FAQs on Bulb, Bubble Tip/Rose
Anemone Compatibility
Related Articles: Bubble
Tip, Rose Anemones, Entacmaea quadricolor, Use in Marine
Systems by Bob Fenner,
Bubble Tip Anemones by Jim Black,
Recent Experiences with BTA's by Marc Quattromani,
Anemones,
Cnidarians, Colored/Dyed
Anemones
'Coral' Compatibility: On
Reducing Captive Negative Interactions Cnidarians
by Bob Fenner, ppt. vers: Cnidarian Compatibility: On Reducing Negative
Cnidarian Interaction Parts: 1,
2, 3, 4,
5, by Bob
Fenner
Related FAQs: E. quad. FAQ
1, E. quad FAQ 2, E. quad. FAQ 3, E.
quad FAQ 4, E. quad FAQ 5,
BTA ID, BTA Selection, BTA
Behavior, BTA Systems, BTA Feeding, BTA
Disease, BTA
Reproduction/Propagation,
Anemones, Anemones 2,
Caribbean
Anemones, Condylactis,
Aiptasia
Anemones, Anemones and
Clownfishes, Anemone
Reproduction, Anemone
Lighting, Anemone
Identification, Anemone
Selection, Anemone Behavior,
Anemone
Health, Anemone
Placement, Anemone
Feeding, Heteractis malu,
|
|
Puffers, large Angels, crabs, some shrimp Other stinging-celled
life (Corals, Zoanthids, Shrooms.....), Shrimps... Peppermints?
Crabs real and Hermit |
Not safe Maybe... Perhaps... No
Likely not |
|
New Print and
eBook on Amazon:
Anemone Success
Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term
by Robert (Bob) Fenner
|
Morays and Anemones 8/28/18
Attention Marco, Lord of the Eels and co.!
<Hi Sam.>
I recently lost my golden dwarf moray of many years and
initially chalked it up to old age (he was elderly).
<Sorry to hear that.>
About 3 months prior I had added a rose bubble tip anemone
for my Perculas. Given that this was the only change to the tank (water
parameters, etc. are good) it made me wonder if my eel may have been
stung to death swimming blindly at night, perhaps going after the
clowns. This may have been a dreadful oversight. I know that anemones
sting to paralyze to capture and eat fish/etc. I am not particularly
educated on an potential problems an anemone might cause a moray and
have since done some reading on this site but have found only one
mention of morays and anemones. Could my rose bubble tip have
contributed to my GDM’s death? Should I remove any anemones from my tank
before replacing my eel friend? I feel absolutely terrible about the
loss and the thought that my own ignorance was to blame doesn’t make it
any better. Thanks. Sam Porter
<I don't think the sting of a Bubble Tip Anemone is potent enough to
kill a moray eel or contribute to its death. It might be able to eat a
small dead or dying eel, but that's all I consider realistic. Maybe your
eel was just old. Larger anemones (e.g. Stichodactyla haddoni,
Heteractis magnifica or maybe S. gigantea) are a far greater threat to a
small, careless fish. Cheers, Marco.>
Rainbow BTA not doing well after tangling with Bristleworm
5/1/17
I have a 29 gallon,
<Mmm; large Indo-Pacific Anemones need (much) more room than this... Too
unstable...>
with 165w full spectrum led, 8 month old tank with a RBTA, one clown,
one Firefish, one cleaner shrimp, one peppermint shrimp,
<Shrimps may be eaten by the Anemone in time; as well as the Firefish.>
frogspawn,
<Incompatible... too allelopathogenic w/ the Anemone>
a small maxima clam, scan,
<? Acan?>
pulse and Sinularia. Everything is doing well except the BTA.
<Losing; per the statements above>
One day about a month ago I woke up to find some bristles stuck in her.
She was deflated, disc shaped, I removed the bristles and hasn't
reinflated
since. She is getting smaller and eating less each day. We try to feed
her krill and shrimp but she isn't really interested.
<... how small are the pieces?>
Now she has moved about a half inch closer to the light and will react a
small amount when the lights are on.
Nitrates 0,
<.... sigh; all chemosynthetic life NEEDS some N, P, K...>
nitrites 0, ammonia 0, ph 8.4, temp 76.2. Is there anything I can do for
her?
<Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
and all the linked files above. You've set yourself up for failure here;
do educate yourself>
Thanks!
Jill
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Bubble-Tip Anemone Compatibility 2/23/17
Hi Crew,
<Hey Shelby>
I am working on growing my 30 gallon saltwater
aquarium. I currently have 2 Percula Clownfish, 1 Engineer Goby,
4 Mini Carpet Anemone, and 2 Nassarius Snails. I want to get a
Bubble-Tip Anemone eventually for the Clownfish to host with,
but am also interested in urchins or sea stars. I am wondering
if a Bubble-Tip is considered compatible with Blue Tuxedo Urchins or
Chocolate Chip Sea Stars. Thoughts?
<Mmm; the one word answer here is "no"; but I'd like to offer some
explanation/s: First, it's hard to keep even the better species of
anemones in small volumes; like your thirty gallon here. They're just
not stable enough. Second, there is very little chance an Entacmaea
would live with the Mini-Carpets... they're incompatible in such a small
space... would
likely either physically meet and fight (to the death) or chemically
compete. Third, sea urchins cruise about, especially at night time and
will poke sessile life forms like anemones... Unless the latter are
mounted high up on rock out of the way. Lastly, see here re CCS:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ccstarselfaqs.htm
and the linked files above>
Thanks!
Shelby Shotwell
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Anemone help from South Africa. Anem. incomp. 7/31/16
Hi all
I have a 250l Red Sea Max, that is matured.
I added a bta to my current setup which has 2 magnificent anemones
<Yikes... not good to mix large Actinarian spp.>
yesterday (clones). I do not have a qt at the moment.
This morning the bta and smaller magnificent were touching. I then separated the
bta this morning and put him in a basket, still in the main tank
The 2 magnificents are sulking and have turned a very dark cokour compared to
normal. I think this might be due to toxin from the bta. The bta was completely
open.
<The winner>
I have removed the bta and put him in a bucket with a pump and airstone to
separate from main tank.
<Good move>
I am running some extra carbon Brightwell carbonit x3 and want to do a 30% water
change tomorrow morning when I can create enough water and prep it sufficiently.
Any other advice,?
<Yes, a treble dose of iodide-ate; a double dose tomorrow... and some (a tsp. or
so) of simple hexose sugar if you can find it (just one level for the whole
tank, dissolved in system water); glucose preferred>
Your response is appreciated
Regards
Yusuf
<And you; Bob Fenner>
re: Anemone help from South Africa
7/31/16
Thank you for the response,
<Welcome>
I'm not sure what iodide-ate is and I don't think get it in
over here.
<Mmm; yes you can. Look for SeaChem's line>
For sugar can I use plain brown sugar or glucose syrup ?
<The latter>
Once again thank you
<Welcome. BobF>
Regards
Yusuf
re: Anemone help from South Africa
7/31/16
Hi Bob.
<Yusuf>
Thank you for all the help and prompt response. Will pick up the iodide today
and the glucose syrup.
<Good>
Will do a 30% or so water change.
<And this>
The magnificents are already looking better.
<Ahh!>
We give the iodine to allow for an immune booster? And the glucose for energy?
<Yes>
Regards
Yusuf
<Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Allelopathy Inquiry 5/11/16
Dear Bob & Crew,
Thanks again for your time and experience!
<And you for sharing Joe>
Another question today on the fascinating topic of allelopathy. I am
gradually changing my 155 reef to all stony corals. Like many, I
have witnessed the problems of allelopathic chemicals in a closed
system. I first noticed these in large Eunicia sp. and lastly, in a
colony of large hairy mushrooms. The remarkable fact is that
many corals proved more or less adaptable to these chemicals, even
within the same species!
<Ahh!>
I have since moved these soft corals but am still noticing some loss of
heads in some Euphyllia species, most notably, hammer corals. I'm sure
that some chemicals remain in the system despite water changes,
skimming, and carbon (which doesn't remove much of these toxins IMO).
<Yes and yes>
Moving the corals to the far side of the tank, away from where the
mushrooms were, helps the problem. I'm baffled because it seems as
though the hairy mushrooms are still in the tank, noticing that the loss
of heads is always on the left side of the corals (the mushrooms were on
the left side of the tank)!
I do have a Rose bubble-tip anemone that resides on this side
(unaffected by the toxins I might add). It is a 8" specimen and I have
had many of these in the past with little evidence of allelopathy.
My question is, are bubble-tips known to produce toxins like
some soft corals?
<Wild Entacmaeas more than domestic, cultured; and less than other large
Pacific Anemone species>
It would explain why the left side of some LPS corals in the tank and
closing up and dying.
I might also add that interestingly, no SPS corals seem to be affected.
Thanks so much!!Joe
<Cheers, Bob Fenner>
RBTA issues. Using WWM 3/23/16
Hi all,
<Have you searched, read on WWM re Entacmaea?>
I have a question about my rose bubble tip anemones. I apologize for
layman terms in advance...
I currently have 3 RBTA's that have been beautiful and healthy for over
3 years. They've never "bubbled" but from what I've read this is a
normal condition for alot
<No such word>
of these.
I recently added a "tube" anemone
<Incompatible. Add "Cerianthus" compatibility to your WWM reading>
that is a beautiful bright pink and brilliant green. I added this one to
the opposite end of the tank just as a
precaution. About 2 weeks after it was added my roses turned the same
bright pink color as the tube. I'm concerned the new addition has been
releasing chemicals affecting the roses.
<Oh yes... the reading>
Do you think this could be possible?
180g
1.026 salinity
Nitrate about 10ppm
Phosphate .02ppm, Cal 400ppm, ALK 6.4dkh
Lighting is t-5's 10k, 14k and 460 actinic
<Bob Fenner>
ocellaris clownfish/bubble tip anemone
8/24/13
Hi guys! (and gals!)
<Jeanne>
Hope all is well, I recently (two weeks ago) moved my ocellaris pair
(female is "naked", male is black and white) from a 65 gallon--they have
been there 4 years--to a 90 gallon. In lieu of the xenia they had been
hosting in, I placed a bubble tip anemone (it had split off from one of
mine hosting a maroon clown in another tank). Not only were they not
interested in the bubble tip, (I guess not that surprisingly), they have
now apparently decided to host in a large toadstool coral. What will be
will be, but now I have a large bubble tip that is moving all over the
tank and can't decide where to place itself.
<I'd be moving, pronto>
I would almost rather not deal with it bothering all the other corals
and popping up in a variety of places.
Should I just pull it or is there the possibility clowns will eventually
discover the anemone and we will all just get along?:)
<I'd pull>
I know ANYTHING is a possibility but interested in your experience once
the clownfish have chosen their host, is that typically a done deal?
<Clowns are... "funny" re host selection; but I'd not have a wandering
Actinarian in a system w/ other Cnidarians>
Thanks for your help as always!
Jeanne
<As often welcome. Bob Fenner>
Rose Anemone, sys. 1/6/12
Hi there, I have a 180 Fowlr, slowly switching to reef tank. I have
Emperor Angel, BlueLine Angel, Harlequin tusk, Naso tang, pair of tomato
clowns, Moorish idol, porcupine puffer (I am thinking of getting rid of
him), and some Chromis. Yes I do know they will need a new larger home
in the next few years. I have been adding a few leather corals,
mushrooms, and hammer corals. so far everything has been good. I keep
them fed very well and seem to have no interest in the corals. I really
want a rose anemone. I do know I take a risk at my fish getting ate by
the anemone, but I think they are smart enough to stay away.
<Maybe if the Clowns occupy the Anemone it won't be consumed by the
angels>
My problem is my closed loop for the return. They are two foot tall
screens, about 3" around. I am not sure what to cover them with, without
damaging the pump. I have two dolphin external pumps. They are 1/3h.p.
and pump a lot water through them. Maybe to <too> much? I think just
from the flow of my main system I do not need the closed loop going,
because there is plenty. I would love your advise for this. Thanks!
<You'll have to just take the risk of the Entacmaea drifting up to the
pumps, the Pomacanthids nibbling it, should you choose to try this
Anemone.
here. Bob Fenner>
Re: Rose Anemone; sys. 1/7/13
Bob, I got the Anemone. so far so good I think. I have had my closed
loop off for a few days now before I bought the anemone to observe my
fish and make sure nobody would be stressing. He is deflated at the
moment only been in for 15minutes or so. My question is as soon as I put
it where I think it would be happy, my tomato clowns were already trying
to host it. Is this alright? This my first one and I am nervous. Thank
you!
<Should be. B>
Re: Rose Anemone 1/8/13
Bob, My Anemone has not expanded to his regular size yet, Should I be
worried, or give it a week?
<... wait, read (all) on WWM re Entacmaea>
Temp 78, Ph 8.25, Nitrate 10, Nitrite 0, Ammo 0. My calcium is high in
the 520 range. Is that my problem?
<Could well be... read re this too, as well as Mg conc., bal.... B>
Thank you for your time!
Re: Rose Anemone, Angel incomp. 1/10/13
Bob, I actually had to time to set in front of my tank and stair at it
for few hours last night. Even my kids left me alone. (amazing!) My
anemone problem is my BlueLine angel it nips at it,
<Not atypical... many Pomacanthids eat anemones in the wild>
Not much, but enough to where its not happy. Getting a bio cube for my new
friend. I love Fowlr not willing to trade it in yet for a reef. Thank
you for your time. and happy diving!
<Thanks! BobF>
Re: Gorgonian/cleaner shrimp question, now stkg. Cnid.s in a
38 gal. w/ a BTA 7/29/12
Hi Bob: Thanks again for your advice. I have given away the
flowerpot and the zoos, which from reading WWM seemed to be the most
likely conflict with the anemone.
