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Re: Anemones, Calcium Reactors, etc. Thanks for the quick reply Anthony! I have 1 Hammer coral, 2 bulb tip anemones, and one large carpet that is quite happy. <ahhh... yes, my friend. The two anemone species are especially problematic. We get buried in e-mail on issues around this. All seem to look good for as much as a year. In some cases towards two years. Almost none will make it beyond 2 years (allelopathy). The carpet will overwhelm the other anemones and many of the coral by then. Extremely noxious> It is attached to a rock and the bottom of the tank. Any ideas to remove it without ripping it's foot? <yes... many ways. But have some rubble (small and loose) piled near to its foot/base. Then shade the light directly above the anemone with a small ceramic plate/dish or like safe obstruction between the light and the water surface. This is an easy an gentle way to move most anemones (they will crawl onto the rubble and into brighter light).> Also are the Fiji plate corals in the tank, are they considered LPS? <yep... very hardy and easy to propagate keep... but extremely "hungry". They are less than 80% satisfied by the products of photosynthesis under the best lights. More than 20% of daily carbon needs to come from target feeding. This animal needs fed almost daily in aquaria or it starves in less than 2 years (most in less than 1). If fed... they are incredible! Hardy and fun> Should those be removed also? <Hmm... its not a pure science. All corals produce some amount of chemical defense. We are best to simply minimize unnatural aggression. 2 LPS in a tank of SPS is no big deal... but 10 is too much. How can we satisfy corals collected in 40-60 foot of water (LPS) with others collected in less than 10 feet? Not in the confines of a 24"tank under standardized lighting. Some fare well while others suffer in time> Thanks for the "heads up" about chemical war between the animals. I will remove the anemones and the LPS this weekend. <definitely the anemones ASAP. By themselves in a sunlit window would be magnificent! Think of a 60 hex with only that big bad carpet anemone in a southern window and a dozen humbug damsels playing in it!? Wonderful> About the calcium carbonate, I do add the B-Ionic but have never shaken the container before doing so. <Aieeeeee! My ears <G>> Only at first when I received it. Could be my culprit. <OH ya! Its a big problem. The ingredients are all clear but separate in the bottle and get dosed imbalanced (you can actually see the separation if you let the solution set over night in a clear graduated cylinder... looks like a thermocline)> I like the Knop C reactor also but the Korallin C 1502 might be better when I get a 180 gallon tank in the future. Any thoughts on the Korallin models? <no strong preference for any brand by me. I like Knop for their longevity and reputation. Some aquarists do not favor its smaller size. The new dual chamber Knop reactors are pretty sweet though! Have you priced them at Di's place yet? General Aquatics?> For such a pricey piece of equipment I don't want to buy a second one, if you know what I mean. Thanks for all the help! Brad Stefanko <Agreed... best regards, Anthony> Marine Set-Up Hello, I have a question about lighting. <Will try to help- Scott F. here tonight> I have a 20 G mini-reef tank (with a 10 G miracle mud sump) that has 2 55 W power compact bulbs (50/50). I have several sp of mushrooms (most which have reproduced), some star polyps and buttons polyps, a Condylactis, a Mespilia sea urchin, a few shrimp/crabs, and a pygmy angel, Firefish, neon goby, and a "rusty" goby. I am going to be moving this reef into a 29 G tank with a 20 gallon miracle mud sump. I hope to add an Entacmaea quadricolor anemone to host a pair of False Percula clowns. <I'd have to tell you right off the bat that this is a bad idea. I really don't advise mixing two species of anemones in a tank, especially a relatively small system like this. All sorts of problems can occur that could end in the death of both specimens. Stick with one or the other and they'll be much better off!> I have the opportunity to put 3 24" VHO lights on the 29 G. Per my calculations this would produce 225 Watts of light. Would this be too much? Would it be better to just add one more 55 W power compact? <Well, I don't think it would be too much, per se- but there will be some acclimation issues for your mushrooms, which may be used to the lower light levels that you currently have. Any changes in lighting regimens in reef systems should involve careful consideration for the placement of the animals and their proximity to the new lighting. Do read the excellent article on the subject by Anthony Calfo on the wetwebmedia.com site> Finally, what is your experience with protein skimming and the miracle mud sumps? I have read that you should not do it and to date have not. <I have seen quite a few "mud" systems run with skimmers, and, quite frankly, if it were me- I'd rather have the skimmer than not.> Thanks for you help. Steve Thornton MD P.S. What is the smallest clownfish (adult size) regularly available in stores? <I'd say the A. percula is generally the smallest of the common Clownfishes, topping off at about 2 1/2 inches> Rock, Clams, Anemones & Shrimp Bob, or whomever might get this :) <Steven Pro in right now.> Your site is extremely informative, but tends to generate more questions than it answers. That is definitely meant as a compliment though. I tend to use US measurements of weight and mass and metric for dimensions. I hope you don't mind. So here are the questions and to preface them I will give my tank specifications. I have a smaller tank (I move a lot so don't want a large tank) to enjoy in my office. I just set it up. Most of the rock has already been in a tank before, and all of it is cured. It is a 20 gallon long. Measurements are as follows: 76 cm L x 31 cm H x 32 cm D. I chose the long tank to maximize lighting efficiency in my tank. For lighting I have two 55 watt PC bulbs, both 50/50 (actinic/10k). There is a thin sheet of acrylic separating it from the water (no thicker than 1mm or 2mm). It has approximately 35 lbs of rock, of which approximately 8 lbs of it is base and the rest is live (from Fiji according to my LFS owner). I also have 40 lbs of live aragonite (fine) substrate in the tank. Salinity is at 1.027, ammonia 0, everything else seems to indicate perfect water conditions. For filtration I have a CPR BakPak 2. The bio material has been removed. For circulation, I have two Rio 400's (150 gph each), one in each rear corner blowing the water towards the front center of the tank. It seems to be quite turbulent, as it should be. The skimmer is directing the output towards the left of the tank, right along the back glass. There are no invertebrates in the tank yet, except for some featherdusters that were on the rock when I got it. They immediately opened up after being placed in the tank and are growing. Also there seems to be a pink (the part immediately next to the rock where it is attached is red) coral (possibly a sponge type) growing. It wasn't exposed to much light in the last tank but is three times the size it was when I first noticed it on the rock. <A good sign> There are 3 turbo snails in the tank. Also, I have a juvenile Premnas biaculeatus (no more than 4 cm long), spotted mandarin (unsure of Latin taxonomy for this fish) <Have you read any of our coverage of these fish? Perhaps you should.