Anemone

[Coralgurl]

Your tank is like a baby, yes it's done it's cycle but you need all the good bacteria to become established. Right now there's just no more die off. I'm not good at the scientific stuff , but I know with some corals if you add to soon, they will just die and frustrate you. You are going to have swings in your parameters, you need to learn about keeping the tank stable for ca, mag and alk. I'm on my second tank and find the first 9 months to a year to be the most challenging, after that things seem to stabilize. This hobby is about going slow, start with easy corals, see how they do, then move into the harder ones. Learn to recognize when things are thriving and when something is "off". Add your cuc and a couple of fish to start. Let the tank get used to that bioload and add another fish.

[Madreefer]

Good advice^^
We were all newbies once. So we all know the feeling of having a boring looking tank and the urge to get that spectacular looking tank as soon as possible. Patience is the big key here. And as much as that guy thanks he knows at the LFS don't listen to him. I'm talking those big chain pet stores that sell all pets. Support the small stores where the owner is usually a hobbyist. Get your answers on this site by using the search key. Icon answers there than send the questions out there. There's alot of helpful knowledgeable people on here.

[jason604]

i guess ill have to wait then lol, but we all know how amazing clowns fishes look in a nice anemone!! what softies would you guys recommend that clowns will host in??

[maron6977]

Mine host in a colt coral & love it . Took them a long time before they moved in there though .

[Dive_dry]

I have 2 anemones in my tank and my clowns don't give them a second look they host in my open brain. So just because you have an anemone doesn't mean they will host in it

[ckmullin]

when ready first throw in an anem...let it get settled and then throw in clowns. It might help for them to keep it as a host when you throw other goodies in the tank.

[Davidbugera]

Originally Posted by Coralgurl

Your tank is like a baby, yes it's done it's cycle but you need all the good bacteria to become established. Right now there's just no more die off. I'm not good at the scientific stuff , but I know with some corals if you add to soon, they will just die and frustrate you. You are going to have swings in your parameters, you need to learn about keeping the tank stable for ca, mag and alk. I'm on my second tank and find the first 9 months to a year to be the most challenging, after that things seem to stabilize. This hobby is about going slow, start with easy corals, see how they do, then move into the harder ones. Learn to recognize when things are thriving and when something is "off". Add your cuc and a couple of fish to start. Let the tank get used to that bioload and add another fish.

+1

[Coralgurl]

I kinda already said this, but I went back through a thread from when my first tank was a few months old. I had added corals and they were NOT doing well. I was asking for help and below is some great advice I received.

It really can be a challenge to do corals in a tank under 5-6 months old. Some real pros can set one up and have a perfect tank within weeks - though this is the exception to the rule. Corals require excellent water, light, and only a little food. It takes months to determine weather a coral is happy in your tank as to how deep it's placed, the water flow has to be right, the water must be great, and the light good. This assumes the coral survives that long. And in a reef tank with fish, overfeeding of the fish can produce an environment where most corals will die, as overfeeding results in poor water/high nitrates or nitrites. Take things slower - do not add anymore fishes, or corals, and attempt to keep what you have alive for a few months. Check water parameters often, and do water changes when needed. Let your reef grow into YOUR desired looks, over time - rather than attempt a full blown complex system over only a couple months......a good reef tank regardless of size requires many months, if not years! I'm still waiting for mine to look like a million bucks - and it'll be 5 years from now.

this hobby is all about patience .patience and more patience....that being said a 6 month tank is a new born. after a year that's when it will really start to do its own thing and take care of itself. you can help it along with filters and skimmers. but nature needs to take its course over time.as the tank matures it will usually self correct except if you do something dramatic like add 5 fish at one time.it took me years to get my reef close to where i want it.
One of the hardest things is looking at others tanks and wanting yours to look the same (been there, done that). It will, but it takes time. Rushing into things is the fastest way to push you out of the hobby!

[JTang]

Fire me a PM when your tank is ready. One of my RBTA's is getting pretty big n might split anytime.