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FAQs on Long Tentacle Anemone Compatibility
Related Articles: LTAs,
Anemones,
Bubble
Tip Anemones, Cnidarians, Coldwater
Anemones,
Colored/Dyed Anemones,
Related FAQs: LTAs 1, LTAs 2,
LTA Identification,
LTA Behavior, LTA Selection,
LTA Systems, LTA
Feeding, LTA Disease,
LTA Reproduction,
Anemones
1, Anemones 2, Anemones
3, Anemones 4, Bubble
Tip Anemones, Caribbean
Anemones, Condylactis, Aiptasia
Anemones, Other Pest Anemones, Anemones
and Clownfishes, Anemone
Reproduction, Anemone
Lighting, Anemone Feeding, Anemone
Systems,
Anemone
Identification, Anemone Compatibility, Anemone
Selection, Anemone
Behavior,
Anemone
Health, Anemone
Placement,
|
Not nearly blind,
body-oblivious fishes like Moray Eels. Gymnomuraena
zebra, the aptly named Zebra Moray is a slow-moving chocolate
black with vertical white striped beauty.
|
Anemone Spawning Event –
4/24/08
Good day to you and everyone who reads this.
<Hello, Brenda here!>
This was a first for me, I came home from work to find my LTA normally the size
of a dinner plate down to the size of a cup saucer but standing up a good 10
inches with the tentacle's tight and curly. The mouth was out about half an inch
to three quarters of an inch with white "smoke" coming out no pun intended. This
lasted for about three to four hours as it slowly went down in size. My 72g tank
now looks very milky and the skimmer has stopped working (just like when oils
from your hand get to it). So I guess my question is: Is this sperm and what is
the best way to clear my water without over doing a water change?
<Yep, your anemone spawned! You need to do a large water change, no other way
unfortunately. I also recommend running some fresh carbon. I would do this as
soon as possible. Keep an eye on everything, and be prepared for more water
changes. Good luck! Brenda>
|
LTA attacked by Choc chip
star 04/07/2008
Hi,
<<Hello, Andrew here>>
Friday we woke up to find our chocolate chip star hovering over the spot where
our LTA was. We removed the star from that spot and could not find the LTA
anywhere, not even a trace of it. Needless to say the star went back to my LFS
the same day.
<<A wise decision, very predatory>>
I was heartbroken by the loss of our anemone. We have had it for about 8months,
and it was about 8 inches in diameter and very healthy. So I bought a new
anemone to replace the old one, it is a BTA. When I returned home to acclimate
the BTA, to my surprise the LTA was out and alive! I have a 75gallon with a
snowflake eel, and volition lion, about 90lbs of live rock, and snails for
cleanup crew. The LTA does not appear happy, he will not inflate fully, his
tentacles are long and inflated though, appears to have no injuries, has not
moved from his spot, however his mouth remains slightly open (which I am aware
is not a good sign). He does seem to inflate more as the days go on, but mouth
remains open. I placed
the BTA on the opposite side of the tank, where he immediately attached his
foot.
My questions are as follows:
1. What precautions should I take when housing two different anemones in the
same tank?
<<Plenty of distance between SP.>>
2. What should I do for my LTA?
<<If possible, move to quarantine tank, target feed and monitor closely>>
3. Will the LTA be okay?
<<Given good water parameters, staple diet, lighting, should recover fine>>
4. What should I watch for or be worried about?
<<The main to watch is the distance between these two, else chemical warfare
will ensue>>
I did perform a 20% water change yesterday Sat), just to be on the safe side. I
use RO/DI water which I mix myself. All of my parameters are perfect. We have
had the tank for a year, and it has been very stable for the past 6months. I do
have a skimmer, two additional powerheads (which are screened to avoid the
anemones being sucked in) and appropriate lighting for anemones.
Thanks in advance for your help! Love your site
Michelle
<<Hope the above helps. If problems do arise between the two nems in the tank, i
would suggest removal of the BTA.. Personally, i prefer to only see multiple nems
in tanks of 100 gals plus, this gives plenty of room for the two to have
"plenty" of space between them>>
<<Thanks and good luck. A Nixon>>
Re: LTA attacked by
Choc chip star 04/09/2008
Hi again,
<<Hello Michelle>>
Thanks for the quick response. So for an update: I was unable to move
the LTA to quarantine because he would not let go of the glass bottom.
Today he was looking alright, then I noticed the LTA has moved, he is
still close to where he was and in the crushed coral, still stuck to the
glass bottom. When I went to feed the rest of the tank I noticed he was
not looking to good. He was a little curled up, tentacles still inflated
but he appeared shrunken. He did happily accept a small piece of food
and ate fine.
<<That's a good sign that food has been accepted, and moving is a sign
its not happy where it currently is, should find a happy spot for itself
soon enough>>
I just did a water change yesterday. I checked my levels today and here
are the results: Ammonia: 0, Nitrites: 0, Phosphate: 0, pH: 8.3,
Nitrate: 30-40!!! I know high levels of nitrates can be harmful to
anemones. How can I fix this?
