New Print and eBook on Amazon:   Anemone Success Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Lighting for A BTA 9/19/10
Hello all,
<Hello Karen>
A quick question about lighting for a BTA in a 46 inch bow front with 4 inch sand bed and 60 pounds of live rock. Is a T5 39 watt 4 bulb fixture with all daylight bulbs adequate? The tank is 3 years old and the only other occupants are fish.
<If the bulbs aren't three years old your lighting should be fine for a BTA.
An article on BTAs can be found here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm>
Thanks,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Karen
Lighting for A BTA 9/19/10 - 9/20/10
Gosh! Thanks for such a speedy response. You all are fabulous!
<You're welcome, Karen. James (Salty Dog)>

Bubbletip Anemone, Housing, Death 9/1/10
Hello Crew,
<Hi>
I have had a 46 gallon saltwater setup for 3 years. It has 50+ pounds of live rock, 4-5 inches of live sand, a BakPak skimmer, hang on back filter and T5 lighting. It is currently occupied by the following:
Pair of Tomato Clowns
Blue Damsel
Yellow Tang
<Needs a much larger tank.>
Button Polyps
Feather Duster
Today, I lost a BTA that I had for 2 years.
<This also needs a larger tank, better lighting, and probably was battling the polyps chemically.>
It occupied the same rock during it's entire stay in the tank and was beautiful. It was on a gradual decline recently, with a loss of color and refusal to eat (silversides or raw shrimp).
<Water quality, lighting, and tankmates most likely causes here.>
This is a loss for both me and the clowns.
I have had very few issues with the tank, performing regular water changes and checking the water chemistry regularly. My question is two-fold: do BTA's die from "old age" and what are the chances that the clowns will accept a new BTA?
<Anemones do not die from "old age", in fact they don't really age in a conventional sense, something killed this animal, most likely environmental conditions.>
Thanks for your help,
Karen
<I would not restock this animal here, the tank is too small to house once fully grown, reaching at least 12" in diameter fully grown. See here for more http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inver

Question about my BTA, sys.
Hello again!
Question I have a small reef tank it is a 6gal Nano cube (I know small) I have one BTA
<... much too small a volume for an Entacmaea. Read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
and the linked files above>
live sand and a cleaner shrimp with live rock. I had to do my first hydrometer reading and it read I had too much salt (spgr 1.030) so I took out 1.5 gal over 4 hours to bring it back down to 1.020.
<... and way to much of a change in Spg over a short period of time>
He was out taking some light all thru it until now he seems to be moving and is shrinking a little I know sometimes they can do that. I have been reading you site like I do to see if I can get the answer but I just want to double check. I had to lower the spgr to that because I will be adding a fish and wanted to be ok for it as well. Was not sure how long your supposed to decrease the salt by so I check and added / changed the water over the course of four hours. Hope to get more info Thanks
Maria
<About a thousandth per day... ten days... Read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spgmaint.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Anemone, ID... sys.    7/3/10 Good afternoon, <Mmm, yes> I ordered an RBTA last week and it finally arrived yesterday. I acclimated it slowly so I wouldn't shock it. First off, I would like to know if I actually got an E. Quadricolor. <Appears to be> The anemone is currently housed in a 14 gallon biocube <Too small to be stable...> that has been running for approximately a year and a half. The return pump has been upgraded to a MJ1200 and I also have a K-Nano for flow. I have a JBJ K2 Viper 150 watt metal halide for lighting. I run a big media bag of carbon in the middle chamber that I change every two weeks and I do a ~4 gallon water change every 1-2 weeks. Is there anything else I could do to better suite <suit> the anemone? <A larger system...> I was thinking another powerhead or upgrading the existing one. (The powerheads are anemone-proof, BTW.) <Good> I was thinking I should hold back on target feeding for a few days until it inflated for the first time. <Also commendable> Thanks, Jake <Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Thanks and my future BTA thanks you too. Mostly lambda reading  -- 05/21/10
Thanks Bob for your quick response.
<Willkommen>
I was so pleased that I printed it out and kept re-reading it. I think I'm finally going to do what I always (originally) wanted to do but I now have a mature tank to work with and some experience. Ok, I know I'm still wet behind the
ears so to speak.
<Oh?>
I have come up with a few more questions as I have talked to my LFS and he is a big sales man and will tend to sell me stuff I don't need so I wanted to run by my lighting with you. If you remember I mentioned I had two 10,000 white bulbs and two actinic bulbs. My LFS is trying to talk me into upgrading my bulbs for a total of
eight. I think that is way too much myself as I won't be getting into any corals but I thought I should run it by you first. What's your thoughts?
<Posted>
Also, I will be building up my live sand with the finer sand you mentioned and scrapped the idea of crushed coral. I want to build up my live rock with some dead rock underneath and would like to secure it using the drill / plastic tie method I have read about. How long can the live rock be out of the water without doing too much damage to it? I need to
<Depending on temp., humidity, a few hours>
build the structure up more vertically as with FO I didn't worry too much about it and it only comes up a little over halfway in the tank. I will be using the drill/acrylic tube method for this.
And one more thing, my tank has glass tops on it I presume will need to be removed so the BTA will have good lighting. I have a canopy on top of my tank and plan on keeping it as my rescue parrot is in the same room and it can get mighty dusty in there. I'm not sure how high the bulbs are from the water. How far away should they be and would I need to get some type of splash guard?
<Also posted>
Ok. That's it for now. Back to more reading. Thanks much. Again and Again.
Jill
<Keep reading the same. B>