<Tis so>
My BTA had an almost immediate reaction, bubbling much more than usual
and staying out until the moon lights came one,
<Ah good>
which he (it) does not typically do. I would like to get a couple
of new corals and would appreciate your suggestions as to what would
work with a BTA without creating havoc. To recap: I now have a 38
gallon with a mated pair of clownfish, a BTA, live rock, live sand, aqua
Maxx hob skimmer, aqua clear filter (50 gallon), 2 shrimp, some hermits,
snails, a couple of very small clams, a couple of mushrooms, a
troubled gorgonian and one AI sol super blue led unit which is
suspended above the tank. I do weekly water changes of at least
10% and dose ESV calcium and 1 drop of Lugol's once or twice a week.
Salinity 1.025, water temp 78-80 degrees, ph 8.4, calcium 380,PO4 0.
Most of the info i have found suggests what corals don't work, so i was
hoping for guidance on what will, with the BTA and with my lighting.
Thank you.
<Actually... in this size/shape system I would stick w/ what you have
Cnidarian wise. Wait till you have more room to start mixing these
disparate species together; or until the Entacmaea is elsewhere. Bob
Fenner>
Re: Gorgonian/cleaner shrimp question
I will follow your advice again - thank you - I am planning on getting a
larger system, (I know everyone says when faced with the prospect of
having to confess to you to having an anemone in a relatively small
system, but I really am) . Thanks again and thank you for such a
fantastic resource.
<Certainly welcome. BobF>
Clownfish/BTA Anemone Hosting
3/7/12
Dear WWM,
<Hello Jillian>
Thank you for your wonderful website and service! It has been a
blessing to me!
<You're welcome.>
My question today is in regards to Bubble-Tip Anemones and clownfish
hosting. I have a 75 gallon Anemone tank with a beautiful 6" Rose
Anemone. The tank is set up with reef parameters but only has a handful
of small Zoanthids, mushrooms, and Ricordeas. I know that these are
somewhat toxic but there are so few of them, that I'm sure very
little allelopathy exists
in the tank.
<Zoanthids and mushrooms can multiply quickly and allelopathy will
increase proportionately.>
I wanted the emphasis to be on the clownfish/anemone relationship.
<I'd just include Ricordea in this system and place in a low
flow area of the tank. They aren't quite as allelopathic as
the other two.>
The tank has been set up for about 1.5 years and the anemone has stayed
in its spot the entire time, growing wonderfully.
<Great.>
I have had wonderful success with it but have found great
difficulty in finding a mated pair of clowns to host with it.
<Not unusual.>
My first attempt was a wild Clarkii that hosted but would not accept a
mate. The second was 2 wild Clarkii pair that began to fight horribly
with the result being the smaller dying. The third attempt was a pair
of Ocellaris clowns that although fought on occasion, eventually became
a mated pair but refused to host with the anemone.
<Do not host with a BTA in nature.>
I had them for about 6 months.
<Then what?>
The tank is now without clownfish (I only have a small school of
Pajama Cardinals). Any suggestions on finding a mated pair of clowns
(any species) that will host with the BTA? My next thought is to
purchase 4 tank-bred Clarks that will surely host and hopefully pair
off.
<Mmm, scrolling down in this link you will find a chart which shows
which species of clownfish will naturally host (in nature) with a
specific species of anemone.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm
May also want to read here as well.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i1/Clown_anemone/Clown_anemone.htm
Thanks for you help!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Jillian
Re Clownfish/BTA Anemone Hosting 3/7/12
Thank you so much James!
<You're welcome Jillian.>
I will look over the links in detail. In addition, I have
Wilkerson's book on Clownfish.
<Good.>
I will remove the Zoanthids and Mushrooms as you recommend. Luckily,
they are on rocks that can be easily removed from the system and
haven't spread much beyond this. Most of my Zoanthids are
common Yellow Colony Polyps.
<The Yellow Polyps are a Parazoanthus species and not quite as nasty
as the Protopalythoa and Palythoa species which have high levels of
palytoxins.
Care must also be taken when handling these animals; use throw away
examination gloves which can be bought at Home Depot in the paint
department.>
I was under the impression that they were less toxic then other
Zoanthids
<You are correct but in your first email you did not state Yellow
Polyps and I'm not very good at mind reading. :-)>
but I will remove if you say to. I'm glad that the Ricordeas are
less of a problem. These are one of my favorites!
<Mine as well but wouldn't fair well in my high flow system and
I do not believe I have a low flow area.>
I have recently sold the Ocellaris pair in an attempt to try again at
finding a mated, hosting pair of clowns. I am constantly keeping my eye
out for mated pairs of Clarkii's for sale. I would prefer to avoid
the Maroons due to their nasty reputation but perhaps a tank-bred pair
would work.
<Frenatus (Tomato Clownfish) are also nasty in my opinion.>
Do you recommend the idea of adding several to the system in hopes that
2 will pair off and host?
<That's usually the best way to get a pair. You will know
when that occurs as the pair will drive the others away from the
anemone.>
Thanks for your time James! You're great!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
BTA compatible with each other?/BTA
Compatibility 2/29/12
I looked around your site and didn't see an answer to this
topic. I'm aware that they won't sting clones, however
can they sting another BTA Introduced to the tank?
<Can happen.>
I have a rose BTA and recently bought a green one. One moved right next
to the other and so far I don't see any harm with them touching
each other.
I'd hate for them to sting each other.
<I'd try to keep some space between them if possible but would
not risk injuring the pedal disc in doing so.
If stinging occurs, one of the anemones will likely move away.>
Thanks for your continued knowledge.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Re Lysmata
wurdemanni's killer/Shrimp Compatibility 1/26/12
<Hello Leonardo>
This is what I suppose too.
I'll try to catch him and find him another home ;)..
<Good luck.>
Which is, in your experience, the best way to catch an
hortulanus?
<I've never tried catching one but using two nets is definitely
a plus.
Might want to read here for additional help/ideas.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/netfaqs.htm>
I know he used to sleep in the sand bed...May I try to catch him with a
net while he's sleeping?
<Yes, might want to cover the area it sleeps in with a suitable
glass/plastic container then hold a cover over the top once he is in
the container.>
Any input will be welcome.
Regards,
<Ditto. James (Salty Dog)>
Leonardo
Mail
not so sure now that a BTA's sting would be powerful enough to
kill/stun a shrimp. 1/26/12
<Indeed... the sticky, stinging cnidocysts... they are!>
The shrimp are generally smart enough to avoid these creatures.
I will ask Bob for his valuable input on this.><<From
ayer's mail, I see this is a Halichoeres hortulanus... will get
bigger and VERY likely consume any shrimp in time. I would not place
these together. RMF>>
The above is what I was asking for input on. I believe I told the
querior about the wrasse eventually making a meal of the shrimp.
Cheers,
James
<And you, B>
Purple Flower? (Nope'¦a Clavulariid) --
11/24/11
Hi there, love your site!
<<Hey Julie'¦thanks!>>
I recently obtained this tank from someone and didn't get a
whole lot of information on its inhabitants. I've been trying
to find what this plant or coral is, turned out blue in the
picture, but they're really purple, small flowers almost. Any
idea?
<<Indeed'¦ Is an Octocoral'¦a Clavulariid
species'¦often sold/traded under the common name of
Clove Polyp. Have a look here
(http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clavulariids.htm ) and among the
links in blue at the top of the page'¦do also search the
Net in general re>>
Also since he managed to get into the frame, although a little
blurry... what is the brown sun-like plant/coral in the
background? Once when cleaning the tank, I bumped him with the
siphon and he retracted completely into the rock.
<<Is an Aiptasia species'¦commonly considered a
'pest' anemone and generally undesirable (can proliferate
explosively and damage its neighbors). Do read here
(http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_1/cav1i3/aiptasia_impressions/aiptaisia_impressions.htm
) and browse here and among the links as well
(http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aipfaqs.htm)>>
My new green bubble tip anemone snuck into the picture as well.
:)
<<I see it'¦and likely too close to the Clove
Polyps. Please search our site re the mixing of sessile and
non-sessile inverts>>
Thanks for your help!
Julie
<<Happy to share'¦ Eric Russell>>
|
Re: Purple Flower? (Nope'¦a Clavulariid),
& now... BTA comp. -- 12/07/11
Thanks for the info!
<<Quite Welcome, Julie>>
Well the anemone moved there himself. But has
moved a little ways away now. Could that be why he's lost his
color? Being too close to the polyp?
<<That'¦or other environmental issues (e.g. --
lighting, water quality, etc.)>>
Also apologies but I'm having a hard time finding the
sessile/non-sessile info on your site.
<<Mixing sessile with non-sessile inverts (though it
'can' be done in a large enough system) is generally not
encouraged, especially with new/inexperienced aquarists. In fact,
compatibility among Cnidarians as a whole is often overlooked or
even ignored by many hobbyists, inexperienced and not. Have a
read of the info at these links, and do also browse among the
links provided at the top of the pages.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/CorlCompArt.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm>>
Thanks!
<<Happy to share'¦ EricR>>
|
Bubble Tip Decimated by Hermit Crabs
6/8/11
Good evening,
<Laura>
This past year, I have searched topics that have come up while learning
about the care of my saltwater inhabitants and have always come back to
your articles.
This time, I have an issue I'm hoping you can help me with.
<Let's see>
I purchased a beautiful Rose Bubble Tip Anemone that arrived
yesterday.
Was doing well, acclimating fine. Today, I came home from dinner to see
three hermit crabs feasting on it. Most of the bubbles are gone but it
is still alive.
Is there any chance of this anemone surviving and what can I do to
help?
<There is always a possibility... Have seen this tissue grade life
"resurrected" w/ little left. I would treat w/ an iodide/ate
compound to high concentration>
Respectfully,
Laura
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
BTA Questions, comp. w/ "Polyps"
3/1/11
Hello Crew,
I have a 90 gallon clownfish/BTA tank with a 30 gallon sump. The
aquascaping consists of three bommies. I have GSP confined to one
bommie.
<Good>
There are no other corals in the tank nor do I plan to add any. The
inhabitants are a pair of Black Ocellaris Clowns, a pair of Orange
Skunk Clowns, a Kole Tang, an Eibli Angel, and a tank bred Orchid
Dottyback. No more fish will be added. I recently added three tank bred
anemones, two RBTA's and one GBTA. I'm happy to report that all
seem to have settled in nicely on the two non-GSP bommies. They all
have their feet buried deep into crevices, are expanded, and eagerly
eat. I have two questions:
1. From reading the FAQ's some of the crew has said that the GSP is
chemically aggressive and others have stated that the aggression has to
do with its grow rate and ability to grow over other corals. Should I
remove the GSP for the long term benefit of my BTA's or should it
be okay confined to one bommie?
<You should be okay... with all growing up with each other>
2. I'm very entertained by feeding the BTA's. I've read in
the FAQ's that feeding the anemones 2-3 times a week is sufficient,
but am I doing them harm by feeding them small meals daily with a
turkey baster?
<Mmm, no; not really>
Essentially, some of the Mysis and chopped raw table shrimp stick to
the BTA's and the rest that floats in the water column is devoured
by the fish.
Thanks for all your help,
Casey
<Welcome! Bob Fenner>
mini carpet anemone and large green bubble
tip anemone 1/13/11
Hey, you guys have always been very helpful with your advice so I come
to you with yet another question. A friend of mine said that I would be
able to have a mini carpet anemone live peacefully with my large bubble
tip anemone in my 55 gallon tank..
<Nope>
if you could please give me your opinion on this that would be great as
the last thing I want is to go ahead and put one in with my BTA and
have one or both of them killed or have them kill off my corals. I
currently have 45lbs of live rock, 25 hermits, 16 snails, 2 cleaner
shrimp, 1 peppermint shrimp, a cleaner wrasse and large Allards
clownfish, a decent amount of pulsing xenia, some candy cane coral,
some brown polyps, 3 blue mushrooms, a Kenya tree, and a grassy type
coral (not sure what type), and of course my lovely large green BTA. I
just need to be sure that all of these will be safe if I introduce a
mini carpet anemone. Hope to hear back soon.
Christina
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Re: mini carpet anemone and large green bubble tip anemone
1/13/11
That's what I thought thank you for confirming have a great
day!
<And you, B>
Re: Upgrading Tanks; and anemone comp.,
test kit grade/SW 10/18/10
Thank You for the quick response. I do have a couple of questions. I
read that a Bubble Tip anemone *can* get along
fine with a Sebae anemone.
<Can... have photographed them in the wild, contiguous>
Mine do well. I got the Bubble Tip prior to discovering WWM or I would
have forgone that acquisition. I have tried to get the Bubble Tip out,
after reading that there can be a problem, unsuccessfully.
You showed doubt in my Phosphate readings, something to do with my
stinging-celled life. I truly get 0 phosphates when I check them
weekly.
<Assuredly, the measure is less than 0., perhaps less than 0.0...
but not altogether absent>
My Nitrates never get to 20. I either misunderstood your reasoning or
my test kit is not very good.
<Likely the test kit precision to significant figures>
I guess I am unclear on what you wrote.
<And I apologize for not being clear/er>
If my test kits are not accurate then I should purchase a better
brand.
<Mmm, not really. I suspect your kit/s is/are fine for what you have
in mind>
I am using API.
<Not the best, but passable for most aquarists' use>
Thank you for the link. Most times I find what I am looking for. I no
longer purchase anything of importance without referring to WWM. Thank
you for this awesome site.
<Certainly welcome John/Tracey. BobF>
Anemone Decisions, comp., stkg.
5/18/10
Hi crew,
<GD>
I haven't asked a question in awhile but am constantly browsing
through all the FAQs. I'm in a quandary as
to which way I should go with my tank. I have a 125 gallon that I have
had for close to a year. I had been
fighting a Cyano outbreak for awhile and finally decided (darn, should
have listened to Bob)
<Heee!>
that the two puffers were just too much for my system. My 125 now only
houses:
1 diamond goby (5/6 inches)
1 flame Hawkfish
1 harlequin tusk (still a juvie)
1 Copperband butterfly
1 Foxface (who's been acting weird since the puffers disappearance
but I think he'll be okay)
80/100 lbs live rock and about another 10 lbs in the 20 gallon
refuge.
My LFS just got in a bunch of gorgeous faux corals in so I want to add
some of them to my tank to add more color.