<<Water changes are you new best friend here to get them lowered, odd
you have had a sudden spike up that level of nitrates. Nothing died in
the tank?>>
My water change was a 20% change (75gal tank) Should I do another water
change?
<<Please do>>
Try a buffer? Will a vitamin boost help? What should I do? I don't want
to lose my anemone or any other occupant of the tank. Please help!
<<Adding buffers etc is not the way forward, water changes to bring your
param.s back in line is the best thing>>
Thanks again I really appreciate your help,
Michelle
<<Thanks, hope this helps. A Nixon>> |
|
LTA/Compatibility/Systems
2/12/08
I have a one year old 75 gallon reef tank that runs through a 5gal, 4inch
DSB fuge and into my toms <?> aquaria PS3 BakPak filter with a skimmer. (by the
way there is pretty much nothing about this filter that I like). I have a couple
of 300gph powerheads on rotating deflectors on the back corners set on 45
degrees towards the front of the tank and it does a pretty impressive job as far
as getting an alternating current. I also have a Hydor #3 facing on all my sps
corals, that obviously does not move, but one of the deflectors hits the current
from the Hydor to make it alternate somewhat, and finally another powerhead on
the other corner pushing an 18watt uv. I have 100+ pounds of Fiji and Marshall
Island rock, and 80+ pounds of Fiji pink sand. that gives me anywhere between
4inches and 8inches of sandbed depending on how much moving of the sand my
female Tomatoe Clown digs up throughout the day.
<Yes, they are good at that.>
Corals: huge green Goniopora that has been in the tank for 9 or 10 months and
does great, 4 chunks of different acropora (2 of them full colonies), and a hand
size chunk of Hydnophora and a large amount of LPS corals including a 15 headed
branch of Frogspawn. I also have two rather large colonies of mushrooms.
I only have five fish and they are a pair of Tomatoes that live in the LTA ever
since I put it in 9 months ago, a Six Line Wrasse, a Diamond Spotted Goby and a
Brown Tang.
My water parameters are as follows:
cal: 400-420ppm (checked twice daily)
alk: 9-11dKH (checked twice daily)
ph: 7.92 at night- 8.20 when 10k shut of ( pinpoint - calibrated every 20 days)
mag: 1230-1290 (tested every 30 days)
temp: 76-78 in winter, 78-80 in summer
sg: 1.024 ( tested every water change)
I do a 10 gallon water change every 14 days with Red Sea Coral Pro Salt and RO
water. I add 2 liters of full strength limewater (ph-12.50 calcium 850ppm) to my
tank every day and supplement with SeaChem powder supplements when I have to. I
also make sure to take a break from the Kalk when I have to use other additives
(Reef Advantage Calcium, Reef Buffer and Reef Builder). I also add 12 drops of
Kent marine iodine every Saturday. Everything else should be included in water
changes except mag only because of limewater but I also have Reef Advantage
Magnesium which I add as needed.
Now to the question at hand. About nine months ago I put in a LTA (compulsive
buying), probably should not have considering the tank was only a couple of
months old. I bought it nonetheless and for the first four months it stayed
right where it went to the first day, and it was the ideal spot that I kind of
made for it, right in the front view of the tank. The LTA stayed there for about
4-5 months and then moved to the back of the tank, pretty much around to the
other side of the rock it had always been under but now it is in the back of the
tank. It stayed there for a couple of months and then I added some rock for more
coral places and in the process halfway shaded the anemone. At this point the
anemone has grown about 6 inches since I got it and has always had good color,
very very sticky, and always eats immediately( fed at least 1 time a week).
Anyway the anemone is just starting to act weird at lights out and starts
wondering just to end up in the same place it was the night before. I know any
wandering is bad (especially since it keeps stinging my corals), but the next
day it is in the same spot all poofed out and looking spectacular.
<Reason why anemones and corals don't mix.>
It should have a significant amount of light. I can keep Acroporas alive why not
an anemone. I have 474 watts all together. 2-130w 10k PC, 2-130 watt 420 nm
actinic PC, and 108 watt 10k T5, and 108watt 460nm actinic T5.
<I'd put another 10K T5 in place of the 460 actinic.>
I just recently heard about some chemical warfare going on in anything less than
a monstrously large aquarium housing both Frogspawn and LTA. If this is true how
come they got along for so long and no problems.
<Lucky>
The Frogspawn was in the tank before the LTA so they have been together always
and no prior problems. If my anemone is unhappy with the light then he would end
up in a brighter spot, ( there are much brighter spots in my tank at the bottom
in the sand than where he is now.) So if he was searching around for more light
why would he go back to the same spot he was trying to leave? Although the place
where he is at now does not have much current, again there are many more places
in the tank that he could go while getting more light and the same amount of
current other than where he is now but he always ends back where he started. By
the way this all started about 7 days ago and every night it is the same thing.
Another thing is that it all takes place throughout 4 hours. After the actinics
go off he starts his climb to the top of the tank sits there for a while and
then goes right back down to the sand where he stays till the following night.
And yet another thing is that if I never looked in my tank at night (like when I
am usually asleep not standing over my tank at all hours of the night because
you just cant get enough) then you would not even know it was happening because
the next morning it is right where it was and opens up fully and still accepts
food.