> and a fish I am unsure of. It is 7 cm long and maybe .75 cm in diameter. It has a prominent dorsal fin, as well as two symmetrical "sail" fins on the top and bottom of the fish. It is a grayish color fading into a green as it goes toward the tail of the fish. All of my fish seem healthy, especially the clown. The clown had a small tear on his side (possibly from rubbing against rock) but it is healing quickly and quite well. I believe that is all the relevant information. First, what is the unidentified fish? <I really can not wager a guess without a picture.> The LFS owner said it was a type of goby, but as he has a thick Chinese accent it is hard to understand. He is very knowledgeable though, and maintains some beautiful display aquariums. Also, what does this fish eat? It hasn't eaten anything proffered to it. Brine, Mysis, plankton, Spirulina flake, it just ignores all of it. I've had it for 3 days. Other than that seems very healthy. <Do look of www.WetWebMedia.com for anything that looks similar.> I saw a worm-like creature floating about in my tank, trying to swim as if it were an eel. It was no more than 4 mm long, probably closer to 3 mm or so. It was pure white and seemed to have a lot of little feet, but at that size it is hard to tell. It landed in the substrate and disappeared. What might this be? <I am not sure about this either.> I am concerned that it might be a type of polychaete. <I maybe, but I would not be concerned.> I've found what I think are polychaetes in my Father's tank. <Yes, you will find them in most all healthy tanks.> One measured 40 cm long and this was out of a 34 gallon tank. We just found another one day as he was tearing the tank down and it measured 20 cm. Based on what I plan on keeping in the tank (read on for the rest hehe) what would go well to eliminate any of these creatures before they got too large? <Not all get that large. Mostly the large ones are the exception.> I read the FAQ, but still am unsure, as it didn't go into specifics concerning the creatures recommended. I would like to add some shrimp to this tank. Any recommendations? <Cleaner shrimp, Lysmata amboinensis, are a favorite of mine.> Would Tridacnids be feasible in this tank? <The tank is a bit small for them.> I was specifically looking for the smaller varieties, such as a maxima or a Croceas. If not, how much more lightning would I need? <Your lighting would be adequate due to the shallowness of the tank, but clams require much more than just light. Calcium and alkalinity as well as other water quality parameters need to be optimum.> I am considering purchasing a bubble tip anemone for my clown. Would this survive well in my tank with the current set up and with what I would like to add in the future? <I would choose the BTA over the clam, but more reading is necessary for either.> As you see I would like to add other corals to my tank. What should I definitely NOT add if I choose to keep this anemone, and what would go along very well with it? <I would dedicate the tank to the anemone. It is a rather modest tank and you must consider the growth of your creatures.> If I purchase an animal I prefer to keep it healthy and quite happy. That is the only humane thing to do. <Agreed> Crowding it or forcing it to live with creatures it hates is certainly not something I would not knowingly attempt, so I am asking first. What supplements should I be using for the water? <You should be monitoring and dosing to maintain appropriate pH, calcium, and alkalinity.> I use Coralife salt mix. <I would consider Instant Ocean, Reef Crystals, or Tropic Marin.> Anything you would recommend to improve the tank in any way? <See notes above.> Thank you so much for your time! Sincerely and with great appreciation, R. Vincent McCarthy <Continue with your education in marine husbandry and I am sure you will stay on the right track. -Steven Pro>
Not Aiptasia As usual, time to turn to the pros ... I've got an anemone that I haven't been able to identify. Looked for photos online and found two that appear to be this critter but each gave a different name to it. And one said they were coral unfriendly and the other said that they were benign. Hoping you can clear this up. Sorry, I don't have a digital camera but they're about a cm across and reddish in color. The other distinguishing feature is that the 'tentacles' end with a diamond shaped tip. They are on a piece of frogspawn coral and don't seem to be bothering it. <Yet, or perhaps the Frogspawn can sting harder.> Other corals in the tank are button, colt, daisy and yellow leather. What do you think? <Could be an Anemonia species. Start here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm and work your way through the other FAQ files for additional pictures.> Many thanks, Bill <Good luck! -Steven Pro> Multiple anemones? Dear WWM Crew, aka most kind and helpful person, <cheers!> I have a 29 gal eclipse system that originally had 35# of Gulf LR and when it appeared the tank had cycled (appx 5 wks.), I purchased 2 false perculas and a LTA. ( I had purchased a Condylactis the week earlier.) <alas... ill-advised. It is debatable if this tank could house one anemone let alone three specimens and 2 species> The perculas both died within 2 wks and my water parameters over that time fluctuated in both nitrites and nitrates. After the second percula died, I waited a week and purchased some Fiji LR (10#) a Aqua C remora protein skimmer and 3 green Chromis. Since the perculas died, the LTA has not been doing well. <unrelated to the loss of the clowns. Clowns more often than not impeded anemones in captivity. They are not only not necessary, but slightly irritating in some cases to the anemone> It was settled near the powerhead, so I tried moving it 3x and 3x it went back. More reading. After putting the LR and the 3 fish in the tank, the LTA started really wilting. <lack of lighting, lack of daily feeding, lack of stable water quality, conflict with other species... hard to say> I moved it to a "hospital" tank, where it seems to be ok. Meanwhile, the Condylactis is thriving in the main tank. (So confusing to a beginner, I tell you, I almost gave up but am hanging in there... reading, asking & trying.) <no worries my friend... and please don't give up. We can help you and we will help you succeed!