Keeping Anemones-Up For The Challenge?   2/2/06
Hi crew!
<Hi there! Scott F. at your service today!>
I would like to thank you for your advice because it really help me a lot.
<Glad we can help!>
I have a FOWLR tank and now I would like to add some Invertebrates, like snail, crabs, shrimps, etc. as well one LTA, I always put my fishes to QT before I put them on my display tank to prevent diseases.
<Music to my ears!>
I'd like to know if I have to Quarantine what I'm going to Get, and if I do, for how long? And what do I need to look to know if there is a disease.
<Okay. Here a re links to a couple of articles I wrote on the topic a couple of years back, which should give you a good general idea of the process:   http://www.wetwebmedia.com/QuarMarFishes.htm        http://www.wetwebmedia.com/quarinverts.htm >
Can I keep a LTA and 1 Purple Tube Anemone* *on a 55g with Coralife 48"
Lunar Aqualight 4x65 260 Watts, a wet dry 75pro and about 50 pounds of live rock and 1 Ocellaris Clownfish, 1 Bluefin Damsel, 1 Yellow Watchman Goby, 1 large Engineer Goby and 1 Green Brittle Star.
I appreciate your response an advance.
Thank you
Sincerely
K4Z3KY
<Well, K- I'm a bit hesitant to recommend the LTA for a system illuminated by anything less than metal halides, as these lights will generally assure that you're providing the proper intensity and spectrum (if you choose the light bulb), removing at least one of the major hurdles in anemone husbandry (lighting). Also, I would not keep multiple anemones in this sized aquarium, as they may engage in a form of "chemical warfare" that could stress and/or kill both specimens. You'll still have the challenge of maintaining high water quality, providing good food, and enough space for the animals. My candid advice would be to try some less expensive, more abundant, and typically easier-to-keep Condylactis anemones. Though not as "sexy" as the LTA or Tube Anemones, these Caribbean anemones are colorful and interesting, and have the added bonus of living a very long time in aquaria. You still will have to provide excellent environmental conditions, but if you're up to the challenge, they are great to work with. Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>

-Surprise! You've got a LTA!-
Hello, Background: I am new to the salt water hobby.  Have put in a 20gal tank at work (stress reliever :-) ) as a test to learn about salt aquariums and do my trial & error before investing huge dollars in a 150+ at home. For approx 3 months tank had a 1 Scarlet cleaner shrimp, 1 blue damsel and 1 yellow tail damsel.  Tank has been doing fine and water test from the fish store are "OK" (after reading through your site, I am getting a test kit to obtain "exact" numbers or ranges).  <Excellent> Anyhow, the kids & wife decided to surprise me with a maroon clown and long tentacle anemone (I know this is probably a little over the limit for 20gal). <You may want to suggest gift-certificate surprises in the future...> Put them in and clown is doing fine, very active.  Anemones I know nothing about which leads me to write. <Anemones are reasonably difficult to keep, and should only be attempted by a seasoned coral enthusiast with the proper system and information, that's why they don't make a good surprise!> Situation: The anemone crawled around a little at first and now seems to like a spot in the back corner on crushed coral floor.  There is a moderate current in the tank and the anemone puts his tentacles up in ballet motion with the current (not sure what he does at night - also running a Marine Glo (blue lamp) and Power Glo (white lamp)). <Unfortunately, you don't have nearly enough light to keep this critter alive> Color of the anemone is basically a milky translucent white. <This anemone is what we call "bleached". That means that it has lost it's symbiotic algae <zooxanthellae> that allows it to use the light (a large portion of it's daily energy comes from this algae). So we have two problems here, no internal algae to photosynthesize, nor the light to get it accomplished anyhoo.> He does seem to change colors on the disk area from time which is one concern/question (sometimes a pinky looking color - not sure if this is from contracting and expanding). <Could be> The tentacles when extended are translucent turning to a pretty light translucent green at the tips. From time to time he will
draw a section of them in and they look shriveled and a pale green color, is this normal? <Nope> Also the base where these draw up, at times, will look kind of pale gray.  The stalk or base is a bright orange.  The base also has long stringy mucus looking material attached from time to time.  Should this stay or be cleaned (removed). <I would leave it, it may be it's own slime, hopefully the base hasn't been damaged.>  A few days after putting him in there, I went and had the water tested again and they said the nitrates or nitrites (don't remember which) was a little high <Whoa, big deal here. Nitrites are exceptionally toxic at even the lowest levels where nitrates are not toxic until they're in the hundreds of ppm. A distinction needs to be made here, and quick!> and to add Nitromax for about a week to bring it down.  So basically is the color and actions of the anemone normal and is there anything else I should be doing? <You need to do a lighting upgrade; potentially a system upgrade. Check out these anemone lighting FAQ's http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemonelightngfaqs.htm, and I'd suggest that you purchase Joyce Wilkerson's book entitled Clownfish. This book has spectacular anemone husbandry information. You'll need at least 2 full length sets of power compact or VHO lighting at a minimum to keep the critter happy in the long term, preferably metal halide lighting. First, pick up the book, and second write back with your system specs and we can take it from there. Good luck! -Kevin>
Thanks for all the help and all the knowledge you share!
Bill

Dyed long tentacle 6/31/05
I was just at my LFS and I saw a long tentacle anemone that was a deep purple. Do you think there is a high possibility of it being dyed? the worker at the LFS said he wanted it......I was about to say you're selling a dyed anemone for a higher price than the healthy ones! how dumb are you?... I would
appreciate your opinion.
Thanks a lot-
Aaron
<Could be dyed... but there are LTAs that are this color naturally. Bob Fenner>