Anemone

[martinojon]

Last night I purchased a bubble tip anemone, and when I put him in the tank he found a nice place in the foreground of my tank on the substrate. In fact one of my two clowns found him and has been playing it him. but now when I cam home from work I see that the Anemone seems to be hiding under my live rock where doesn't get much light. Also I only have two 55watt PC's is that enough. Should I move him back to the front of the tank? Also should I move him onto one of the rocks so that he will get more light? Or should I just leave him alone to do his thing.

Your help is appreciated


John

 

[Ben1]

Bubble tip anemones like to hide their foot in a crevise. So it will find a nice spot where it can retract fully into the hole if needed.

As far as lighting I think your lighting is on the weak side for an anemone. Maybe on the top it will be ok, but I would not move it. It will move where its happy, just remember to keep it well fed. Feed with meaty seafood every couple of days.

I really hope this is a tank raised anemone as the bubble tips are readily tank raised now.

[ March 16, 2002: Message edited by: Ben ]</p>

 

[Carpentersreef]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by martinojon:
[QB Or should I just leave him alone to do his thing[/QB]<hr></blockquote>

That's a good practice with anemones in general, but please get stronger lighting for it. (ideally MH, but I have read that VHO is good enough too. I have no experience with VHO)
Your pc lighting is not enough. What books are you using for reference?

Mitch

 

[martinojon]

Right Now My main source of reference is the internet, my LFS, and a teo friends who have been in the reef business for about 30 years. I do alot of research on the net however. let me ask what is better, stronger lighting PC or VHO's

 

[Carpentersreef]

I really hope that first paragraph wasn't directed to me....

Mitch

 

[skylsdale]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote

What books are you using for reference?

Actually, not all anemones need intense light--that is somewhat of a dogma that people continue to follow. So, what books are YOU using for reference? One of the reasons they seem to not be doing well in captivity (they can live up to 100 years on the reef) is that people are not feeding them. Why aren't they? Because they think all that the anemones need is really bright light...

martinojon, how large is your tank? It would be best to have done the research on this creature before you bought it to make sure you have the correct housing, etc. Bubble tips, as has been mentioned, prefer to have their foot under a rock. They will eventually stretch out into the water or toward the light. They need to be fed every few days--raw, deveined shrimp from the deli works well. Any powerhead or filter intakes need to be covered with a sponge to keep it from getting sicked up and killed--one of the major causes for anemone fatalities in the aquarium. Here are some links for info on your BTA and anemones in general:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bubbletipanemones.htm

http://home.pix.za/jv/jv79/reef/chosinganemone.html

http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=36

Good luck!

 

[skylsdale]

Sorry Carpentersreef, that wasn't directed at you...I should have been more specific.

What I was trying to say is that some of the older literature in the hobby emphasizes strong lighting for anemones. While this is true, you also need to remember that they need to be fed.

 

[martinojon]

Ok I broke down and moved the Anemone back to the fore ground. the only thing is that he is not near my any Live rock he just dug himself into the substrate a little. I fed him a couple of pices of brine shrimp and when I fed the tank my one of my clark clown's gives him some food. Should I now just leave him alone, or shoul I move him onto the rock closer to the light, or mayby put a few little rocks around him to attach his foot to.

JOhn

 

[Carpentersreef]

O.K.

A little clearer this time.

Do not move your anemone. It will move to suit it's needs. If it moves in the path of harm, move the harm...(powerhead, for example)

Get stronger lighting. If you do not, the BTA anemone will keep moving to find sufficient lighting, which does not exist in your set-up.

My last suggestion is to take it back to the LFS until you can provide proper conditions.

Mitch

 

[arnjer]

Has anyone thought that this tank is a bit new.
I agree with Mitch....take it back until you can properly care for it. Give the tank some time to mature. There are alot of other things you can get that will do well in your tank. Take your time and go slowly and read read read. I don't mean any of this in a negative way it's just my opinion. I think one 250 watt MH will light the tank nicely and will open up what you can keep. I would personally give the tank some more time and maybe add something that's hardy maybe 1-2 small items every couple of months. Oh are you using a skimmer? And please do water changes to keep water quality. And how much sand is in the tank?

Jerry

[ March 17, 2002: Message edited by: arnjer ]</p>

 

[esmithiii]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote

let me ask what is better, stronger lighting PC or VHO's

Watt for watt, PC lighting is more intense than VHO. Whether it is "better" or not is open for debate. IMO, 2x55W lamps is not enough for most anemones.

Although there has been much discussion on feeding anemones being as important as intense lighting, I think most experts agree that adequate lighting is needed even if you feed well.

Keep in mind that many anemones may move quite a bit in order to find a spot that they like. This can take a while for many anemones. Also, if their environment changes they may choose to go on the run again. They pack a strong sting that can kill some corals and other inverts, so you may want to think this through if you have some prized specimines (or if you plan on adding some in the future.)

Ernie

 

[Carpentersreef]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Anemone:
<strong>......After 40-50 splits from my rose BTA,......</strong><hr></blockquote>

...Wow. Nice

Mitch

 

[Mouse]

Also i would like to add that your circulation is way off parr. In general you want to turn over 10 - 15 times the aquarium volume per hour. And i dont think your Fluval is up to producing even a quater of that. Also occilation is very important to anenomies. So get a wavemaker and four powerheads too.

 

[Ben1]

Not only do water changes keep up your water quality but insure enough trace elements are there.

I have seen a few tanks with many BTA all splitting from the original. One with 4 x 110 watt VHO and the other with 2 x 175 watt mh lighting.

Dr.Shimek does say feeding is whats most important, the less light you have the more feeding is needed.

 

[Anemone]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Carpentersreef:
<strong>Do not move your anemone. It will move to suit it's needs. If it moves in the path of harm, move the harm...(powerhead, for example)

</strong><hr></blockquote>

Couldn't agree more - IMO, more anemones are killed by the "good intentions" of hobbyists who just have to move the anemone to a spot the hobbyist "knows" is better.

After 40-50 splits from my rose BTA, I'd agree you were a little "light" on the light (I keep my current 10 clones under 300+ watts of VHO (in a 65 gallone tank), but clones of my anemone have split under MH and PC lighting as well.

Anemones in general do better in "established" tanks, but if you must keep yours, I think you need to feed it small portions of meaty foods a couple of times a week. Feeding your tank a meaty food like Ocean Nutrition's Formula 1 will often suffice (if some of the chunks of food are regularly consumed by your anemone).

FWIW,
Kevin

[ March 18, 2002: Message edited by: Anemone ]</p>

 

[Anonymous]

On a 46 gallon bow 2x55watt PCs is sufficient for BTAs as long as they are fed once a week.

And the others are 100% correct in that moving an anemone should not be done.

BTAs are far less demanding than other anemones. But as with most of the specimens we keep,more light is better.