Adding an anemone

Kial · Jul 1, 2022

I want to add an anemone to my waterbox frag 145 (coming up to 5 months cycled). Read that it best to wait 6-12 months before adding to make sure everything is stable etc.
Im in no real rush to add one so happy to wait but would it make sense to add the anemone before you add to much coral?

My thoughts on it would be best for the anemone to find its spot first and then add coral after. ( I only have a few softies so far)

Whats the easiest anemone to keep in your experience?

exnisstech · Jul 1, 2022

Easiest IMO is bubble tip. Carpets eat fish. Long tentacled are nice but should have a deep sand bed. I have had these 3 personally but just keep bubble tips now. I loved my long tentacle but after 1.5 years in the same spot it decided to go on the move and after 2 weeks of it traveling all over the tank I took it into the lfs. You mention more coral. If you plan on more coral than fish I would pass on a nem. There is just no guarantee the nem will stay where you want. I have kept nems since I started the hobby (only 6 years or so) and still do. I have bubble tips in one tank only with softies and lps . I have a 6 foot 180 gal with a large island for the nems. It works untill they want to move. I have a growing number of them in the spare chamber of my sump which is where they go when they start to travel. Don't get me wrong I love having them but I also have a second tank that I recently started as an sps dominant system and there will be nothing but coral and 2 fish with some inverts. Since your tank is young I would start adding coral first and wait on a nem. There are plenty of lps that will give you movement if that is what you are looking for. Once you get the coral you want (not that there won't always be that one more lol) I would see if you still want the nem. If so add one and keep your fingers crossed.

Rtaylor · Jul 1, 2022

The easiest are bta’s (bubbletips), rfa’s (rock flower anemones), lta’s (long tentacle), mini-maxi’s, and haddoni. Stay away from sebae, Magnifica’s, and gigantea until you have more experience.
Each type has its pros and cons. The first question would be, are you looking for a hosting anemone? If yes, then you don’t want rfa’s or maxi-mini’s.
Next, are you keeping it with fish other than clowns. If so, you may want to avoid haddoni as they are probably the most likely of any commonly kept anemone to eat fish. I had one that even ate 2 clowns.
Next question is on space and location preferences. When comparing lta’s and bta’s, a single lta will tend to be larger than a single bta, (can be easily over 1 foot). Bta’s tend to stay relatively small, but split a lot leading to eventually having dozens of bta’s. Bubbletips are the only listed anemone that splits. Haddoni can get huge 20+”. RFA’s are probably the smallest usually not exceeding 2-4”. Mini-maxi’s are kind of mid-size in the 4-8” range with most maxing out around 5” or so.
Anemones that will tend to stay in the sand: lta’s, haddoni, and sometimes rfa’s.
Anemones that will tend to stay on the rocks: bta’s, maxi-mini’s, and usually rfa’s.

liklihood to roam: most likely is bta’s. All the others tend to stay put once they find a spot they like. But obviously any anemone can decide to go for a walk anytime.

exnisstech · Jul 1, 2022

Rtaylor said:
The easiest are bta’s (bubbletips), rfa’s (rock flower anemones), lta’s (long tentacle), mini-maxi’s, and haddoni. Stay away from sebae, Magnifica’s, and gigantea until you have more experience.
Each type has its pros and cons. The first question would be, are you looking for a hosting anemone? If yes, then you don’t want rfa’s or maxi-mini’s.
Next, are you keeping it with fish other than clowns. If so, you may want to avoid haddoni as they are probably the most likely of any commonly kept anemone to eat fish. I had one that even ate 2 clowns.
Next question is on space and location preferences. When comparing lta’s and bta’s, a single lta will tend to be larger than a single bta, (can be easily over 1 foot). Bta’s tend to stay relatively small, but split a lot leading to eventually having dozens of bta’s. Bubbletips are the only listed anemone that splits. Haddoni can get huge 20+”. RFA’s are probably the smallest usually not exceeding 2-4”. Mini-maxi’s are kind of mid-size in the 4-8” range with most maxing out around 5” or so.
Anemones that will tend to stay in the sand: lta’s, haddoni, and sometimes rfa’s.
Anemones that will tend to stay on the rocks: bta’s, maxi-mini’s, and usually rfa’s.

liklihood to roam: most likely is bta’s. All the others tend to stay put once they find a spot they like. But obviously any anemone can decide to go for a walk anytime.

I forgot all about the rock flowers and I have 4 of them lol I guess because they are so well behaved