am I ready for an anemone?
 

I'd really like an anemone, just wondering if my tank can handle one. I've got a 67gal, 60lbs LR. The tank's been running since the end of last October. After the cycle I've never had any fluctuations in the water conditions. Ammonia, Nitrate, and nitrite are all 0, pH is 8.0, SG 1.024. I currently have 2 perc clowns and a yellow tang. I just have 2 frags, no other corals. So will an anemone thrive in my tank?

Your tank should be ready at 8 months & stable. How's your lighting though? (very high PC or MH really) Anemones have high lighting requirements. Would recommend that you look for a tank-raised clone from another reefer rather than a wild-harvested from a LFS because clones tend to do better than wild-caughts. What species are you looking at? LTAs & BTAs tend to be the easiest clownfish hosting anemones to keep.

JME & JMO,

Anthony

Yeah you should be good to go as long as you have good lights. I have heard of people putting them in much sooner and having them thrive, so I say go for it.

I've got PC lighting, 2 actacids and 2 10000K. I was thinking a BTA, I'll look around for a tank-bred one rather than wild caught. Any ideas where I'd find one of those?

Try posting a want ad in the buy/sell.. :mrgreen:

reply
 

So two 10k and two actinic in a 36 inch light? That would be 96 watts x4 bulbs right? 384 watts should be enough for BTAs or even a sebae.

Re: reply
 

You do realize those can grow to 20" across.
I don't think PC lights would cut it for it either.

IMO the only anemone that can be housed relatively well under PCs would be a BTA.

96w PC are pretty good, especially impressed with Panasonic bulbs. But it they're 65w bulbs, those don't really give very intense lighting I find. Could you post tank size & light wattage. Also, the 10000k is great but the actinic is sorta useful but more for aesthetic appeal so I wouldn't count on the actinics to add too much towards the light total.

Anthony

I'm at about the same timeframe and conditions for my tank, are the rose tips easy to take care of under MH?

I don't agree with getting an anemone now.

It is not so much the time frame but the amount of corals you have in your tank.

I would suggest getting some more experience with different types of coral. Make some mistakes with various corals and learn from them, the way we all learn by experience. Then when a few more months have gone by an anemone will be easy to take care of.

I got an RBTA too early, it crawled down my drainpipe and died in the sump. Then after waiting several more months I got an RBTA in December which is thriving now.

When you do get an anemone I strongly suggest a BTA which is generally acknowledged to be the most hardy anemone. IMO other types of anemones are best left to anemone experts.