Here is my quandary (I'll listen this time, I promise). My LFS has
some tank bred clowns (Perculas I believe) that
are hosting a BTA (also tank bred). Would it be possible to add these
three critters to my system?
<So, the puffer/s is/are gone? I do think the clowns and BTA would
add a great deal of interest here, and get along w/ all else you
list>
Here is what I know needs to be done either way. I want to increase my
sand bed from 2 1/2 - 3 inches to at least 4 with some crushed coral
mixed in.
<Mmm, can I urge you to consider, read about replacing this w/ more
fine/r sand?>
I just have live sand at this point. I also need to stabilize my
nitrates
<Do see WWM re... perhaps a tied-in sump/refugium...>
as I've always had issues but I'm thinking the puffers had
something to do with that.
<Very likely so>
(nitrites, ammonia always 0) I'm also due for new light bulbs.
All this would be taken care of before I bring the newbies home. I have
no live coral. Not that I wouldn't love
to but I'm all for "save the reefs and stuff". I also am
working on getting my Sg up to 1.25 as it usually is 1.22 - 1.23.
<Good to raise to 1.025-6>
So is adding a BTA with it's host clowns do-able or is there
possible issues with the fish I have now ? Truth to tell
I was also thinking about a yellow tang or a coral beauty but I
don't want to get into the same boat I was in.
<These would go here as well>
If its not a good idea with the BTA , is adding a yellow tang and coral
beauty too much?
<Is/are not>
I run my lights about 8 hours a day, they are 2 10,000 bulbs and 2
actinic (sp.) I also think I would have to increase the timing on
these.
<Could, or better, put the actinics on/off an hour or two ahead of
the whites>
I do have a couple of small snails and hermit crabs left, I thought
they all got eaten by the puffers but now that they are gone (the
puffers) it seems they sense that and I see them out and about
occasionally. I do have a couple of somewhat good sized bristle worms
that I'll be pulling if I ever see them out again. (I saved them
for my puffers).
Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again crew for
taking good care of us. And people....
listen to Bob!!! Wish I had.
Jill
<Dang! Hope to see you about! Bob Fenner>
RBTA compatability 2/23/2010
<Hello Brian>
I would like to buy an RBTA but am unsure if my current tank mates
would be compatible.
<What size is your tank? This is the main consideration here. And do
you have any other Cnidarian life present?>
I have a Foxface an Engineer goby and a Coral Beauty Angel. The last
one being the only one I'm concerned about. If I wanted to get a
RBTA would I have to move the Angel or are they sometimes
compatible?
<They can be, depending on the amount of space you have, but all
animals are at risk with Anemones. I'm recalling a recent incident
with a Volitans here as a prime example. These are best in species
tanks w/ Clowns.>
Also in the tank I have some Peppermint Shrimp any problem with
them?
<These should be ok>
Thank you in advance
<No problem!>
Brian
<Simon>
Re: 23/02/10 RBTA compatability
2/24/10
<Hello again Brian. Please include prev. correspondence as I am
responding to you from memory here... >
Sorry I should have provided more information. The tank size is a 75
gallon and I do have some blue mushrooms but that is all.
<Ok, you should be fine here as far as long as the Anemone settles
somewhere away from the Corallimorphs. I would not add anything else.
>
My risk assessment here is to make sure the Anemone lives or will live
without
being threatened until I introduce a pair of Clowns which I'm
hoping will host and protect it from then on.
<It won't need protecting from a Rabbitfish and a Dwarf Angel -
maybe the other way around...>
I'm aware that they move in order to find a suitable location and
understand there may be some loss of my mushrooms or fish. If I were to
get a RBTA is there anything in my tank that will attack it?
<Not likely, I give you good odds here. Make sure your lighting is
sufficient, or it will move around continuously in search of a spot.
Also read re: feeding these animals on WWM if you are not hosting it
with Clowns. Simon. >
Sexy shrimp, porcelain crab, Perc clowns,
and rbta compatibility? 2/11/10
Hi,
I have a large biocube
<An oxymoron... jumbo shrimp, military intelligence...>
currently with a RBTA and 2 juvenile (est. 6-8 months old) onyx Percs
hosting in it, running on DIY LEDs.
The biocube has SteveT's fishguard installed, and plastic mesh
(sewing grid guide for yarn projects, as per Karen's Rose Anemones
site) tied completely around the powerhead intakes, as part of my
efforts to anemone- and fish-proof the tank.
<Good>
I'd like to introduce sexy shrimps and/or porcelain crabs to this
system.
<Okay>
I did some quick Googling and reading WWM FAQs and noted from some
forum posts that porcelain crabs may attempt to boot my clowns out of
the rbta, which is why I'm considering adding another (r)bta.
<Mmm, I wouldn't do this... unless they're genetic clones,
there's too much chance of trouble twixt>
I'd probably get one from a fellow area reefer whose rbtas
regularly clone themselves (in fact my current one is from him,
it's healthy, feeding, and very colorful, etc.).
<Oh!>
Is there any compatibility information on sexy shrimp, porcelain crabs,
and clowns in a tank with a limited number of host anemone?
<I can/will only offer my personal observations here. Have seen
Porcellanids and Clowns together in Carpet Anemone species in the
wild... and Sexy Shrimp in Anemones that had or lacked Amphiprionines,
but have not
"run" (or swam) into a situation where all three were
resident in one such Actinarian species, and have never seen two of
them in an Entacmaea. I don't know, but don't think this will
work. Bob Fenner>
Thanks,
Alex
Elegance coral and bubble tip anemone,
incomp. 2/9/10
Hi WWM crew!
<Howdy Adam>
I have a quick question regarding the speed and severity of
allelopathic interactions between cnidarians and Euphyllia sp.
<Can be quick (hours) and severe to the max. (death)>
A friend of mine is moving but has a weeks worth of lag time between
taking down his current tank and setting it back up in the new place.
He has a much smaller holding tank that he's been able to put most
of his coral in the mean time, but he also has a very small rose bubble
tip anemone (maybe an inch and a half across) that decided it hated the
smaller/dimmer temporary accommodations and began walking all over the
place. In such small confines, he was afraid that it would either
damage or be damaged by the other corals
<Mmm, Anemones/Actinarians aren't corals>
and asked if I would take it until his system is back up and running at
his new place. I spent the entire day yesterday getting it to attach
itself firmly to a small piece of rock, put mesh socks over my Vortech
MP10's
<Smart>
(I've had bad luck with anemones in the past... one of the many
reasons I don't want to own one) and stayed up till 1 in the
morning making sure it wouldn't move.
<Mmmm>
However this morning, my otherwise incredibly robust Australian
elegance coral wouldn't open. At all. The branching frogspawn on
the other side of the tank was also a shadow of what it normally is
half an hour after the
lights turn on. Is this kind of reaction this possible overnight?
<Oh yes>
The elegance coral is about 6 inches across when it's fully open
and the frogspawn is at least a foot across when it fully extends. I
know that cnidarians in the long term are not really compatible with
other aggressive species, especially the Euphyllia,
<More so the Catalaphyllia>
but I had thought that such a great size disparity and short time
around one another wouldn't have been a problem, or at least if it
were a problem it would inhibit the anemone as opposed to the
established tank inhabitants
(something I warned my friend of, though we thought it was the lesser
of two evils at the time). Is immediate removal of that tiny anemone
required?
<Yes I would... and water change/s, and use of chemical filtrants.
Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
and the linked files above...>
The only other thing that I can think of would be that yesterday I was
also trying to bring my calcium levels up from 360ppm in to the 400ppm
range. I was adding Seachem reef calcium and getting rather frustrated
with how
little impact it was making on measurable Ca levels until I sat down
and did the stoichiometry and realized that a) I would need like 150
doses of the stuff to make the change (more than a whole bottle) and b)
it has something called polygluconate in it which even with the
companies assurances that it's safe makes me nervous.
<Is relatively quite safe>
I did add the maximum number of doses of that product that it says you
can add to a tank that size in one day (just under 15 capfuls), so I
don't know if that could have had a compounding effect.
<Possibly>
I have since ordered lab grade calcium chloride to make my own 2 stage
additive as it's unbelievably more cost effective.
<Ah yes>
Other parameters:
approx. 100 gallon total volume
pH 8.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate under 5ppm
Magnesium 1250
<Mmm, high for your [Ca]>
Alk 10.6 (not going to raise it until I get the calcium)
<Good>
SG 1.024
Thanks for the advice!
Adam
<Do read where you are referred... and soon. Bob
Fenner>
Is my Clown going to love my Anemone to
death? - 01/18/2010
Good afternoon Crew!
<Mornin' Cilla>
Because you all are so comprehensive I am sure the answer is in here
somewhere, but alas, it has eluded me and I trust hardly any source but
my beloved WWM recently. I have been reading through "FAQs on
Anemones and Clownfishes" et all, because I have an overly
attentive clown I fear is doing more harm than good. Let me give you
too much information which I promise I'll try to keep succinct, but
I'll fail at...
<Let's see...>
My husband and I have a 72G bow front we acquired via Craig's List
two years ago which we have added to over the months slowly. Last month
we had 1 Scopus <affectionately named Ting Ting>, 1 six line
wrasse <Sassafras>, 2 tomato clowns <Phil Jr. and Chris
Jr.> and 2 yellow tailed damsels <Maxwell and Agent 99> with
assorted cleaner critters. We were having our floors re-done and our
floor guy was talking about how he had a saltwater tank, which he
hated, and was planning on flushing his inhabitants later that week. Of
course we promptly adopted said mystery fish, which turned out to be
the largest Tomato clown you have ever seen <Big Momma>. For the
time being everyone is playing nice, we will promptly take action if
this changes. Two days ago after some research we decided to add a
Bubble Tip to our soap opera, and he charged around the tank for about
3 hours until he found the perfect spot. About three hours after that
Big Momma discovered the anemone and it was love at first sight. Except
she is too loving I fear. Every time I try to feed the anemone a krill
he starts to close in around it, but Big Momma steps in and pulls it
out in an attempt to "clean house" I think. She also shoves
herself so violently in and round his tentacles I'm afraid she is
doing damage.
<Might>
I realize it's early in their relationship and I do need to let it
play out a little bit more, but at what point in time do I become
concerned?
<When the BTA is apparently damaged, or not opening>
My LFS says "If I were him" I'd remove the Tomatoes and
other Damsels "before I even put them in" because they are
just too mean, but I named them and now I'm attached (silly
females). Or am I just completely over reacting and she is supposed to
do bizarre things like the aforementioned?
<Hard to judge from here>
I hold you all in the highest regards and hope to hear from you
soon!!
Priscilla
<Do keep a "strawberry basket" handy to cover over the
anemone if it isn't opening... or a plastic colander to float the
Tomato otherwise... Bob Fenner>
RBTA Compatibility 10/8/09
Hi again,
<Hello Nick>
I have had my tank up for around 7 months now and have yet another
question. This is in regards to a Rose Bubble Tip Anemone. I'm
thinking about purchasing one and am concerned about any possible
allelopathic
interactions with some of the other coral. I have some Zoas, a Candy
Cane Coral, about 12 mushrooms, and a Finger Coral (I think this is
what they are called). To best suit the RBTA, should I remove all other
coral from the tank to maximize the suitability of the tank or are some
of these compatible with the anemone? I have read a lot of things about
the poisons that the mushrooms and Zoas can release into the water when
they feel threatened and am concerned that the anemone will trigger an
outbreak of toxins. I also have several fish in the tank (90 gallons)
that I'm concerned about. Will these toxins affect their health as
well (I would think so)? I have 2 clowns, 1 purple pseudo, 1
pajamafish, and 1 Sailfin (which might become too large for the tank)
and I might add a blue tang. Any information or suggestions will be
helpful as I will continue to read the miles and miles of information
on your site. I can't think of a greater knowledgebase for the
hobby.
<Although I've seen this done quite often, anemones and corals
should not be kept together.
Anemones are mobile and in being so, they can/will sting anything in
their path during a move and may
be at risk from being stung by sweeper tentacles of a nearby coral.
I also would not recommend keeping non-anemone safe fish with
anemones.
They will definitely be at risk.>
Thanks,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Nick
Rose Anemone Being Eaten. BT Anemone
Compatibility 4/21/2009
<Hi Toby>
I have had a rose anemone for about six months.
<Bubble Tip Anemone: Entacmaea quadricolor>
I have had no problems with it until about a week ago.
<OK>
It looks like several tentacles have been bitten in half and some cut
down to the base. Is something eating it or are the tentacles
dying?
<Yes>
Here is a list of what is in my 55 gallon tan:.
2 clown fish,
1 flame angel,
1 skunk clown,
1 bi-color blenny,
1 sand sifting blenny,
1 yellow tang,
3 peppermint shrimp, <Ding... We have a winner>
turbo snails,
red and blue legged crabs.
I have never seen anything bother it.
<You won't, Peppermint shrimp generally will not come out unless
it is dark. Peppermint shrimp eat anemones.>
The clown and skunk both occupy it. I also had a sand sifting star fish
for months with no problems then almost in a weeks time something
nibbles away all its arms. I cant figure it out.
<Difficult to say definitively, but I would suspect the peppermint
shrimp here as well, as they are not "reef safe".>
Thanks, any info would be appreciated.
<My pleasure>
Toby
<Mike>
BTA, dying... Premnas incomp.
9/16/08 Hello Crew, <Seth> I have a quick question about
my dying BTA.... A little background first. My BTA found himself a spot
he really seemed to like close to the sand (under a live rock over
hang). <Mmm, something amiss here... should situate itself out in
the open... for light> It was extremely difficult to feed him in
this spot, but I figured out a way to get the right angle through trial
and error. The problem is my Maroon clown that hosts... <Here it
is> he has been relentless about stealing the BTA's food. Even
when I keep my hand in the tank attempting to scare him off(and while
feeding the tank at the same time)...he eventually gets to the food.
