Would like to Add a Anemone!

Shep · Sep 19, 2016

So I have been waiting for my tank to settle and mature a bit more before I added one and I think its about time.........the problem is that I have no idea how to go about it. Can someone provide a concise guide on how to acclimate and care for an anemone, as well as common problems. Thanks in advance!!!!

ngvu1 · Sep 19, 2016

The cheapest and easiest way is to make sure your tank is cycled with a lot of live rocks so the water is stable, then get a used nem from a local hobbyist. All you do is temp acclimate and submerge......! Better if the nem comes with its rock from the previous tank. Watch that rock

.......

jaws789832 · Sep 19, 2016

Just a word of caution on nems. I have had mine for about 3 years now and he is taking over the tank. Pretty much half of my 120 gallon is for my nem. That cute little golf ball size green bubble tip turns into a flowing basketball size sea monster, that consumes corals and anything else in its way in a few short years with proper care. Dont get me wrong, I love the thing, but it pretty much gets a daily beating when it stretches a direction I dont want it to go. Depending on the type, just make sure you have the space and that you can easily move your corals around to suit the nem.

ngvu1 · Sep 19, 2016

My nem will be with me for 4 or 5 years I don't remember any more. It has not gone even double in size. Just don't feed it much if at all

cromag27 · Sep 19, 2016

Drip acclimate to match temp and salinity. I wouldn't drip longer than 30 mins. turn off as much flow as you can and place it somewhere in your tank. depending on species, it will plant its basal disc in the sand or on rock. then flow back on.

Bob's your uncle!

BTW, there's not set amount of time you have to wait before you add a nem. you just want stable parameters and reef-like conditions. let me know which species you're thinking about!

Shep · Sep 19, 2016

So are bubble tips the easiest most common or are there others that I should look into?

cromag27 · Sep 19, 2016

Bubbles tips are among the easiest. so are rock flower nems or maxi mini carpets. although the latter can be aggressive and eat some livestock. by far the easiest is aiptasia.

Shep said:
So are bubble tips the easiest most common or are there others that I should look into?

ngvu1 · Sep 19, 2016

I like the bubble tip but you might lose the bubbles if your flow is too strong they like medium flow and strong light

Shep · Sep 19, 2016

Yea, I have heard that they can lose the bubbles randomly for reasons not really understood yet but I don't mind that. Are there any special QT precautions I should take?

cromag27 · Sep 19, 2016

Anemones are very much strange in their behavior. nobody knows why they bubble or not, or move or not, or split or not.

No special qt measures.

Shep said:
Yea, I have heard that they can lose the bubbles randomly for reasons not really understood yet but I don't mind that. Are there any special QT precautions I should take?

cromag27 · Sep 19, 2016

Well,, I guess there's a super duper slim chance there are tomites in the water that occupies the body of anemones. so if you're worried about that (I'm not) then you could qt for 24 hours.

Tahoe61 · Sep 19, 2016

Do you have clowns, and if so what type?

Shep · Sep 19, 2016

I have two clowns and they are orange skunks that currently host in my duncan (I know they might never host in the nem and I am 100% fine with that)

cromag27 · Sep 19, 2016

How big are they? you don't want an anemone too small or they'll pester it to death. literally.

Shep said:
I have two clowns and they are orange skunks that currently host in my duncan (I know they might never host in the nem and I am 100% fine with that)

RJinPV · Sep 20, 2016

I bought a purple Long Tentacled Anemone (LTA) first. It dwells in the sand and I dug a hole for it and it took many hours for it to find bottom and hold on. Stayed put for a while, grew about the size of a softball and then started wandering around threatening coral and itself. I sold it. My rose bubble tip settled in one spot and my clownfish adopted it. It has split into 3 and the third one's on the move. I need to catch it before something bad happens. I just bought 3 rock flower anemones. People say they stay put. 2 of 3 moved one inch from the spot I picked and have stayed put so far.

Read up on the species you want before you buy something. Be prepared to spend time chasing one. They are not glue and forget. Make sure you know what substrate and conditions they want. There are many colors and strains of BTAs and some are not as good looking as others. I bought a very average looking Rose BTA. I wish I waited for a frag swap. Don't buy a bleached one.

I did a drip acclimatization for an hour. It seemed to work fine.

Steffan1 · Sep 20, 2016

Lots of good vids on this on YouTube. Easy to find. Just sayin'

Tahoe61 · Sep 20, 2016

Here is a compatibility chart for clowns and anemones.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-10/hcs3/

Perhaps you should try a Heteractis Crispa to go with your Amphiprion sandaracino.

Shep · Sep 20, 2016

Thanks everyone for the great replies and info!!!

Shep · Sep 20, 2016

Tahoe61 said:
Here is a compatibility chart for clowns and anemones.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-10/hcs3/

Perhaps you should try a Heteractis Crispa to go with your Amphiprion sandaracino.

So both of the nems that skunks host are considered aggressive and difficult to care for, I don't know if they would be the best first nem

lewis.maryann08 · Sep 21, 2016

I have a bubble tip and my cleaner shrimp won't leave it alone it is turning brown is it trying to die will this cleaner shrimp kill it?
I moved the shrimp away from it and the bubble tip moved to the other end of the tank back with the cleaner shrimp?