Anemones or coral first?

[Bayyak403]

Hi i have a 135 gallon tank with a mini clean up crew i was wondering what to add first anemone or a coral?
Thanks.

[dino]

anemone is best to add to a well established tank

[Myka]

What type of anemone do you want to buy? Did you start with dry rock or live rock?

[Bayyak403]

Originally Posted by Myka

What type of anemone do you want to buy? Did you start with dry rock or live rock?

I wanted the one for the clown fish (bad with names) and dry rock i bought off someone that was alive he told me about this forum but it cycled quickly only in 2 weeks i used 80lbs of livesand i think it was caribsea and used aquavitro seed.

[tang daddy]

Dead dry rock doesn't cycle in 2 weeks, it may take upwards of 3-5 months before actually being live with animals living in it. If it was live rock then it wouldn't have been dry....

Anyhow if it's a new tank I would wait abit and perhaps seed the dead rock with a piece of live rock, depending on your tank it may cycle faster if you have more live rock as there is enough animals and bacteria to break down the nutrients and waste.

I would start with adding soft coral as they tend to be hardier like Zoas and mushrooms. See how they react over the next few weeks then slowly add a few more pieces.

Anemones can be sensitive even though they are considered a softie.

[intarsiabox]

Also keep in mind that clownfish don't always want to host anemones or anything else for that matter, nor do clownfish require an anemone. Anemones can also wander all over the place and often end up getting shredded in a powerhead. As previously suggested, if you really want one I would wait a few months.

[WarDog]

I will never add an anemone to a tank with SPS or LPS ever again.

Repeat this line over and over again, preferably 2 years after your first mixed reef tank. Lol.

[babnika]

you could always try a hammer coral. my clowns are hosting one

[videosilva]

You better make up your mind now before you start wasting money. Anemones do look nice in a tank but..............

They WILL move around the and killing anything in its path. If you want exotic expensive coral ( like there is any cheap coral ) you may want to rethink your Anemone. If you don't mind wasting money and seeing things die then............

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Bayyak403

I wanted the one for the clown fish (bad with names) and dry rock i bought off someone that was alive he told me about this forum but it cycled quickly only in 2 weeks i used 80lbs of livesand i think it was caribsea and used aquavitro seed.

If the rock was dry when you added it, it doesn't matter if was alive before, all the beneficial bacterial and microfauna are dead, so it's the same as using dry rock. I would wait at least 4-6 months before adding a Bubbletip, longer if you want a Carpet or Long Tentacle Anemone.

Bubbletip anemones (aka BTA) are the hardiest anemone that will host Clowns, but Ocellaris Clowns (Common Clown or False Percula) aren't naturally hosted by BTAs. Ocellaris Clowns are naturally hosted by Long Tentacle or Carpet Anemones, but they are more difficult to care for - especially Carpets, plus both types get really big. Your best bet it to buy True Percula Clownfish and a BTA for the best chance of forming a host bond. Other species like Tomato, Clarkii, Saddlebacks, and Skunks are much better at bonding with anemones, but they get bigger and more aggressive than most people want in their tanks.

As mentioned, anemones do tend to move around. Some move around a lot, and others rarely move. It's luck of the draw. I have a Bubbletip that I've had for 8 or 9 years, and it never moves. Every few years it will split, and the split will move 6" away and I remove it, but that's it. I also have several clients with anemones, and some of them I've never seen move, and some of them are in a new spot every week.