I guess I do have two easily answerable questions besides the behavior of the
anemone.
#1 will an anemone kill itself by choosing a spot where it does not get enough
light like under a cliff or overhang?
<Very unlikely.>
#2 With only 75 gallon system and 3 feet of space and rock between my fairly
large Frogspawn( 15 heads), and my very large LTA (at least 16 inches across
when fully open), is this to small of a system to house them both?
<Yes, especially with the 16" span of the anemone. Do read here and related
articles/FAQ's above.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm
In future queries, do cap all names of fish, coral, companies, "i's", and do a
spelling and grammar check. We just do not have the time to edit queries with
numerous spelling/grammar errors before posting. Thank you. James (Salty Dog)>
Re:
LTA/Compatibility/Systems 2/13/08
wrote: LTA/Compatibility/Systems 2/12/08
I have a one year old 75 gallon reef tank that runs through a 5gal,
4inch DSB fuge and into my toms aquaria PS3 Backpack filter with a
skimmer. by the way there is pretty much nothing about this filter that
I like). I have a couple of 300gph powerheads on rotating deflectors on
the back corners set on 45 degrees towards the front of the tank and it
does a pretty impressive job as far as getting an alternating current. I
also have a Hydor #3 facing on all my sps corals, that obviously does
not move, but one of the deflectors hits the current from the Hydor to
make it alternate somewhat, and finally another powerhead on the other
corner pushing an 18watt uv. I have 100+ pounds of Fiji and Marshall
Island rock, and 80+ pounds of Fiji pink sand. that gives me anywhere
between 4inches and 8inches of sandbed depending on how much moving of
the sand my female Tomatoe Clown digs up throughout the day.
Corals: huge green Goniopora that has been in the tank for 9 or 10
months and does great, 4 chunks of different acropora (2 of them full
colonies), and a hand size chunk of Hydnophora and a large amount of LPS
corals including a 15 headed branch of Frogspawn. I also have two rather
large colonies of mushrooms.
I only have five fish and they are a pair of Tomatoes that live in the
LTA ever since I put it in 9 months ago, a Six Line Wrasse, a Diamond
Spotted Goby and a Brown Tang.
My water parameters are as follows:
cal: 400-420ppm (checked twice daily)
alk: 9-11dKH (checked twice daily)
ph: 7.92 at night- 8.20 when 10k shut of ( pinpoint - calibrated every
20 days)
mag: 1230-1290 (tested every 30 days)
temp: 76-78 in winter, 78-80 in summer
sg: 1.024 ( tested every water change)
I do a 10 gallon water change every 14 days with Red Sea Coral Pro Salt
and RO water. I add 2 liters of full strength limewater (ph-12.50
calcium 850ppm) to my tank every day and supplement with SeaChem powder
supplements when I have to. I also make sure to take a break from the
Kalk when I have to use other additives (Reef Advantage Calcium, Reef
Buffer and Reef Builder). I also add 12 drops of Kent marine iodine
every Saturday. Everything else should be included in water changes
except mag only because of limewater but I also have Reef Advantage
Magnesium which I add as needed.
Now to the question at hand. About nine months ago I put in a LTA
(compulsive buying), probably should not have considering the tank was
only a couple of months old. I bought it nonetheless and for the first
four months it stayed right where it went to the first day, and it was
the ideal spot that I kind of made for it, right in the front view of
the tank. The LTA stayed there for about 4-5 months and then moved to
the back of the tank, pretty much around to the other side of the rock
it had always been under but now it is in the back of the tank. It
stayed there for a couple of months and then I added some rock for more
coral places and in the process halfway shaded the anemone. At this
point the anemone has grown about 6 inches since I got it and has always
had good color, very very sticky, and always eats immediately( fed at
least 1 time a week). Anyway the anemone is just starting to act weird
at lights out and starts wondering just to end up in the same place it
was the
night before. I know any wandering is bad (especially since it keeps
stinging my corals), but the next day it is in the same spot all poofed
out and looking spectacular.
It should have a significant amount of light. I can keep Acroporas alive
why not an anemone. I have 474 watts all together. 2-130w 10k PC, 2-130
watt 420 nm actinic PC, and 108 watt 10k T5, and 108watt 460nm actinic
T5.
I just recently heard about some chemical warfare going on in anything
less than a monstrously large aquarium housing both Frogspawn and LTA.
If this is true how come they got along for so long and no problems.
The Frogspawn was in the tank before the LTA so they have been together
always and no prior problems. If my anemone is unhappy with the light
then he would end up in a brighter spot, ( there are much brighter spots
in my tank at the bottom in the sand than where he is now.) So if he was
searching around for more light why would he go back to the same spot he
was trying to leave? Although the place where he is at now does not have
much current, again there are many more places in the tank that he could
go while getting more light and the same amount of current other than
where he is now but he always ends back where he started. By the way
this all started about 7 days ago and every night it is the same thing.
Another thing is that it all takes place throughout 4 hours. After the
actinics go off he starts his climb to the top of the tank sits there
for a while and then goes right back down to the sand where he stays
till the following night. And yet another thing is that if I
never looked in my tank at night (like when I am usually asleep not
standing over my tank at all hours of the night because you just cant
get enough) then you would not even know it was happening because the
next morning it is right where it was and opens up fully and still
accepts food.