FOWLR w/bubble anemone? Sure, if you have enough light and good water quality. 5/11/2010
Hello Crew!
<Hi Wes.>
Got a question for you that I couldn't find on the site. I have a 55gal FOWLR setup and have one Ocellaris Clown and a couple of Damsels. The tank has been running fine for 2 years now, with nothing dying and all the water parameters are always met. I do weekly water changes. The live rock doesn't seem to be "growing" anything anymore. There aren't a bunch of greens and purples on the rock. I want to add a bubble tip anemone in the tank and was wondering if a non-reef FOWLR system would be able to handle the anemone. I want to add another clown eventually to possibly mate and lay eggs in the anemone. Let me know what you think. Thanks!
<A 55 is a bit small in my opinion, but, with no other cnidarians, and a low fish load, particularly fish that could easily be consumed, I may be tempted to give it a try. Do keep in mind that these are photosynthetic and do need 'reef' quality conditions.>
<You can read more here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm  >
Wes-Panama City Florida
<MikeV - Melbourne, Florida>
Re: FOWLR w/bubble anemone 5/12/10
What type of lighting do I need to maintain...I only have two bulb availability...one for the right half of the tank and one for the left side
<For a bubble anemone, you would need at least 220 watts of light. A general rule of thumb is 4 - 5 watts of light per gallon for an anemone.>
<MikeV>

Bio wheels, Anemone Systems 4/19/10
I am currently running a bio wheel but I want to remove it from my system.
I have a good amount of live rock so I was wondering if there is a safe way to remove the bio wheel from my system without causing an ammonia spike.
<If there is sufficient live rock it should not be an issue, just monitor closely and be ready for water changes.>
The occupants of my system are 1 golden headed goby, 1 clarkii clown fish, four snails, three hermit crabs, and I was recently given a green tipped bubble tip anemone. I am mainly concerned about the anemone he is finally settled in and happy and I don't want to shock him with an ammonia spike. Also I run two 24" t5 actinics and two 24" t8 10000k's on my 29 gallon tank should this anemone be ok under this light he seems happy and doesn't move around.
thank you for any advice.
<This is a small tank for an anemone. See here for more
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm .>
<Chris>
Re: Bio wheels, Anemone Systems 4/20/10
Thank you for the advice when my uncle get his 125gallon tank up and going I will give it to him but that could be about a year because it will be a new set up. He does not move or shrivel up so I think he is happy will he be all right with the lighting I listed, it was two 24" actinic t5's and two 10000k t8's on my 29 gallon tank.
<Hopefully, but stability will still be an issue.>
My local fish store has minimal water movement and virtually no lighting so I don't want to take him there I'm
sure it would be a death sentence.
<Most stores are only set up to house anything on a temporary basis.>
I would like to keep him as healthy as possible until my uncles system is stable enough to take him. thank you.
<Welcome>
<Chris>

bio wheels, removal   - 4/19/10
I cant find any info on whether or not it would be safe for me to just remove my bio wheel from my set up now that I have live rock and a skimmer, is there a way to do this without an amonia spike. my water conditions are ph 8.3 salinity is 1.023 alk is 9.5 nit 0 amonia 0 nitrate is 5. I was given an anemone a green tiped bta and I dont want to shock him now that he is doing well and settled into a peice of rock. my tank is a 29 gallon with eclipse hood I have two 24" t5's that run actinics and two 24" t8's that run 10k bulbs. thanks for any advice z.
<Please correct the spelling/ grammar and re-send Zachary, we will be only to happy to help.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/wwmadminsubwebindex/question_page.htm
Simon>
bio wheels
<<Simon, I went ahead and responded to Z as I suspect s/he is not a native speaker/writer of English. RMF>>
I cant find any info on whether or not it would be safe for me to just remove my bio wheel from my set up now that I have live rock and a skimmer,
<Should be fine to simply remove this device in your established system. It is highly unlikely you'll observe such a spike>
is there a way to do this without an ammonia spike. my water conditions are ph 8.3 salinity is 1.023
<Mmm, I'd raise this. See WWM re: http://wetwebmedia.com/spg_salinity.htm
and the linked files above...>
Alk is 9.5 nit 0 ammonia 0 nitrate is 5. I was given an anemone a green tipped BTA and I dont want to shock him now that he is doing well and settled into a piece of rock. my tank is a 29 gallon with eclipse hood I have two 24" t5's that run actinics and two 24" t8's that run
10k bulbs. thanks for any advice z.
<Please read re Entacmaea period as well:
http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Bubble Tipped Anemone/Systems/Health 2/12/10
Hello!
<Hi Lauren>
I recently acquired a Bubble Tip Anemone, and I'm worried that in his quest for a home, he's going to sting my corals.
<No need to worry, it likely will. Not a good idea mixing the two and mixing anemones with non-immune fish.>
Admittedly, if I'd thought this
through, I'd have bought the anemone first, let it settle, and then added the corals. Unfortunately, I don't really have that option. I thought I'd poked him in a well-lit hole so he'd nestle in, (silly me.)
<Not true, even a change in water flow can cause the anemone to relocate.>
I've heard of a couple different ways to make them stay in one place. The first was to simply keep moving it back, but that seems like it will just aggravate it. I've heard of poking it into a piece of pvc pipe, but I don't know why that would be any more effective than poking him anywhere else.
Are there things I can do to encourage him to stay in one place?
<No, they will move until they have found a spot to their liking, and yes, you will aggravate it.>
If not, I still need a way to protect my corals. Most are small frags, and movable, but I can't babysit the tank all day (law student.) I also have a large frogspawn coral, which hasn't branched at all but spans nearly 9 inches. I'm worried the anemone will cause problems, and I'm looking to mitigate them. Any advice you can give, on either ways to help the anemone situate, or simply protect the corals, would be really helpful.
<If you enjoy your corals, I strongly suggest taking the anemone back to your LFS.
You mention nothing in the way of equipment used. Lighting, tank size, and water quality are all important factors in keeping anemones. If conditions are not to their liking, they will soon die and poison the entire tank. Do read here and related articles/FAQ's.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm>
Thanks in advance!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> 