> Anyhow, the LTA seems to be recovering. It opened up and is in a 5 gal tank w/no substrate until I am sure the water parameters in the main tank are ok. (The ammonia elevated when I added all the new stuff and it is decreasing... I am thinking that is why the LTA wilted?) Now the LTA has a "bubble" over its mouth. Any ideas as to what this is, what to do, and how to treat this gentle, but stubborn creature? <my guess is that initial problems were mitigated by lack of bright light (120 watts or more needed on this tank for coral/anemones) and conflict with other cnidarians in a small volume of water> Can a Condylactis and a LTA live in a 29 gal tank? <certainly not> I also have a gorgonian in the main tank that is doing real well. <a photosynthetic one? Lets ID this species you have. Or... if you have a red, orange or yellow one... know that you got really bad advice and that it is not likely to live past 6-8 months without daily feeding from you. Most aposymbiotic gorgonians (white and colored polyped) starve to death> I am soooo confused. I would like to get perculas and anemone back in the main tank when I am certain the water quality is ok. <this tank is too small for almost any anemone and cannot have one at any rate with other stinging animals in the display (gorgonians, coral, etc). They need species specific tanks, one species per tank, and very bright reef lights> I hope I have not rambled too much. Thanks in advance for, 1. reading this and 2. helping me keep the little critters alive. Diane Bedard <no bother at all dear... its what we are here for. My apologies on the last message/reply if it got lost. Likely it was pasted on the daily FAQ page. Best regards, Anthony> Sea Anemones Aloha, <Hello from the mainland> First, I'd like to proudly introduce myself as a West Hawaii Explorations Academy-Public Charter School (WHEA-PCS) student. I am currently involved in a Deep Sea Creatures project. In this project, we visit the pipes of the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii (NELH). <Ah, yes... former acronym OTEC. Have been there many times> These pipes come from a depth of about 2100 feet. Our goal in the project is to classify any dead organisms we come across, as well as try to recreate the natural habitat of these deep sea creatures, in the event we find something alive. On our first visit to the pipes, we found several dead organisms, as well as 5 living sea anemones. The staff of NELH who open up the pipes frequently told us this is common. We are working on constructing an area with a quarantine tank, and acclimation tank and a display tank. We are currently researching the best methods of setting up these tanks. A problem we ran across so far is the temperature of the tanks. Once the freshly pumped deep-sea water reaches our WHEA-PCS campus, the temperature of the water is approximately 10 degrees colder than that of the actual deep sea water. <... Colder?> We believe this is the reason other anemones found previously were not able to survive. We are open to any suggestions and greatly appreciate anything you can come up with. <You need to arrange a system for closely matching the water quality of the animals habitat you're collecting from. A chilling mechanism. You can read about such gear on our site: WetWebMedia.com, on Ozreef.com, or most any standard marine aquarium reference book> I feel this is an exciting project, with a lot to offer as far as learning. It is my belief that with the help of others, we will be able to have a successful project for this school year, and hopefully years to come. If you are interested in learning more about our school you can see our web page http://www.whea.net/ Thank-you, Jillian Davis 11th Grade WHEA-PCS <Jillian, a large volume (a few times the size of the holding system you're using) needs to be employed with the cooling mechanism you will use... and perhaps cut-in (plumbed) with... and to save money, make the whole combined water more stable, made "semi-open"... with only some new water feeding into it... to keep the temperature about right. Is Yan War still with NELHA? He or Gerald Heslinga (in the compound) are familiar with this technology. Bob Fenner> Throw a Couple of Shrimp On The Barbie? I have two new cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) that are irritating my BTA. They probe its tentacles and walk on the anemone's stalk (it's foot is attached under a ledge and the oral disc hangs out into the light), and generally pick at it. They give it this attention even after being fed. Every time they walk on it, it folds up some, and the tentacles shrink away when whiskers brush against them. <Very annoying...> This attention is causing a general shrinking and folding, where before it was open fully and enjoying life. This started as soon as the shrimp started cleaning it. Will the anemone get accustomed to this attention, or should trade the shrimp in? Tank 29 gallons/2x65W PC lighting/2" Caribbean aragonite/35 lb Fiji rock SG 1.026/Ph 8.2/79 F/CPR BakPak II/Penguin 550 PH/Aquaclear 200 with carbon Livestock: Ocellaris x2/2" Regal tang/Hammer coral/Zebra hermits x10/Scarlet hermits x12/Trochus x9/Archaster star/Tuxedo urchin/Feather duster x3/Grn star polyps <A very frustrating problem, one that I have personal had, and hear about from others often. Unfortunately, I cannot give you any 100% certain answer...Sometimes the coral or anemone gets used to the shrimps' presence, other times it can be a terrible problem. If it were me, I'd give them another few days. If things don't improve for your anemone, I'd find a new home for the shrimp before it gets too bad for your BTA. Good luck! Scott F.> Illuminating questions about Anemone Lighting Hi there again.. Don't know what I would do without your website! I have a 20gal hex (standard fluorescent light from LFS) with a UGF, powerhead and Biowheel. Water chemistry is within normal ranges and I would like to purchase an anemone with a couple of clowns. First of all, what is a good, hardy "beginner" anemone that is compatible with False Percula Clowns and second, is my lighting sufficient to make him happy? Thanks bunches. Maureen <Hi Maureen, You don't have a system suitable for keeping anemones. Anemones require well established marine systems with protein skimmers, aragonite sand beds to live in for some varieties, live rock to live in/on for others. Most require high intensity lighting and associated fan cooling for the hood. Feeding of anemones mandates efficient protein skimming/filtration and sufficient volume, upwards of 40-55 gallons. You can however keep a couple small clownfish in your 20 gallon quite happily. They don't need an anemone to be happy and many disappoint their new owners by not adopting an anemone. Sadly, the success rate with anemones is dismal, most lasting less than a month due to collection, shipping handling stress. The best are bubble tip clones, but these are beyond your current system. Perhaps look into some nice mushrooms or other low light corals for your tank. Thank you for asking the right questions!!! Craig> Dead E. quad Hi Guys, <whasssup?