I guess I do have two easily answerable questions besides the behavior
of the anemone.
#1 will an anemone kill itself by choosing a spot where it does not get
enough light like under a cliff or overhang?
#2 With only 75 gallon system and 3 feet of space and rock between my
fairly large Frogspawn( 15 heads), and my very large LTA (at least 16
inches across when fully open), is this to small of a system to house
them both?
In future queries, do cap all names of fish, coral, companies, "i's",
and do a spelling and grammar check. We just do not have the time to
edit queries with numerous spelling/grammar errors before posting. Thank
you. James (Salty Dog)>
Thank you for the info, Salty Dog, and I will try to be a little more
careful in the future.
<You're welcome.>
Sorry about the misinformation but my t5s are 54 watts each and four of
them (HO-2 10k, and 2 460nm). Does that matter or still the same reply,
(change the other two to 10k) so that all of my t5 bulbs are 10k. (Also
what do you think about just making two of them 12k or 14k, in place of
the 460nm.
<I'd go with one actinic rather than two. Many folks have just gone with
all 14K lamps with good results. I just run two 14K MH's on my tank.>
I have heard good things about high growth rates for sps corals under
that spectrum)
Another question, I have read to keep a 1/1 ratio of daylight and
actinic. Is it safe to say that is not entirely true?
<Believe that is dated info with the advent of the 10K-20K lamps.>
I'm sorry, but I did not find anything about the problems between the
long tentacle anemone and the frogspawn coral on the link you provided.
Is the problem that the LTA will sting the frogspawn on contact, or can
there be chemical problems without contact?
Is it a must to remove one or the other?
<Problem is, when the anemone moves, it stings everything along the way.
As far as corals, there will always be some allelopathy going on. The
use of a skimmer and/or high quality carbon/resin such as Chemi-Pure
goes a long way in removing these allelopathic compounds.>
Is it only the LTA that these problems exist? (or the same with a BTA)
<If you mean stinging this is true with most anemones.>
Another (kind of important) thing I forgot to mention is I have always
used dip tests for nitrate and the color never changed. Since then my
buddy got an electronic (Pinpoint) nitrate tester, and my nitrates are
always around 13ppm. It has been that way for the 2 months that I have
tested with the electronic tester. This does not seem to be the trigger
for the anemones behavior, but do you think it is possible, just that it
took him a while to react?
<No, a nitrate reading of 13ppm is not all that bad but best to keep it
under 10ppm.>
The high nitrate reading was the reason for the fuge setup. It has been
running now for about 20-30 days. I just took an Eclipse 6 and drilled
some holes in it and installed it in-line with my filter. I put 10 lbs
of medium course dry Arag to give me about 3-4 inches of substrate, but
in another 2 weeks I am going to add the other half of the 20 lbs. bag.
Does this sound acceptable? I do not have any macro in there now because
it only has an eight watt bulb in it and I do not think that is enough
<enough>.
<As long as the bulb is a PC, it should be enough.>
My nitrates never change no matter how many water changes I do. Is that
normal?
<Can be. Do you ever vacuum the substrate? This area is one of the
biggest causes of nitrates. If you use mechanical filtration and do not
clean/change pads weekly, the trapped waste will turn into dissolved
organics.>
One more thing, since the start of the tank I have had bio-balls in my
sump. I have never cleaned them (they are as clean as the day I
installed them, and there is no light that touches them). I have
recently heard that they are not that good in an established reef tank.
<In my opinion, the bio balls alone are not going to create high nitrate
levels. Bio Balls do not produce waste. Most folks do not use Bio Balls
if live rock is used. There is enough beneficial bacteria on the rock to
take care of the nitrification process.
I use the Bio Balls in my sump and never encounter nitrate problems, in
fact, my nitrates are always at the residual level of the test kit.>
Is that the same thing for the glass cylinders?
<The glass cylinders can trap very small particles of waste. Some say
they are efficient at removing nitrates. I've never tried them so I
cannot comment. The best way to lower the nitrate level is by lowering
the nutrient level in the system. Do read this link.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nutrientcontrol.htm James (Salty Dog)>
Do you think I should take them out and pack my sump with rock rubble
instead? (This would be done very slowly.)
Do you think that the bio-balls are a contributing factor to the nitrate
problem? |
Re:
LTA/Compatibility/Systems 2/13/08
I have a one year old 75 gallon reef tank that runs through a 5gal,
4inch DSB fuge and into my toms aquaria PS3 Backpack filter with a
skimmer. by the way there is pretty much nothing about this filter that
I like). I have a couple of 300gph powerheads on rotating deflectors on
the back corners set on 45 degrees towards the front of the tank and it
does a pretty impressive job as far as getting an alternating current. I
also have a Hydor #3 facing on all my sps corals, that obviously does
not move, but one of the deflectors hits the current from the Hydor to
make it alternate somewhat, and finally another powerhead on the other
corner pushing an 18watt uv. I have 100+ pounds of Fiji and Marshall
Island rock, and 80+ pounds of Fiji pink sand. (that gives me anywhere
between 4inches and 8inches of sandbed depending on how much moving of
the sand my female Tomatoe Clown digs up throughout the day.