Even food that is half in the Anemone's mouth.. he pulls out! This
has caused a slow decline in his health(he may have kept some food once
in two months. <These two need to be separated> Okay, here's
my question(thanks for your patience). He is now about the size of a
crab apple and has managed to work his way into a deep hole in the live
rock. Based on where he is in the rock, there is no way of getting him
out unless I tore down all the rock and used pliers or something
similar. Will he poison my tank when he dies? <Maybe, to an
extent> I have a young but thriving 75 gallon SPS tank...would hate
to lose anything else..I thought the damage might be minimal due to his
size, but thought I would ask. I'm not even sure if I will notice
him dying(unless he produces a huge amount of slime that leaks out of
the rock. I figured the best move might be to watch...if I see any
slime do a large water change(20 gallons or so). What do you think? As
always, this is the best site and thank you for your help!!! <...
Move the Premnas, stat. Bob Fenner>
Strange Occurrence... Not, Angel, Anemone
incomp. 5/6/08 Hi to all at WWM, First I wanted to say that you
guys have the best site on the internet for information. Hands down, a
one stop site for reliable info needed regarding marine keeping. Okay,
you guys are going to think I'm crazy when i say this, and if I
didn't see it for myself I wouldn't have believed it. Yesterday
I paid a visit to my cousin who has a 65 gallon reef tank with a 30
gallon fuge. He has had the tank set up for years as a FOWLR tank and
just recently started adding corals to the tank. The only inhabitant
that I told him may give him a problem was a lemon peel angelfish since
angelfish have been known to go to the dark side and eat coral. He kept
his eye on the angel and thus far had been co-existing with the corals
in the tank. Now comes the strange part! He recently purchased a BTA
for his clownfish and it was a nice sized healthy looking specimen. Was
inflated, sticky tentacles, and eating krill. On this visit to his
house, while paying close attention to his lemon peel, I noticed
something and couldn't believe my eyes. The lemon peel was actively
attacking his BTA. <Mmm, yes... Pomacanthids eat Anemones in the
wild...> The first attack I witnessed I stepped back and asked if
anyone else had seen it (I thought I may have been going crazy). The
second attack came shortly after and at that point all in the room
witnessed it. This lemon peel grew brass ones! He was actually biting
at the BTA's tentacles and MOUTH!! <Yes> After a few attacks
I noticed now the BTA's mouth was gaping as if it had been teared.
<Torn> I knew this was bad news and told my cousin he should act
fast and remove the angel. After moving all the rock out he finally got
the angel out and put him into his refugium for the time being. <Ah,
good> I spoke with him today to get an update on the BTA and it
appears it was unable to recover. During a feeding today, while trying
to eat, his mouth tore some more from the initial attacks from the
Lemon Peel. Unfortunately, the BTA then deflated and was found floating
around the tank in the current and was removed. I have looked ALL over
for this type of behavior in lemon peel angelfish and even in angelfish
in general. <Is common knowledge> The only info I have found is
that they can be a danger to coral, clams, and some worms. Have you
ever witnessed or heard of this behavior before? What may have
triggered this angel to act in such a way? I figured since I
couldn't find any information on this that maybe this behavior has
not been recorded before and I should let you guys know. Thanks Huge
Fan of WWM <Use the term "Angel and Anemone Compatibility"
in the WWM search term linked on the left shared border. Read the
(highlighted) cached views. Bob Fenner>
Anemone Environment, Water Volume, Allelopathy,
BTA - 4/17/08 Hello, <Hello, Brenda here!> I've done a
fairly exhaustive search on the following topic and feel that its
answer may add to the database. I found reference to 100 gallons as a
minimum system volume (understandably) for a bubble tip anemone.
<Many keep them in smaller systems successfully; however, more water
volume is better. I don't recommend anything less than 40 gallons
for beginners.> Without debating other factors and assuming
excellent reef quality water quality, movement, filtration, light and
feeding would it be acceptable to keep these in a smaller dedicated
species tank within a larger system, specifically a 20 gallon (tall or
long) with a 15X exchange rate with a system approaching 200 gallons.
<That is acceptable. However when mixing anemones with coral, you
will want to run carbon to help with any chemical warfare.> The
idea, of course, is to display the clown fish/anemone relationship as a
refugium of sorts while taking advantage of the stability of the larger
volume system. I would not want to attempt this unless the animals
could thrive and reproduce. As an aside, would an anemone tank get
along better within a larger SPS system or a soft coral system with
regards to allelopathy? <SPS is a better choice in my opinion.
However some soft corals are fine. Mushroom corals, leathers and green
star polyps, to name a few, do cause chemical warfare in a reef tank.
If you decide to keep these corals, keep them to a minimum.> Would
you suggest a different species for this situation? <No, I think you
are on the right track, as long as water parameters are up to par, do
frequent water changes, and you are running fresh carbon.> Thank you
for your time. <You're welcome! Good luck to you!
Brenda>
BTA/Cleaner Shrimp symb. Question 4/13/08
Good morning WWM crew, <Hi Mike, Mike I with you today> I have
been going through the FAQs and various articles on your site looking
for something that might help me figure out what's going on here,
but haven't come across anything regarding this situation, so
I'm hoping you might be able to enlighten me. <We'll
try!> I recently (2 weeks ago) added a L. amboinensis to my 36
gallon mixed reef tank. Within a day of putting the shrimp in the tank
it took up residence in my BTA which has been in the tank for 3 months
now. <OK> The shrimp stays in the anemone (right in the middle of
the disc) for the whole time my lights are on and retreats into the
live rock once the lights go off. Needless to say, my fish are rather
hesitant with regard to trying to take advantage of his cleaning
services in that location. <I'm not surprised!> I haven't
seen or read anything that would have lead me to believe that this
shrimp would choose to make an anemone his home. <Not *ordinarily*,
but i have known this to happen in a few other examples> I've
been through some trials and tribulations with my BTA for the 1st two
months and I'm happy to say, it's looking like I've finally
turned the corner during the last month and have a happy anemone. (I
know a month isn't very long, just an observation of noticeable
improvements based on what I've read and learned.) <Good to
hear, and long may it last!? So here are my questions.... 1. Is this
shrimp in danger of being eaten by the anemone? <Very possibly, but
BTAs aren't that voracious an anemone, so it's likely the
shrimp would be able to make a get away under good circumstances. A
twist of fate may change that though> 2. Is there any way you might
suggest to get the shrimp to relocate? <Have always found shrimp to
be creatures of habit, and stubborn when you need them not to be. BUT,
I would suggest that you start target feeding this shrimp a little more
than usual, and always present the food in the same place (away from
the anemone) - it may well make the association and being greedy
blighters that they are, it may well decide to move> 3. Is there a
possibility that the shrimp could harm or stress out the anemone?
<Again, possibly - particularly at meal times. If the animal starts
stealing food form the anemone then there's an obvious detrimental
effect. If it starts doing it during ingestion, then the shrimp could
irritate the anemone to the extent it stresses. Combat this by feeding
the shrimp first, then the anemone. The anemone may move it feels
stressed or irritated, and i would let that be my cue to perhaps think
in more detail about allowing this relationship to remain> Any
thoughts or ideas you may be able to share would be greatly
appreciated. Mike <Hopefully give, and good luck! But come back to
us with any other queries you may have. Regards, Mike I>
BTA Hosting Domino Damsel 3/10/08 Hello,
how are you today? <Just fine Jessica> I have a question(s) that
I have not been able to find the answer to online, other then a few
user posts on a forum that was not real helpful. Yesterday my RBTA
split 2 ways and it appears that it is splitting again. I have a Domino
Damsel that has started hosting the original BTA, just yesterday after
the split. Is this normal for a Damsel to do this? Since this fish does
not regularly host anemones will the Rose eat the fish? And since the
anemone is probably somewhat stressed out over the split, is the Damsel
going to further agitate the BTA? (The Rose is still a very large size
and much larger then the Domino)....I want them all to live and thrive,
I just wonder if the Domino will ruin that for everyone. any words
would be wonderful, and have a great day. <Jessica, it is not at all
uncommon for Domino Damsels to do this. Quite common to see this on the
reefs.> Thanks a lot. <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Jessica
Clown/BTA possible problem. -02/25/08 Good
afternoon <Hi John, Mike I here today> I am in the UK and have a
quick question, after lots of asking and trawling I haven't been
able to find any reference to the clown behaviour I am experiencing.
<OK, go ahead> I have a young pair of False Percs who have
recently settled in a new Bubbletip anemone I have acquired. The
anemone is looking healthy albeit slightly bleached. I have been
concentrating on target feeding to keep the health up. however since
the clowns have moved in I am having problems. Each time I feed about
1/2" fresh squid the anemone happily takes it. however soon after
the female clown nudges, pushes and swims into the mouth to try to open
it. The anemone soon give ups and releases the food - which the clowns
aren't interested in. <Devils!> I have witnessed the clowns
eating waste parcels from the anemone so assume they are trying to
'coax' more out of the vending machine. Have I got this right
or is this some other kind of behaviour? Any suggestions? Many thanks
for the help and good work on the site! John <Well, John, feeding
anemones when you have a clown like this can be a bit if a pain. I
suspect the behaviour is pure greed. There are other species that do
exhibit this behaviour more, for other reasons (protection) but
wouldn't imagine this being the case here. A couple of tips to
hopefully help you along: Feed the clowns immediately prior to feeding
the anemone - with a bit of luck they will be too full to bother the
anemone. My clowns have always started to "store" food in the
anemone tentacles when they get full, and then this is consumed the
anemone, so this is a tactic you can use to your advantage. If that
fails, feed the anemone at night. After the lights have been off a fair
while, the clowns will be "sleeping", simply feed the anemone
then, and knock the light off once it's got a good hold. Again,
hopefully this should keep them from bothering the anemone while it
eats. Good luck, and hope that helps. Mike I>
By BTA-hosting 2/18/08 I meant clowns that
naturally host BTA's. I'm making a biotope. So again, what
BTA-hosting clowns would be compatible? Would clarkii work?
<Reading, READING! Please, help yourself... enough is stated on WWM
re natural and not symbioses twixt Entacmaea and Amphiprionines... Go,
read. RMF>
Symbiotic tank 01/21/2008 Hi, whoever's
there today, <Riley> I'm in the early stages of planning a
tank to show off as many symbiotic relationships as I safely can.
<Mmm... a matter of perception my friend. Look about you... there is
NOTHING but such arrangements on this planet... I take it here that you
are referring to more overt ones...> The tank will be 65g about
50lbs live rock and 2-3 in live sand bed. So far I plan on having an
ocellaris clown with Entacmaea quadricolor as its host, and a Hi Fin
red banded goby with a red banded pistol shrimp. Any suggestions on
other relationships that would co-exist peacefully? Thanks, your
website is awesome. <Mmm, well... the goby may be consumed by the
Bubbletip in time... but all might fit in such a small volume. Do seek
out a "tank-produced" Entacmaea. Bob Fenner>
Bubble Tip Anemone/Compatibility 11/9/07 Hey
WWM crew - you guys have been TERRIFICALLY helpful in getting my
new reef tank up and running, much as it should be within the first
3 months, and I can't thank you enough for the quick and
thorough responses (not to mention the wide range database of
previous responses)! <You're welcome, glad to help.> To
give just a brief background, I have a 72 gallon bow with 10k
florescent lighting, sump, protein skimmer (Oceanic I believe) and
pretty much all the necessary trimmings. Approximately 85 pounds of
Fiji live rock, 6 hermits, 8 Turbos, an Ocellaris clown, a PJ
cardinal and, the source of my questions today, a Bubble Tip
Anemone (just added). So last night I added the anemone with the
full blessing of my LFS. I tested my water, all looks good (had the
store double check...I'm lucky to have an EXCELLENT fish shop
nearby with a very friendly owner with whom I'm on a first name
basis now)...and asked for advice as to what the next good thing to
add would be. The guy suggested this anemone. So I took it home,
acclimated it, placed it on the rock etc, and the tentacles which
had withdrawn, all came back out and he seemed pretty happy. Went
to sleep, woke up this morning and lo and behold, as I knew he
would, the anemone moved himself. Now I'm cool with the anemone
moving, but I guess I have 3 specific questions: 1. If he walks
over any corals I have in there (currently just a Zoanthid or
something like that...little tubes with red/green blooms on the
end) will he kill them/damage them? I know his sting is relatively
minor, <Is not relatively minor to corals/inverts.> but I
want to make sure I'm not going to add anything after him that
he's going to kill... <No anemones are safe with corals and
is not recommended mixing the two for the very reason you have just
observed....they move, and will sting anything in their path.>
2. Is my oceallis <Ocellaris> clown likely to take up
residence? He hasn't shown any interest in even checking it out
at this point, and I've read a lot of sites that seem to
indicate that the oceallis <Please do a spelling check before
sending and cap all pronouns. Saves us much time if we do not have
to do this for you.> does not often take an anemone for a
home...would I be better off swapping for another species? <On
the contrary, wild caught Ocellaris Clownfish much prefer living in
an anemone. Your clownfish may have been tank bred and these fish
will unlikely habituate an anemone.> If so, which one? (My son
loves the 'Nemo' look of the oceallis...is there another
that looks similar but is more prone to the anemone/clown
relationship?) <The True Percula is similar but a little more
difficult to keep. At your low experience level, I'm surprised
your dealer recommended an anemone, especially with corals present,
and the fact that anemones are not long lived.> 3. Finally, the
spot that the anemone moved himself to was tucked down behind a
huge chunk of live rock. Is he likely to take this as his permanent
hangout, or is he likely to continue moving about willie nillie and
be in a different place each day? My primary concern on this is
that if he's going to stay where he put himself, it's going
to make feeding very difficult... <Your BTA will move until it
finds a place suitable to it's liking, those factors are
usually water movement and light intensity. As anemones are
photosynthetic, it is very important to provide lighting intense
enough to promote photosynthesis, as they do produce most of their
own food. Thanks for all of your help, in advance...and I apologize
that my one question turned into about 10 little quesitons
<questions>! <I suggest you read here and linked files
above.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm>
Also, here are a couple pics I snapped of the Bubble Tip last
night, shortly after acclimation...one with the day lamps, the
other (obviously) the night lamps.
