What Anemone to get, and where?

[Bob I]

I have two wild caught Ocellaris Clowns that I have had for almost three years. These clowns currently occupy Conch shells. They really own these shells. I have even observed one of the clowns trying to feed a shell. I also have a 33 gallon tank (36x18x12"), I would like to make this a dedicated Clown Anemone tank. The tank is lit with 110W of PC lighting. Now what I would like to know is what do you experts feel would be the best Anemone to get, and where? I have never owned an Anemone, so I would not attempt this without some real advice. So go to it, advise me. :confused: :rolleyes:

[ 10 September 2002, 17:22: Message edited by: Bob Ipema ]

[AJ_77]

Bob, have you missed this link in the Calgary forum?

Get a rose BTA!

AJ :D

[spikehs]

bob, if you WERE thinking of getting a rose, i would put yourself on the waiting list ASAP, i have no idea how long it is, but of course, dont get one untill you know what you are doin :D . Jayson says they will probably be about $100-165 i think, and pretty small 1-3inches. FYI a rose bta is NOT a natural host for occelaris, but seeing as they ARE wild, you would probably have better success at maching them up.

[Bob I]

Well so far all I know is that Rose BTA's are distant relatives of the nuisance Glass Anemones, and a three inch one would certainly not support two 2.5" clowns. So, more ideas?

[reefburnaby]

Hi,

Keep in mind that BTAs (rose or the regular brown/green) are not natural hosts to the Ocellaris. There is a remote 1% chance that they will not take it as a host.

But, if you really want a rose BTA, I would try the regular one first. If you can keep it alive or thrive for a least a year, then you can trade it in for the rose.

BTA are the easiest of the anemones to keep because they tend to need less light than the other anemones. The long tentacle is the next easiest, followed by the Sebae, the ritteri, carpet and saddle. The last three are quite hard to keep and I have only read of several people around the world that have kept them for more than 2 years. Unfortunately, the natural host for this clownfish is very hard to keep (carpet). Do avoid the Condylactis anemone...none of the clownfishes have been known or have been seen to take this as a host.

I would recommend the Joyce Wilkerson book on Clownfish. Its a good book if you are planning to breed them.

- Victor.

[ 10 September 2002, 19:18: Message edited by: reefburnaby ]

[DJ88]

Bob,

Go BTA. Start with one of the easiest. Don't buy anything else. Tho I don't recommend anyone buying any anemones. Too high a %age die in captivity. Way to high. If you go for the easiest you can learn(or try to) what these creatures need as far as feeding and light(yes they need food too) fish carrying food sometimes isn't enough.

Personally.. I'd put in a type of coral that clowns are known to host in(many LPS and softies). There is no real reason to buy an anemone if the clowns are in a tnak. They don't need the protection that the anemone provides in nature. The clowns will be just as happy and you have saved one anemone from possible death. Heck I have seen clowns mate without a host all together.

If you feel you HAVE to get one :rolleyes: , stay away from Carpets, Sebaes, Ritteri etc etc.

Victor,

There are many documented cases of condy's hosting clowns of various kinds.

I personally have had both Perc's and Oscellaris host in a condy. And have read of many others on a few different boards.

[reefburnaby]

Darren,

Hmm...thanks for the info. I though the condy caused skin irritation on the clown because the condy is from a different part of the ocean (Atlantic). I guess I am wrong.

The problem with using corals as hosts is that your coral has to be quite strong. The constant nagging of the clowns can upset the coral and cause it to receed.

- Victor.

[ 10 September 2002, 20:38: Message edited by: reefburnaby ]

[Delphinus]

Anemone keeping is both an art and a science.

BTA's tend to make ideal "first" anemones because of their broader tolerances in certain parameters.

