Anemone or not to anemone

StephanieRodriguez · Mar 17, 2016

Hey everyone! Not sure if this is the right spot. So my tank is going on three months and I have one area I am saving in my tank. I know BTA's can relocate and move but what other experiences have you had with them? I am going back and forth between a torch and a BTA. I have a pair of clowns that seem to be trying to host on a small hammer I have, and wanted something more suitable. I know I should wait another few months, but am just trying to plan ahead. Any feedback is appreciated! Thanks!!

StephanieRodriguez · Mar 17, 2016

Oh I forgot to mention my tank is IM Nuvo 40 gallon.

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StephanieRodriguez · Mar 17, 2016

And yes, I am planning to upgrade for my tang, I am researching a 100 or 125.

RMS18 · Mar 18, 2016

Tanks that are around a year old are better to house an anemone. Your tank will still go through some changes and they like a more stable tank. I tired a rbt at month 3 regardless of the good advice I didn't take. It died within a month. I added another one about a month ago but the tank is 11 months old. It bubbles up and looks great. The first one stopped bubbling after a week. My clowns haven't hosted it yet but my sexy shrimps have lol.

StephanieRodriguez · Mar 20, 2016

Thanks for the info! I am going to hold off and just continuing enjoying my hammer, and Duncan[emoji106] [emoji4]

RMS18 · Mar 20, 2016

StephanieRodriguez said:
Thanks for the info! I am going to hold off and just continuing enjoying my hammer, and Duncan[emoji106] [emoji4]

You could always look into a flower nem, mini maxi or carpet. Here my flower nem

Pete polyp · Mar 20, 2016

With an anemone it's possible for it to take a midnight stroll and you wake up to its path of destruction as it killed everything in its path while it made laps around your tank.

StephanieRodriguez · Mar 29, 2016

I actually have a few rock flowers, I love them!

McMullen · Mar 29, 2016

The symbiotic relationship between clowns and anemones is magical!

The antagonistic relationship your anemone will have on virtually all the coral in your tank is evil!

Don't do it! Your bubble "will," not "might," move around. Also, it will split once it's happy, then split again, then split again. So, even if it didn't move and actually stayed exactly where you placed, the "mini me's" will do the walking. This will all happen as your nice SPS have grown and encrusted and really start taking off too. Will the bubble tip actually kill the coral……..oh Yes!

StephanieRodriguez · Mar 29, 2016

McMullen said:
The symbiotic relationship between clowns and anemones is magical!

The antagonistic relationship your anemone will have on virtually all the coral in your tank is evil!

Don't do it! Your bubble "will," not "might," move around. Also, it will split once it's happy, then split again, then split again. So, even if it didn't move and actually stayed exactly where you placed, the "mini me's" will do the walking. This will all happen as your nice SPS have grown and encrusted and really start taking off too. Will the bubble tip actually kill the coral……..oh Yes!

So I am definitely going to pass! Lol thanks for the feedback I value everyone's insight!

McMullen · Mar 29, 2016

Let me just add, if you upgraded to a 120 long, 6 foot tank, you might could pull it off. You would need to plan for a way to be able to pull the nem rock or rocks out to scrape off the offspring.
Lots of people have nems with full blown reefs, but its Russian Roulette.

Joseph Pagnotta · Mar 29, 2016

StephanieRodriguez said:
Hey everyone! Not sure if this is the right spot. So my tank is going on three months and I have one area I am saving in my tank. I know BTA's can relocate and move but what other experiences have you had with them? I am going back and forth between a torch and a BTA. I have a pair of clowns that seem to be trying to host on a small hammer I have, and wanted something more suitable. I know I should wait another few months, but am just trying to plan ahead. Any feedback is appreciated! Thanks!!

I have 6 anenome. 3 condys, carpet and A BTA THAT SPLIT AFTER 1 WEEK

ReeferReefer · Mar 30, 2016

I agree that you should wait until at least 6 months. The more mature the tank, the better.

bairdimusprime · Mar 30, 2016

wait till the six month mark, i've kept anemones well over ten years, if the conditions are stable and its happy it will not move around the tank, both of my current RBTA's have not moved in the two years I've owned them.
with a 125 you can house anything you want. with a 40 gallon you should stick with BTA's
however with rock flower nems in the tank already i would wait until you upgrade.
best of luck

McMullen · Mar 30, 2016

Beating a dead horse now, my BTA stayed put, but got very large and I wasn't able to keep coral anywhere near it. It split regularly and at one point I had 6 babies. Three stayed close to mama, the other three did some destructive roaming. So the issue is not, can you keep anemones, rather should you. I think you should not based on your coral selection. As your Sps mature into colonies, anemones WILL be a problem. I also lost a hammer and a torch to nems too.