When is the soonest you can add a bubble tip anemone?

[Coldramen777]

I just got this pair of clowns. (Pics because I love them) they're the first fish in my first reef tank. I don't like the idea of them basically being homeless and I want to get them a nem ASAP. (I understand they don't need it but I want to give them one) When's the soonest I can add one?

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Begginers should wait a year, but experts or experienced reefers can put one in at about 6 months. Clowns will host an anemone like coral which you could try. They do not care either way if they have an anemone or coral to host, so don't worry about it. They will be happy to get one in a few months, and will probably not even know what it is.

 

[Uncle99]

Answers will vary widely.
For me, not until my water chemistry is rock solid and stable for at least 6 months.

 

[Coldramen777]

Begginers should wait a year, but experts or experienced reefers can put one in at about 6 months. Clowns will host an anemone like coral which you could try. They do not care either way if they have an anemone or coral to host, so don't worry about it. They will be happy to get one in a few months, and will probably not even know what it is.

Understood. Thank you.

 

[liddojunior]

Honestly I think the nem should be added sooner than most people suggest. It’s going to move and move and if you have corals then they will go on a war path.

If your tank is ready for fish, I think you can add a nem already.

Personally I think the best way to cycle a new reef tank is with adding corals right away. Coral plugs and rocks bring so much biodiversity to the tank and it stabilizes so much faster. I wouldn’t dip coral frags because it just harms all the critters that you need in your reef. Just inspect for pest but a dip isn’t going to get rid of any eggs, so really the best thing is just having a QT tank even for corals

 

[liddojunior]

You can have a stable reef much sooner than 6 months, just don’t mess with your lights and start trying dosing things. Just get a stable easy routine of water changes and recommend renting a par meter to adjust light power and then don’t change it.

 

[Coldramen777]

Honestly I think the nem should be added sooner than most people suggest. It’s going to move and move and if you have corals then they will go on a war path.

If your tank is ready for fish, I think you can add a nem already.

Personally I think the best way to cycle a new reef tank is with adding corals right away. Coral plugs and rocks bring so much biodiversity to the tank and it stabilizes so much faster. I wouldn’t dip coral frags because it just harms all the critters that you need in your reef. Just inspect for pest but a dip isn’t going to get rid of any eggs, so really the best thing is just having a QT tank even for corals

That works too. I'll give it like a month or two more so I can make sure I have a handle on this first though.

 

[Dbichler]

You really need to wait especially if you didn’t start with real ocean live rock. Even then 6 months is minimum unless you’re an expert with anemones. Look on this forum of how many posts about my anemone is dying, losing tentacles, or shriveled up. The majority of these posts would be eliminated if they waited until the tank was mature and they had a handle and understanding of the tanks parameters. Not saying it’s not possible just much harder in new tanks.

 

[JoJosReef]

If I were in your shoes with the tank setup you have, knowing what I do now, I would put in a nice sized toadstool leather. My two clowns have anemones to hang out in and they prefer the toadstool. A toadstool is more robust than a BTA, and you'll have a much higher likelihood of survival. While the toadstool grows, you can focus on maturing your tank and filling it with coral. Having an anemone is great if you can keep it happy and in one place--that takes very favorable conditions or they start to march. The clowns won't care one way or the other.

 

[D-Nak]

People will give you varying times--anywhere from a few weeks to a year--so I try to make it easier by saying that as long as you have a healthy growth for coralline algae, your tank should be suitable for an anemone. It could take weeks or months for coralline to really take off, but it's a good visual indicator, and there really isn't any guessing--it's either thriving or it's not.

The reason I say this is because all tanks mature at different rates, but the requirement for coralline to grow is always the same: good lighting and water parameters are stable with alk/calcium at consistent levels.

These are the same requirements needed for anemones.

 

[GlassMunky]

People will give you varying times--anywhere from a few weeks to a year--so I try to make it easier by saying that as long as you have a healthy growth for coralline algae, your tank should be suitable for an anemone. It could take weeks or months for coralline to really take off, but it's a good visual indicator, and there really isn't any guessing--it's either thriving or it's not.

The reason I say this is because all tanks mature at different rates, but the requirement for coralline to grow is always the same: good lighting and water parameters are stable with alk/calcium at consistent levels.

These are the same requirements needed for anemones.

I was gonna write out a big long post but you basically said exactly what i was thinking. especially with a brand new tank started with dry rock. wait for coralline and thats your indicator.

 

[jtf74]

Also if those are ocellaris they may not ever host unless you get one of their natural host nems which are much harder than a BTA to keep alive.

 

[cdnco2004]

If you are very very on top of water conditions you can do them on day 1 but its not recommended except for people who are very experienced in SW tanks already and can manage it. If your new wait minimum 6 months to let the water conditions stabilize.

 

[cdnco2004]

Also if those are ocellaris they may not ever host unless you get one of their natural host nems which are much harder than a BTA to keep alive.

Ocellaris clowns host BTA very well.

 

[jtf74]

Ocellaris clowns host BTA very well.

My past ones never did

 

[cdnco2004]

My past ones never did

Thats yours. You cant use your experience and claim thats how they all act.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I just got this pair of clowns. (Pics because I love them) they're the first fish in my first reef tank. I don't like the idea of them basically being homeless and I want to get them a nem ASAP. (I understand they don't need it but I want to give them one) When's the soonest I can add one?

Generally 4-6 months- a point where numbers are steady and tank has become stable . These anemones do not handle chemistry changes well, reason to wait a few short months and even dont favor water changes which are frequent when a tank is new. There is no guarantee, they will pair with an anemone. 13 clowns and 4 anemones and only one clown went into the BTA.

 

[jabberwock]

That pretty white rock is a sign that it is too soon. Your original question shows impatience. You will receive many conflicting answers. When you get the one you want you will go for it...

I would like to know the tank size, age and full list of parameters over several weeks. Where does it stand up as far as stability goes?

Best of luck.

 

[Ross]

If you used real, established live rock then maybe just a few months. If you started with dry rock that really sets you back. I’d wait at least 6 months or until you have coralline growing well. In the mean time you can try a toadstool leather, they may host that.

 

[jabberwock]

As far as advice goes, look at people's join dates, look at their tank and build threads. Have they experienced set backs? Are they successful?

It is easy to become a Google expert. It is more telling if real life experience has forged an opinion.