> My E. quad died Sat!!! <that stinks... no... literally, that really stinks: nothing worse smelling than a dead anemone> I thought I got it out of the tank early enough, and did a 20% h20 change on Sunday, but have lost an Acropora, and now have a sick Euphyllia and Montipora....they get this brown slime on them, and the healthy tissue just seems to disappear.... <ahh... bacterial contagion. Gotta hate that> It really SUCKS !!! Thoughts ? Thanks, Jeff Yonover <yep... Yukon Jack for you and ozone for the tank to get the Redox up and halt the infection before hell breaks loose. With your commercial interests (propagation) the ozonizer and Redox controller will be a fine investment. Target a 400-425 mv range in the 2 week picture... pass all effluent air and water through carbon, and the rest is easy. Many other benefits to ozone (massive help to water color/clarity, dissolved O2, etc). Best regards, Anthony> Thinking of an Anemone Hi Crew! My current set-up is a 55 gallon FOWLR and the inhabitants include: 1 maroon clown 1 green brittle star 1 purple (strawberry) Pseudochromis 1 x-mas wrasse 1 3-striped damsel 1 pink and green cucumber 1 pincushion urchin and 5 turbo and Astrea snails. I am considering adding an E. Quadricolor anemone for my maroon clown and would like your opinion on the compatibility with the above inhabitants and my current set-up. I have 2 20 watt Coralife 10,000K fluorescent bulbs. My water parameters are all good except I seem to have a nagging problem with nitrates. I recently read that it may help if I slowly remove the bio-media from my CPR2, so I plan to do this over the next few weeks. Do you agree that this may help? <I agree this MAY help. You must still consider all other aspects of appropriate aquarium husbandry; water changes, feeding, nutrient export, etc.> Additional suggestions? I currently do monthly 30% water changes, but through recent findings, intend to increase the frequency and decrease the volume of my water changes (weekly or bi-weekly 10-20% changes). <That sounds fine. I would also make sure the new water is nitrate free.> I have read the articles listed below and all that I can find on your website, so I feel confident that I'd like to add the E. Quadricolor. Can you give additional insight or advice on this subject? <If you have read all you say you have, then you would know you have nowhere near enough light for this animal.> Thanks in advance for your help and keep up the awesome work with the website. I visit every day! http://trickstr.tripod.com/survey_r.htm http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen8.html http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm <Sincerely, Steven Pro> LT anemone Hey guys, <<Hey Derrick,>> I have a question regarding my LT anemone. I have had it for about 6 months and it has been doing very well, in fact it has almost doubled in size. The problem that I am having started a few weeks ago, when it started moving to the back of the aquarium in a rather shady spot. I left it alone for awhile until I started noticing it becoming smaller and losing its color in some of its tentacles. I moved it back to the original spot it had been for 5 months, it started getting its color back in the tentacles that were turning white. Next thing I know it has now moved again to the back of the tank. What can I do?? I have read so many times that you should just let them move to wherever they want, but I have a feeling that it will just decline in health if it stays back there. 90 gallon 6x65 PC lighting 4 clarkii clowns 80 pounds of live rock all parameters are good! Thanks for the help Derrick <<I would let it go where it feels right. They sometimes move to an area of less light to split. One thing you don't mention is feeding and you should be feeding your anemone every other day 1/4" size pieces of raw shrimp, scallop, mussel, clam, silversides, etc. If you haven't been feeding him we found your problem. They contain photosynthetic algae and require feeding as well or they slowly waste away and die. BTA's are slightly less light hungry than some of the others. Hope this gets him perked up, Craig>> Anemone Pieces/Propagating? Bob , I have read you're FAMA articles for years and now have a odd situation with a large solitary clone bubble tipped anemone which has dropped about six tentacles over the past two weeks . Is this normal or an indication of a problem it however continues to eat and appears to be growing new smaller tentacles around it's perimeter . <Hmmm... I can't say that it is commonly observed in captivity, but cloning by fragmentation (beyond fission as with the clone you have acquired) has been observed with this species. I'm reassured with the parent otherwise looking and behaving normally> I have only had it since august and it has retained it's orange colour ( rose variety ) as well as remained in the first location which it settled in . <good signs> I had removed the rock urchin & peppermint shrimp to rule them out , <yes... I'm wondering too if something isn't clipping tentacles> nothing eats the dropped tentacles so I don't think it's under attack . <fair enough> I've never read about this sort of occurrence and would like to know what you think . <coincidentally... I'm waiting on an article in German from Daniel Knop on fragmentation of this species. I'll be sure to produce a report ASAP. In the meantime, please to photograph and share your experiences with this in the ensuing weeks. Perhaps we can co-author an article :) Do the clipped tentacles degrade or simply linger? I'd be interested to see how they develop if they linger. Do the settle... do they exercise polyp cycles (expansion/contraction, etc), etc. Do apprise. Best regards, Anthony Calfo> Question on Condy anemone Hi I have a Condy anemone pink about 7 inches in diameter I dripped lined him for 4 hours and introduced him in the tank with the lights out when I woke up I found him in a different spot and he anchored with his foot I heard these are easy anemones and cheap too my question is what do they eat and what kind of lighting and water movement do they need also I feed him omega one fish flakes which he greedily eats will that be ok to feed him I also have a 30 watt sun light and 15 watt actinic on a 30 long is this enough lighting where he anchored his self is just below the water line and he look healthy Thanks A lot JM <Ahh, a common error....inexpensive up front but very demanding. Your lighting is insufficient, you need somewhere in the 3-5 watt per gallon area of high intensity lighting. Either MH, VHO or PC. Feed marine meats (shrimp, silversides, clam, scallop, etc.) every other day and moderate current to gently move the tentacles. Being at the top of the water is because light is far too weak. Please shield powerheads, they are deadly to anemones, especially Condy's on the move. Please start with http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm and follow the links from there.> Good luck, Craig Anemone Propagation Dear Anthony: <cheers, dear> Jeff
and I really enjoyed meeting you at MACNA and we are both completely
inspired yet somewhat overwhelmed at the same time! We have much to
learn, and it is so gracious of you and Bob to share your knowledge. I
also enjoyed your presentation immensely, and am glad the hobby has a
young, energetic, dynamic person who is dedicated to furthering the
science. <and our male dominated hobby is indebted to your lovely
visage amidst a sea of nerdy masculine faces... Ha! With all due
respect for our good man Jeff!> You have tremendous stage presence
and communication skills - something that few people possess and is
equally as hard to learn. <thank you kindly... I call it polite
honesty> I personally have always been intrigued by anemones and
their inhabitants. It is impossible for me to see one on the reef and
not check it out closely. Last year I was rewarded by seeing a
beautiful carpet of orange fin Anemonefish eggs. There were hundreds of
