Anemone and their requirements
- Thread starter ryan820
- Start date
Nems also need high flow. Watch out for the BTAs they tend to move around in your tank a good bit. I prefer LTAs mine never move from the rock their attached to even when it split. I heard anemones breathe through their tentacles when they drift back and fourth in the flow so thats were the high flow comes in at just dont blast the poor thing with direct flow and you should be good
They may need it but not sure they want it. I picked up a sunburst bubble tip about a month and a half ago and he has not stopped moving. I believe it to be flow related although I did get a nitrate spike which could have something to do with it as well. I think its more the flow though. I have a lot of flow in my system (2mp40's at 100% and mag18 return) and there is not really a calm spot in my tank anywhere except under ledges. The nem moves around and places itself under a ledge for a day with little flow but also little light. Then it moves back up top for a day with heavy light and heavy flow. I tried to make a little nook for it where its not getting hit with heavy flow but it doesnt want to stay there for some reason, it does seem to make it back into that area though and stay for a day or 2. It has already taken out a pink digi and almost a monti. If it doesnt settle down in the next month I might get rid of it 
The BTA I got a few weeks back has been doing good and this is with basically a new tank (established live rock with new sand and 50% new water). The nem moves a little around the rock he came on, but not much. I have also moved the rock multiple times and stirred up the sand because I'm trying to aquascape everything since moving to this new tank. I have one more move before I think everything will be situated. I do feed the nem and he has been about 10" from the 4x24w T5 lighting I have in decent flow. Right now the nem is in the back corner of the tank and is turning green because it isn't right under the lighting like it was before.
I have found that if you supplement the nem's or coral's needs, a new tank that has cycled live rock can be just as effective as an established tank. The difference is an established tank requires less supplementation, or at least everything is dialed in and the supplementation that is required doesn't fluctuate as much. Keep in mind that with any aquarium the speed at which you add new things to the tank will affect the quality of life. If you go to the store and see 20 new fish and buy them all to add to your 55G aquarium that currently has 2 clown fish, then more than likely you will crash the system unless you are doing significant maintenance to counteract the spike you will see in ammonia.
I have found that if you supplement the nem's or coral's needs, a new tank that has cycled live rock can be just as effective as an established tank. The difference is an established tank requires less supplementation, or at least everything is dialed in and the supplementation that is required doesn't fluctuate as much. Keep in mind that with any aquarium the speed at which you add new things to the tank will affect the quality of life. If you go to the store and see 20 new fish and buy them all to add to your 55G aquarium that currently has 2 clown fish, then more than likely you will crash the system unless you are doing significant maintenance to counteract the spike you will see in ammonia.
My RBTA's sit right in front of a Vortech MP40 on full blast. They get whipped around like crazy. I don't feed either. I started out with my original RBTA 5 years ago, moved it in a trashcan 1400 miles, moved it to 3 new tanks in 3 months. My nems get to a cerain size and then they split. Can happen fast, sometimes it will take a couple of days. Healthy anemones are very hardy. Have a look at the stickied thread in the clown forum on RC and you'll see pics of giganteas exposed to the sun during low tide. They don't give a crap.
The best theory I have read on how to keep the tips bubbled is feeding less. The theory is that the reason they bubble is to take in more light and have more surface area to capture food. When the tips become long and skinny this is due to the nem becoming "lazy" because it is receiving ample food/light.
http://www.coralforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39761
http://www.coralforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39761
That guy posted his theory on RC as well and the responces were mixed. A lot of people have experimented with different feeding and lighting setups and were never able to get their BTAs to form bubble tips. I have a clone in my tank now hidden behind rock work and should that guy's theory hold true, it should have bubble tips. No bubbles though Have a look at Mobert's pictures in this thread, his findings are the exact opposite as well. In his tank more light = bubbles.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1379678
Have a look at Mobert's pictures in this thread, his findings are the exact opposite as well. In his tank more light = bubbles.http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1379678
Wow-- a bunch of great input and posts, thanks all!
You all make me what to get a NEM even more than I did before-- but I will resist (for now)! If there is a split in anyone's tank, would anyone be willing to make a deal? I have so few creatures/corals right now that I couldn't trade, unless I trade in the form of greenbacks)
As for my tank and it's conditions/stability, like I said before, so far, it's solid-- no swings, the water looks great, algae grows but never too fast and it's lazily eaten by the snails. I haven't seen anything to suspect any deeper lying issues-- my corals, of what I have, expand wonderfully every day. Sometimes a ric or two will seem smaller-than-normal, but in a day or two, they're back to being full again. And my zoas are rockstars. I don't know if they even have names, but I call them green and orange. Green is a strong grower and has been doing so steadily for a few months. Orange is growing like a weed. I really should place a rock next to it to frag it. The only other creature in the tank besides the CUC members, is my sixline. Re-Pete, his name, has been in for 3 months and has done really well. He's fat on pods and is amazing in his color.
