low intertidal to the sub-intertidal zone from Alaska to Panama. They are found in either sand or gravel filled pools on rocky shores. Here's a pic....
 

tj51

Member
that's cool looking, but not it......it has mainly white tenacles with some green (and maybe even a little red) I will take a break from work and call to ask
 

perfectdark

Active Member
Yep magnificent sea anemone or Ritteri anemone, Heteractis Magnifica. This is the 2nd largest and most difficult of all species of anemones too have they require at least 175 watts of MH lighting in a shallow tank. They can grow over 3' in diameter. The largest is Stichodactyla mertensii or Merten's Sea Anemone.
The Magnifica is not seen in white but has shades of darker green to purple'ish base and foot. Any white color witnessed is most likley due to lack of light and bleaching has started.
 
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