Anemone question

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gypsywind

Registered Member
Mar 20, 2006
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California
Hi :)
I cycled a 12gal eclipse with live rock, live sand, prepared salt water and 4 damsels for 6 weeks. All levels are great so at the suggestion of my lfs i purchased 2 clown fish and a haitian anemone which the clowns were swimming through and around. (side note: the 4 damsels are in the 55 gal now) The anemone was doing fine moving around the tank to find its spot before going to bed. turned out the lights and got up this morning to find a quarter sized anemone that apparently is dead. Any clue as to what happened? Should i try getting another one for the clowns or would they be okay without one?

Would appreciate any advice.
 

TKOS

Registered User of Fish
Feb 6, 2003
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Nova Scotia, Canada
tkos.unsta.com
That tank is way too small to house an anemone. The clowns will do perfectly fine without it. Any additions will probably just die off. The clowns will pick something else to host. If you want to add something anemone like then look to some of the soft corals. My brother's clown host with a soft open brain coral.
 

Crown Royal

AC Members
Dec 17, 2004
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A death that quick usually suggests an acclimation shock issue.

But TKOS is correct: get a bigger, more mature tank with much better lighting than an eclipse before you try another anemone. Clowns will be fine without one. My clowns hosted a hole they dug in the sandbed for awhile - and this was in a tank with galaxea, frogspawn and hammer coral (all anemone lookalikes)
 

TKOS

Registered User of Fish
Feb 6, 2003
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Nova Scotia, Canada
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Also many anemones in fish stores are already on their way to dying. The problem is they often are very slow in their dying, often takign months. It is hard to make sure you are getting a truely healthy specimen sometimes.

Read up on their life cycle as well, including their symbiotic relationship with photsynthetic bacteria.
 

gypsywind

Registered Member
Mar 20, 2006
2
0
0
California
Thank you for the information. I went back to the lfs last night and the other one they had died too. My clowns are doing fine thankfully.

I am in the process of cycling a 55 gal tank now. I started it with live rock, live sand also but am definately going to take my time on this tank. I am hoping to mix some fish and invertebrates together.
 
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