<James (Salty Dog)>
Mitch |
|
Lighting and Flow for an E. quadricolor, Bubble
Tip Anemone, Non-Reef Safe Fish - 9/24/07 Hi all, <Hello Dan,
Brenda here> I am considering purchasing a bulb tip anemone for my
65gal FOWLR with 15gal refugium. I currently have about 1500gph of flow
running through the aquarium, with about 700gph at night time. Do you
think this is adequate current for the anemone? <Yes, the anemone
will move to a place where the flow is sufficient.> Also I have a
442watt metal halide system, 1-250watt 15,000k metal halide bulb,
2-96watt true blue actinic PC bulbs. The tank is 24" deep, and I
was considering putting the anemone somewhere on top of the rock I have
set up, so that it can maximize its light absorption. <You do have
enough lighting here. Unfortunately we can't always decide where
the anemone will go. It will move to where light and flow are
adequate.> I have in my tank a couple Ocellaris, a coral beauty, a
blue tang and a docile puffer fish (I know your going to say he'll
eat it, but the little puffer is well behaved and hasn't even
bothered the Astraea snails in my tank, and he's coexisted with for
almost a year, he just sticks to devouring the krill I feed him). <I
would not trust any fish that is not reef safe with an anemone. A 65
gallon tank is too small for a tang, and most puffers.> The only
critter in my tank I was worried about is a coral banded shrimp. He is
pretty pesky and I was wondering if he would damage the anemone with
his scavenging. <Is possible. It is also possible that the anemone
will eat the shrimp.> On a final note, would the Ocellaris clowns
accept a BTA as a host? <There is no guarantee with any clownfish.
This anemone is not its natural host. However, it is possible.>
Thanks, Dan <You're welcome! Brenda>
Entacmaea quadricolor (BTA) Compatibility -
8/19/07 Hi <Hello, Brenda here> Great website. It is very
useful. <Thank you! Glad you find it helpful!> I have a 2ft by 2f
by 2ft with a sump it holds 43 UK gallons my skimmer does 300 liters an
hour. I have just bought a bubble anemone my tank is about 1 year old.
What clown fish would you advise to host with my anemone and what fish
could I keep with them? <Here are a few links to show you what
clownfish host this anemone in the wild.
http://www.carlosreef.com/AnemoneFAQ.pdf
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i1/Clown_anemone/Clown_anemone.htm
In captivity there is no guarantee that a clownfish will host. As far
as what other fish to keep with them, choose only reef safe fish. Here
is a fish compatibility chart:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/compatibility_chart.cfm . Be sure to
research tank size requirement and care before purchasing.
Brenda>
New RBTA, Entacmaea quadricolor and Hyperactive
Maroon Clownfish, Premnas biaculeatus, comp. - 8/18/07 Hi Crew,
<Hi Wesley, Brenda here> First, great site! <Thank you!> I
went from knowing nothing to running a successful reef tank for a year
now largely in part to the information on this site. <Great! Good to
hear!> Yesterday I added a rose anemone and a maroon clownfish.
After acclimation, the RBTA attached its foot quickly then expanded and
looks quite healthy. That evening it shrank up and expelled some waste
and today is fully inflated and doing well. I was wondering how soon I
should start feeding it. <I would give it a few days. If it
doesn't accept the food try again in a day or two. Make sure you
use small portions.> My second question is about the maroon clown.
It seems I purchased a hyperactive one. Is it uncommon for a maroon to
race around the tank all day? <It may be adjusting to its new home.
Did you quarantine the clownfish? What size tank do you have it in?>
The ones in my LFS display tank lazily drift around the bottom of the
tank. After closely inspecting the live stock, I chose her because she
looked the healthiest and most active. Now that she's in my tank
she is even more active. <Keep an eye on it for now. This species is
known to be aggressive.> I'm guessing she's just getting
used to her surroundings because she hasn't yet claimed a part of
the tank as hers or even taken notice of her tank mates (yellow tang,
firefish dart goby, and sand sifting goby). <Hopefully it will find
the anemone soon.> Thanks for your help, <You're Welcome!
Brenda> Wesley
Suitable clown - 06/28/07 Hi, In my 130
gallon tank, among others, I've kept a pair of Ocellaris and E.
quadricolor for over 2 months, but Ocellaris would not host the
anemone. <Happens... maybe later> So I've been thinking of
adding another clown that would be more likely to host the anemone.
<... better not to mix clown species...> Which clown would you
recommend for that? (after reading those comments on FAQ, I am afraid
to buy the readily available Clarkii's and Tomato's) Thanks,
Andrius <Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm
See the chart re naturally occurring relations? These are better bets.
And read the linked files above re Clownfish and Anemones. Bob
Fenner>
Can a clownfish be too big for an anemone? Yes.
- 4/28/07 I recently purchased a RBTA <Rose Bubble Tip
Anemone?> that is about the size of a golf ball. It appears to be
doing well in my tank, and my very small F.P. <False Percula?>
clown has taken up residence. I also have a larger G.M. <can't
figure this one out - something Maroon?> clown (approx 1 1/2"-1
3/4") in my tank. The G.M. clown (Cletus) has never been
aggressive to the F.P. clown (no name), and even allows him to be the
main resident of the anemone. Cletus does however feel the need to at
least visit the anemone every time he swims by. He will lay down in it
or "wallow around" for a minute or two and then leave. He is
about the same size as the anemone head, and the term "bull in a
china cabinet" is fitting. Is this damaging to the anemone?
<Yes, this can be damaging.> How can I tell if the anemone is
being stressed? <If it does not fully extend as normal, or does not
continue to appear to do well. You may need to separate them until the
anemone grow more and has a chance to settle in. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marclnbehfaqs.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/btadisfaq2.htm Also, please
don't abbreviate except for easily recognized terms, or at least
spell it out once. I still can't figure out what a G.M. clown is.
Cheers, Alex>
Mixing Anemones and Sessile Inverts. 4/26/07
I have a 155 gal. tank with different polyps, pink branch birdsnest,
and xenia. I have a bulb anemone that has been in my tank for about six
mon. I found a rose bulb that I want to trade mine in for. I plan to
have more corals nothing fancy just the type I have and maybe a brain,
plate, and open brain will an anemone walk around and sting and kill
your corals, <Tis a risk, one that many people take and are happy
with....but a risk nonetheless.> I would hate to pay this much for
an anemone just to get rid of it one day. <Depends on if the risk is
worth it, and only you can answer than question. For me personally,
it's not a risk I would take again, as I <? RMF>
Puffer and BTA as Tank Mates? 4/18/07 Hi
again, <Hello, Brenda here> I had another question, this one
about my Saddled Valentini Puffer. He lives in a FOWLR tank with a
fuzzy dwarf lionfish. I have been considering a BTA, and the puffer
tank is the only one without corals so it seemed to be a good choice
for the anemone. <Puffers and anemones should never be kept
together.> I have read that every puffer is different and some may
not pick on coral and inverts but others will. I know that my puffer
will eats snails, but there have been polyps and 2 small mushrooms that
appeared on the rock and he has never bothered those. I guess my
question should be: Is there some way to know if my puffer will kill a
BTA without just putting one in there and waiting to see? <It is
safe to assume here that it will nip at the anemone.> I would rather
not risk the life of the anemone without some assurance. This might
sound stupid, but what if I put a fake anemone in there and see if he
chews on it? (don't laugh) I'm hoping that you have a better
suggestion. Carrie <My only suggestion here is to avoid this
combination completely. Brenda>
Bleached BTA, Entacmaea quadricolor eats bicolor
angel - 4/15/07 Please help me identify this anemone. <Sure
will> I brought it from my local pet store and recently it
killed my bicolor angel. His head was sucked in his mouth. <A
bicolor angel should not be kept with an anemone. It is known to
nip at them.> Did the anemone sting or just suffocate my angel
cause he was hungry or for any other reason. I have been feeding
the anemone since I brought it home on a regular basis. <Your
anemone was likely defending itself. What have you been feeding
your anemone? It is hungry. The short tentacles are a sign that it
is not getting enough to eat.> It has a brown base with white
chubby tentacles and at times they appear to be thin and pointy
like. <Your anemone is a bubble tip anemone, Entacmaea
quadricolor. It is known to have "chubby" tentacles at
times. Your anemone is also bleached. This means it has expelled
its zooxanthellae. Zooxanthellae is an algae the lives inside them.
I suggest feeding meat foods, like silversides, soaked in Selcon
daily. I also suggest portions no bigger than the anemones
mouth.> I have attached a couple of photos I took this morning.
If it's not too much to ask could you send me a link or some
information on his requirement and what if any special precautions
I should take. <I recommend researching before you purchase.
Anemones are delicate and difficult to keep creatures with special
requirements. There is a lot of information regarding such on WWM.
Also www.karensroseanemones.com is also a great site.> Thanks in
advance for all your help. Cheers, Kristy
<You're welcome! Brenda> |
Re: Bleached BTA, Entacmaea quadricolor eats bicolor angel
- 4/16/07 Thank you again for all your help. <You're
Welcome!> I have been feeding frozen brine shrimp as the
person I purchased from suggested and for now on I will be
feeding it daily. <Brine shrimp has little or no nutritional
value. Try some silversides. Once your anemone is healthy again,
you can cut back on feedings to 2 - 3 times a week.> Will my
clowns go in this as they haven't yet? <There is no
guarantee with clownfish. It may take some time, and it may never
happen.> Is this because he is hungry? <No.> I have a
pair of Ocellaris. Also in my 5ft tank I have a large Regal blue
tang, a very beautiful Large Powder Blue Tang (Surgeon Fish),
Coral beauty and a Heralds Angel <C. heraldi?> along with
some live rock and a Catalaphyllia. I also purchased a medium
sized butterfly fish and was told it won't eat the
Catalaphyllia as he will sting the fish. The fish pecked at the
coral. I have now moved the butterfly to a different tank. Will
the coral come back to its normal self again and why didn't
it sting the butterfly? <Butterfly fish are known to eat
anemones, which also sting. It is likely immune to the sting. It
should never be kept with corals or anemones. It may come back.
It really depends on the amount of damage and if it is in a
healthy environment. You have to be careful with Angel fish and
Butterfly fish with corals and anemones. As far as your
anemone's health, it sounds like there is a lot going on
here. Feedings need to be changed, and increase. It needs to be
separated from the Angel fish, Butterfly fish and Catalaphyllia.
It sounds like you are getting some bad advice. I suggest making
a list of all your livestock and researching their care and
compatibility.> Thank you.
Kristy
<You're welcome! Brenda>
|
Update: Re: Bleached BTA, Entacmaea quadricolor
eats bicolor angel - 4/17/07 Hi Brenda, <Hi Kristy> Ok so
I have now separated the bubble anemone and Catalaphyllia.
<Good> I moved the anemone into a smaller tank (3ft) I used
once for quarantine. I used the same water from the 5ft and shell
grit. So conditions didn't change much, I transferred the rock
he was on along with him. I was watching his behavior closely. His
mouth was closed up all day yesterday so I wasn't able to feed
him any silversides so I went to the store and got some Aquasonic
liquid sea food. <Yikes! You are putting the food in his mouth?
Stop! The anemone will take the food itself. It will open his mouth
all by itself. Never put anything in its mouth. Aquasonic liquid
sea food? I don't know what this is. If it is a liquid food it
is not an anemone food. Do not use it on an anemone. They need
meaty pieces of food. Your anemone is bleached and in poor health.
If you tear it, it will likely not recover. If the anemone is
unable to hold onto the food with its tentacles, simply drop the
food near its mouth from an inch or so away. Turn down the flow if
you need to so it doesn't get blown away. If your anemones
mouth is open that means its health is declining. It does not mean
that it wants you to put food in it.> Last night when I went in
to check on him, his foot was puffed up and was rolling/floating
around the grit on the tank. Once he rolled right over until he was
on his tentacles. <This is not a good sign.> I placed another
piece of rock in the tank thinking he might be just moving. I
carefully placed him on the rock. Did I do the right thing and he
only done this behavior when the tank lights were off, was he
searching for light. <Your anemone is looking for a happy
environment. My guess is it will not find one.> I turned on the
marine light (blue light) and decided to leave him be. Should I
have done this? Should I have fed him when he was all puffed up and
open. Anemones are so fussy but it is a learning experience and I
like to learn new things. <Anemones are not fussy when they are
healthy and placed in the proper environment. It may be a learning
experience for you, and you may like it. However your anemone is
sick, and will likely die. This is an animal that you chose to
keep. It is your responsibility to provide it with the proper
environment. This includes researching and knowing the requirements
before you purchase.> So it is also kind of fun, and stressful
at times. But it is all worth it at the end. <It might also be
worth reading the information and website that I provided for you
previously. Also, WetWebMedia covers all of these items. Myself and
many others have covered them many times.> Sorry to bug you with
so many questions, I just want the best for the anemone. Do you
know the reason why he would act like so. <There are many
reasons. As I stated in my e-mail yesterday, "As far as your
anemone's health, it sounds like there is a lot going on here.
Feedings need to be changed, and increase. It needs to be separated
from the Angel fish, Butterfly fish and Catalaphyllia. It sounds
like you are getting some bad advice. I suggest making a list of
all your livestock and researching their care and
compatibility." This morning he has settled on the rock I
placed him on but is still closed and can't seem to put food in
him and doesn't seem to want it as he closes more when I place
it on his tentacles. PLEASE HELP MY ANEMONE. <Take him back to
where you got him, or offer him to someone in a local club.>
THANKS HEAPS. kind REGARDS KRISTY <Brenda> Update: Re:
Bleached BTA, Entacmaea quadricolor eats bicolor angel - -
04/17/07 4/87/07 You must have had me mistaken. I didn't
use the correct choice of words by stating that I tried to put food
in his mouth meaning is mouth was visible but closed, I could see
the center of the disk as the tentacle were sucked in so bad. No
way will I do that. As I know the risks of driving further to
anemone heaven. <Good> I have read the site that you gave me
from top to bottom. Its a great site, also another document that I
found useful was http://www.carlosreef.com/AnemoneFAQ.pdf
Its really good and I read most of that one today, I recommend it
to all that would like to purchase an anemone. <It is a good
reference. It is not BTA specific such as Karen's website.>
The more I read on my BTA the more I regretted buying it. I have
chosen to see if the store will take it back and I have learned a
lot from this experience and I would hate for this to die. I will
be doing heaps more research on these before I buy another.
