Anemone advice

[msmith619]

OK, this if for all you experts out there!
I have a 75 gallon reef tank with 4 T-5 bulbs (2 actinic, 2 10,000k). Refugium, wet/dry filter, protein skimmer, etc. Tank is great, all parameters normal, growing lots of corals and BTAs. Here is the question. I have a green BTA who is happy and split. I have a true pair of false perculas and a small tomato clown. The BTAs were placed on the left side, where the false perculas live, they ignored them. The anemones wandered until they got to the right side, where the tomato lives, and he bathes in them and they are happy together and the anemones have not moved for 2 months.
I want my false percula pair to have an anemone. I have had only 1 loss so far ( a sps coral frag) as I have been VERY carefull about only buying stuff I know will do well for me. I am thinking about a LTA for the false perculas, they have a large open sand bed in front of them. I think I can keep a LTA but am unsure about any other anemones.
What anemone do you think the false perculas will like, since they don't like BTAs, and which might do well in my tank set-up?
Mike

[Purplebeladona]

It is never a good idea to mix anemones, ( or clowns for that matter) especially in a smaller system. I would try another BTA but one that is large enough for both of your perculas. Possibly the others were too small after they split and did not make an adequate home for them. Do keep in mind a LTA is more aggressive and will surely fight with the BTA.
Purple

[Daniel]

My false perculas didn't host my bta for a week. I put pictures of other clowns hosting bta's and within 2 days they were hosting it. Give it a try it sounds silly but it worked for me.

[hobogato]

i have four different species of anemones (not counting aiptasia and mushrooms :lauging: ) and they seem to be doing fine. now, in a tank your size, you probably could get away with a bta and lta, as long as you get them to settle in away from one another - especially since ltas tend to stay in the sand and btas tend to be rock dwelling. you may want to be sure to run carbon on the tank as some people believe the anemones will fight chemically even if they cant physically get to one another.

[Third Coast Tropical]

i agree wiith Hobo, i think you can have more than one species of anemone in a tank your size.....i would be more concerned about having 2 different species of clowns in there.....Tomatos get mean and aggressive as the mature, I have a pair that is just that.....I personally would never mix the clown speices...especially putting anything with Tomatos, WSMs, or GSMs.......

[msmith619]

I bought the 3 clowns as tank-raised at smaller than an inch in size. They all get along fine and have never been agressive to each other. The 2 false perculas have grown into a true pair (my goal by buying two babies) and have taken over the left half of the tank. They are agressive to me and nip when I feed but not to the other fish. The tomato has the right half of the tank and the 2 BTAs. I have an abnormal tomato because he is not aggressive to anything! The clowns cross sides often to feed and never show the slightest agression to each other. I think the key was buying them as babies and introducing them all at the same time. I have put one of the BTAs with the false percs on more than one occassion and they ignore it. The tomato 'swims' in the BTA tentacles all day so, the false percs see this every day. That should work better than a picture. I was hoping a different anemone might entice them. I have a 4 inch deep sand bed and a large open spot where they spend most of their time that would be perfect for a LTA. I just want to put one that there is a good chance they will accept and that will do well under my T-5s.
Mike

[Third Coast Tropical]

my tomatos are with a BTA, My GSM's are with a LTA, my saddlebacks are with a LTA, I have a pair of ocellaris and WSMs right now that are anemone-less, however, i have had a BTA with the ocellaris before and they bonded with it......the WSMs will get a LTA when they go to there new home.....

[kkiel02]

I tried the same thing with trying the tank raised to host. Have tried pictures have tried btas then moved the anemones to another tank. THen tried the LTA and they have not touched it either. The thing about tank raised is that they were never really been taught to use them as they would in the wild. If you ever go scuba or snorkeling you wont see a clownfish without an anemone. I hope you can get yours to host but mine just stay hosting their little piece of live rock. lol Let me know if you know if any other tips.

On another note my rbta moved around alot less than my lta. Maybe I just got lucky with my BTA as it never really moved from where it was placed.