Factors in anemone survival

Discussion in 'Inverts' started by sostoudt, May 23, 2010.

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  1. sostoudt

    sostoudt Giant Squid

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    Do to recent anemone threads I decided to post some information on successful anemone keeping.

    The majority of successful anemone keepers do these things:
    1 )Have right around 4 watts per gallon

    2 )Feed the anemone, Anemones only feed based on responses to taste(for lack of a better word) of certain foods. Unknown food isn't taken in. If your anemone is never eating the food you provide you need to provide different food.

    3 )Keep the aquarium temperature at 80 degrees F.

    4 )Have moderate current on them to bring food and clean them.

    5 )Appropriately sized hosts, Anemones should be at least 3 times larger then the fish they host.

    6 )Keep salinity at 1.024-1.026, Anemones cannot regulate salinity or trace elements in the water.

    *seems to go against the grain*
    7 ) Most successful keepers use tap water to make water not RO water. This may simply be correlation not causation, but the difference in survival rates is significant.

    8 ) Anemone proof your tank. Any powerful powerheads should be covered to prevent anemones from being sucked in. Anemones will often sting your corals and wonder around take that into account when you place your corals.

    9 )Should go without saying, but a tank should be mature before add any anemone

    10 )Not every anemone is the same: every anemones has different preferences to positioning, research and take that into account. Some anemones break the suggestions above such as lighting or temperature. Some species are hardier then others.

    1-7 is based on the book clownfishes by joyce wilkerson. Buy the book its full of good information ;).
     
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  3. blackraven1425

    blackraven1425 Giant Squid

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    The 4 watts/gallon thing is misleading (beyond being a half-baked way to measure light to begin with). There's some anemones that come from much deeper waters than others. I know the BTAs come from both very deep and pretty shallow waters, which means the lighting variance within the species alone is quite large.
     
  4. sostoudt

    sostoudt Giant Squid

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    That was based on a survey of people that have had anemones survive for 2 years or more. Watts may not be accurate but its the most convenient measurement, I doubt more then 1 in 10 reefers could tell your there lumens(also flawed) or par per square foot.
     
  5. tigermike74

    tigermike74 Panda Puffer

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    Anemones are one of the hardest creatures to keep alive and it sucks that so many people go into trying to keep them without knowing their specific needs. The recent anemone I purchased at my LFS was severly bleached and about the size of a silver half dollar. I figured it probably would have better chance in my tank than there. It's been in my tank for 3 months now and has regained it's tan color in its trunk and is about 9" in diameter. I originally had it under T5 lighting and have it under a 10000K halide now. It's biggest growth and color spurt has been over the last 3 weeks since changing it out to MH. My tank has over 6 watts per gallon. I feed it an inch of raw uncooked shrimp 3 times a week. I also do weekly water changes to maintain trace elements and to keep dissolved organics low. It is a lot of work, but that is what I knew I would be getting myself in to when I purchased it.
     
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  6. sostoudt

    sostoudt Giant Squid

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    If anyone else wants to contribute what worked for them I'm sure people would appreciate it. I started this thread to help everyone(including me) get tips on keeping anemones.
     
  7. blackraven1425

    blackraven1425 Giant Squid

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    Ah, gonna go link this one for a dude who apparently decided to 'nem up his 24-hour-old setup....
     
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  9. missionsix

    missionsix Super Moderator Staff Member

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    You've given the gist in the first post. Ultimately, they move, they are clumsy, and cause a mess when you aren't looking. If you want to be technical, anemones should kept with a "species only" type tank setting giving the anemone priority at the tanks conception. Not something that should be tossed in later cause they look cool and someone is bored. You are then at the mercy of the anemone with the help of the few things we can do to help them thrive. Powerheads and overflows are public enemy #1... They should be left in the ocean, unless aquacultured.
     
  10. tigermike74

    tigermike74 Panda Puffer

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    I completely agree. As a general rule in this hobby, all our decisions should be based off countless research and dedicated thought into what we ultimately want in our tanks, the end result. When we go in haphazardly, disaster is always what awaits us. The only reason why I even entertained the idea of picking up my most recent anemone is that:
    1. it would have a better chance at survival in my tank than under the 24w T5 light it was under in the tank at the LFS
    and most importantly:
    2. I knew it was going in my tank that will only hold it, a pair of percula clowns that I hoped to breed, and a cleaner shrimp.
    I secured the Nano Koralia while it found its home under the rock and that was that.
    Best advice to anyone that wants to try an anemone is "Read, read, read, then ask, ask, ask" THEN go into it asking yourself do you really need one in your tank and is your tank well established and "clean" enough that YOU would want to live in it...