Corals: huge green Goniopora that has been in the tank for 9 or 10
months and does great, 4 chunks of different acropora (2 of them full
colonies), and a hand size chunk of Hydnophora and a large amount of LPS
corals including a 15 headed branch of Frogspawn. I also have two rather
large colonies of mushrooms.
I only have five fish and they are a pair of Tomatoes that live in the
LTA ever since I put it in 9 months ago, a Six Line Wrasse, a Diamond
Spotted Goby and a Brown Tang.
My water parameters are as follows:
cal: 400-420ppm (checked twice daily)
alk: 9-11dKH (checked twice daily)
ph: 7.92 at night- 8.20 when 10k shut of ( pinpoint - calibrated every
20 days)
mag: 1230-1290 (tested every 30 days)
temp: 76-78 in winter, 78-80 in summer
sg: 1.024 ( tested every water change)
I do a 10 gallon water change every 14 days with Red Sea Coral Pro Salt
and RO water. I add 2 liters of full strength limewater (ph-12.50
calcium 850ppm) to my tank every day and supplement with SeaChem powder
supplements when I have to. I also make sure to take a break from the
Kalk when I have to use other additives (Reef Advantage Calcium, Reef
Buffer and Reef Builder). I also add 12 drops of Kent marine iodine
every Saturday. Everything else should be included in water changes
except mag only because of limewater but I also have Reef Advantage
Magnesium which I add as needed.
Now to the question at hand. About nine months ago I put in a LTA
(compulsive buying), probably should not have considering the tank was
only a couple of months old. I bought it nonetheless and for the first
four months it stayed right where it went to the first day, and it was
the ideal spot that I kind of made for it, right in the front view of
the tank. The LTA stayed there for about 4-5 months and then moved to
the back of the tank, pretty much around to the other side of the rock
it had always been under but now it is in the back of the tank. It
stayed there for a couple of months and then I added some rock for more
coral places and in the process halfway shaded the anemone. At this
point the anemone has grown about 6 inches since I got it and has always
had good color, very very sticky, and always eats immediately( fed at
least 1 time a week). Anyway the anemone is just starting to act weird
at lights out and starts wondering just to end up in the same place it
was the
night before. I know any wandering is bad (especially since it keeps
stinging my corals), but the next day it is in the same spot all poofed
out and looking spectacular.
It should have a significant amount of light. I can keep Acroporas alive
why not an anemone. I have 474 watts all together. 2-130w 10k PC, 2-130
watt 420 nm actinic PC, and 108 watt 10k T5, and 108watt 460nm actinic
T5.
I just recently heard about some chemical warfare going on in anything
less than a monstrously large aquarium housing both Frogspawn and LTA.
If this is true how come they got along for so long and no problems.
The Frogspawn was in the tank before the LTA so they have been together
always and no prior problems. If my anemone is unhappy with the light
then he would end up in a brighter spot, ( there are much brighter spots
in my tank at the bottom in the sand than where he is now.) So if he was
searching around for more light why would he go back to the same spot he
was trying to leave? Although the place where he is at now does not have
much current, again there are many more places in the tank that he could
go while getting more light and the same amount of current other than
where he is now but he always ends back where he started. By the way
this all started about 7 days ago and every night it is the same thing.
Another thing is that it all takes place throughout 4 hours. After the
actinics go off he starts his climb to the top of the tank sits there
for a while and then goes right back down to the sand where he stays
till the following night. And yet another thing is that if I
never looked in my tank at night (like when I am usually asleep not
standing over my tank at all hours of the night because you just cant
get enough) then you would not even know it was happening because the
next morning it is right where it was and opens up fully and still
accepts food.
I guess I do have two easily answerable questions besides the behavior
of the anemone.
#1 will an anemone kill itself by choosing a spot where it does not get
enough light like under a cliff or overhang?
#2 With only 75 gallon system and 3 feet of space and rock between my
fairly large Frogspawn( 15 heads), and my very large LTA (at least 16
inches across when fully open), is this to small of a system to house
them both?
In future queries, do cap all names of fish, coral, companies, "i's",
and do a spelling and grammar check. We just do not have the time to
edit queries with numerous spelling/grammar errors before posting. Thank
you. James (Salty Dog)>
Thank you for the info, Salty Dog, and I will try to be a little more
careful in the future.
Sorry about the misinformation but my t5s are 54 watts each and four of
them (HO-2 10k, and 2 460nm). Does that matter or still the same reply,
(change the other two to 10k) so that all of my t5 bulbs are 10k. (Also
what do you think about just making two of them 12k or 14k, in place of
the 460nm.
I have heard good things about high growth rates for sps corals under
that spectrum)
Another question, I have read to keep a 1/1 ratio of daylight and
actinic. Is it safe to say that is not entirely true?
I'm sorry, but I did not find anything about the problems between the
long tentacle anemone and the frogspawn coral on the link you provided.
Is the problem that the LTA will sting the frogspawn on contact, or can
there be chemical problems without contact?