But...
as I mentioned before, I'm getting three new fish and several corals this Saturday. It's a 46 gallon tank and in what I would consider excellent water condition. Will the addition of three fish (two percs and one bicolor) potentially spike my tank? I wouldn't think so but I might as well ask more seasoned reefers.
The corals I am expecting are the frogspawn the percs host, several more rics, zoas, palys and mushrooms. I don't believe any of these corals (unless they die!) will place a big bioload on the tank, will they? I understand zoas, palys and mushrooms are more of water filters, but I'm not certain of the frogspawn.
Due to unprecedented levels of home repairs, I have no issues holding off on the NEM purchase for now as I'm giving my money away to repair people, but I am concerned of a spike in my tank with the refugees moving in. Anyone have any advice or experience that may help with the new arrivals?
Thanks!
You all make me what to get a NEM even more than I did before-- but I will resist (for now)! If there is a split in anyone's tank, would anyone be willing to make a deal? I have so few creatures/corals right now that I couldn't trade, unless I trade in the form of greenbacks
) As for my tank and it's conditions/stability, like I said before, so far, it's solid-- no swings, the water looks great, algae grows but never too fast and it's lazily eaten by the snails. I haven't seen anything to suspect any deeper lying issues-- my corals, of what I have, expand wonderfully every day. Sometimes a ric or two will seem smaller-than-normal, but in a day or two, they're back to being full again. And my zoas are rockstars. I don't know if they even have names, but I call them green and orange. Green is a strong grower and has been doing so steadily for a few months. Orange is growing like a weed. I really should place a rock next to it to frag it. The only other creature in the tank besides the CUC members, is my sixline. Re-Pete, his name, has been in for 3 months and has done really well. He's fat on pods and is amazing in his color.
But...
as I mentioned before, I'm getting three new fish and several corals this Saturday. It's a 46 gallon tank and in what I would consider excellent water condition. Will the addition of three fish (two percs and one bicolor) potentially spike my tank? I wouldn't think so but I might as well ask more seasoned reefers.
The corals I am expecting are the frogspawn the percs host, several more rics, zoas, palys and mushrooms. I don't believe any of these corals (unless they die!) will place a big bioload on the tank, will they? I understand zoas, palys and mushrooms are more of water filters, but I'm not certain of the frogspawn.
Due to unprecedented levels of home repairs, I have no issues holding off on the NEM purchase for now as I'm giving my money away to repair people, but I am concerned of a spike in my tank with the refugees moving in. Anyone have any advice or experience that may help with the new arrivals?
Thanks!
It depends.... How old is the tank and did you start with live rock? When I originally started my tank my rock was all white and if I placed that much into there I might have gotten a spike, however now my rocks are no longer white and have plenty of bacteria all over them. I would say probably not since the fish are the higher bio load, but it is possible.
Cool beans!
IMO if you've got corals growing, coraline spreading then you are ready for a BTA. I would also add something like a BTA in a smaller tank before I add more corals. I'm one of the lucky ones, my nems stay where I place them but a lot of people have problems with wandering nems that kill things in their path.
Also keep your eye on the for sale forum in the coming weeks, somebody ughmm, might have some RBTAs for sale cheaply.
The tank has been running for over 4 years, 6 of those months have been under my care. The rock is not at all white... coraline and loads of other colorful things as well as what I guess is macroalgae (it grows like little branches of a tree and gets munched on by snails), sponges, feather dusters (really small red and white ones) and of course the usual green algae has the rock covered (not so much the green or brown algae... the CUC keeps that almost non-existent). I never weighed the rock but am under good word that it's between 45-50 lbs. i think what you're saying, though, is the rock cured? It never sat out, even in the move, for more than the time it took to go from the tank to a cooler full of tank water to the tank again. I kept it heated and a powerhead going during the move, too. I believe I had a small cycle, as my nitrate level did bump up closer to 5ppm about two weeks after it was set up in my house and I had what I think was a bloom, but it's been 0 since and things are actively growing on it and there isn't that nasty dark brown algae any more, either.
As a side note, ever look at your live rock at night? Crazy stuff! The other night there was this worm... I think they're called peanut worms? Anyway, it just appeared out of this hole in the rock and started sucking up all kinds of junk on the rock and then it just disappeared. Freaky.
As a side note, ever look at your live rock at night? Crazy stuff! The other night there was this worm... I think they're called peanut worms? Anyway, it just appeared out of this hole in the rock and started sucking up all kinds of junk on the rock and then it just disappeared. Freaky.