Lighting Ugh/BTA Systems 11/11/09
<Hello Sabrina>
I am trying to buy the best lighting I can (afford) for my 55 gallon tall tank (LWH) 48"13"20". I have 3 BTA's (clones) and they are the only light sensitive animals in the tank. I would in the future like to put other compatible light loving animals in the tank also. I may upgrade the tank in the next year or so and need to ask your advice.
<I would not mix corals with three anemones in a 55 gallon tank. The anemones can and do relocate and you will be risking the corals to the anemone's sting in the process.>
There are 2 used systems which I have found in my price range. The first is the blue limited edition T5 Tek 48" 6 bulb with two AquaBlue, two actinic plus, and two pure actinics. And the second is a Coralife Aqualight Pro (2) 250 watt mh HQI/(2) 96 watt pc. I know that the second is a lot of light.
My thought was to take out the 96watts and use either 14k 15k or 20k bulbs.
The first systems with lights the second does not. With all this in mind what do you think? I have been reading and reading and reading but I keep going back and forth. In truth used metal halide systems scare me. The cost just seems really high and I needed a pros opinion.
<For keeping BTA's in your size tank, I would go with the Sunlight T5 TEK fixture. This unit uses the T5 HO lamps which provide the needed intensity. I would swap out the two AquaBlue, the two actinic plus, and one of the pure actinics for 10K lamps. This 324 watt, convection vent system, will then generate plenty of quality light for your BTA's. Have you read here?
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm>
Thank you for your time.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Sabrina

A few questions about my BTA...    11/4/09 Hi there, <Sabrina> I have a 55 gallon tank with a 30 gallon gravy feed refugium and a protein skimmer (not sure what kind) and a PC with 2 65w 10k bulbs and 2 65w Actinic bulbs. <Mmm, I'd be reading re the light requirements of Entacmaea, and switching out at least one of the actinics here for more 'white'> I bought this tank complete from a man who had had it set up for 2 years and when I brought it home I brought the fish, water and all. The fish that came with the system were, one clown fish 3 inch, one blue tang 1.5 inch, and one Sailfin who has been rehomed because he was 4 inches and in a 55 gallon tank for 2 years (not good). Anyway there is also a serpent star fish which is kinda big that I am thinking of rehoming as well. As of Saturday I have added a BTA which is about 5 to 7 inches in diameter. I have been doing 5 gallon water changes every week and all my water parameters have been good. The only thing this far I have had to adjust is the PH which tries' to drop but every so often I have been adding buffer to control this. Ph 8.2 dKH 179 nitrate 0 phosphate 0 <This photosynthetic organism needs some NO3, HPO4...> calcium 420 My question is about my anemone... When I bought him he was a very maroon and greenish color and when I got him home and put him in the tank he expanded and started to change color to a very normal tan color. <Bleaching... a lack of light, nutrient... What are you feeding?> I am not sure if this is the beginning of bleaching or if the color in the store was due to stress or if he is stressed now and was fine then or what. Then today around 3pm he shrunk down to about the size of a baseball maybe a bit bigger and expelled something. I was thinking he was dying, his tentacles where green and like thin spaghetti noodles but then not long after maybe an hour he returned to his normal size and has been doing his thing so I thought maybe he was just expelling waste. I should mention I have notices one or two of the tentacles has had a lighter tan ring band on them. I have not been able to see his mouth since I got him in my tank as his tentacles are always flopping on or around it. He moved around for the first two days and then stayed where he is now. His tentacles have very rarely been bubbled maybe 3 or 4 of them and not very much. Then something else I noticed, he isn't sticky at all to me. I have had a smaller tan BTA in the past and it almost grabbed at me but this one doesn't feel sticky at all and after my reading this makes me nervous. Will he ever be sticky again? Can I do anything about this. <... yes> In my reading before I got him I saw that if they aren't sticky they can be impossible to feed. <? No> I am worried about trying to feed him now while he is still getting used to his surroundings which I also read was better to leave them alone in the first week. Any advise <advice> would be helpful I have been reading and reading and I cant really find anything in "English" that talks about the stickiness other than it should be. <Don't worry/be concerned re this... DO be acting re the needs of this animal> The rest has been scientific jargon which I cant understand. From all of this can you tell me if you think I should return him to the store while I still can or if there is any hope at all? <Likely better for you to return. You don't appear 'ready' to keep such life> Thank you for your help and the work you guys put into this site. You help a lot of people who really would be lost with out you. Sabrina <Shall I refer you? http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