I generally am offended by the notion of "ranking" species in terms of ease rating or difficulty rating. These rankings are generally wrong anyways IMHO. And greatly oversimplify a pretty complicated scenario. The bottom line is ALL anemones are "high needs" animals, no exceptions. Some are more particular than others though, some are more demanding than others; but a lot of it depends on an individual's attitude. Some are survivors, and some ... well ... aren't.

BTA's do just as badly as other species when first collected. The statistics are very bad for anemones in the first year. This is, I feel, due largely in part to the general reefkeeping public's ignorance towards these animals. For example, people keep insisting on keeping them more than one to a tank. This is very often fatal!!! And guess what happens in dealer's tanks, in distributors tanks, etc. etc. -- chockablock full of stressed out anemones. And stress is contagious.

Thus, the key to successful selection is dealing with a reputable dealer who cares about the well-being of the anemone.

Unfortunately, from what I've seen that more or less eliminates ALL of them. Sorry guys. Prove me wrong. I must say, I have YET to see any retailer who truly loves anemones and cares about their well-being. Most of the time, anemones are second-class citizens.

Your best bet is to find a specimen from a fellow hobbyists tank. Luckily in the case of BTA's, splits are a fairly common occurence and thus it is usually not difficult at all to find a "captive split". These really are the best bets. They have already demonstrated their adaptation to life in captivity.

...

This is a snippet from a post I made in the past: (I felt it worthy of repeating)

Don't feel that your fish "need" an anemone -- in captivity, they don't. They're not stressed out without one. The converse is also true, an anemone in captivity doesn't "need" a clownfish. So, don't get an anemone because you have clownfish, and feel that the fish need an anemone. If you do get an anemone, do it because you love anemones and want to care for one, and if you have the clownfish/anemone relationship happening in your tank, then treat that as a happy bonus.

If you want to consider anemones, or even clownfish, there are a couple of books that simply belong on your bookshelf. If you only get one of the following two books, get this first one. "Clownfish" by Joyce Wilkerson. A great read, talks about their natural history, all the different species, how to start breeding them, etc. A great section on anemones in there too. The second book is "A Field Guide to Anemonefish and their Host Sea Anemones" by Drs. Daphne Fautin and Gerald Allen -- the absolute foremost authorities on host anemones. More of a description of the animals in nature, but there is a section about captive care of clownfish. Both are great books and I myself read them time and again.

[Delphinus]

PS. Victor, it is nice to be thought of one of "several people around the world that have kept them for more than 2 years."

:D

BTA E. quadricolor: four years and counting. A regular splitter (Bob, if you want one, I can keep you in mind for my next split.)

Green carpet S. haddoni: two years and counting.

Ritteri H. magnifica: 1.5 years and counting.

I beleive the key to success is a clear understanding of the very precise requirements of lighting, water movement/current, feeding, and substrate selection to which every species has its own unique preferences. Anemones don't adapt to different scenarios. They need what they need, and if the requirements are not met, the anemone is stressed. Simple as that.

The second rule of thumb is protecting them from diffuse competition from other individuals. Two anemones may get along fine in a tank, but it's a risk. Overcrowding in a confined space is a definite no-no.

[ 10 September 2002, 20:57: Message edited by: delphinus ]

[sumpfinfishe]

Hi Bob, well if I was you I would get a green carpet anemone. I had one for two years and just recently traded it in to my l.f.s. It was not hard to keep and my pink skunk clowns loved it! The female would sleep inside, while the male would rest underneath at the base. I did feed it once a month with a good chunk of brine shrimp or krill. This action was taken because the clowns can be rather greedy when it comes to meal time.I traded in the carpet as it simply outgrew my tank. Now I do not own an anemone instead however my skunks have taken to two new host- a triple crown of pink frogspawn and underneath two frags of hammer coral. I would get another carpet if I was planning a anemone/clown combo only, but any other case-no way as it's just not worth loosing a favorite fish to a hungry carpet. And yes, Joyce's book "clownfishes" is a must have for anyone who wants to keep anemones or clownfish.
Happy Reefing! [img]smile.gif[/img]