<Both excellent choices. Do you have a local reef club? You may
find someone local with experience that can help your anemone.>
Thank you for all of your help; will let you know how my
Catalaphyllia goes in the future. Kind Regards Kristy
<You're welcome! Good luck to you! Brenda> |
|
Condylactis gigantea, BTA, Entacmaea Quadricolor
Problems - 2/8/07 <Brenda here> I have a 55 gal reef tank. I
have about 90 lbs of sand, 100lbs of live rock, Fuji. I have 384 watts
of actinic and 2-250 watts of halide. <That's a lot of
light!> I have in there now a porcelain crab, 4 hermits, 2 red skunk
cleaners, 3 Clarkii clowns, 1 zebra Turbo snail and plenty Nassarius
snails about 25, 1 Condylactis gigantea purple tip. I just added a
mushroom coral, a Rhodactis, it is a leather, and a Rose Bubble Tip
anemone. <Yikes! You need to decide which anemone you want to keep,
and remove the other. Also three clowns in your system will result in
problems as they mature. I suggest removing one clown also.> I put
her in 3 days ago all levels ok. <Please list actual test results
next time.> When I first put it in she moved across the rocks on one
side that I have set up for the anemone away from the Condi anemone.
She found a place up side down and close to a power head so I turned
the rock so she would face the lighting and away from being really
close to the power head. <Your anemone will move where it is the
happiest. It was also under stress when introduced to its new home,
moving it will only add more stress. It also needs time to adjust to
its new environment, including the lighting. It was most likely under
much less lighting before it reached your tank. If those power heads
are not covered to protect your anemone, it will eventually get sucked
in and shredded.> She was doing ok, still showing her trunk and
tentacles still small. <It may be hungry. Feed meaty foods such as
silversides, krill, Mysis shrimp or raw shrimp.> Then she extended
more and the second day her tentacles had got some what bigger still
showing her trunk. She had a little to eat and then the third morning
its mouth is open tentacles small trunk very small. What could be
causing this activity? <It definitely needs to be separated from the
Condylactis. Mixing anemones is never a good idea. It will cause
chemical war between the two. Without a picture of the anemone when you
first got it, it's impossible to tell if you purchased a healthy
one. There was no mention of the age of your set up. It is recommended
that a tank be a minimum of six months old and stable before adding an
anemone. Please search WetWebMedia for more information on these
anemones. It sounds like you may have a couple of things going on here.
Brenda>
Mithrax Crab Pestering Bubble Tip Anemone -
1/15/07 Dear Crew, <Hi Billy! Brenda here with you today.>
Thank you for any suggestions you can give me. I recently added a rose
BTA to my 75 gallon. It is still rather small (2.5" in diameter)
and I wanted to let it grow before giving clowns a chance to host.
<Good choice.> It has been in the tank two days and seems to
constantly be harassed by the three Mithrax crabs in the tank. I do not
really underfeed or overfeed the tank. <Good> I assume it is
because these animals are searching for food as it started to increase
after I fed the BTA a small slice of silverside. <Yes> I kept the
crabs away with tongs while it ate only to have it regurgitate several
hours later. <Likely trying to get rid of what it couldn't
digest, bones, or two big of portions.> Is this pestering typical of
these animals? <It is not typical, but it does happen. Mithrax Crabs
are opportunistic feeders. If food is not available they have been
known to eat corals, small fish, and invertebrates.> Should I
attempt to remove them? <You can try feeding your crabs prior to
feeding the anemone. You can also try placing an inverted strawberry
basket over the anemone while it eats. If the crabs continue to disturb
the anemone I suggest separating them.> Should I not feed the
anemone until I get a pair of clowns to host that will protect it?
<Definitely continue feeding your new anemone with meaty foods such
as silversides, krill, raw shrimp, or mysis shrimp, even after the
addition of clownfish. Also, there is no guarantee that your clowns
will protect or host your anemone.> Any advice would be much
appreciated; I have planned this tank for this animal and would hate to
provide an inadequate environment. Thanks you, Billy <You are
welcome! Good luck with your new anemone! Brenda>
Update on Mithrax Crab Pestering New Bubble Tip
Anemone 1/16/07 Thank you for the advice Brenda. <Your
welcome> As an update the largest of the three crabs continued the
pestering which I found somewhat odd considering it had never harassed
any corals or invertebrates previously. I think it learned from the BTA
regurgitating that if it pinched the anemone it would become stressed
and vomit food which the crab could in turn eat. While the crab was too
quick to catch during the day I was able to trick him at night by
sinking a small Tupperware with a slice of silverside in it. The crab
followed the rest of the inverts to the scent and was easily caught and
placed in another tank. I look forward to the anemone having more
peaceful days ahead! <You have made a wise decision. A crab pinching
an anemone is never good. Your anemone should be much happier now!>
Thanks again, Billy <Good luck to you! Brenda>
Mystery Tentacle Snipper - 12/29/06 Hello,
<<Hello>> I have a green BTA and every now and then (three
months or so) I see one of its tentacles on the bottom of the tank or
elsewhere in the tank. <<Hmm...>> It is normal looking
tissue, good coloring but usually vanishes soon after. I only have one
percula, some Turbos, two very small blue-leg reef crabs, and a boxer
anemone crab. Any help is appreciated. <<Can't say I've
ever heard of these anemones "shedding" tentacles...unless
maybe it's a defensive reaction. More likely something is snipping
these tentacles off...you may have an unintentional and unwanted
visitor vis-?vis your live rock. Some nocturnal inspections may reveal
the culprit. You could also try sinking a small glass jar in to the
substrate with a bit of shrimp, clam, etc. and see what turns up. Do
also have a close watch of that boxer crab to make sure this isn't
the cause. Regards, EricR>><RMF's bet is on the Boxer
Anemone Crab...>
Re: Mystery Tentacle Snipper - 01/2/06 Does
that mean its curtains for my BTA in the long run or more like a small
bother for the BTA? <<Continued nipping/removal of tentacles will
likely result in the demise of the anemone. You definitely need to
identify/remove the culprit...I suggest you remove the Boxer crab and
see if this stops the assault>> BTW, forgot to mention I have a
brittlestar also. <<Not a player in these incidents. Regards,
EricR>>
Rose BTA, clown rel. 11/27/06 Hello Crew,
<Hello, JustinN with you today> I Have been reading through the
forums, but have not found what I am looking for. I just purchased a
gold stripe maroon clown XL for my 65 gal. tank and I wanted to buy a
host for him. My tank's lighting is provided by one 175 watts 14k
HQI bulb and by two 65 watt Actinic bulbs (130 watts total). I
supplement my water with Kalkwasser mix every night using an
evaporation method. I also use strontium. <Sounds good so far> My
inhabitants are as follows 1. Sailfin Tang <...> 2. Naso Tang
<...> 3. 6 small damsels 4. 1 long spined urchin 5. 1 Decorator
Crab 6. 2 Cleaner Shrimp 7.75lbs. of Live Rock 8. 3"-4" of
sand bed 9. Crocea Clam <You are on a road to, if not already,
overstocked for this tank. There is simply not enough room afforded in
a 65 gallon tank for either species of tang, much less both. The
cluster of damsels could prove to be problematic too, they can be bossy
little buggers!> My question is this. How can I introduce the
anemone without the clownfish bothering it while it tries to acclimate
to the new tank? Thank you for your time <Not a whole lot you can do
but let nature take its course. There is a possibility the clown
won't host the anemone immediately as well. Hope this helps you!
-JustinN>
Brain Coral Stinging BTA? 11/4/06 Have searched
around the site (SO MUCH INFO - THANKS) and can't find an answer to
this one. I recently got a rose BTA and he found a spot one day later
that he liked and has stayed there for three days. It happens to be
right behind and slightly under my Brain Worm Platygyra Coral. When I
try to spot feed the anemone (clowns aren't paying any attention to
him),<for some reason I haven't had any luck with clownfish and
rose BTA's either!> the brain's sweepers inevitably come
out. I was worried about the proximity for both their sakes,<I would
be too!> and today my anemone looks completely shrunken and BAD. Is
the brain stinging the anemone? I know brains can sting other corals,
but was afraid to move the anemone since he seems happy there (although
the spot he lives in is extremely hard for me to reach for feeding - I
can only shoot some shrimp in his general direction and hope he catches
it - can't spot feed directly in his center due to awkward
location). Do I 1) move the brain to another spot; 2) move the rock
that the anemone is attached to for easier feeding/safety; 3) leave
them alone because something else is wrong with my anemone (like
he's not getting the food). All advice appreciated! Thanks so much!
Have gotten so much great advice from your FAQs for everything I do.
<I would move the brain since it would be more difficult to move the
anemone, try feeding him and hopefully he will perk back up!, IanB>
Bubble-Tip Anemone Gone Mad! - 10/14/06 Hi there,
<<Hello>> I have a 75 gal tank...filled with bubble-tip
anemones...they are constantly multiplying....all the water conditions
are right and the tank has been set up for over two years. Just
recently though I've noticed that all my watermelon mushrooms have
died, could the bubble-tip anemones be the cause? <<Most
assuredly>> Six of them were on the rock amongst the mushrooms.
Now my Ricordea mushrooms are dying (noticed anemones amongst them
also). <<Same issue>> Done water changes, tested pH,
ammonia, and hardness all conditions are fine. <<Not a water
quality problem...you have a compatibility issue>> I really have
many many bubble-tip anemones near 100 about an eighth of an inch to
quarter inch in size. <<That is a LOT of anemones...I hope you
have an eventual outlet for these>> Are the anemones the sudden
cause? <<They are>> Had some of the anemones since I
started the tank (they are multiplying like mad)...the mushrooms a year
or more...what could be happening? Need your help. Thanks, Tree
<<Well Tree, you simply have incompatible organisms trying to
share the same (too small) space. Anemones are always best kept on
their own. It is not even recommended to mix multiple anemones in the
same tank, even of the same species, unless as in your situation they
are reproductions/clones of the host anemone. I think you best resign
yourself to keeping this tank as a species-specific anemone tank.
Regards, EricR>>
Peppermint shrimp, anemone and Dottyback compatibility
10/2/06 Hello, back for my weekly question. Hope you are doing
well. I am sure there is an answer to my question somewhere on WWM, but
I am having trouble finding it. On my endless quest for a cure of
Aiptasia, I am thinking of purchasing 4 or 5 peppermint shrimp. My
question is, will the peppermint shrimp go after my bubble tip (huge)
or any of the LPS corals I have (yes, bad mix I know)? <Likely
so> Lastly in your opinion would my blue flavivertex Pseudochromis
go after my peppermint shrimp? <Maybe if/during molting if there is
insufficient cover> If either of these answers are yes, I can put
the peppermint shrimp in my sump with some Aiptasia covered rocks,
right? Thanks, Ryan. <Yes. Bob Fenner>
PLEASE HELP ASAP!!!
Ammonia spike!!! Cnid., Anemone incomp. 9/30/06 Hey crew. I need
your advice. I have (maybe had) a 29 gallon reef with a 15 gallon
refugium. I was gone for 2 days and came back to see I had a bubble
coral looking like it had died twice! I removed it, and took a water
sample. Ammonia was .25 ppm. Well, I just so happened to be out of salt
and needed to wait till the morning to go get some. All of a sudden...
white slime (looks kinda like mucus) come off of everything. Every
piece of live rock, every mushroom... everything. I tried syphoning as
much as I could. <Yikes> I ran and got an old Fluval and threw
some carbon in it and ran it for the night. <Good try> I woke up
the next morning to about 10 dead mushrooms, a dead hammer coral, and a
rose bubble tip <... incompatible> that was not looking good at
all. I removed all of them.. <Best... but not back together... the
root cause...> and noticed lots of goo coming off over every part of
the anemone. So, ... as i tried not to freak out, but rather act
quickly..... I went as fast as i could and got some salt. I did a 10
gallon water change right then, and had to run into work. I cam back
from work and did a water test and the ammonia was 1.0 ppm. I was at a
loss of what to do. I contacted my LFS and asked what they recommended.
I was instructed to do a very very large water change. <About the
best stop-gap measure> I changed 21 gallons of the 29 or so (less
cause of live rock) and left the water that was in the refugium. I
added a bag of live sand and mixed it with the sand currently in there
hoping not to destroy all the helpful bacteria. I then added 21 gallons
of freshly made water and added a packet of bio-Spira marine. Before
the water change... everything looked like they were saying good bye to
life... now they look like they want to fight to live. I have a strange
feeling this large of a water change will cause the tank to cycle
again. I was hoping to defeat this fear with bio-Spira.. but only time
and your advice will tell. I did a full water test. Here are the
results: Ammonia - .25 (maybe .5, holding the test tube looks like both
of them. More so the .25 but I guess i should error on the side of
caution) Nitrite .05 Nitrate 5.0 Alk 2.9 Ph 8.4 Ca - 300 Salinity 1.026
Please give me some advice on what to do. Anything and everything I can
do. I was planning on doing another 8 gallons tomorrow to try and lower
that ammonia. Are the benefits of doing the change worth the risk of
further causing the tank to cycle? I am soo lost and need your help.
Josh Henley <Mmm, something "caused" the initial
stress/reaction of the one Euphylliid... very likely something to do
with the presence of the Anemone... cascade of bad-events after this...
Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompfaqs.htm and the linked
files above, particularly re Anemone Incompatibility with other
Cnidarians. Bob Fenner>
Re: Lunare Wrasse Rescue, fish scavengers, BTA comp.
9/6/06 Thanks, I never really thought about using just fish as tank
cleaners. I'll try the fish you recommended. By the way, you seemed
concerned about a BTA in the reef tank. <Am> I've found that
by placing them low in the tank, in a "rubble" crevice with
rock faces on all sides, they tend to not move at all. The lighting and
water current arrangement I use may also be a factor, but I believe the
rock arrangement is the key. Anyways, I'm sure you guys already
know this, but I thought I would throw that out there as a data point.
