which one to get? (Anemone)

[mathias]

I want to get clowns down the road and have some happy clowns I need a Anemone but which one is ideal for my lil clowns...


if you havn't noticed I like saying clowns...... I want them to make me laugh....

[DeletedAccount]

Anemone are extremely difficult to keep alive in a home aquarium. The survival rate is VERY low. There are quite a few different corals that have a better survival rate that the clowns will host in.

As far as what anemone, that depends on the clowns that you plan to purchase. Different cowns host in different anemones both in nature and in the home aquarium. Let us know the clown type and we can give you some better ideas.

[robertpower3]

I've had great luck with zebra mats and bubbles tips but if you want your clown to host in the anemone research there natural hosts before you buy. There is also a book callled clownfishes ( ithink thats the name.

[Isis]

In general, most anemones are going to need strong lighting, and strong lighting is all going to depend on the septh of your tank since some prefer to live on the substrate and some higher up in the column. It is important to remember that clowns DON'T NEED anemones to be "happy". A lot of the clowns bought more recently are going to be a tank-raised specimens, so the chances of a clown "knowing" it is supposed to hang with anemone will be variable. I have noticed that many of the ocellaris that are tank-raised (which is common) don't even going to the anemones bought for them, in fact many have been adopting feather dusters.

Word of caution when wanting an anemone. THEY MOVE. Unlike their sessile counter parts, i.e. corals of all species, they have the advantage of finding the ideal spot that suits them. So, there are chances that there can be incidences of chemical warfare, "run-ins" with power heads, etc... If you feel that you can't live without an anemone, do your research first. PLEASE. Many specimens are ripped from the bottom at collection, and their pedal disc is often torn. Some species, especially carpets, are very predacious, so depending on what you have in your tank, you could lose fish unexpectantly. Daphne Fautin wrote a very good book on clownfishes and anemones, and I suggest you look it up or do a search online for her studies in the matter.

[brewercm]

My clown hosts in my purple mushroom.

[DeletedAccount]

My clowns have taken up residence in a torch coral in one tank and Xenia in the other.

[Tim Marvin]

Bubble tips have adapted pretty well to aquarium life and are one of the more hardy anemones. You will need good lighting and flow though.

[matt]

Bravo to all this good advice. I feel pretty strongly that the removal of host anemones from the ocean is one of the worst things that our hobby does. These animals have horrible survival rates in captivity, and every anemone removed from the ocean means clownfish die in the process. If you must have an anemone, get a tank raised E. quad, aka bubble tip anemone. Maroon clowns will definitely host in it, true perculas maybe, and oscellaris unlikely, but maybe. Kim's suggestion of the Fautin book is excellent; should be REQUIRED reading for anyone considering purchasing one of these, as should an article that appeared in one of the online mags about host anemone captive survival rates (less than 20% over a year, and that's from the small percentage that survive long enough to make to the fish store and be sold)

[mathias]

good advice... Now the question is where to get a tank raised anemone... ???

[Isis]

Mathias, you can get tank-raised bubble-tips from hobbyist since those who are successful with them manage to get them to split. Just ask around and I am sure you will find one.

As for the survival rate that Matt mentioned, this is very true unfortunately. One thing that hobbyists must remember is that just because an anemone is still in your tank after a few day, weeks or even months, DOESN'T mean that it is surviving. It can take an anemone up to a year to wither away due to insufficient diet and lighting requirements. for example, someone I knew bought a Haddon's carpet, or saddle carpet, and had no clue as into what he was doing. Unfortunately his lighting was on one small flouresent bulb in a very tall tank. He never fed the anemone and the animal began to shrink in size. It started out with an 8 in diameter and was soon approaching 4 inches before I got it, which was about 6 months later. After moving it to my tank which had PCs, feeding it about 3 times a week and strong water flow, it grew to over 12 inches across in about 2 years.

I strongly advise against getting carpets, but if you get any type of anemone, please make sure you get a sponge guard for your powerheads!!!

[mathias]

sponge guard good idea where should I get them from any lfs would have them?

[Tim Marvin]

They do best, from my experience, in tanks run with refugiums. Nitrates, and phosphates kill them off fairly quick. A nice sized refugium will keep these levels undetectable.

[Isis]

sponge guard good idea where should I get them from any lfs would have them?

You can get them at any local or chain pet supply store. Inexpensive compared to the amount of money lost to fish and inverts being sucked into impellers. :o