Is it a must to remove one or the other?
Is it only the LTA that these problems exist? (or the same with a BTA)
Another (kind of important) thing I forgot to mention is I have always
used dip tests for nitrate and the color never changed. Since then my
buddy got an electronic (Pinpoint) nitrate tester, and my nitrates are
always around 13ppm. It has been that way for the 2 months that I have
tested with the electronic tester. This does not seem to be the trigger
for the anemones behavior, but do you think it is possible, just that it
took him a while to react?
The high nitrate reading was the reason for the fuge setup. It has been
running now for about 20-30 days. I just took an Eclipse 6 and drilled
some holes in it and installed it in-line with my filter. I put 10 lbs
of medium course dry Arag to give me about 3-4 inches of substrate, but
in another 2 weeks I am going to add the other half of the 20 lbs. bag.
Does this sound acceptable? I do not have any macro in there now because
it only has an eight watt bulb in it and I do not think that is enough .
My nitrates never change no matter how many water changes I do. Is that
normal?
One more thing, since the start of the tank I have had bio-balls in my
sump. I have never cleaned them (they are as clean as the day I
installed them, and there is no light that touches them). I have
recently heard that they are not that good in an established reef tank.
I use the Bio Balls in my sump and never encounter nitrate problems, in
fact, my nitrates are always at the residual level of the test kit.>
Is that the same thing for the glass cylinders?
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nutrientcontrol.htm James (Salty Dog)>
Do you think I should take them out and pack my sump with rock rubble
instead? (This would be done very slowly.) 2/15/08
Do you think that the bio-balls are a contributing factor to the nitrate
problem?
Thanks again, Salty Dog. I am sure you guys are tired of hearing it by
now but I have to agree with everyone else and say you guys rock, and
this is probably one of the best sources of reliable info online.
<Thank you.>
I do have one more question ( off subject but will "reply" so you have
all info about tank). Like I said before, I do 10 gallon water change
every 2 weeks and 5 gallons in between. That equals out to 30 gallons
every 4 weeks on an 80 gallon setup. (Although I cannot have 80 gallons
in my system when you figure all the displaced water because of rock and
sand etc., so I am doing a good amount of water changes.)
<Yes>
It seems no matter what, I get a surface film build-up by the time I am
ready for the next water change. The whole problem lies in the overflow
box. I don't know if you are familiar with it but it is a Tom's Aquaria
PS3.
<Nope.>
It has a skimmer but does not work that great because the overflow box
does not take water right off the surface like it says it does because
the slots for the intake go into the water about four inches. So it will
not pull the surface film down. I cut some plexi and shoved it in there
by the slots and now it pulls of the top 1 inch of the water but the u
tube is so big that it keeps up with the heavy flow of the pump so that
it will not pull down the surface sludge. I have stewed on this for
months and the only other way I can think of doing this right is to
build/buy another overflow, but I ran into big problems installing this
fuge because the PS3 is just not compatible with pretty much anything.
What I mean to say is you just can't "add onto" this setup like you
could a big sump. So I was thinking recently about just picking up one
of those
12$ Tom's Aquaria surface skimmers that hooks into a standard power
filter and grabbing one of the many spare power filters I have sitting
around and just letting it run for a day between water changes to pull
off the film. I would have this full of activated carbon media. That
should pull the organics out right?
<As long as surface water is being taken in, it should.>
Okay If your with me so far my question is this:
I run 1 activated carbon floss pre-filter pad that I change out every 2
weeks no matter how it looks, and an activated carbon pillow that
probably holds close to 2 or 3 cups of carbon that I change every month.
Now I realize that is a lot of carbon to be running on a reef tank all
the time but I do a lot of water changes and everything has always been
fine, besides that is just another conversation altogether. So I guess
the question is this, do you think running more carbon to pull the
surface film will just be too much activated carbon running in my
system, and also do you think that carbon would successfully remove the
film without pushing that water through a skimmer?
<Too much carbon, one cup would be plenty and no, the carbon isn't going
to do much in the way of removing surface sludge, carbon just traps very
fine particles/organic waste.
Your best bet would be to invest in a protein skimmer that draws it's
water from the surface. In that regard you will be removing surface scum
and dissolved organics and should improve the water quality very much.
AquaC is one company that offers add on surface skimmers for some of
their models. Go here. www.proteinskimmer.com
James (Salty Dog)> |
Was Hair algae invasion, now Relocating LTA - 3/15/07
Alex (or whoever we are fortunate enough to get):
<Hi Michael and Dianne, you got Alex again tonight…>
Thanks for the recent answers about our long-haired algae invasion. We are
planning to spend this Sunday cleaning ALL the rock in the 120 with a toothbrush
and, while we're at it, rearrange everything.
Part of this process involves dismantling our 12-gallon nano (we prefer to give our attention to the larger tank). Since we have three clarkiis
in the 120, we returned to our LFS the two small clownfish, and since we have
two lawnmower blennies in the 120, we returned our algae blenny. Very sad to
have to return fish we've come to enjoy watching, but preferable to seeing them
die.