A few questions about my BTA Part II, lgtg.  - 11/07/09 Hi again, <Evening, Mike here> I was unable to return the BTA as the store owner insists I have enough lighting and said that who ever told me that didn't know what they were talking about... I tried to explain but it was really uncomfortable and so I just decided I won't be shopping their anymore. <All too common amongst LFS, I've never found a decent one. I recommend the quality online vendors, such as Live Aquaria and Blue Zoo Aquatics, personally> So in lieu of returning him, I went ahead and added another 65w 10k bulb for the little guy and have been looking into the different lighting options that are out there. <Good to hear> First question is can there be to much light? <Most definitely, photoinhibition is not a good thing. I have an article about lighting I wrote a while back...I don't think it's on WWM, but here's the link for it: http://blog.captive-aquatics.com/captive_aquatics/2009/06/lighting-photosynthetic-marine-invertebrates.html  and of course, check out the lighting FAQs here for tons of great info> I found a lighting system which is a Odyssea 48" 500W Metal Halide System Basic 15000k. <I've had personal experience with this model, very, very bright. Too bright for 'softies', but good for your anemone and other species requiring high intensity> They also have a 48" 716W Metal Halide System with T5 HO 15000K... <Overkill> both are in my price range I'm just not sure what's best. They do have smaller systems like a 30" 380W Metal Halide System with Power Compact with just one 250w would that work better <It would be sufficient, but the coverage would probably be lacking. Avoid PCs if possible> (I know nothing about this type of lighting and it makes me a little nervous though I read and read and read). <Just keep reading, articles and FAQs here, preferably> If I hang it would that work well? <Probably! Have you looked into T-5 lighting as another option? A 4 or 6 bulb fixture with individual reflectors should work well> I have been feeding the anemone shredded Mysid shrimp and squid along with trace elements. <All good, feel free to include shrimp and other meaty seafoods a few times a week> I had been looking for vitamins in the local LFS but they don't carry the ones you all recommend <Surprise, surprise...> so I am waiting for it to come in the mail. He has been doing better and has gotten some of his color back. <Excellent!> One other thing, should I feed him a little bit everyday or should once every 2 to 3 days be good for him? <If it's bleached, once daily to every other day, once recovered, as often as every other day or as little as every two weeks, up to you (feeding frequency controls the size of the anemone)> I really do just want to do what's best for this little guy. And I appreciate your help a great deal. <Anytime, hope we've helped. Good luck!> Sabrina <Mike Maddox> Re A few questions about my BTA - 11/07/09 Hi there, <Sab> In my research for finding the perfect lighting I came across a chart that said what kind of lighting works best for what size tank. <Interesting... according to whom? For what livestock? Purposes?> I bought this tank from someone who said it was a 55 gallon so I never really bothered to check myself. <Mmm, most such "models" are nominally 48 X 13 X 20 inches... don't actually "hold" 55 gallons volume-wise...> Well after looking at this chart I have measured the tank myself it being (LWH)48x18x20 <Oh! This is a bit larger... and better all the way around> I have found that it isn't a 55 gallon but a 75 gallon... just goes to show you not to take even the simplest of things for granted. Anyway with this new information would this change your thoughts on the type of lighting which is acceptable? Thank you Sabrina <Please see WWM re Lighting, even Lighting for Anemones... the indices, search tool. BobF>

BTA Lighting And Behavior 10/6/09
Hello,
<Hi Beth>
I recently purchased a BTA from LFS and although I made sure that my water parameters were in order (Alk is a little low), I failed to take into consideration the lighting requirements of Anemones.
<Yikes, is one of the most important.>
I currently have the BTA housed in a 14g BioCube that has been running since November of last year.
<Failed to take into consideration tank size also, much too small for any long term success,>
It was used as a reef tank until a week ago and I am now using the BioCube as a quarantine tank.
<??? Is the anemone going into a larger system later?>
Water Parameters:
pH 8.0
Ca 360mg/l
Phosphate 0
Nitrate 10mg/l
Alkalinity 2.5mEq/l
Sp. Gravity 1.022
<Would raise this to 1.024/025.>
Lighting is (2) 24wt 10,000k Coralife CF lamps
I removed the actinic bulb and replaced it with a new CF light.
Is this sufficient amount of lighting for the needs of an Anemone for the next few weeks?
<Borderline, but could work if the BioCube isn't too deep.>
I have two Ocellaris Clowns that are aggravating my Frogspawn so I decided to buy a BTA for their replacement host. I bought the medium sized anemone (about 3 inches) 4 days ago and drip acclimated him for roughly 2 hours. When I place him in the tank he immediately attached his foot in the rock work. His tentacles became long, thin and translucent for a few hours before he pulled himself into a more compact bubble form. I fed the tank with 1/4 tsp. of DT's phytoplankton and target fed the BTA one mysis which he refused.
<Better to let the anemone adapt before feeding it, three or four days anyway.>
At this time I noticed two mouths.
The next morning the BTA moved into a hole in the live rock. I can see part of the BTA in one hole and I can see tentacles about 4 inches away in another hole. I cannot tell if he has split or if he is sick. I did
place a mysis on some of the tentacles that were hanging out yesterday and it folded itself back into the hole with his catch. I also squirted some more DT's into the holes that he or they are hiding in.
Thank you very much for any helpful information.
<Do read here and linked files above to learn more on this animal's needs for survival.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm>
I have really come to rely on this informative site for all my aquarium questions. Any other website, forums, LFS or other so called experts are to be questioned and their answers researched thoroughly before I follow their advice. Yours is the only website and wonderful people that I can truly rely on to give me the most honest, informed and educated answers.
Thanks So Much
<You're welcome, and thank you for the kind words. James (Salty Dog)>
Beth
Re BTA Lighting And Behavior 10/7/09
Good afternoon James,
<Good morning Beth, up very early, can't sleep day.>
Thank You for the responses.
<You're welcome.>
I know now that I should have taken the BTA lighting as the foremost requirement.
<Happens very often. Folks need to research the animal before buying to ensure they can meet the requirements needed for survival in a captive environment.>
The BioCube did so well with my coral that I was mistaken in believing that it would do for a BTA. If it will survive for three weeks than I am transferring it into an established 20g but only until the 75g set up has cycled. At which time the 20 gallon will become the quarantine tank.
<Do be sure salinity, temperature, and pH are the same between the "from and to" tanks.>
I must admit that I am very slow in grasping all the jargon pertaining to lighting.
<I can help you here, what "jargon" are you not understanding?>
It's not a matter of not reading the information available on this website, I spend hours reading everything I can, it's understanding what I read that is the problem. To me, it's sort of like reading a page of math formulas and being asked to explain what I just read. (Not going to happen) I'll keep rereading and, hopefully, I will eventually understand what I read and not just parrot the info.
<I'm sure you will.>
Currently the BTA is still in hiding with one or two tentacles occasionally waving at me from inside the rock.
<Did you wave back, may be the problem here:))))>
I do believe that it split and, just in case it did, I did a water change.
The previously stated water parameters reflect that water change. I will do a small water change today and adjust for a higher sp. gravity.
<OK.>
The BTA does have one tank mate, a Sea Pen, do you believe that they can co-exist for the required 3 week quarantine without a chemical warfare?
<The Sea Pen will be at risk from stinging once the anemone(s) relocates.>
This is my only tank with sand, the others have rubble which is not suitable for a sea pen.
<A small Tupperware container filled with sand would work as a temporary measure. I'd separate the Sea Pen from the anemone.>
Last question. How long should I wait for the BTA to emerge before I become concerned about its health?
<I would carefully relocate the rock/rubble the anemone is not attached to.
Will provide a better view for observation. Try feeding the anemone in about three days. If it's healthy, the food should find it's way to the mouth, will be a good sign. If the BTA is not inflated, do not attempt feeding, won't take it anyway.
Sending us a photo in a few days would help us much in determining the health of the BTA. Is the 75 gallon system going to be the anemone's home?
If so, and this appears to me as a new set-up, I wouldn't advise putting the BTA in there, will further stress the animal out as they prefer established systems, 6 months+.
Looks like you're in between a rock and a hard spot, Beth. I'm thinking you would fair much better if you could take the anemone back, see if you can get store credit. Once your 75 is established and you have proper lighting for keeping a BTA, then go shopping.>
Thank You so Much,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Beth