eyes looking at me. It was awesome. <way cool!> Anyway, back to
the reason why I'm emailing you.... Do you know of anyone who is
successfully propagating anemones? Are there any publications that you
know of that discuss their reproductive behavior? <yep! The BTA
(bubble tip anemone) Entacmaea quadricolor is one of the few species
that is hardy and can be kept by aquarists. several morphs exist: a
large colony that is slow to grow and propagate and perhaps two smaller
"races" at least one of which is very likely to split in
captivity. The rose variety of BTA is magnificent (metallic
orange/copper) and quite profitable commercially (they sell for $40-60
wholesale and aroun$150-200 retail... higher in some cities! Very
worthwhile propagating. And beyond natural fission.. some aquarists
have had success cutting (!) and propagating this species. My friend
Daniel Knop is sending me an article in German on this topic. I will
have it translated and print or report it on WetWebMedia soon. Do
follow up in a few weeks if you like on this topic. Beyond BTA
anemones... not much work has been done with other species. Do advise
me if there is a specific anemone that you seek info on and I will
delve into it> Thanks for helping us out! Kindest Regards, Melinda
Yonover <my pleasure... I look forward to chatting again soon>
p.s. Do you know of anyone who eats rabbit for Thanksgiving? <yep...
wolves and coyote> We are having trouble obtaining a traditional
turkey for our Thanksgiving feast, which will be celebrated in PNG
aboard a boat. There is some discussion of having rabbit, instead, but
the very idea totally horrifies me. <heehee... I think we may very
well agree!> Of course, the one who suggested it is Canadian, and we
all know they don't care about the pilgrims and the Indians.....
<here's an idea... sneak the turkey in ... get the Canadian
fall-down-drunk on some crappy Canadian beer... and toast our
forefathers in right good tradition with American ale and a tasty dead
bird (don't forget the yummy cranberry jelly too)! With kind
regards, Anthony> Anemone Propagation Dear Anthony: <cheers, dear> Jeff and I really enjoyed meeting you at MACNA and we are both completely inspired yet somewhat overwhelmed at the same time! We have much to learn, and it is so gracious of you and Bob to share your knowledge. I also enjoyed your presentation immensely, and am glad the hobby has a young, energetic, dynamic person who is dedicated to furthering the science. <and our male dominated hobby is indebted to your lovely visage amidst a sea of nerdy masculine faces... Ha! With all due respect for our good man Jeff!> You have tremendous stage presence and communication skills - something that few people possess and is equally as hard to learn. <thank you kindly... I call it polite honesty> I personally have always been intrigued by anemones and their inhabitants. It is impossible for me to see one on the reef and not check it out closely. Last year I was rewarded by seeing a beautiful carpet of orange fin Anemonefish eggs. There were hundreds of eyes looking at me. It was awesome. <way cool!> Anyway, back to the reason why I'm emailing you.... Do you know of anyone who is successfully propagating anemones? Are there any publications that you know of that discuss their reproductive behavior? <yep! The BTA (bubble tip anemone) Entacmaea quadricolor is one of the few species that is hardy and can be kept by aquarists. several morphs exist: a large colony that is slow to grow and propagate and perhaps two smaller "races" at least one of which is very likely to split in captivity. The rose variety of BTA is magnificent (metallic orange/copper) and quite profitable commercially (they sell for $40-60 wholesale and aroun$150-200 retail... higher in some cities! Very worthwhile propagating. And beyond natural fission.. some aquarists have had success cutting (!) and propagating this species. My friend Daniel Knop is sending me an article in German on this topic. I will have it translated and print or report it on WetWebMedia soon. Do follow up in a few weeks if you like on this topic. Beyond BTA anemones... not much work has been done with other species. Do advise me if there is a specific anemone that you seek info on and I will delve into it> Thanks for helping us out! Kindest Regards, Melinda Yonover <my pleasure... I look forward to chatting again soon> p.s. Do you know of anyone who eats rabbit for Thanksgiving? <yep... wolves and coyote> We are having trouble obtaining a traditional turkey for our Thanksgiving feast, which will be celebrated in PNG aboard a boat. There is some discussion of having rabbit, instead, but the very idea totally horrifies me. <heehee... I think we may very well agree!> Of course, the one who suggested it is Canadian, and we all know they don't care about the pilgrims and the Indians..... <here's an idea... sneak the turkey in ... get the Canadian fall-down-drunk on some crappy Canadian beer... and toast our forefathers in right good tradition with American ale and a tasty dead bird (don't forget the yummy cranberry jelly too)! With kind regards, Anthony> QT false anemone Hi, How are all of you? <<Well, I can only speak for myself, but I am well... thanks for asking.>> This is something that confuse me about quarantine... I Know for sure the imperious necessity of quarantine all the living things I'm going to put in the main tank, but... my QT does not have light, what if I'm buying a false anemone? <<Do you mean a Corallimorph? Quarantine is still useful but no 'so' necessary with this animal, you might also have to add some lighting to your quarantine system.>> how to keep it in QT without light? <<It probably wouldn't do very well without some lighting.>> she (or he or it, :) ) needs light to survive... <<That's right.>> I'm afraid because the lack of light I'm going to put over the anemone more stress and the quarantine will be a source of stress instead a source of acclimation and observation... <<So buy some lamps for the quarantine tank.>> Thanks, Carlos <<Cheers, J -- >> Re: Help with Anemone Thank You Anthony!! I had my water
checked last Monday and everything checked out perfectly with the
exception of Calcium and Salinity. Calcium was a tad low so I got some
KENT Calcium and supplemented that to raise the Calcium and I also have
36 gal. automatic top off which is mixed with Kalkwasser. So the
calcium issue has been addressed, but the salinity checked out a tad
low (1.022). Could this possibly be the cause of this? I'm thinking
I may do a 25% water change with sea water to raise the salt level...or
should I just use some instant ocean? As far as lighting goes, right
now I only have two 110w VHOs. But that is soon to change, as I'm
in the market for a hood right now. Thanks again for your help and I
have already spread the word around of your site!! THANKS!! Ray
<<Hi Ray, Craig Watson here while most of the crew (Anthony, Bob,
Jason & Steven) enjoy a weekend at the MACNA conference. Sounds
like you were having difficulty with your anemone and Anthony advised
you check your water parameters. I don't know what has been
happening with your anemone, but I think I see a couple of items......