<That is sad. But the right thing to do.>
Anyway, that leaves us with one question. Our nano has a very healthy, very happy LTA living in it. When he's wide open, he's about six inches
in diameter. We are not thrilled with the idea of putting an anemone into the
120.
<No…>
However, we have a clarkii living in our Goniopora (and we are afraid he will
eventually kill it). Perhaps having an anemone will encourage him to move to a
more appropriate home. (Although it is kind of cute to watch him in the morning
sleeping with his head on the closed-up coral like it was a pillow.)
<Awww…>
But are we making a bad decision? Should we return the LTA to the LFS instead of
moving him into our reef tank? (We listed the contents of our tank in the
long-haired algae communication.)
<Unfortunately, it would not be a good idea to add an LTA to the reef
tank. Corals and anemones are a volatile mix in the confines of an
aquarium. Read here and linked files at top of page:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ltacompfaqs.htm
If you are still considering getting out of the coral side of things, you could
keep the LTA in the large tank, but not with the corals. Otherwise it should go
back to the LFS also if you do not want to keep another tank.>
Thanks for helping us keep our tank safe and healthy for our adopted occupants!
<Sincerely hoping we can help… Alex>
Michael and Dianne
Toadstool sys., Percula/anemone hosting 12/18/06
Hey everyone!
<Greetings, Mich here.>
Sorry if I ask too meany <many?> questions. <little, nasty, or number? I'm
guessing you mean number.>
I know you are busy!
<How did you know?>
But who else am I going to go to?...The LFS...?
<Hehehe ...there are some good ones out there.>
I have an LTA. I was wandering how rare it is for p. clowns to host these?
<In the wild only four species of clownfish are typically observed with this
anemone, the Percula Clowns (Amphiprion percula) is not one of them. However in
an artificial environment, artificial things happen.>
I also have a green toadstool. I know, shouldn't be together.
It came on a VERY small pc of rock. Too small to weight it down upright, and too
small to wedge into the live rock without hurting the coral itself. I've tried
super glue gel. Didn't work so well.
<Yes, I have experienced this frustration also.>
So I resorted to a rubber band (natural color).
<Good solution!>
Will there be any trouble with this being in the system?
<No. This should not cause problems. The rubber band will dissolve with time.>
Hopefully it works for a while!
<It should.>
The poor thing probably has fallen 5 times in a month!
<and can't get up!>
It is pretty secure now though.
<Did it get Life Alert?>
Thanks so much for your help!
<You are quite welcome.>
By the way, the clownfish anemone page on the chat forum isn't working!
<Oh, thank you for this, will notify.> <<On WWF? On WWM; what is the URL? RMF>
Keep up the good work!
<We'll do our best!>
Hope to meet you all one day!
<It's always nice to put a face with a name. Remember aquarium conferences are
fun! -Mich>
Anemone/LTA - 2/28/2006
Hello, <Hello Chris> I've got an LTA that is doing excellent in my tank
(anchored in the sand at the front of the tank), and is hosting two skunk clowns
who love it. I've had no problems with it and the other corals in my tank, but
I've noticed it is growing huge and is getting near my Fiji leather (not
touching yet). Recently, I read on WWM that keeping anemones in a reef tank is
a bad idea, <Yes> and that it is unnatural as they are not found in the same
areas of the reef. If it's one or the other, I'd rather have the reef (an
authentic one at that), so should I remove the LTA and will the clowns be
affected by the sudden removal of their home? <I would remove the anemone. It
will just be a matter of time before your corals are stung. Anemones are not
necessary for clowns to survive and will do fine without one.> Are clowns found
naturally in the reef, without their anemone hosts? <No>
Thanks, <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Chris Stevens
Reef And LTA...Not A Good Mix - 11/25/05
Good Afternoon,
<<Good Morning>>
I would like to buy a LTA for my 55 gallon reef, I have been looking up info for
about a month now.
<<Then you should have discovered these animals are best kept in species specific
tanks, not reef tanks.>>
Would it be alright to keep it with a Yellow Tang, Maroon Clown, Shrimp Gobi,
Plate Coral, Red Mushrooms, Green Mushroom, Cabbage Coral, Yellow Polyps, Gigas
Clam, Needle Algae, 2 power heads, Sea Clone 100 protein skimmer , Magnum 350
canister filter, 20 lbs. live rock, and 45 lbs live sand?
<<Not in my opinion. You should not be mixing a motile anemone with sessile
invertebrates...the anemone can/will do much damage if/when it goes
walkabout. If you are serious about keeping one of the animals for the long
term, do some research as to proper care and set up a tank just for the LTA.>>
And I have a Condy anemone would it be possible to keep a LTA with
it if not I will put in my other 20 gallon tank.
<<The Condylactis anemone should not be in the reef tank either...and it
definitely should not be mixed with the LTA. EricR>>
Clowns and my LTA
Hey Bob! Dude from Miami again! How are you bro?
<Fine, thanks>
Sorry, got another question for ya - I just put in my new LTA (see pic) last
night and he/she is doing terrific! (Pleasant surprise!) Anyway,
my
question is: Will my Nemo (Amphiprion ocellaris) hang with this LTA
and
form a relationship?
