Aquascape for anemones

[BestMomEver]

I am interested in different ways to aquascape to accommodate an anemones while keeping other corals. I want an anemone but would like for it to have its own area.... knowing, of course, that it will probably move. Do you guys let the anemone settle then add corals or do you let the anemone settle, hoping it won’t burn the other corals. Is there an advice you can give that will help me keep an anemone in one general area? Please share photos so I can get some ideas. I have a 60 cube so if anyone has the same, please share.

 

[davocean]

It would vary depending on nem species, some are sand dwellars, some rock.
What type of clowns do you have?

 

[BestMomEver]

I don’t have any yet. I’m planning I want to give the anemone a good home and, at the same time, enjoy my sps, lps, zoas, and shrooms. Most of my frags are fairly young. Some I can move and some I can’t but I think a new aquascape may be required.

 

[davocean]

Reason I say is it's nice to have natural matches for host anemone and clowns for best hosting results.
If you are going to have a cube, I personally think BTA may wander rockwork too much, so I would consider a sand dwellar maybe, malu might be nice, bright colors and stays fairly small for a host nem, 8-10" easy to control, many clowns accept them even if not a natural match.
LTA also a sand dwellar choice, little larger, 18" max.

My personal choice is magnifica, though those are a little more advanced, but they tend to stay up high on rock for max light, so not much wandering, and they are natural for occs and percs, I keep percs mostly so that is my go to.

This is a good start for thinking and planning

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

I've had good luck by creating an island for the nem off on it's on (or with corals I don't care too much about). I'm assuming we're talking about a bubble tip anemone. If so, I'd suggest getting a rock structure with plenty of holes/crevices that it can plant its foot in. That will help keep it from going walkabout.

 

[NY_Caveman]

+1 on this ^^^^

A BTA (Entacmaea quadricolor) is a good choice for an anemone that will plant its foot in a rock crevice.

 

[Aaron-A2]

I've had good luck by creating an island for the nem off on it's on (or with corals I don't care too much about). I'm assuming we're talking about a bubble tip anemone. If so, I'd suggest getting a rock structure with plenty of holes/crevices that it can plant its foot in. That will help keep it from going walkabout.

Hey! So in your cube tank aquascape sticky, you posted the below image as a way to get people started. I wanted to use that theme as inspiration for my 90g cube... would you think the right structure plus a vertical tower to replace the small island on the left could be a good BTA tank with a carpet+mini?

Thanks!

 

[davocean]

A lot of people like and go straight for BTA's, but honestly after having many different anemone's, I'll never have one in a mixed reef again, especially w/out having enough space to at least have their own island, they just wander too much, corals will get stung.

Also keep in mind BTA do not really have a lot of natural matches for clowns as found in wild, I know maroons are one, but they are not really natural hosts for occs, percs, many others, and this is often why people wonder why their clown has not gone to and accepted their BTA.

 

[NY_Caveman]

A lot of people like and go straight for BTA's, but honestly after having many different anemone's, I'll never have one in a mixed reef again, especially w/out having enough space to at least have their own island, they just wander too much, corals will get stung.

Also keep in mind BTA do not really have a lot of natural matches for clowns as found in wild, I know maroons are one, but they are not really natural hosts for occs, percs, many others, and this is often why people wonder why their clown has not gone to and accepted their BTA.

Clarkiis are also natural for a hosting BTA.

 

[BestMomEver]

A lot of people like and go straight for BTA's, but honestly after having many different anemone's, I'll never have one in a mixed reef again, especially w/out having enough space to at least have their own island, they just wander too much, corals will get stung.

Also keep in mind BTA do not really have a lot of natural matches for clowns as found in wild, I know maroons are one, but they are not really natural hosts for occs, percs, many others, and this is often why people wonder why their clown has not gone to and accepted their BTA.

Actually, if I had a choice, I would choose something other than a BTA. I had one a number years back. Every morning when I got up, he was somewhere different than where he’d been the night before. Had him for years but he was always in motion. I like the idea of the LTA or malu. Pictures anyone?

 

[davocean]

Clarkiis are also natural for a hosting BTA.

