Anemone - home sweet home?

  • Get the NEW AquariaCentral iOS app --> http://itunes.apple.com/app/id1227181058 // Android version will be out soon!

Bobindy1

AC Members
Jun 9, 2005
24
0
0
The good news? TBS sent me LR that was WAY beyond anything I've seen anywhere - stunningly wonderful.

The other good news? As a "bonus" I guess, they sent me a (condy?) anemone along with the other critters I ordered.

The bad news? My set up is new. Less than a month going. I really am only ready for LR and tank janitors. Plus, I know almost NOTHING about how to care for this lovely fella... He does seem to be thriving (had him now for 5 days) and I just successfully fed him a small chunk of raw oyster. But I think he'd be better off somewhere better prepared for him. I do NOT want to kill something so lovely as he (she?).

Should I take him to my lfs and trade him for something? If so, how would I get him dis-loged from the 2 rocks he has himself kinda wedged between.. He picked out that spot pretty quick and has stayed put. I'm terribly afraid of damaging him if I try to move him.

Any advice out there?

THanks in advance!
 

OrionGirl

No freelancing!
Aug 14, 2001
14,053
342
143
Poconos
Real Name
Sheila
Identify him first, and decide if you want a condy if that's what it is. Condy's are fairly hardy--given enough lighting and food, they survive fairly well. But--they aren't really that desirable, as they don't host, and pose a serious threat to any corals, fish, and inverts you add to the tank.
 

mogurnda

vaguely present
Apr 29, 2003
5,383
0
0
DC
Visit site
I wish Richard wouldn't do that. It sounds like a nice "freebie," but has all the disadvantages Orion mentions.

If the anemone migrates somewhere where it can be removed easily, I would trade it. They are fairly cheap, though, so you probably won't get a lot. If it settles in and thrives, then you can work around it.
 

Bobindy1

AC Members
Jun 9, 2005
24
0
0
Thanks for the insight. I confirmed, with TBS that it is indeed a condy. He parked well away from the corals that came on the rock, but I do want to put a few fish in this tank... So, Dave, when you say if he thrives and settles in, I can "work around" him, do you mean, that I should plan NOT to add fishes? I think it's pretty and all, but I don't think I want to devote my entire 46 gallons to him.

More questions: If I keep him well fed, is he more likely to stay put and leave everything else (like fish, eventually) alone? How large could he get? Lastly, does he present a fairly large or fairly small bio-load... say, as compared to a clownfish - just as an example?

Thanks again to you both for your informative replies.
 

mogurnda

vaguely present
Apr 29, 2003
5,383
0
0
DC
Visit site
By working around, I just meant that you should keep corals at a distance. It's still no guarantee, since the anemone may still move around a bit.

I wish I could answer the question about fish eating, but I have neither done the experiment nor read a lot about it.
 

OrionGirl

No freelancing!
Aug 14, 2001
14,053
342
143
Poconos
Real Name
Sheila
I can relate my experience. I got one when my tank was about 6 months old. He moved around within a specific range--he'd creep around a rock, back and forth. Never really roamed the entire tank, just moved around that corner. The fish learned to avoid him, but most all of them (a blue damsel, a bicolor angel, a yellow tang, and a pair of engineer gobies) sported stings at some point in time--little white patches that would fase back to normal within 3 days. The condy was moved into a different tank after it started killing polyps. The fish in there--a trigger, a lion, and a burrfish--took a few hits, then everyone but the burrfish learned to avoid it completely. The burrfish was constantly getting stung. The condy 'died' a couple of times--completely disappeared, no sight of it, only to show up a few weeks later, with shorter tentacles and full color. It eventually died--not enough food for it in the FO tank.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store