Anemone lighting 8/23/09
Hi everybody,
I've got a quick question, I'm starting a 55 gallon salt tank and I wanted to know if MH or 4 t5 bulbs ( in a light fixture) would be better for a bubble tip anemone. I only ask because I keep getting conflicting info.
<Either could work, though I would opt for a 6-8 bulb fixture going with T5s if a BTA is what you are set on keeping.>
If I go t5 what should the bulb ratio be? (white to blue)
<Personally I like three 10000K bulbs to one actinic. Some run 2 to 1 for a bluer look.>
thanks
Aaron
<Welcome, Scott V.>

Entacmaea quadricolor/Anemone Systems 3/19/09
Hey Crew,
<Dean>
Thanks for all the help you guys give. It's invaluable.
<You're welcome.>
I am setting up a species tank for BTAs, bubble tipped anemones (Entacmaea quadricolor). Here is the setup:
40 Gallon Breeder for the display tank
30 pounds base "dry" coral rock (pretty dense, takes up less room then it sounds)
15-20 pounds live rock
1/2" crushed coral substrate
Reef Octopus BH300F skimmer
Aquatic Life 4x39 watt T5 fixture running 2 GE 6500 Daylight, Giesemann Aquablue+ 60/40 Actinic/Daylight, and an ATI Blue +.
ATO with Brightwell Kalk+2
<Be careful here with the Kalk. Anemones do not take sudden pH swings too well. Would be better to dose with an additive such as Seachem Reef Calcium.>
The tank is drilled with an overflow from Glass-Holes.com
The sump is another 40 Gallon Breeder, given almost entirely to a refugium with a 5" DSB. The DSB is almost entirely CaribSea "Live" sand because it was on sale. I am dubious that dry sand can be live.
<Me too.>
To seed the refugium, I took about 20-30 pounds of live sand from my main tank, along with 10 pounds
of live rubble, and added the rubble from my dry rock. For algaes I have Chaeto, Ulva, Gracilaria, and some halmeda, < Halimeda> bryothamnian,
<Did you mean Bryopsis? Bryothamnian turns up zero in a Google search.>
and another red algae. Anytime I trim in the DT I put some cuttings in the refugium.
The return pump is a Hydor Salts running at 320 gph.
For livestock, I have 2 Onyx clowns (Amphiprion percula). That's the end of the fish list. I may add some Zoas or feather dusters for variety. Snails for algae control.
Now, I have I think two questions. First, for water movement, I have two choices. First, I have a Vortech MP20 pump, along with foam guards. Do you think this is safe for an anemone tank?
<As long as they are of sufficient area to reduce suction effects.>
Option 2 would be a closed loop
manifold. If I do this, what size pump should I use? I am sort of leaning towards the latter.
<I'd go with the Vortech and it's wave making features.>
Second, the live rock had been in my main tank 15 months (as had the sand, rubble, etc). I know anemone tanks should be mature. How do I gauge how mature my tank is? The system has been running about 6 weeks, and I never had any diatoms, Cyano, dinoflagellates, just some hair algae on the glass, and not much of that. I think the 1:1 refugium ratio prevented the algae succession cycle.
<You're tank should be mature/balanced enough to add the anemone.>
And are there any flaws in my plan? (ok, 3 questions)
<Sounds ideal to me.>
thanks
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
dean <Mmm, I'm betting there is no lower case "d" on your birth certificate:)>

Anemone Stuck On Intake 2/23/09 Anemone Health Hi, <Hello Adam> During the night my Rose Anemone was caught in the water intake of one of my UV's. <Mmm, not good.> The base is about 1/4 shredded but it is still very much alive as I had to pull it off the skimmer and it still has good colour and the tentacles are moving. Another problems is it has made my tank cloudy. Will this pollute the tank, <It can and likely will.> so far all inverts and fish are ok. Will the water return to normal? Should I take the damaged anemone out of the tank and humanely dispose it <I would remove ASAP, odds are very good this anemone will not survive and will wipe out the remaining animals. Do a 50% water change pronto, and employ a chemical media such as activated carbon, Chemi Pure or a Poly Filter. James (Salty Dog)> Regards, Adam.

