Coral and Anenomes
- Thread starter CichlidRyan
- Start date
corals and anemones
Depends upon the anemone. Many will wander around your tank creating havoc with your corals (particularly hard corals).
There are a couple of exceptions (generally):
1. Sand anemones remain small and if place in a conducive spot (under good light with their base buried in the sand next to a rock) will stay put. I have kept dozens of these over the years and only have one 'migrant'. Be aware, however, that these anemones will not be adopted by clownfish - at least none of mine have! These anemones are easy to keep.
2. The anemone H. Magnifica (aka Ritteri) can also be kept with corals if one is clever in setting up the tank. Although this anemone is generally considered to be 'delicate' and hard to keep, my experiences have been positive. Since these animals love light and current, I have kept them from wandering by setting up a tall rock (like a pedestal) at one end of my 6 ft long tank away from the coral section. Thus, the anemone must retreat from the light in order to get to the corals - this it has never done! This anmeone will be accepted by most clownfish.
One other point: it has been my experience that in the stress of shipping H. Magnifica ofter expells its symbiotic algae and may be quite pale when first put into the tank. It is therefore important to feed it for the first few months until it can regenerate its algae.
Depends upon the anemone. Many will wander around your tank creating havoc with your corals (particularly hard corals).
There are a couple of exceptions (generally):
1. Sand anemones remain small and if place in a conducive spot (under good light with their base buried in the sand next to a rock) will stay put. I have kept dozens of these over the years and only have one 'migrant'. Be aware, however, that these anemones will not be adopted by clownfish - at least none of mine have! These anemones are easy to keep.
2. The anemone H. Magnifica (aka Ritteri) can also be kept with corals if one is clever in setting up the tank. Although this anemone is generally considered to be 'delicate' and hard to keep, my experiences have been positive. Since these animals love light and current, I have kept them from wandering by setting up a tall rock (like a pedestal) at one end of my 6 ft long tank away from the coral section. Thus, the anemone must retreat from the light in order to get to the corals - this it has never done! This anmeone will be accepted by most clownfish.
One other point: it has been my experience that in the stress of shipping H. Magnifica ofter expells its symbiotic algae and may be quite pale when first put into the tank. It is therefore important to feed it for the first few months until it can regenerate its algae.
Umh, Cichlid I wouldn't start out with a H Magnifica they need a very well established tank that has really consistent water conditions and great quality. They are not a good first anemone and most of them don't make it. These guys also live for a really long time in the wild and probably don't reproduce very quickly either. Unless you are really an expert salt water enthusiast I would strongly recommend that you avoid the carpets. They are as demanding as the pickiest sps coral and if they do become ill due to tank conditions etc they often times will take everything else in the tank with them.
Good first anemones are the bubble tips ," hosts clowns" and the rock anemones mentioned by ca1ore. They adjust to tank conditions much better than the carpets. Also a number of the bubble tips are born in captivity and those guys really do best in tanks IMO. They still need a very well established tank that has stable water conditions. They will move as mentioned by the others if something in the tank isn't suiting them though. Also some reefers have the additional issue of a fairly large critter that in ideal conditions reproduce fairly quickly.
Rock anemones also do well and are very hardy for anemones. They are a good first anemone and can actually take quite a bit of abuse. They aren't as pretty as some of the others but will provide you with some good practice.
Another option is the curly queue anemone . They are very hardy but, they also reproduce very quickly and might over run other sessile inverts . They don't host clowns but they do have some pretty interesting comensual relations with a number or shrimp and crab species.
What ever species you decide on please research lots before buying one. Some of these guys will outlive your great grand kids ," even if they haven't been born yet."
FWIW
Chris
Good first anemones are the bubble tips ," hosts clowns" and the rock anemones mentioned by ca1ore. They adjust to tank conditions much better than the carpets. Also a number of the bubble tips are born in captivity and those guys really do best in tanks IMO. They still need a very well established tank that has stable water conditions. They will move as mentioned by the others if something in the tank isn't suiting them though. Also some reefers have the additional issue of a fairly large critter that in ideal conditions reproduce fairly quickly.
Rock anemones also do well and are very hardy for anemones. They are a good first anemone and can actually take quite a bit of abuse. They aren't as pretty as some of the others but will provide you with some good practice.
Another option is the curly queue anemone . They are very hardy but, they also reproduce very quickly and might over run other sessile inverts . They don't host clowns but they do have some pretty interesting comensual relations with a number or shrimp and crab species.
What ever species you decide on please research lots before buying one. Some of these guys will outlive your great grand kids ," even if they haven't been born yet."
FWIW
Chris
Rock Anemones are Majano, they are someitmes considerd a pest, although not as bad as aiptasia (Glass Anemone), but to kill a Rock Anemone you really have to WANT to kill it.
Majano anemones are indeed pests and should be eliminated at first appearance. In my tanks majano are much worse that aiptasia. They are also tiny.
The sand anemones Iw as referring to earlier are much larger - as much as 5 inches in diameter when expanded.
Simon
The sand anemones Iw as referring to earlier are much larger - as much as 5 inches in diameter when expanded.
Simon