Thanks again for the advice. Chris. <And you for yours. Bob
Fenner>
Rose Bubble Tip Anemone... mixed with a H. crispa...
7/19/06 I have had a rose bubble tip for about 2 months now, Today
I noticed that it doesn't extend out, it is in a little ball and
the clown who is actually too big for it has pretty much moved out and
into another, a sebae anemone, <... not in the same system?>
along with my other clown. The bubble tip will it krill and clams, but
is staying pretty much closed. Is there anything that I should be doing
or looking for?? Salinity 1.024 PH 8.2 nitrate 20 <A bit high>
Nitrite 0 Ammonia 0 Lighting 2-65watt power compacts 10K 2-65watt
Actinic <Insufficient for this size/depth tank, these anemone
species> 75 gallon Tank Is the clown buffing it to death?? <Might
be... but doubtful. You have a case of allelopathy... mis-mixed
actinarians> Thanks for your time Bob <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemcompfaqs.htm and
the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Anemone help... BTA, comp. 3/4/06 Hi crew. This is my
second attempt to get through to you. Fortuitously it allows me to
give further update (included below). Any advice would be greatly
appreciated. <Okay> Hi and thanks for such a great site! I
have been scouring you site for a description and answer to my
problem. We have a 72 gal reef tank set up for 8 months now. We
have 356 watts of PC lighting. 1/4 of that is actinic. We have
about 1200 gal/hr flow via sump and powerhead. Our skimmer is a
SeaLife systems unit that only produces about 1/2 cup a week. The
tank has about 75 lbs of live rock and about 2" of gravel bed.
We have the following critters: 1 Yellow Tang, 1 Flame Hawkfish, 1
Royal Gramma, 2 Purple Firefish, 1 Blue Devil Damselfish, 2 Pajama
Cardinalfish, 1 Spotted Mandarinfish, 3 Bar Gobys (16 bar Gobys?),1
Maroon Clownfish, 1 Cleaner Shrimp, 4 sand sifting starfish,
numerous snails and Hermit Crabs. Our corals are a Torch,
Blastomussa wellsi, Open Brain, Xenia, Trumpet, Toadstool Leather,
Mushrooms, and Zoanthids. All are spaced at least 6" apart and
have distinct territories to grow. We do monthly 20% water changes,
and tank parameters this week were Ph=8.2, nitrite & nitrate=0,
ammonia=0, Ca= 450, salinity= 33 ppt. Water temp varies between
80-82 or 82-84 daily (2 degree change at most). We supplement with
weekly Ca, Mg, Fe, Lugol's, and buffer. I feed the fish every
other day frozen Formula One and seaweed. Twice a week I feed the
corals Cyclop-eeze. <So far, so good> My problem arises with
a Bubble Tip Anemone. I have had it for about 7 months now and it
has done poorly. <In a word: allelopathy> I upped the light
and tried to feed it small pieces of shrimp, blended Cyclop-eeze
and shrimp, and most recently food pellets. The problem is twofold.
Firstly the anemone has not had its tentacles out in months.
<Very bad> It now looks like a butt hole (sorry so graphic,
but I'm an ER doc and that really is what it looks like). So it
takes a long time for it to react to any feeding. Next, my clown
which has bonded with it from their fish store days (my wife
couldn't let them be parted- now we know better) constantly
takes food out of the anemone and deposits it on the rock beside it
(making it impossible to feed). <Put a colander, strawberry
basket or such over while feeding to exclude the clown> About
its behavior: from day one it attached itself to a cool rock with
holes and crevices about the size of its foot. It hasn't moved
until my most recent salvage attempts 4 days ago. Prior to this, it
allowed me to move it's rock as I added to the tank without any
apparent effects. Lately as my attempts to feed and give it more
light have failed, I went seeking advice at one of my LFS who have
seemed rather knowledgeable (although I take everything they say
with caution). Having tried the above, they recommended trying to
partially shade it (causing it to "stretch out" toward
the light). I took a small flat piece of live rock from another
part of the tank, and made a ledge above it to partially shade the
BTA. After work that day the BTA had moved over about 2 inches to
get out of the shade. So then I figured it might really need more
light. <Mmm, no... not a light issue> I angled the rock
slightly and turned it around so that it would have good exposure
approx 12" from the light source (see enclosed picture). I
tried to feed it a pellet (the bump on the anemone) but it
didn't seem to react at all. The next morning it was gone!
After an extensive search I found it apparently alive and well at
the bottom of the tank attached to a rock and in a very shady spot.
Since that time it has moved around a little but always staying
attached to a shaded rock at the bottom of the tank. Help! I want
this guy to survive, and if it means taking him back to the LFS so
be it. He has no sign of tissue necrosis yet, and it has been such
a slow process. Does he have any chance in my tank, or am I just
exposing the rest of the bunch to danger? Also, without tentacles,
is he really a danger to the other inhabitants? Thanks for your
advice and an awesome website! P.S. I bought Fenner's' and
Borneman's' books on WWM's recommendation which have
been a great resource also. Steve <This animal needs to be
elsewhere... the present system has its "winners", the
other cnidarians, and the losing anemone. Your best chance at
saving its life is to place it in another system that has no other
stinging-celled life. Bob Fenner> |
|
Possible allelopathy problem 2/9/06 I recently
added a small colony of xenias, a small colony of zoanthids (about 10
polyps) and a couple of assorted mushrooms to my 29 gallon tank. I
noticed today my RBTA seems a little bit less expanded then normal.
Could I have an allelopathy problem? <Unlikely, just be sure none of
the colonies are touching the BTA.> I know my tank is rather small,
<Yes, too small for keeping anemones.> but the colonies are also
all very small and I have been following directions I have seen you
give others for good water quality. I do weekly water changes of a
little less than 5 gallons (should that be more?)<That's
fine.> I also change the carbon in my Emperor 400 every week.
Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite are all 0 and pH is about 8.3-8.4. If
there are any suggestions you may have I'd really appreciate it a
lot. <I'd start by reading here, understanding
requirements/needs for keeping anemones. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm>
Thank you so much. <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
<<This is very likely a case of increasing allelopathy.
RMF>>
Anemone shrimp disturbing BTA? 1/27/06 Hi guys
Really hope you can shed some light on this. Tank is just under 2 years
old, all parameters stable. Have had a Bubble Tip Anemone for a few
months now. It settled in nicely, never moved much, feeds and looks
healthy. We bought an anemone shrimp this weekend. He went straight in
the BTA and the nem hasn't stopped moving since. I was just
wondering if the shrimp could be disturbing or annoying it in any way?
The BTA is about 5" when fully open and the shrimp is about
1" <Can, do at times> Any ideas would be appreciated. I am
now considering returning the shrimp to the shop if the men doesn't
settle by the weekend Many thanks Jo <Takes time... Bob Fenner>
Bubble Anemone with Small Fish 12-06-05 I just purchased a large
bubble anemone for my 220g with 250lbs of live rock. My system has an
ASM G4plus skimmer, 30g sump, three 175w 20k metal halides, and I plan
to add a refugium. This was mainly planned to be a fish only tank but
I've recently added a couple corals to the 5 Chromis, Banggai
cardinals, and school of lyretail Anthias I currently have. <Sounds
nice.> The place that I ordered this anemone from had it labeled as
Entacmaea quadricolor on the invoice. From what I have read this
anemone shouldn't bother or eat my small fish, but I've also
read differing opinions. I plan to keep some smaller fairy/flasher
wrasses, a flame angel, small gobies, etc. with the small fish I
currently have. I'm just worried that the bubble anemone will eat
them if given the opportunity. Could you please advise? <You should
be fine. Bubble tip anemones are one of the most docile anemones
available. I have heard stories of them eating shrimp and other small
critters, but it is extremely rare. Be aware that your anemone will
wander quite a bit and will want to be near the top of the tank to get
good lighting. Let it roam and settle in. Never try to force an anemone
into a spot like you can with a coral. Besides that, feed it well and
don't worry about the smaller fish. Travis>
Anemone Hosting - 08/12/2005 Hey! <Ahoy!>
Real short, <Actually, I'm 5'8", but that's
okay.> I have a 20 gallon tank and am thinking about getting a
bubble tip anemone and a mated pair of false percula clowns. I have
good water circulation, and filtration is more than adequate, lighting
is also suitable for a bubble tip. I was wondering, will a tank raised
clown take to an anemone? <Very, very iffy. Not entirely likely. Not
entirely *un*likely, either. I've even seen 'em hosting hair
algae of all things.... and seen plenty that wouldn't host
anything, ever.> And I'm not so sure a false percula would even
take to a bubble tip. <I've seen some do so.> Can you help
me? Thank you. -Andrew C <Wishing you well, -Sabrina>
Anemone Hosting - II - Speedy Delivery -
08/12/2005 Wow fast response, thank you very much. <You bet.
-Sabrina>
Bubble Tipped Anemones and A. ocellaris soulmates?
Dear amazing & awesome crew member!!! <Now I have to respond.
:)> I have been told and have also read that a BTA won't host an
ocellaris? Is this true? <It is and it isn't. The Bubble Tipped
Sea Anemone is NOT the natural host for False Percula, or Ocellaris,
Clownfishes. However, many Ocellaris will most certainly adopt one as
their own. I've never had good luck with the combination, none of
my False Percs ever hosted any of my BTAs, but maybe that is just bad
luck. I do know that I have seen it many times before, and there is
certainly a good chance of such a pairing to occur. Best of luck, Mike
G>
Rose Bubble Tip Anemone and Ocellaris? Hi crew, I
have a 29 gallon reef with a 250w double ended halide over it. I change
out 5 gallons of water weekly. I have a pair of clowns, a royal Gramma,
six line wrasse and a yellow watchman goby. I feed once a day and very
little. I am wondering how to get the anemone to stay put. I don't
want it to kill my SPS and zoanthids. Also, how do I get my pair of
ocellaris clowns to host it? The female is 3" and the male is
2". Also, the clowns are tank raised. The person I bought it from
never had an anemone. Are they naturally attracted to anemones? I'm
afraid that since my clowns have been raised and living in captivity
and have never seen an anemone that they won't host. They swim
around the tank and don't even notice the anemone is there.
>>>Hi Jonathan, Bubble tip anemones (Entacmaea quadricolor)
like a nice deep hole to bury its foot in. Provide that, and it will
usually stay even if current and light are less that ideal. I'm not
saying that light and current will not matter still, it's just that
I've found a nice "roost" is valued above all else with
these animals. Find a good piece of live rock, and carve or drill a 1
1/2" by 6" deep hole. Then place this rock so that the
anemone has access to good light and medium current. Or find a rock
with a similar natural feature and place as described above. This
should go a long way toward making sure it stays put. Now, as far as
this species of clown is concerned, they DO NOT host in bubble tips in
the wild, but rather H. magnifica, S. gigantea and S. mertensii.
Frankly I have little experience with any of the last three, but can
tell you that none of them are as hardy as E. quadricolor in captivity.
Even if you have the clowns natural host, tank raised specimens of this
species often do not take an anemone as a host. Also, your tank is a
bit small to keep any of the above animals long term, so you might want
to think about a larger tank down the road. :) Good luck!
Jim<<<
Tank Bred or Wild - part II? III? Hi, <Hello
again> I just wanted to know which clownfish looks more like
'Nemo' is it the Amphiprion ocellaris or the Amphiprion
percula? <the percula> And is there one of these clown fish that
is more likely to host the BTA than the other? and also which one has
more chance to host the BTA Tank Raised or Wild ? Thanks <Generally
either the percula or the ocellaris both will host to a Bubble tip
anemone, though a wild caught one is much more likely to host than a
tank raised which may have never seen an anemone. Your local fish store
may have clownfish in with anemones already so you might be able to get
some that have already hosted and or paired. Hope this helped>
<Justin (Jager)>
Re: Tank Bred or Wild Hi, <Hello> Is there
any other things that can contribute to them hosting the BTA? <Not
really just give them time and a healthy BTA> And what sort of
lighting ETC does the BTA need? <I highly recommend that you look
this information up on www.wetwebmedia.com as there is a lot of
information on what to do for various anemones.> Thanks <Hope
that helps. Justin (Jager)>
BTA Splits & Questions Hello All, I have a BTA
that has split 3 times in a year and all clones are healthy. I read
through the FAQs and am unsure what causes this. Is it stress or
health?<Sounds to me like you have a healthy well balanced
system><<But can be either. RMF>> Water parameters are
perfect. Lighting is 4 x 65w & 1x 96w PC( changed every 6 months).
75 Gallon with 15x water turnover. Loaded fuge w/macro and bugs. In
addition I have 2 Percs hosting all of them.<sounds good> Last, I
have the following corals in a tank and wondering if I am brewing a
chemical cocktail and If so can you tell me the proper grouping for
corals I have.<I don't follow "proper grouping"? All
corals should not be allowed to touch another one. Most hard corals
have sweeper tentacles that insures no other corals get too close. You
may have trouble with the BTA's if they start moving and touching
corals. James (Salty Dog)> LPS- Frogspawn, Hammer & Pearl Bubble
Soft: Star polyps, zoos, mushrooms, corky finger, yellow polyps &
Dendronephthya (was sold to me as a carnation coral). 4 BTAs (3 clones)
Thanks. To date all coral is doing well exception is the mushrooms ( go
figure).
BT Anemone/Clown matching hi, I was just wondering
which types of clownfish will accept the Entacmaea Quadricolor and live
in there happily????(would the common clownfish)??? thanks <No,
thank you! Please help yourself and read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm
and on to the numerous Related Articles and FAQs (linked, in blue, at
top). Bob Fenner>
OH NO! PLEASE TELL ME MY ANEMONE DID NOT EAT THIS $150
FISH! I just purchased an absolutely beautiful geometric pygmy
Hawkfish. As you know, it is a rare fish and commands big bucks. I
watched it laying under the rockwork yesterday after acclimation, and
after a while it slowly started to move underneath all of the rocks.
The next day (today), I didn't see it under any of the rocks. I fed
the other fish hoping the smell might draw it's attention. It
didn't show. Then, to my horror, my rose bulb anemone starting
egesting something reddish/brown in color. It was kind of stringy, but
had a leather look. Kind of what a fish looks like after you skin them
to cook them. Problem is, I haven't fed my anemone in over a week.