BTA's/Systems 2/15/09 Dear Crew, <Linda> Hi, I need advice about transfer to my new system. <OK> I had a 37gallon dedicated to a pair of spawning ocellaris and 4 BTA's, (had 5 sold 2) all clones. Lighting 150 HQI w/auxiliary T5's, Tunze nano skimmer, for flow 1400gph w/SCWD. <Tank is a little small for keeping BTA's and the 50 gallon is just a slight improvement.> I am upgrading to a 50g. Lighting 250 HQI. SunPod 12 led moonlights w/auxiliary t5's, (I know I will have to acclimate the BTA to this stronger lighting) Tunze nano skimmer, flow 1400 gph w/SCWD and additional 300gph w/SCWD cleverly covered in rockwork for anemone safety. Fuge with Chaeto is built in back chamber w/ lighting to be kept on 24 hrs daily. Livestock and all live rock from display is now in a 30g. Rubbermaid tub w/skimmer 2 smaller circulating pumps, heater, 150HQI w/T5. They are all looking good and happy. My largest BTA (appx. 10" across center, not including tentacles) split on the day of the move, so far healing nicely. <Ten inches, wow! Believe you are a little skimpy with the improvement in the upgrade to house BTA's.> I started up this tank 2/07/09, using Seachem "Stability" according to label instructions. New display has new rock (purchased dry) I saved all the rock from filtering area of old tank (in nylon stocking for later easy removal) for the bacterial benefit, placed in display area of tank. I can keep this as long as necessary. Tank is going through cycle now. I have added 5 hermits and I have been adding contents of skimmer cup that is pulled out of the bucket of my livestock to fuel cycle. <Overkill here and can/will lead to high nitrate levels.> I have been checking ammonia and nitrite daily. Ammonia has peaked and fallen to 0 still no measurable nitrites. I plan on going very slowly, when should I start adding live stock. <As long as no ammonia is present, do it now.> I plan on fish first one at a time and waiting a few days to see if I have any mini cycling. <The live rock should have plenty of bacteria on it to handle the nitrogen cycle. Would not worry too much here.> I am very worried about adding the BTA's. I can easily keep them in their current location for months if need be, I monitor this container closely. Amonia-0 Nitrite-0 Nitrate-undetectable Kh-9 Calcium-420 PH-8.0, Magnesium 1280. I dose w/B-Ionics daily (testing KH and Calcium to keep these at proper levels) <Sounds good.> Any advice you can give me will be greatly appreciated, I have been getting conflicting recommendations. My main concern is when to add the BTA's, I have been keeping them successfully for 4 years (first one added, the rest are clones of original, never lost any to date) and don't want to jepordize <jeopardize> their health. Please tell me what I am doing wrong or right and your recommendations on how I should proceed. I am waiting for your response. <I would just add most of the water from the previous tank to the new tank. This will require you to siphon out some of the new water but you can always store it in the Rubbermaid for future water changes. In that regard the BTA's should suffer little transfer shock. The tank is a little small for keeping BTA's but by your email, it sounds like you have enough experience with BTA's and could likely get away with keeping them in your 50. I personally do not recommend it.> Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us hobbyists, your site is a valuable resource I treasure and consult almost daily. <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> A WetWebMedia fan, Linda Mecher : )

Clown / Anemone Tank   8/17/08 Once again I find myself meditating in the presence of the Wet Web Media shrine, looking for answers. <We share!> I have recently added a second marine tank to my collection. Well, I actually put my old starter tank back into service. I want to turn this 46 gallon bowfront into a clownfish / anemone tank. I would love to add an anemone to my 120 gallon reef but I'm not willing to chance the losses. <You're at least "Bud" wiser here> I'm thinking of going with all tank raised specimens to increase my chance of success. I'd like your advice on a few things, as this is uncharted territory for me. I'd like to keep a Rose Bubble Tip Anemone and a pair of either Maroon or True Percula clowns. These will most likely be the lone residents of the system due to the bio-load. The tank set up is very new, only a week or so. I used 80 lbs. of precured Florida aqua cultured live rock from my local dealer, so little to no die off hopefully. Truly beautiful stuff, covered in coralline algae, serpent stars, sponges, feather dusters and all types of macro algae. <Neat!> I run a Marineland Magnum 350 filter with BioWheels for filtration and keep the chemical filtration canister packed with Chemi-Pure. <Still needs weekly cleaning...> I'm thinking of getting a Hamilton Technology hood containing (4) 95 watt VHO fluorescent bulbs, 2 being Super Actinic Blue <Just one here please... see WWM re actinics> and 2 being Actinic White. Metal halide scare me because of the heat over such a small tank volume. Will this be sufficient for a RBTA? <Could be> My other questions are related to timing. How long should the system age before introducing the RBTA? <A couple months at least> Lastly, should the clownfish or anemone go in first? <Either> Again, I wish you all well, and appreciate all you do for the concerned aquarium keepers. Shawn Baltimore, MD <And the same to/for you Shawn. Bob Fenner, out in (tonight) gorgeous Kona HI>

BTA, lgtg., comp. with Angels  7/17/2008 Wow, fastest reply... Dare I think... Bubble Tipped Anemone? (384 watts PC lighting). Or is that wrasse & angel food, do you think... Thomas Roach <Pomacanthids do eat such anemones... if they're unprotected... All stated, where? RMF>