I would discourage your use of Kent Calcium supplements, although for
temporarily raising your calcium it will be okay. Extended use
will upset your KH over time. Now that you have calcium where you need
it, use the Kalkwasser to maintain it. You will
likely use more buffer/carbonates than calcium so make sure you keep
your dKH/carbonates in the optimum range and make sure you check pH
often when using Kalkwasser. You will also want to check magnesium when
using Kalkwasser. I would keep salinity in the 1.023-1.025 range, but
raise it slowly .001 per day, so you should take about three days to
correct yours to 1.025. Do you usually use sea water or do you
usually use synthetic water? Either way is fine but raise the
salinity slowly. Do not add IO directly to your tank. Synthetic
water should be mixed, aged for 12 hours or so, and
aerated. I would also double check pH before using it to
make sure. It is unlikely that 1.022 salinity is a big problem for your
anemone, but it isn't the ideal. You don't mention pH but make
sure you maintain it in the 8.3 area. A water change is always a good
way of making slow adjustments as long as the replacement water is of
known parameters. I don't know the size, volume or depth of your
tank, but lighting is a big issue for anemones and for the most part
they require high intensity lighting. Your VHO lighting is two 110 watt
tubes, so these are 4 feet. Assuming an average tank depth of
18"-20" this would be about half of the light I would
recommend for an anemone. You could use 4 - 110 watt VHO tubes on
a 20" deep tank and have an appropriate light level for an
anemone. The anemone will likely move to a spot where it feels
best. If this is a Bubble Tip anemone it will likely want a crack
or crevice in rock to anchor to while some of the others will get right
out in the strongest light possible on the glazing, or in/on the
substrate. You just want to make sure you have the correct place for
the type you have. I would look at your lighting to keep an anemone in
an optimum environment. Make sure you feed your anemone regularly
(every two to three days) with 1/4"-1/2" pieces of scallop,
shrimp, silversides, krill, etc. Especially with your current
light set-up. With excellent water quality, light and feeding, your
anemone should do nicely. Just one word of advice: Make sure you
don't have exposed powerheads! They are very unhealthy for
these guys! Please do not hesitate to write if you need further
assistance! Cheers, Craig>> Nocturnal anemones Hi guys, Just a quick question - do you know anything about nocturnal anemones ? I have an anemone that will only come out after lights out - I have no idea what sort he is but I can get a pic if needed - it has clear tentacles with bright pink/purple tips. If you have no info do you know where I might be able to find some ? Thanks a lot from Clint <most such cnidarians that display feeding tentacles at night feed predominantly on zooplankton. The best thing you could do to help this creature survive is to set upon a fishless refugium and feed it regularly to generate zooplankton. Some live sand or live rock will be necessary to inoculate it, course gravel or live rock rubble will encourage large species of zooplankton like amphipods. Else, you can target feed with very finely minced ocean meats (Gammarus, mysids, Pacifica plankton, etc from the frozen foods section of the LFS). Best regards, Anthony> Re: Fish Tank Crisis (marine set up, anemones, calcium, maintenance...) Good Afternoon WWM Crew! Hope you're all having fun! Anthony has been helping me with this on going crisis which may now have a happy ending. We had the 55gal. filled with bad choices... <I recall seeing this correspondence (as moved about on WWM). Antoine is off on a junket (he REALLY seems to be enjoying traveling about, chatting re coral prop.), so I'll respond.> So we took back: Sweetlips (they had two more at the store already) Coral Beauty, Both anemone's, Hammerhead Corals, and both Nudibranchs. We are left with: Male/female Anthias, Brittle star (light green all over), neon velvet damsel, two clowns, marine Betta, one coral, several shrooms, and several feather dusters. Questions FOR THE ALL KNOWING:;-) You suggested only one anemone, why? <One or none... in the wild these animals are almost always widely separated as individuals... or if there seem to be a bunch in one place, these are often genetically identical (from dividing, splitting)... anemones "don't play well together"... chemically or physically... and their "sparring" in small closed volumes in captivity can be a source of real trouble... is this enough of an explanation?> Will our Star want to play with our anemone? <Hopefully not... but this is a very small "world"... and the way things go, "the bigger the better" with aquariums... diluting effects, stability... all increase more than arithmetically with increasing size of systems> It seemed he was with our last one... The pet store said we should give Calcium daily when we had two coral and that it was good for our fish too.. Is this still a good idea? <Yes... but... and... with test kits... knowing what you're up to... Too much to give a "complete" answer here... I encourage you to read over books, WWM re alkalinity, calcium... what they are, significance, adjustment, testing... before getting products, administering them> How do we know what and when to supplement. Have been up late every night, even falling asleep on/with Bob's book and he say's ideally foods will give everything - but supp.s. good idea....for us? <Likely so... with the biomineralizing life you have... size of system... but do get/use test kits... it may well be that you'll have "enough" of what your organisms need/use per the make-up of the seawater, lighting... w/o supplementing> when we first started with the calcium as soon as the liquid hit the water it looked like a snow storm in our tank but last night it didn't, do you know why? Is this normal? <Not normal as in desirable... but does happen due to imbalances in the existing water... again... a bit too much background necessary to give an overall explanation here. Please read through the WWM FAQs files re calcium supplementation and pH/Alkalinity> I learned from The book taking into consideration the selection of fish we have, that our tank would benefit from a few more scavengers. Is there any harm in bringing "several" snails and hermit crabs home at the same time? <No harm if the system is stabilized (not new), and there's sufficient food material for them...