what r the basics

redbora

Member
I've been thinking about getting an anemone, but i've been unsure. Not sure of the requirements and how much upkeep is needed to keep one alive or what to do if it were to die. I have a 60 gal with two 250wat mh/35wat t5 for lighting and enough water flow to keep them. But I have a pretty good starting sps and some softs, will it be a bad idea to add an anemone now since it might kill items in it's path to find a place to stay??
Basically, if i could get a crash course in anemone keeping, that would be great.

Thanks
 
J

jrthomas40

Guest
i dont have much luck keeping them either but i have managed to keep this last one a while and it has split...people say they split because of being unhappy and some say because they are happy...i have 2 250hqi and 2 95watt vhos but i am kinda winging it and have found that if you just let it roam until it finds itself a home then move everything else around it..if you can do that...then just make sure it is getting enough light and feed it from time to time...also it is a good idea to turn the powerheads off for awhile until it finds a place then turn them back on to see if it likes the place it picked..if it doesn leave them on and let it roam and move everything else
 

bellusangel

New Member
Good light as in MH or T5s. Make sure you have a good sized tank with plenty of room for the anemone to grow (30 gallons or larger). Good water quality and run carbon one week a month. Lots of rocks for a BTA and a deep sand bed for any anemone that likes being in the sand. Before you buy a anemone make sure your tank is old enough to support a anemone and know exactly what species the anemone is. Make sure its foot is solid, as in not torn or a hole in it. Bright colored tentacles means its healthy white means its not healthy. If possible ask the LFS to feed the anemone. If the anemone is on a rock at the store ask if you can buy the rock the anemone is attached to. That way there is no risk of tearing its foot. When you bring it home drip acclimate it in a bowl thats in a bucket with a small tank heater set to your tanks temperature, because small bodys of water tend to get colder faster. While acclimating it to your tank cover all powerhead intakes with cheese cloth or sponges. Also try to put a screen on your overflow box. These things will keep your anemone from being sucked into your powerheads and sump. Once you know your anemone is settled in, this means eating and not moving around anymore. If you want to, it will be safe to remove the things that are covering your powerhead intakes. Some people keep them on if they have a BTA because BTAs like to move even after staying in one spot for years or months. BTAs will also move after they split.
Feeding your anemone : small pieces of silversides, krill, raw shrimp,and mysis shrimp < mysis shrimp only for a snack in between big meals. Feed once or twice a week. I prefer to feed my long tentacle anemone twice a week.
I think this about covers it in anemone class 411. Feel free to chime in everyone if there is something I didn't cover in todays session
 

perfectdark

Active Member
IMO If you have sufficient lighting and water chemistry.. which your lighting is good for any anemone you want.. Spot feeding is necessary all the time. Most of what Anemones need they get from the water column and the lighting. Spot feeding helps ensure nutrients if you lighting is sub par, or there are trace elements lacking in your water. Soaking the food in selcon or super selco can aid as an immuntiy booster. If you do spot feed IMO the food should be no larger than the animals mouth, small pieces are better than large. This will help it ingest the food quickly and comfortably and it helps if you have an arrogant shrimp that likes to steal things. The anem will devour its meal quickly so the inverts dont have a chance to swipe it. More frequent spot feedings will make your anem grow quickly. While less frequent wont hurt the animal it will just slow its growth rate.
 

redbora

Member
thanks for the info, and just in case, what if it dies, does that mean i will lose my whole tank??
 

perfectdark

Active Member
Depends... how big was the anem.. how long has it sat in your tank dead... nothing eats them after they die but if you get them out quickly its nothing more hazardous than a fish dieing. But they decay quickly and if gone un-noticed then yes they have the potential to toss a tank IMO.
 
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