Anenome/Clownfish Questions

[dolfans1]

I have a 120 g tank that has been established for 4 months now. It has ~80 lbs of live rock and 60 lbs base rock (which may be live by now). My water readings have been very good and consistent: NH3, NO2, NO3, PO4 all 0, pH 8.4, SG 1.024, alkalinity 7 dKH.

My current inhabitants include 6 green chromis, 1 yellow tang, 1 royal gramma, 2 pajama cardinals, 1 crocea clam, 1 skunk cleaner shrimp, and a bunch of hermits and snails.

I would like to get a bubble tip anenome and a pair of clowns (probably tomato). My questions are:

1. Is it too soon to add the anemone? I have heard that a tank should be established anywhere from 3 months to 1 year before adding one.

2. Will it be too much bioload if I add the anenome and both clowns at the same time, or should I add the clownfish first, and then the anenome?

 

[Crown Royal]

All you ever wanted to know about anemones:

http://www.carlosreef.com/AnemoneFAQ.pdf

I'd be careful of your clam and any coral you may have. Anemones like to wander and pack a powerful sting

 

[DansMarineTank]

Bubble tips in the wild are hosted by maroon clowns i believe you may have little luck with tamatos

 

[SummerMoon]

I have a mated pair of maroons and have been dying to get an anemone to host them... but I'm too freaked out over caring for one. I still consider myself quite the newb and everyone tells me anemones are NOT for beginners. Maybe someday I'll take the plunge.

 

[Gealcath]

Also tank raised clowns may never host with a Anemone, they have no clue what one is.

 

[Max]

Gealcath, is 100% correct and most of them are tank raised. You don't need one to make your clowns happy. That having been said though if you are going to go the anem route there are some things to keep in mind.
1. They eat fish ,"anything but, clowns,'well most of the time',".
2. They sting what ever they touch and usually your anem will win the contest.
3. They have the habit of moving to the very least excessable part of your tank .
They are P.I.T.A to move with out causing them some major damage. So make sure you can reach where ever they can get to so that you can feed them.
4. The easy anems ,"BTA's are easy by anem standards", are about as hard to take care of as a moderate to difficult coral.
FWIW if you do decide to go this route and get an anem. I'd get the anem first and give it time to get established before it's new tenants arive. I have a tomato myself and it's as likely to host in a bta as it is in one of the more difficult anems. Just make sure that your anem is of a large enough size to take the beating it's new tenants will give it.
HTH and please continue to give this a lot of thought. You pretty much have to design your tank around anems so you're sort of limited in what else you can do.

 

[SummerMoon]

What about fake anemones? Has anyone had success with getting a clown to take to one?? I've looked on the net, and all I find are these terribly bright bold rubber anemones that look nothing like a live one. I was seriously considering a fake one.

 

[TKOS]

My brother's clowns have hosted with an open brain coral quite well. And it is right in the front of the tank so you can see them settle down for the night which is cool. I have also seen them host with powerheads, flower pots and sections of live rock. The problem is they will choose where to host and since most (as mentioned) are captive bred or raised they have ahosting sense but not a knowledge of where to use it. So you can't be sure what they will choose.

I would also say that a 4 month old tank isn't established enough. Most people have the best luck once they're tank is at least 1 year old if not older. And very stable is important as well.

 

[wastememphis]

Some food for thought, I came across this today:

THE PIC WENT AWAY BUT HERES THE LINK

CLOWNS

Close to 55 tank raised clowns, 12weeks old, and they know what an anemone is. Their parents were tank raised too I believe. My maroon clowns are WC and they have killed two anemones with constant abuse (too small for the two of them). They have hosted in a plate coral (which stung the fish and they were hurting the coral) and they're currently in a green finger leather.

I'm probably going to get an RBTA for my new tank, I'm not sure though, I'm worried about the source of where I buy them, I dont like when things die especially since they live for hundreds of years in the ocean and can die within a few months in my tank I feel guilty and like a bad aquarist.

 

[sushigirl]

[QUOTE these terribly bright bold rubber anemones that look nothing like a live one. I was seriously considering a fake one.[/QUOTE]
SummerMoon: Please don't get a fake! They look So...FAKE~!
I have 3 different anemones in my 75gal. which was over a year old, but I have only had it for 7 months since the move, and I have one in my 100gal tank which is only 10 months old; so far so good!