> The book also mentions that it is a good idea to purchase cleaner shrimp of the Lysmata Genus for our Anthias... Will our Beta eat them (the shrimp of course)? <Not likely... but the Sweetlips would have almost for sure> How can we be sure our Beta is getting the proper nutrition? <Observe it feeding> We have a Rio Aqua Pump/Powerhead (90) that we are using for H2O movement but again I think our tank would love and flourish with more, my boyfriend doesn't agree.... PLEASE, tell me I'm right, I love being right, I wanna be right just this once.. :-)No really though what do you think? Thanks again, for saving the day... as always, Laura <More circulation would be better. Bob Fenner> Lighting Recommendation for Anemones I am looking at getting a anemone. <Please read this first http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen8.html> I was wondering if you could give me some helpful ideas on a good lighting source. I have a 46 gallon bowfront. I currently have a 55 watt actinic and a 30 watt coral life. <I would change the 30 watt lamp to an actinic, the 55 watt lamp to full spectrum, and add another 55 watt full spectrum.> Thanks for the help. <You are welcome. -Steven Pro> Anemones in high nitrate saltwater Hi, I have read often about how high nitrate level is harmful to invertebrates. A visit to a neighborhood saltwater aquarium shop with a colleague prompted me to ask this question. Greatly appreciate if you could respond. The shop sell very small tanks 3 - 10 gals containing anemones (mostly bulb and tubes), sometimes with 2-3 clownfish. All the setups work with UGF. Some were setup a few days old, others were there for months (signs of greenish algae can clearly be seen). I took some samples of the water (actually my colleague did the impatient thing and bought the whole set with the water). Upon testing, the water, I find the level of ammonia and nitrite to be 0, but the nitrate level is right at the top of the color chart, which is supposed to be toxic to the inverts. The shop owner also swears by this product called 'Easy-Life' fluid filter which claims to do many things. I have a lot of skepticism about all this. But my colleague says that after 2 days, the anemone 'looks fine'. <Two days is really too short of a time frame. Unfortunately many salt water fish and inverts can suffer for months, slowly dying, before finally succumbing. It takes some up to a year to perish, but they were doomed all along.> Have you got any comments/explanations to the nitrate level <To be expected with this old-style filtration system. Not really the best way anymore. There are far more effective filtration methodologies.> & the 'Easy-life' product? <A waste of money> Is my colleague going to be disappointed in the next few days you think? <Maybe not in days, but in time, yes.> Thanks & regards <Have a nice day! -Steven Pro> Sick Anemones Hello Bob, Great site. I printed off about 150 pages and have been reading them. <now that is indeed a compliment...thank you!> Now I have all kinds of questions. To start I have a 75 gallon tank which is 48x18x20 deep. It has a wet and dry filter which is ran by a little giant 3 MDQ-sc with a protein skimmer in the sump which is ran by a Rio 600.I have one more powerhead in the tank a Zoo Med power sweep 228.The lighting is a Custom Sea Life 36 inch with two 96 watt power compacts one blue one white. I run the blue two hours before the white and two hours after the white. The white is on for eight hours and the blue for twelve. <you can increase this photoperiod to 10/12 if you like> The filter and protein skimmer run all the time. I have 30 pounds of live rock and sand as the base. I have had the tank for three months. It cycled in 23 days. We cycled it with four damsels, only one made it. I hope I have included enough detail. <very fine> When the tank was cycled we put in 5 small Ocellaris clownfish one bubble tip Anemone and one Long tentacle Anemone. <perhaps you have read by now, but mixing anemone species is usually a recipe for disaster. IN the same volume of water they can be quite sensitive to each others presence chemically and it induces heightened levels of aggression (shredding noxious compounds in silent warfare). One species usually suffers within a few short months clearly> The bubble tip climbed the live rock and found a hole to the back of the aquarium. The long tentacle went between the sand and a piece of live rock right away and has stayed there. Last night its mouth looked open and I fed it for the first time. <the open mouth is often a sign of duress and by no means a measure of hunger... such anemones need fed several times weekly or they will starve to death slowly. Some people feed their anemones a small amount daily> I thawed out some formula one put on a straw. It latched right on to straw very sticky then all of its tentacles went to its mouth and the top part of its base ballooned up. This morning its base was still a little ballooned up and looked like it might have a small tear. Its mouth looks a little opened too. I have included pictures. <the anemone clearly has problems unrelated to the feeding. The color of the animal is quite poor. The paleness indicates the expulsion of zooxanthellae and attrition (starvation by lack of food and zooxanthellae). If you acquired the anemone pale in color, that would not be a surprise. Recovery will be indicated by a blotchy return of color (yes... quite patchy and unattractive like bruises). Small feedings of very finely minced foods 4-6 times weekly for the next several months may be helpful. Please feed you other anemone at least 3 times weekly. Your PC lights should also be no further than 3" off the water surface for optimal photosynthesis/penetration> Now for the water ph.=8.4 ammonia=.125 nitrite=0 nitrate=2.5 Alk=center of normal I have a Red Sea test kit Po4=0 Ca=normal. Any advise would be great . Love your site keep up the good work Thanks in advance, Tim <thanks kindly, and best regards. Anthony> BTA Split Hi All - I don't know who will reply. I have some good news and bad news I think. My BTA split yesterday. <Congratulations!> Which I think is probably good news. It started yesterday morning and completed the split late in the evening, however, one side does not look like it has completed forming a new "mouth" (bad news?). How long should this take? <Perhaps just another day or two.> Both halves look good (color, tips, extended arms), but I didn't find any info on this. <There is not too much available about this. If you do not mind, I am collecting information from hobbyists that have succeeded in encouraging their BTA's to split. Anything you could provide would be useful. Tank size, lighting used (format, number of lamps, hours illuminated), feeding (what and frequency), and anything else you can think of.