Relocating an Anemone, E. quadricolor, BTA -- 6/14/08 So I have a 60g with a BTA. When I placed him into the tank he moved about an inch to the left on the same rock. He is well established now, having been in his current tank for about a month. I want to move him closer to the lighting, he is down at the bottom. <It is happy there, getting the amount of light that it needs. > Every time I try the maroon that hosts come chasing after me. <They can be very protective. > My idea was to place the maroon in a bucket for a moment while I reestablish the rock the BTA is on. My question is, will the BTA be stressed by this? I know if he doesn't like the spot I put him in, he will move. What is the likely hood of harming this animal? <Assuming that this anemone is healthy, moving the entire rock that the anemone is on will likely not stress the anemone for long. If you are removing the anemone from the rock, this will cause stress, and I don't recommend it. You are correct, if you select a spot that the anemone does not find adequate, it will move. > I do not want to through a wrench in the system if it is working. Thank you and I continue to gain copious amounts of knowledge from this site. <Good to hear! > Spencer <You're welcome! Brenda > Re: Relocating an Anemone, E. quadricolor, BTA -- 6/16/08 Thank you for the response. <You're welcome! > Just to bring you up to date, I dug out the sand underneath the rock and propped it up on another rock, bringing it up about 3 inches. So not much but creating a bridge (if you will) into a cave and gave the Maroon the ability to host on a nice little ledge. I have attached a photo, I was very pleased it worked out so well. <Me too! > Thanks again for the help. I really feel rest assured that I can find information instantaneous and so accurate that I can trust. <It is my pleasure. A word of caution, your anemone looks like it is lacking food. I'd like to see much longer tentacles. What are you feeding, how often, and what sized portions? Is there any chance that the Maroon, and/or shrimp is taking the food from it? Brenda > Spencer Hall Re: Relocating an Anemone, E. quadricolor, BTA -- 6/23/08 <Hello Spencer, I apologize for the delay in my response. Things got a bit crazy on me lately. > Well I feed him about every three days, and a pretty healthy portion of mysis. <Too large of portions will end up as no food, as the anemone will not be able to handle it and will regurgitate it several hours later. > One thing that I thought was a little weird: when I place an algae wafer in, the Maroon takes it and gives it to the BTA. The BTA eats the whole thing. Is that common? <It is common for clownfish to feed their anemone, but not common for an anemone to eat an alga wafer. It needs meaty foods. > I notice that after I feed him his tentacles become bulbous, and he gets some bubble tips. <Not uncommon. > During the day he looks like crap pushing out waste (no pun intended), and at night he is much more open. <Expelling waste is normal, but it sounds like he is regurgitating a large portion of food. > What can I do to help this? <Try feeding smaller amounts. > I check my water every few weeks and do regular water changes. <Good! > Should I feed more often? <I would feed daily, but feed tiny portions, 1/8' size for now. Once you see improvement, you can try ¼' every few days. Never feed a portion bigger than the anemones mouth. > There is no one in the tank that is stealing his food in fact the Maroon takes him more food after I feed him. <Good, I think we just have a case of too much food at one time here. > About a month ago I started using Trace Elements every two weeks. I haven't noticed any changes in him since but I thought that it might help the whole tank get some nutrients that are lost from filtration. <Be careful with adding trace elements. Never add anything unless you are testing for it. Most of your trace elements, if not all, are replaced with water changes. > Could it be the lighting? I am using a 48w t5. Currently I am running 1-10000K and three 460nm Actinic, all T5. I just added the other two other actinic because my main lighting fixture turned both actinic and daylight off at the same time so I wanted to add another actinic to simulate the sun rising and falling. Should I replace the actinic in the main t5 with another daylight so there is two and two. The tank is a 60g that is 30" long by 18" wide by 24 (I think) high. Am I getting enough light penetration? Sorry about all the questions. <I would replace the actinic with a daylight bulb. Do you have individual reflectors on the T-5 bulbs? > I have had the BTA for some time now and when I got him he was very little, only about 1.5". Now he is closer to about 3" but still a little guy. Also, on another topic, the tank also holds a 3" Volitans Lionfish. He is a great eater and an eater of only frozen food. <He is not considered completely reef safe, and I would not trust it with an anemone.> I was lucky to have a LFS that got him eating only prepared frozen food. I am having a little bit of an Aiptasia problem and I want to add either a peppermint shrimp or a coral banded shrimp. I know that if I add the peppermint, he is at a much greater risk of being eaten. What is the risk for the coral banded? <The same.> Will a coral banded kill a lot of my cleaning crew, mostly comprised of large hermits and a Emerald crab? Also, do you have any other suggestions for treating the Aiptasia? <Yes, the Coral Banded does have the potential to kill off your cleaning crew. You could try the boiling water method. The chemical method will work fine if you don't do a lot at once. > I am trying to not go the chemical route but I will if I have too. Do coral banded really help? <Not to my knowledge.> I have heard mixed reviews. Well, sorry again to bomb you with questions, but you have been so helpful in deed. Spencer Hall <You're welcome! Brenda > PS I attached another picture, this time of the Volitans, he is a good looking guy.