I was under the impression that Entacmaea quadricolor ate shrimp, and
didn't care for fish. <Umm> Could it have eaten my Hawkfish
that might have mistakenly jumped into the anemone? <Yes> Or are
Hawkfish aware enough of an anemone to know to avoid it? <Not all
species, individuals... Let's hope yours is still hiding
somewhere... not consumed, jumped out... Bob Fenner> Thanks! Re:
OH NO! PLEASE TELL ME MY ANEMONE DID NOT EAT THIS $150 FISH! I just
have to ask one more thing I should have asked before: would the
anemone egest fish skin, or consume the whole fish? <Will egest
whatever is not edible... including skin, skeleton...> The book I
read that mentioned bulb anemones liking krill over fish also mentioned
that the only things egested are parts that are unusable, like chitin.
I wouldn't even be worried if I hadn't seen the anemone
egesting. Is it possible that it could have been something else, or
would it have to have been a food item? I know I'm stretching here,
but I just can't believe it. I just thought the fish would know to
avoid the anemone, but I fear the worst. Man, I feel stupid...
<Happens. Bob Fenner>
Perculas and BTA Are they compatible with BTA?
<Yep> I have a 90 gal with 126 lbs Kaelini and deep Tonga rock
with a 4" aragonite sand bed. I have about 15x water circulation.
Lighting is 2 175w 10000k MH and 2 125w actinics. I am looking for an
"easy" anemone that does not cause an allergic reaction. Am I
heading in the right direction? <These are some of the more hardy
anemone and should be fine in your system. I think all will cause a
"sting" some, more so than others. I have found these guys to
be weaker compared to a carpet or LT though. Cody>
-New BTA waiting' for some pals- Hello WWM
anemone-guru: <Recently (as in 10 seconds ago) proclaimed anemone
guru, Kevin, here today> I have a small (4" diameter) BTA that
is doing very well after its rescue (purchase) from the LFS. I've
heard that one should wait a while before introducing clowns (I'm
thinking Perculas) to give the BTA time to firmly anchor itself, get
adjusted, and most importantly, get somewhat bigger than 4". <A
good idea> The advice I got says that clowns can actually smother a
BTA to death if the BTA is too small when the clowns start to
'nest' in it. <They can really stress it out if it's not
well adjusted to tank conditions. Clowns can dish some pretty tough
love!> Do you have any advice on this matter, as far as time-in-tank
or minimum size the BTA should reach before introducing the clowns?
<Since you've got nothing but time, I would wait till it grows
to 5-6" in diameter. This way it will have been well established
and happy provided you have the appropriate system> Also, I feed the
BTA small bits of Sweetwater zooplankton and shrimp every other day,
and it seems to gobble this stuff up. Any change to my manual feeding
regimen? <Frequent small feedings are fine. The more you feed
BTA's, the faster they grow and ultimately divide. That said, a
once or twice weekly feeding is enough.> I really feed the fish in
the tank as little as possible, so there's not a lot of detritus
floating around for the BTA to snag. <They're not interested in
detritus, but keep them fish fat and healthy too! Good luck - Kevin>
Great! Thanks a bunch, SLC
Sinking Anemone 10/21/03 WWM Commensal Comrade :
<Hola> I have recently introduced a pair of young Tomato Clowns
(A. frenatus) into a 100 gal reef with an E. quadricolor anemone (BTA)
that has been comfortably situated for about six weeks in the same
spot, <ughh... how I do dread to hear of anemones with corals. So
often a recipe for disaster in the long run (years)> and doing well
(as in not imitating a melting ice cream cone.) <by a measure of
mere weeks... do consider at least remitting the anemone to a refugium
sans corals and with a protected overflow/pump intakes, etc> I have
two questions submitted for your approval: a.) The BTA is about the
size of ... well, an ice cream cone, and the largest clown ( I assume
becoming a female, much darker and larger than the other paired clown)
immediately took to the anemone, ditching its partner( I had been
watching them pair together for six weeks in my LFS.) <common and
temporary... she will drive the mate into the nest once the nest is
established> The she-to-be takes up the entire nesting area of the
BTA, leaving no room for the smaller clown, but that seems to suit her
just fine. I've witnessed this behavior before in a different
species, H. Sapiens, in the female preferring to take over the entire
home and kick the male out of her life. Is this happening simply
because the BTA is too small to host both of them, or will she not let
the other clown co-habitate? <likely to resume in time> b.) This
greedy clown seems to constantly wiggle in the BTA and this action
blows a lot of the sand under the BTA out of the way (this BTA, like
most E. quadricolors, is situated horizontally in a live rock crevice.)
As this happens, the BTA moves itself downwards until it touches the
sand again. The clown blows more sand out of the way, and the BTA sinks
further down. Within 24 hours, they have sunk about 2 inches in my
5" DSB. <much has been writ about the subject at large... do
peruse our archives of articles and FAQs especially. The undersized
anemone and presence of a clownfish at all are potential sore spots
here (some studies show that more than half of all anemones that can
host clowns in fact don't (!) in the wild)> Will this continue
until BTA & clown are touching the tank bottom, in the middle of an
apparent DSB bomb crater? I'm not so much worried about losing the
DSB benefits in that small area, but having the crater collapse in on
the BTA and cause grief of some sort. Any advice? <just some of the
many problems with keeping anemones in mixed community tanks... my
pref/recommendation is to keep this and all anemones in dedicated
tanks> Thanks ahead of time, SLC <best regards, Anthony>
Bubble Tip Anemone Hi Bob and gang: I have a 300
gallon reef tank with a variety of corals under MH lighting and a great
deal of live rock. I have a number of fish, including various tangs, a
shoal of purple Firefish, and a mated pair of maroon clowns. I want to
add a bubble tip anemone for the clowns. <They really do not need
one.> But, I also have two large scooter blennies that have been
with me for over a year, and a dozen huge-size cleaner shrimp. I have
no desire whatsoever to jeopardize the scooters or the shrimp (or
anyone else, for that matter). What do you think, is the bubble tip a
bad idea? <Well, I do not like to mix anemones with corals. There is
too much of a risk of the anemones wandering around and getting stung
or stinging the corals. I prefer to see anemones in display designed
for their needs above all other things. All that said, BTA's are
not known for eating fish like many of the carpet anemones are. Please
see the articles and FAQ files on www.WetWebMedia.com regarding anemone
care. Their is also some good information on the chat forum from people
who have breeding/cloning BTA's.> Regards, Dale M. <Have a
nice weekend. -Steven Pro>
29 Gallon Small Reef Hi! <Hello! Ananda here,
answering the small reef questions...> I set up my first saltwater
tank last September (after several freshwater endeavors, two of which
are still thriving) and have found your website to be very helpful in
the care and maintenance of my aquatic friends. I work at a pet store
and frequently direct my customers to your website and books due to the
amount of good information I've been able to glean. <Thanks!
Glad we can help.> My latest tank is a 29 gallon small reef tank.
The system is lit by a 110 watt pc unit (1 bulb 6400K, the other
actinic 03) and contains 35 lbs of liverock, 20 lbs of live sand and 15
lbs of a slightly larger grade aragonite. I have an Aqua-C remora
protein skimmer with a surface skim box and bubble reducer and an
Aquafuge refugium (approx 2.5 gallons) lit by a 13-watt 50/50 PC. There
is also a penguin 170 for mechanical filtration. Two sponge-filter
equipped penguin powerheads provide 320 gph of circulation with the
protein skimmer, filter and refugium adding to the flow as well.
<Very nice setup, very similar to the one I'm planning.>
Right now the tank has a red hermit (not sure of species, but it's
not the large variety), a 6 blue hermit crabs, one Ocellaris clown and
a small Bubble Tip Anemone (located on an isolated stand of rock to
prevent movement around the tank). <Ack! I'm not a fan of
keeping anemones in tanks this small or this new. And I suspect the
anemone might still be able to move around. Read here, and follow the
links to related articles:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm>
My eventual plan is to maintain a few soft corals in the tank along
with a single Mandarin, the Ocellaris and the small cleanup crew.
<Please skip the mandarin! Your tank is not large enough, even with
the refugium, to sustain a sufficient pod population for a mandarin.
Please use the WWM search tool and read the mandarin pages (there are
several).> The refugium is aimed at sustaining colonies copepods and
amphipods (which abounded in the smaller tank (a 10 gallon micro-tank
w/ a twin lamp eclipse hood and regular harvesting of macroalgae as
nutrient export that this is an upgrade for). <I am also upgrading
from a 10 gallon nano.> Now the questions. What are some hardy soft
corals that would work in this setup? <I have a Sinularia dura aka
flower/cabbage leather that has tripled in size in less than a year (in
the 10 gallon tank). Green star polyps work well, as do zoanthids and
most types of mushrooms. Come to think of it, most photosynthetic soft
corals should be "relatively hardy". Just avoid the
non-photosynthetic varieties.> In addition, are there any other
small fish that may work in this setup? <Yes, several. Smaller
gobies, some of the Dottybacks, blennies, grammas, *some* of the small
wrasses... a much bigger selection compared to a 10 gallon tank.>
And, would it be ok to not run the Penguin all of the time and instead
use it as a mechanical filter during water changes or other events that
might disturb the sandbed and cause debris to enter the water column?
<I would suggest that you keep it running, with carbon. Your softies
are going to wage some chemical warfare, and the carbon will help
alleviate this.> Let me know what you think and any
comments/suggestions! Thank you very much for your time and all of the
helpful advice in your publications! -Christopher Fulkerson
<You're quite welcome. Do wander over to http://www.nano-reef.com and its forums.
The people there specialize in smaller tanks (generally less than 30
gallons). I have learned a lot from them. --Ananda>
A bleach blonde bubble tip Hey Bob, Got another
problem I wanted to query your opinion on. I've got the 11 gallon
Nano reef system (a vertical tank)-- pretty good numbers, my nitrates
seem to stay around 10 ppm with regular water changes and iodine and
calcium both need to be constantly replenished, but everything seems
good right now (FYI-- I removed my oversized skimmer and have been
working with just a cartridge (carbon) filter now for a while and it
seems to be working fine-- that is, the water chemistry didn't
exhibit drastic swings, I do more frequent water changes, etc and it
saves me huge $ in all the things that the skimmer kept me adding like
crazy). <Yes> My problem is a bubble anemone. It's in a tank
with a pretty large red brain Lobophyllia and two proto/Palythoa
zoanthid colonies and I think it is chemically irritated by something.
<Is this in the eleven gallon system?> It has moved away from the
direct current to a place where it also gets very little light and now
has stayed there for about a month or so. My single attempt to get it
to consider a different home (by moving the rock it is attached to) was
predictably rebuffed as it moved back to the same place. Meanwhile, it
has bleached (for lack of light, I assume--the tank has 36w of compact
lighting, but the where the anemone is, it gets little direct light),
but continues to live, though it has never looked really very happy (it
also reacts negatively to several coral additives-- vitamins and so
forth, which I have stopped adding, and to iodine and calcium unless I
administer them very slowly to the water, which I now do). Does my
chemical interaction theory sound likely? <Yes, plausible> Who is
the best guess for the culprit in your opinion? I know the zoanthids
can emit neurotoxins from hell, but the brain coral is large and a hard
coral. They both seem to be doing fine, although periodically, small
white worm-like coils appear on the brain coral-- almost like its
losing its stuffing so to speak, but they merely sit on the surface of
the coral, going nowhere (though eventually disappear-- back into it?).
Have wondered about those, but can't find information there,
either. <The latter are likely "nothing"... the zoanthid
is the best cause thus far> Should I try adjusting the flow?
Increasing? Decreasing? <I'd increase the lighting, check
alkalinity, feed the animal> I hesitate to change much in the
system, b/c for the most part, everybody but the anemone is happy.
Should I add one of those "Skilter"/back pack type filters in
the hope that better filtration could reduce chemical interaction
problems? My fellow* Nano-reefers seem to like this model for a small
tank like mine. Any chance of the anemone's color ever returning?
<This system is too small for this animal> A second question on
lighting. My tanks came with 1 18w white spectrum compact and one
actinic 18w (its the little open-top "Via-Aqua" if you know
the model). The light has seemed too strong for some of the organisms,
so I switched one bulb to a split bulb (1/2 white, 1/2 actinic), so I
can run 18w of both spectrums. This suits some of the organisms who
seemed not to like the stronger light and doesn't bother the ones
that did okay with 36 watts. My question is now what do I do? Just run
the 18w split indefinitely? <Get a larger system, or switch out some
of the organisms, at least the anemone> Turn on the second 18w bulb
for part of the day? If so, should my second light be a white spectrum,
a blue spectrum or is it better for me to shell out the $ for a second
split light and run it that way? Finally, if I wanted to decrease the
overall wattage my creatures get from the light without replacing the
bulbs, what's the best way? <Thirty six watts of mixed
full-spectrum should not be a problem with the organisms you list...
some other anomaly/ies are at play here. Likely water quality
related> Inserting plastic between the bulb and the water? covering
part of the plastic cover the tank came with something to obstruct the
light (i.e. plastic tape, etc)? Cant quite figure out the best way to
experiment to see what the creatures like best, but don't want to
flip them all out by experimenting/learning the hard way, etc. One
other question: am planning on shifting everything to a 90 gallon tank
in a few months (I expect I can "solve" my anemone problem
this way, but it could be a few months yet) and would like to keep more
than a single pygmy angel. LFS guys tell me I'd have better luck
putting three in there than two because that way the aggression is
distributed to more than a single individual. I know this worked with
my Elephant Noses in my fresh tank, but haven't read much on this
point in your book or in S. Michael's stuff. Your opinion? Are they
trying to sell me up the pygmy angel river here? <For the real
dwarf-dwarf species three should be okay> Many more questions, but
will leave you alone for now... thanks, as always, for whatever
attention you can give to me and my poor beleaguered anemone, other
problems. Sigh, Derek <Try to expedite the schedule for the ninety
gallon system. Bob Fenner>