New to Anemone

[Jguido1987]

I just got my first Bubble tip anemone the other day. Prob about 1-1 1/2 wide. So far so good. Where I placed him he seems to be happy hasn't moved yet but it's only been three days. My water parameters seem to be in check and I'm hoping my par levels are ok for it.
I have a few questions.

I am planning on getting a maroon clown
Good idea or bad?

I see/read a lot of mixed reviews on feeding so any advice would be appreciated.

When I got it the color wasn't very vibrant red for a rbta, but then again I wasn't charged a price as if it was.
Will the color ever improve or is there a way to help color up?

And any overall tips and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again all.

 

[alex.mccann99]

Colors will change frequently, don't be alarmed. Also don't be surprised when after 6 months of being in the same place it starts cruising all over your tank and annoys the crap out of you. My did this and decided to free float right.into my vortech. Blended RBTA all over the place.

 

[Salty1962]

It looks healthy and happy considering being moved around so much. How big is your tank, what other types of fish are you going to get in the future. what kind of lighting do you have?

 

[Jguido1987]

My tank is a 28gal nanocube. I am using the sbReef lights 16" timed model. It's a mixed reef and I have been growing sps,lps, and softies throughout the tank. As far as fish I currently have a yellow tail damsel, a tailspot blenny, a small clown goby, and a purple dottyback. I'm planning on adding a small maroon clown as soon as my lfs gets a small one, hopefully that will be tm. Not sure if I will add any other fish for awhile after that.

 

[ShaunRobinson]

That's pretty much the colour of a normal rbta. It looks nice and healthy. They dont need feeding but at that size I would personally give it a little mysis once a week.

 

[Jguido1987]

Thanks I'm hoping it stays happy and healthy. I have fed it each day hoping that would make it stay in place, but what I'm reading that they will do what they want anyways. I'll slow down on the feeding. It wasn't much a few fish pellets one day. And some small mysis the other days.

 

[Jguido1987]

One more question
Is it normal for the bta to close up to about a nickel size with out any tentacles out? I know they shrink at night like other corals. But is completely closed a bad sign?

 

[ShaunRobinson]

It can be normal, my gbta's never closed up and stayed the same no matter what time of day but the RBTA I have now curls up in a ball when the lights go out.

 

[Amoo]

A maroon in a 28G is likely to want to dominate the whole tank and you may end up with significantly fewer creature then you initially started with. Proper choice for that nem, but may not be a proper choice for that tank unfortunately.

The colors will indeed change depending on your lighting and reef conditions. It should start to get more vibrant.

If it's starting to ball up with it's tentacles retracted,. that's usually not a good sign. Is it when the lights are on?

Can you get a picture of this behavior and let us know what light you have on your cube?

 

[Florida Sunshine]

A maroon clown will get way too large for that tank not to mention they are among the most aggressive of the clown species.
Sorry but your tank is just too small for one.