Aquascape for anemones

[Michael Llabona]

My personal experience. Don't put any rock dwelling nems in your mixed reef. When my nem grew and split, the clones wiped out some of my SPS frags in just 1 night. I set up my old 29 biocube with an AI prime and im in the process of doing a nem tank for just my two clowns and 4 Rbta. It should be easy to take care off since it's a small bio load. It will also be easier to sell off some of the clones I get like 1 or 2 times a year

 

[jjmccloud2011]

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.

I don't think that's the sole reason some clowns won't take to a nem, I've never had an issue with my clowns taking to a BTA, but have had some take a good amount of time to. I think its more along the lines of clowns are so widely bred in the home aquarium these days they've never even seen a nem most the time so they rely solely on instinct and curiosity. Also I've been told aquacultured clowns may possibly sometimes not the full strength immunity to the nems sting after so many generations depending who had been breeding them. I don't disagree the BTA not being a natural match is never the issue but I don't think its the most common

 

[D-Nak]

I don't think that's the sole reason some clowns won't take to a nem, I've never had an issue with my clowns taking to a BTA, but have had some take a good amount of time to. I think its more along the lines of clowns are so widely bred in the home aquarium these days they've never even seen a nem most the time so they rely solely on instinct and curiosity. Also I've been told aquacultured clowns may possibly sometimes not the full strength immunity to the nems sting after so many generations depending who had been breeding them. I don't disagree the BTA not being a natural match is never the issue but I don't think its the most common

It really doesn't have much to do with captive bred clownfish and how long they've been aquacultured. Most captive bred clowns are probably less than four generations from wild clowns, and it'd be foolish to think that they lose any type of immunity that quickly. And WHO bred them certainly has no impact. Furthermore, wild clownfish and captive bred clownfish (assuming we're talking about percula or ocellaris) both act the same when only a BTA (or other non-natural host) is in the tank--hosting is always hit or miss.

I've done a lot of experimenting with the clownfish that I breed, and one thing is for certain--if you introduce them to their natural host anemone--99.9% of the time they'll go to the anemone immediately. This is not a learned behavior, it is innate. I have both gigantea and magnifica for my percula clownfish, and the results are always the same. What's interesting though, is that some clownfish will eventually venture off into the BTAs I have in the tank as well. I attribute it to the hierarchy of the clownfish in the tank. Those at the top will use the natural host anemones, and those towards to the bottom use the BTAs.

 

[jjmccloud2011]

It really doesn't have much to do with captive bred clownfish and how long they've been aquacultured. Most captive bred clowns are probably less than four generations from wild clowns, and it'd be foolish to think that they lose any type of immunity that quickly. And WHO bred them certainly has no impact. Furthermore, wild clownfish and captive bred clownfish (assuming we're talking about percula or ocellaris) both act the same when only a BTA (or other non-natural host) is in the tank--hosting is always hit or miss.

I've done a lot of experimenting with the clownfish that I breed, and one thing is for certain--if you introduce them to their natural host anemone--99.9% of the time they'll go to the anemone immediately. This is not a learned behavior, it is innate. I have both gigantea and magnifica for my percula clownfish, and the results are always the same. What's interesting though, is that some clownfish will eventually venture off into the BTAs I have in the tank as well. I attribute it to the hierarchy of the clownfish in the tank. Those at the top will use the natural host anemones, and those towards to the bottom use the BTAs.

We all have our own theories im sure, I'm not trying discredit yours. However it certainly does have an impact which breeder gets referred too, especially when claiming most aren't more then 4 generations from wild clowns. Id say 4 gens is more of an average these days. Most people that get into breeding is getting captive bred broodstock from other breeders, some of which can easily be more then 4gens into their program. Clowns have been being bred in the hobby for decades. Robert King (Robert Kings Clownfish) for example has a 30+ year old wild caught pair of Dawins. I dont think you saying its foolish to believe they can lose wild traits or habits holds any ground but again we all have our own opinions. Thats just mine, Have a great weekend Sir

 

[D-Nak]

We all have our own theories im sure, I'm not trying discredit yours. However it certainly does have an impact which breeder gets referred too, especially when claiming most aren't more then 4 generations from wild clowns. Id say 4 gens is more of an average these days. Most people that get into breeding is getting captive bred broodstock from other breeders, some of which can easily be more then 4gens into their program. Clowns have been being bred in the hobby for decades. Robert King (Robert Kings Clownfish) for example has a 30+ year old wild caught pair of Dawins. I dont think you saying its foolish to believe they can lose wild traits or habits holds any ground but again we all have our own opinions. Thats just mine, Have a great weekend Sir

Apologies--I don't mean to discredit your theories. I think there may be a discrepancy in what we're referring to as a generation. Using a 30 year breeding pair (parents, or P-generation) as the example, they still are producing gen 2 (F1) offspring no matter how many clutches they produce over that 30 year span. Maybe you're saying that the more offspring that they produce, that some traits diminish over time?

 

[jjmccloud2011]

Apologies--I don't mean to discredit your theories. I think there may be a discrepancy in what we're referring to as a generation. Using a 30 year breeding pair (parents, or P-generation) as the example, they still are producing gen 2 (F1) offspring no matter how many clutches they produce over that 30 year span. Maybe you're saying that the more offspring that they produce, that some traits diminish over time?

No, I don't necessarily think the amount offspring would matter as if being bred from same generation parents would still basically be the same regardless how many times they're reproduced. (Just a guess of course) I understand how the generations are determined, in the short version your just pairing up offspring once raised up from the F1 clutches to produce you F2s, Then your future F3 pairs from those clutches and so on. I was just stating the 30yr old pair for reference how long ago his F1s would've been first yYproduced. He still produces F1s but over on the side somewhere would have the generations hes been working on. I guess it would depend on the goals and what a specific breeder is trying accomplish how far he'd go, but at the same time I guess you have point when you say not many are past f4 and understand what you meant by that, as they're isn't to much to gain if you could continue raising F1s until you can't any longer. Maybe if creating a special color or pattern. Which is kinda what I was leaning towards on the whole depending on the breeder point I was trying to make.

 

[Dburr1014]

I had an old magnet from a wave maker, I had a small lite rock. I had some 5 minute epoxy. I had an idea.

Glue the magnet to the rock with the epoxy and make a wall island for the bubble tip anenome.

Been there and hasn't moved for a couple years now.

Don't mind all the coraline

 

[girlsdad_AAA]

I’m currently setting up a tank for a CSB! Once the nem gets settled then I’ll start gluing corals in, for now corals stay in the sand bed or frag rack in