I draw a blank sometimes and I think my book only lists maroon, but I know others, I think I've seen tomato in the wild in BTA, and if clarki and maroon are natural, well, those 2 are known for taking most anything given, a condy would do for those guys!!lol

 

[davocean]

Actually, if I had a choice, I would choose something other than a BTA. I had one a number years back. Every morning when I got up, he was somewhere different than where he’d been the night before. Had him for years but he was always in motion. I like the idea of the LTA or malu. Pictures anyone?

LTA on left

 

[davocean]

One of my previous Malu's

 

[Dancingmad]

I'll never have one in a mixed reef again, especially w/out having enough space to at least have their own island, they just wander too much, corals will get stung.

They'll fool you too! You'll have a little BTA nem island setup...could be for years... then suddenly Rambo the lone BTA will decide to wander off on some solo mission and take a sump ride or get gyre'd*. This is why all my BTAs are getting a new home soon .

*Rambo got tore up and was distinguishable from the others for several months, but ultimately lived.

 

[davocean]

Yep, can't tell ya how many times I've heard similar stories from others on BTA's as well as my own experience.
Cool in a nem specific, but not my favorite for mixed reefs

 

[hdsoftail1065]

Guess we got lucky, we have 2 RTA and one GTA in our 32. Both RTA's split, now we have 4. They are happy where they are, haven't moved or messed with anything else. The wife's 2 extream picasso's are all over them. Plan to re-home a couple into the big tank when it's mature enough for them.

 

[LBReefer]

One of my previous Malu's

That's beautiful, but I've never seen one in my LFS's. The only options I've seen beyond BTA are carpet and sebae. I've heard that sebae are notorious for moving around.

 

[davocean]

Yeah it's nice to hear those w/ good luck w/ them, Lots of nice looking BTA's out there.
I did have my Donisreef picasso's in a BTA nem specific, they did not take too terribly long to accept them, so it happens, just often takes longer.

I was one that noticed black fading in my picasso's when they were hosted by BTA's, there was a thread elsewhere where a lot of people had that happen.
Fortunately for me I swapped the BTA for Malu and their black came back.



Same clowns in Malu, and this was not an age progression change in color as we typically see, she was actually darker than even this before going into BTA's
It was just a weird thing to see the black fade, others had similar experience.

 

[davocean]

That's beautiful, but I've never seen one in my LFS's. The only options I've seen beyond BTA are carpet and sebae. I've heard that sebae are notorious for moving around.

There are actually two types of what is often generically called sebae, H. Malu, and H.crispa
Malu shown here is so different from crispa, it's weird they both are under the umbrella of sebae to me.

Malu, very low laying sand dwellers, 8-10" max, bright colors other than purple, green, bright yellow(not dyed) mellow to moderate flow, medium light.

Crispa will set foot in sand, but usually woven through rockwork, and they stretch up for all the light they can get, and they get huge, 2'
They don't wander a whole lot, unless maybe looking for more light or something maybe.

None of my Malu's wandered at all.
Many LFS don't know them or other varieties, BTA's are so common since easily propigated and come by.
They might not even know they've had them, and good chance they have, I see mislabeled all the time.

Carpet can be 3 types of anemone too, hadonni, gigantea, mertensi

 

[BestMomEver]

There are actually two types of what is often generically called sebae, H. Malu, and H.crispa
Malu shown here is so different from crispa, it's weird they both are under the umbrella of sebae to me.

Malu, very low laying sand dwellers, 8-10" max, bright colors other than purple, green, bright yellow(not dyed) mellow to moderate flow, medium light.

Crispa will set foot in sand, but usually woven through rockwork, and they stretch up for all the light they can get, and they get huge, 2'
They don't wander a whole lot, unless maybe looking for more light or something maybe.

None of my Malu's wandered at all.
Many LFS don't know them or other varieties, BTA's are so common since easily propigated and come by.
They might not even know they've had them, and good chance they have, I see mislabeled all the time.

Carpet can be 3 types of anemone too, hadonni, gigantea, mertensi

Yea... I see malu labeled as “sebae” with no distinction between it and crispa all the time. I like malu except everything I read indicates that they are difficult to keep... Crispa as well. Has anyone found that to be true?