<Mmm, a good possibility, though these two species are not found in natural
association in the wild>
I know its only been one day, and it will take time, but I'm wondering what the chances are of them hooking up. (Nemo seems mostly interested in
eating
and looking cute) And, if not, can I get a second, different type of
clown
that will go to the LTA, and if I can, which type of clown would be my best
choice?
<Yes... please take a look at the compatibility chart here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm>
I've read through your FAQ's and articles on clowns, but still a
little uncertain. Will a second clown compete with Nemo, or try to
kill
him?
<A possibility... how big is this system? If more than sixty gallons, you've
got more than a 50:50 chance they'll "get along">
Or will they sex off and maybe even share the Anenome if the second
one is bigger than Nemo (Nemo's quite small)?
<Very unlikely>
I know lots of questions/details - sorry, but I trust your opinion(s), not
really anyone else's!
Thanks again for all your help and the ultimate site.
Dude
<Be chatting. Bob Fenner>
Re: Clowns and my LTA
Thanks for the response Bob! Yeah, I have just a 55 gallon with
Ecosystem
filtration. I figure a saddleback clown would be my best bet for a
second,
but I've also read on your FAQ's that Clarkiis go to the LTA as well.
Another possibility I guess would be to get another slightly larger Nemo to
pair them up, since you said its a good possibility that the ocellaris will
hook up with the LTA despite not being naturally assc'd in the
wild.............
Thanks so much again Bob for all your help!!
Dude
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Anemone troubles, induced
Hey Guys.
<John>
Just wondering if is possible to put a Long Tentacle Anemone in the same (30gal)
tank as a Condylactis anemone?
<Not a good idea>
also, I was wondering why my LTA appears buried in the sand all day and then
when the light go's out, he curls up and comes completely out so that you can
see his orange base (foot?) and doesn't bury in the sand again until the light
go's back on in the morning?
<Trouble... Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm
scroll down to the index on Anemones... READ>
Thanks!
(how do I see a response to this email?)
J.F.
<We respond directly to all, as well as post on WWM. Bob Fenner>
LTA symbiotic relationship question
I have just witnessed my Long Tentacle Anemone doing something I didn't know
they did. While it was lying on a Live rock, the center of it started to enlarge (around the mouth area, when it enlarged, it was white in color
(mouth area) and it looked like it had opened its mouth and leaned over to the rock and out of it's mouth came a small creature ( about the size of a
Japanese beetle but with a small tail and it was as if it had a curtain around it so you couldn't see legs. It slowly moved out of the mouth and
crawled up on the live rock and went into a hole in the rock. The anemone slowly raised back up and shrank in size for bout an hour. Like it had a
baby or something. I haven't seen the small creature since. The anemone seems to be doing fine though. I was wondering what your thoughts were?
Saltwatered in PA
<There are many commensal to mutualistic organisms that live in concert with these animals... you likely saw a crustacean one. Bob Fenner>
Long Tentacled Anemone/s
I have two long tentacled anemone, one which has settled in nicely. The other though is puzzling. I turned off one of my powerheads (2 in a 45 gal tank).
The anemone shriveled up and my husband said it was dying. I turned on the powerhead again and it came back to life. I guess it prefers the powerhead.
Today I added some items to the tank, 5 shaving brushes, one coral beauty two horseshoe crabs (very small) and two curly q anemones, and a pencil urchin.
<Trouble... anemones are not easily kept in home-hobbyist settings... two LTA's are not compatible... mixing in the other species, disastrous>
Now the anemone that played dead the other day is just floating around the tank. I have tried to get it settled, but it refuses to attach to anything and
keeps floating around. It looks to be in good health, the tentacles are full with purple tips. Any ideas?
<Plenty. The U.S. should stop invading sovereign nations and realize that commerce is "king", people should turn off their teevees and exercise a great deal more. Oh, you mean re your circumstances? Yes, read... on WWM re Anemones, their systems, compatibility. Start here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm.
Read, act, now! Bob Fenner>
<<Time for an editorial page!>><Heeeee! RMF> Re: Long Tentacled Anemone/s
I moved the curly q anemones and the long tentacled anemone settled down on the tank floor once again and has blossomed. I guess it just didn't like the
new anemones. If push comes to shove, I'll move some to another tank. Thanks
for your help.
<Sounds good>
By the way, I cannot do without CSI in any of its forms or Law and Order.
<Am changing my name to Bob Bruckheimer>
Other than that the TV can sit dormant. As for attacking other nations, well, someone has to play nice and since people are too stupid to do that, well, the
bigger of them has to be the peacemaker.. . . .
<You will never make people free, create peace by murdering peoples families and children. Bob Fenner> Evolution,
the Conversation Evolves
Ok, phasing from politics to religion. . . . .people will never be free, from
the beginning some were not free.
<Define "freedom">
And, since we are in the last "days", these things must happen. We (Christians) know this and are ok with it. After
all, it has been decided. . . by a higher power than any of us here on earth. So
get on the ride, strap yourself in, and get ready, it's going to be a bumpy one!
<Heeee Heeee! I put invisible friends like the Easter Bunny and Santy Claus in the same box. Good luck, life to you. BobF>
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