> What can you tell me and should I be concerned? <I would not worry just yet.> Water quality is good. Lighting is good and I don't think the tank is over crowded. You may need specific parameter here or you might not. Any info would be appreciated. <I would just give it some more time.> Thanks! Tammie <You are welcome. -Steven Pro> "Australian rock anemone" In a previous life, we discussed: I bought a bright red "Australian rock anemone" and now I've got little red anemone buds growing everywhere. They're in the sump, they're in the shells, they're all over the rock and one has attached itself to a sponge and is growing there. The mama will occasionally move in and eat one of the buds, but there's plenty to go around. How big should I let them get before I start trying to find good homes for them? <The cannibalism seems strange to me. Are you sure they are the same thing?> I'm making two assumptions here, either of them could be wrong. The anemone I bought is about an inch and a half across, with a dark reddish-brown skin and very bright red tentacles. I was told it was an Australian red anemone, but I've never found anything by that name on the web, or any picture of any anemone that looks like this one. It spends the daylight hours folded up so you only see the dark mantle, and opens up at night (or when it smells food in the water) to feed. <Sounds non-photosynthetic> I had to move the tank, and after it was set back up I noticed all these little hairy buds everywhere, the same bright red color as the big anemone. They also catch the Mysid shrimp and eat it, like the anemone. Since they look the same, except for size, and act the same, I assume they are the same. That's assumption 1. Assumption 2 is the eating. When I first noticed them, there were 8-10 of them in a ring around the big one. The big one has been moving around, and the smaller ones are disappearing. The only ones left now are the ones that settled further away from the big one, where it doesn't roam. I've been spot-feeding them Mysid with a syringe, and they're growing and seem healthy - the ones that are left, anyway. The one that settled in the sump is the largest, but he gets a shot at all the food that runs down the overflow. <Perhaps the "mama" is out-competing the ones near her for food and merely starving them out. -Steven Pro> Anemone Problem <<Greetings, JasonC here...>> My anemone (Condylactis) was sucked into the end cover of my air bubbler during the night. <<Erk...>> Tentacles are pulled inside through the grill end. I turned it off and took this plastic end off the tube. The anemone appears to be alive, but is still stuck. Is there anything I can do to free it without further damaging it? <<I doubt it, and it's probably pretty well damaged as it is... or if not visibly damaged, certainly feeling damaged.>> Will a piece of nylon hose over this end piece keep this from happening again, since that would keep the tentacles from being pulled in? <<It would, but it will also be a detritus trap requiring constant maintenance. I would move this device to the opposite end of the tank.>> I really need to know what to do. <<Consider a re-work of the system to make it less hazardous to the anemone, or as we prefer to recommend - don't keep them. It's really a path fraught with peril and results in needless loss of animals which live endlessly in the wild.>> Thank you. Lyda <<Cheers, J -- >> Sufficient Lighting for Magnificent anemone? Hiya, I'm
just wondering if 2 250 metal halides would be able to sustain a
magnificent anemone in a 55 gallon 18 inch deep tank? <quite
possible yes. Although I am adamant (not Adam Ant) about aquarists not
abusing light over cnidarians (few if any aquarists need a 250 or 400
watt tank and even then they are best reserved for 30"+ tanks)...
this is one case FOR using very high intensity light. Ritteri anemones
need more light than almost any anemone or coral found in the trade. A
very difficult creature to keep alive for more than one year> If it
is enough, would the anemone get too big for the tank? <not in
my opinion> Also, would this be a danger to Banggai cardinals or
Flame angelfish? <very little danger likely. Best regards,
Anthony> Conditions for an anemone Allo, <hey, compi> It has been a few years since I have maintained a marine aquarium. I would currently like to build a 20 gallon long marine tank with coral sand substrate and lots of live rock, an anemone, a cleaner shrimp, hermit crabs, and a few clownfish. <all good except the "few" clownfish part... you'll be lucky to keep two peaceful species from killing each other in a tank this size... 3+ not happening. Likely rule out all but ocellaris or "skunks". Maroons definitely out of the question. Buy two mid sized specimens from the same batch (avoid the biggest or smallest)... to improve our chances of a pair forming> I currently have a bio wheel power filter with 125 gph which - as I understand it - takes care of bio, chem, and mech filtration. <really a stretch of a marketing claim... but I'll believe it if you will :) I feel better doing so knowing that the live rock is really doing the trick. Please do weekly water changes too if you will not be running a skimmer. If you want to reduce water changes to once or twice monthly, do consider an Aqua C Remora protein skimmer> I was told it was not necessary for a tank of this size to use a protein skimmer, is this true especially with an anemone? <possible with a small tank and water changes, but especially Untrue as rule with anemones> I was also informed that the filter would provide enough circulation for the tank, which I also find hard to believe. <not even close for cnidarians like your anemone. Opposing powerheads with foam guards are recommended (assuming you won't have a sump and return pump instead for this small tank)> If I do need more I heard that bubbles were not good for anemones, so what should I use? <powerheads without venturis turned on may be a necessary evil. Do watch for temperature (fear to it being too high with extra pumps)> Finally are compact fluorescents adequate lighting for anemone is such a small tank? <fine for these shallow tanks... 6500K light is recommended. Go no bluer than 10K... blue actinics are attractive but not helpful for anemone health... add as extra at will> By the way, since the type of anemone is obviously important, I plan on acquiring a bubble tip anemone since they are supposed to be the hardiest. <a good choice> Thank you. Obsessive Compulsive in Berkeley <OCC and ADDH in Pgh, PA. A.C.> |
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