Anemone any tips?

[jman]

Hey guys
My tank is finally cycled. I can add ammonia to 2.0 and after 24 hr ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate is 0. So this is what I added. Is there any tips to keep this thing happy?

 

[Ron Reefman]

It's unlikely your clown has ever seen a Condy anemone before. One is from the South Pacific and the other is from the Caribbean. But the clown should get comfortable with the condy over a couple of weeks if it isn't already. Mine only took about 5 days.

The anemone will do best if it gets good light, but you didn't say what kind you have (or how deep your tank is).
You have algae growing off the top of you rocks. That could become a problem. I don't see any clean up crew (snails, hermit carbs, algae eating fish like a lawn mower blenny).
If there is only the one fish, don't over feed it, that will just make the algae grow faster.
The anemone can get by without being fed. Like most aquarium corals it has zooxanthellae (algae) that lives inside it's body and helps fed the anemone by producing sugar and other chemicals when it does photosynthesis. But giving the anemone a small piece of meaty food every 2 to 4 weeks isn't a bad idea. Also condys are known to wander at times, looking for a new home. I had one that after more than a year in one spot, picked up and did 2 laps around the tank (mostly on the glass) over 10 days and ended up in the same place it started!

Good luck.

 

[jman]

T

It's unlikely your clown has ever seen a Condy anemone before. One is from the South Pacific and the other is from the Caribbean. But the clown should get comfortable with the condy over a couple of weeks if it isn't already. Mine only took about 5 days.

The anemone will do best if it gets good light, but you didn't say what kind you have (or how deep your tank is).
You have algae growing off the top of you rocks. That could become a problem. I don't see any clean up crew (snails, hermit carbs, algae eating fish like a lawn mower blenny).
If there is only the one fish, don't over feed it, that will just make the algae grow faster.
The anemone can get by without being fed. Like most aquarium corals it has zooxanthellae (algae) that lives inside it's body and helps fed the anemone by producing sugar and other chemicals when it does photosynthesis. But giving the anemone a small piece of meaty food every 2 to 4 weeks isn't a bad idea. Also condys are known to wander at times, looking for a new home. I had one that after more than a year in one spot, picked up and did 2 laps around the tank (mostly on the glass) over 10 days and ended up in the same place it started!

Good luck.

Thanks for the info. My tank is a 40 gallon flat back bow front 18" of water and the nem is sitting about 14" deep. My light is a Fluval A3997 1250 lumens 24" to 36" long. I also have 2 power head with 2000 l/h.

I just got these last night so the clown has gotten close to the nem several time within a couple of inches but that's it. The nem moved some last night but not much so I guess time will tell.

What do you reccomend to take care of the alge that wont hurt the nem?

 

[Ron Reefman]

Five to 10 blue leg hermit crabs and a few algae eating snails, maybe a blenny (fish) that is a herbivore. A local store should have all 3 if they are any good. If not, try Live Aquaria, they are a pretty good online source.

Did you get the clown and anemone from a local store? Did they know your situation, i.e. no other critters in the tank? I would have said OK to the clown, they are fairly hearty. I would have said you should wait until your tank is at least 6 months old before you try an anemone. He may do just fine, but they are far more likely to survive in a tank that is more than just cycled. It needs to be mature. You'll find out what that means as over the next 2 to 4 months you will have an algae outbreak or possibly a bacteria outbreak. They will pass on there own in time, but they are hard on the less hearty critters in the tank.

 

[Reab]

I agree with Ron here but the whole 6 month thing for nems is complete nonsense, I believe it came about from stores not wanting inexperienced reefers to take on something that requires more than just dropping pellets into a tank. That being said, the algae will not harm your tank until it becomes excessive. Condi nems are very hardy and will do better with feeding every one to two weeks. Just a bit of shrimp will do just fine. If you haven't already I suggest picking up some seachem stability to help with the newfound bioload of your tank. This will allow for an easier transition as the stability is bacteria to help with the increased ammonia input.

 

[Ron Reefman]

IMHO you don't have that much bioload and your live rock looks good. I don't think you need extra chemicals or bottle bacteria in the tank. But it shouldn't hurt either.

I'm just one who really doesn't like trying to solve in tank issues with stuff from bottles. I think too much of it is snake oil (useless).