Anemone options for Maroon Clowns

[ReefingintheUSA]

Hi all. This is my first post to the site.

I have two maroon clowns that are still pretty small and mated well. (the first female died as soon as I brought her home, diseased, maybe) so the little boy was all alone. Fish store gave me new female next day and adapted perfectly. My little girl said - look, the boy is happy to have a new girlfriend! lol

ANYWAY - debating on anemone's. I only want one anemone and deciding on either a Sebae anemone - probably a purple sebae or a purple tip sebae.
Also deciding on a rose bubble tip.

Anyone with experience in these two anemone's I appreciate your input. I would love to give these maroon's a new home as right now they both have claimed a cave in the back as their home.

What's the point of fish if you can't see them? So since everything goes perfectly in an aquarium the first time around, I will purchase the perfect anemone, it will thrive and the maroons will host in it 10 minutes after I put it in the tank to live happily ever after. BTW, my daughter named the girl Belle, and the boy Prince.

I'm not the least bit sarcastic.

 

[Superstretch18]

The natural host anemone for maroon clowns is the bubble tip anemone. I've once or twice seen them go into long tenticles, but anything other than a bubble tip is a long shot.

The upshot is that bubbles are the hardiest anemones anyway, so it should make your life easier...

 

[clowns101]

THE BEST 1 WOULD BE A BULBBLE TIP ANEMONE

 

[ReefingintheUSA]

Hmmm. thanks for the input. I'm really debating and read that sebae's are pretty easy to keep.

Also, do anemone's split pretty frequently in good conditions?

 

[ellevan11]

Anemones tend to split under stress.

Because i have no experience with sabaes, reference Dr Foster Smith, the sabae is a difficult species to keep. I would go for the bubbletip. Natural homes are alwase best.

 

[ReefingintheUSA]

Thank you. I'll check out the bta's and post a follow up on how everything goes. including pics.

 

[Toddrtrex]

What size tank do you have? And what lights?

Finding a healthy Sebea isn't easy, but if you do manage too, they are about average for ease of keeping -- as far as anemones are concerned. But, they do get very large.

A BTA would be easier, and could get a cloned one from a local hobbyist.

 

[ReefingintheUSA]

Glad I posted. I was so close to getting this beautiful purple sebea and thought I shoud research a little more. I'm holding out for a rose bubble tip now. Would love to meet some more local reefers to do some swapping and frag sharing.
I would really like to see the maroons in a 'real' home and not hiding in their cave.
I was lucky that they paired up so easily and don't fight at all.

 

[ReefingintheUSA]

I have a
Current USA Solana 34 Gallon Aquarium w/ 6x18W Nova Extreme Pro T5HO
3-10k/3-460nm actinics

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15223710#post15223710 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefingintheUSA
I have a
Current USA Solana 34 Gallon Aquarium w/ 6x18W Nova Extreme Pro T5HO
3-10k/3-460nm actinics

An BTA would do fine -- at least as far as lights and size of the tank are concerned (( can't speak how it would do with your water )).

A Sebae wouldn't work for very long in that tank. Many many years ago I had a Sebae in my 75, it took up 1/3 of the tank.

 

[ReefingintheUSA]

I think I read that the more intense lights will keep them smaller and not get too wide. I don't want it to take up too much space so sounds like after today I am sold on the BTA - I want what is best for the maroons - gotta keep them loving.

 

[Toddrtrex]

They will stretch out a bit more to get extra light, but even with ideal lights, an anemone will still get big. The last BTA that I had (( sold them all off )) was over 15" across, and it was under 2*250 MH, in a 75.

Since you have a pair of maroons, make sure the BTA is at least twice as big (( 3 times bigger would be better )) then the clowns. Maroons are known for loving anemones to death if the anemone is too small.

 

[ReefingintheUSA]

Geez. Loving it to death....
talk about a love hate relationship.
First I've heard of that. I'm glad I didnt get trigger happy in the local fish store and jump on an anemone I knew nothing about.

 

[ReefingintheUSA]

1. Does anyone reading this use REVIVE for a coral dip? If you are using it, have you used /can you use it to dip anemones?

2. Tank has been up and running for 3-4 months. Is this enough time to go ahead and add the anemone?

 

[Toddrtrex]

I witnessed my Clarkii pair do that to a Condy, why they were being hosted by that is beyond me.

I have never used Revive, and not sure why one would want to use it on an anemone.

I am guessing that from your sig that you are still relatively new to this hobby, if that is the case, I would say that 3-4 months is too soon. Would be better off waiting for 6-9 months. Two reasons, it give your tank more time to be "seasoned" and stable. And it gives you more time to get used to your tank. That extra time will allow you to learn more about your tank (( each tank is different )) and be able to tell when something is "off" even if the test kits do show it yet. That way you will be able to address an issue, and not a problem.

 

[tufacody]

Awesome you are asking questions Reefing. I've been into nems for several years and I still ask questions about them. I suggest you start with a rose BTA. Its a natural host for the marroon, and they tend to be the most hardy. If you can find a clone, those seem to have the best chances of survival in captivity.

Keep in mind that these guys move and sting anything in their path. Small tanks are best kept as species tanks for nems, and even then its hard. Take my advice and buy one that looks VERY healthy in the LFS. Pass on any signs of injury or ill health - you'll be glad you did.

One other thing - and people may disagree with me. I have found that the very "blood red" rbtas with longer tentacles do much better than the pinkish ones with shorter tentacles. I have no idea why.

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15225476#post15225476 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tufacody
............

One other thing - and people may disagree with me. I have found that the very "blood red" rbtas with longer tentacles do much better than the pinkish ones with shorter tentacles. I have no idea why.

I agree with you, but would like to add why. (( first, there are some naturally lighter colored ones, I had them, and those were healthy )). The light pinkish ones with the shorter tentacles (( at least a lot of the ones that I have seen )), are starting to bleach a bit, and therefore already stressed, transporting and then adding to a new (( to the anemone )) tank just adds more stress.

 

[tufacody]

makes sense, but how do you know what pink is bleached and what pink is natural?

 

[Reef Ridster]

I was thinking of getting a pink BTA instead of rose BTA, so very interested in determining which is authentic and which is stressed/unhealthy...
more research to be done!

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15225852#post15225852 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tufacody
makes sense, but how do you know what pink is bleached and what pink is natural?

There was a link in another thread (( about neon BTAs )) that had a link to, what I considered, an BTA that was starting to bleach. But, that link doesn't work any more. It is sort of a feel type thing, though is the tentacles are getting a bit transparent, I would think twice about it.