Anemone Environment, Water Volume, Allelopathy, BTA  - 4/17/08 Hello, <Hello, Brenda here!> I've done a fairly exhaustive search on the following topic and feel that its answer may add to the database. I found reference to 100 gallons as a minimum system volume (understandably) for a bubble tip anemone. <Many keep them in smaller systems successfully; however, more water volume is better. I don't recommend anything less than 40 gallons for beginners.> Without debating other factors and assuming excellent reef quality water quality, movement, filtration, light and feeding would it be acceptable to keep these in a smaller dedicated species tank within a larger system, specifically a 20 gallon (tall or long) with a 15X exchange rate with a system approaching 200 gallons. <That is acceptable. However when mixing anemones with coral, you will want to run carbon to help with any chemical warfare.> The idea, of course, is to display the clown fish/anemone relationship as a refugium of sorts while taking advantage of the stability of the larger volume system. I would not want to attempt this unless the animals could thrive and reproduce. As an aside, would an anemone tank get along better within a larger SPS system or a soft coral system with regards to allelopathy? <SPS is a better choice in my opinion. However some soft corals are fine. Mushroom corals, leathers and green star polyps, to name a few, do cause chemical warfare in a reef tank. If you decide to keep these corals, keep them to a minimum.> Would you suggest a different species for this situation? <No, I think you are on the right track, as long as water parameters are up to par, do frequent water changes, and you are running fresh carbon.> Thank you for your time. <You're welcome! Good luck to you! Brenda>

BTA lighting needs 03/09/2008 Hi guys (you rock!) <<Hello, Andrew here....Hmmm...Do we "live" rock? .....he he he>> I turned my old 14g BioCube into a qt tank for my 75g, and I got a green BTA the other day, it's about 2", very small, and I stuck him in there for the time being, is there enough light in there to sustain him for a while? it has a 24w 10000k daylight, and 24w true actinic...he found a nice spot on a piece of rock about 5" from the surface and seems to be happy there. when the time comes to move him to the big tank, I'm just going to move the entire rock he's on...so is there enough light in there to sustain him? <<As long as it seems happy in there, I would not worry too much. I would agree that when you move this, take the rock and all to the other tank. A word on quarantine tanks here for future. Its always best not to use live rock in the quarantine tank...Reason for this is because its an idea place to harbour parasites and for them to move from one inhabitant to the next. The best thing to use is pieces of PVC pipe, like house drain pipe parts and a bare bottom to the tank. This way, there is nowhere for anything to attach too>> Thanks, Rob <<Thanks for the questions, hope this helps. A Nixon>>

Maroon Clownfish Species Tank. Adding an Anemone To an Established System   2/27/08 Currently I have a 120 reef, mostly a variety SPS with a few LPS including Acans and Chalices. The total volume is about 200G if you include the 40G refugium with Chaeto, sand, and LR for pod production. The tank has a pair of Black Ocellaris Clownfish, 2 Pajama Cardinals, a Lawnmower Blenny, and a Foxface. <Interesting mix of fishes.> This tank will be plumbed into the rest of the system creating a 250G system. I was thinking a 150W 12K halide over the RBTA. The tank would have Live Rock, the anemone, and the pair of clownfish nothing else. Currently the system is 0 0 0 Nitrates, ammonia and nitrite, 1.026 Specific Gravity, and 79 degree temperature. <Sounds like a workable system!> My question isn't about any problem with the system, everything is running excellently. My question is about a new tank I am going to be plumbing into the system. I am setting up a 55G corner tank 20" tall. I plan on keeping a RBTA, my good friend has one that splits every couple months or so in their 300G reef. <Nice!> I want to keep the anemone separate from the reef in the corner tank with two Yellow Stripe Maroon Clownfish. My main tank has sugar fine sand, but do you suggest a sugar fine, or a rubble in the anemone tank. I am looking at throwing a 20-30x flow into the tank with no power heads at all for the anemone's sake. <Good thinking!> Overall how do you feel about this system, is this combo too much for this additional tank? <Sounds pretty good to me. I would just monitor water quality continuously. Also, use of chemical filtration media would be a good idea, because the chemical products released by the anemone could be detrimental for the corals in the other part of you system. I personally like a combination of substrate materials, so I like to mix 'em. Really, it's a personal preference. Hope this helps! Regards, Scott F.> Thank you so much for your time again WWM, Cheekymonkey

RBTA Adding an Anemone tank to current system -- 1/31/08 <Hello, Brenda here!> My current setup is a 120G with 35G fuge, and 35G sump coming to 190G total volume. Lighting is 4x54w actinic t5's, and 2 250w 14k halides (definitely a white 14). The system is heavily skimmed, the fuge is filled with Chaeto and live rock separated by shelves over a deep sand bed, so that there is flow throughout, keeps the Chaeto spinning and the rock and sand from being covered in detritus. The system is stocked with a Foxface lo, chevron tang, 2xblack ocellaris, lawnmower blenny, 2xpajama cardinals, various snails. The coral is mostly sps along with a few pieces of chalice, and some zoanthids... Mushrooms were removed to avoid allelopathy. <Good choice!> I would like to add another tank attached to the system for an RBTA and move my two black ocellaris over to it, and hope with all my might that they decide to allow the RBTA to host them. What is the minimum size for the tank that is FAIR to the RBTA, I don't want to put it in a tank that is too small for it. All the FAQ's I read about them encouraged large volume but I am not sure how much of that is for the size of the RBTA and how much is for water quality. <This is mainly because of water quality. However, the E. quadricolor can reach 18' or more.> Due to the volume of the total system, and the conditions I keep the tank under for the SPS I am confident I can provide the water quality for the RBTA, so I am just curious of how large a tank for it to be able to settle in. <I would not go with anything smaller than 20 gallons.> Thank you so much! Cheekymonkey <You're welcome! Brenda>

Will my BTA live ? Lambda  11/18/07 I have a 92 gallon corner tank with 40 pounds of live rock and 40 pounds of live sand I have a Nova Extreme t5 4-39W, all 10000k day bulbs. Is this enough light for BTA or will I need more light? Thanks <I would put at least 2-3 times that amount of light to keep the anemone healthy, you are welcome, Scott V.>