Bubble Tip in 30g?

[timmay42]

Hi there, I'm just getting into the hobby and I have a 30g bowfront I acquired from a friend a while back (still needs some work scraping off the gunk from his aquarist exploits) and I was wondering about anemones. I'd love to have a single or pair of clownfish (likely a 30g-acceptable tank-bred species) and I was thinking that a bubble tip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor) represents the most hardy and readily accepted (by clownfish) option for my tank. My only concern is that a book I have (Reef Secrets) explains that this species can be problematic due to the fact that its sting can harm other invertebrates.

From what I've read on Wet Web Media, it seems as if this may not be in fact as big a concern as this book I have implies, so I'm putting it out there for more experienced folks to weigh in on. I'm hoping to have some inverts (e.g. sea stars, crabs, etc. for "maintenance") and some corals - is 30g too small for a bubble tip and how concerned should I be about its sting?

Thanks!

 

[elegance coral]

A 30 would work for the anemone and a pair of clowns. If you start adding more you will need to evaluate your filtration. Add the BTA first so it has a chance to get settled before adding any other corals. This way it is les likely to move around the tank and go to war with its tankmates. I don't consider BTA's to have a very powerful sting, but they all sting.

 

[coast2coast7390]

i was thinking about doing the same thing in my 30

 

[demonsp]

Yea if he is happy in his home ( flow , lighting ,ect..) then he wont move much. But if he moves around alot then this could cause havic on the other inhabitants.

 

[bertoni]

I have a BTA in a 29g, and I think it's a tight fit. The animal covers a good chunk of the tank when open, and is still growing. I don't keep any fish in the tank, since I'm worried about the filtration load.

 

[timmay42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9880871#post9880871 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bertoni
I have a BTA in a 29g, and I think it's a tight fit. The animal covers a good chunk of the tank when open, and is still growing. I don't keep any fish in the tank, since I'm worried about the filtration load.

Can you perhaps elaborate on what you mean by that? Just curious...I was intending to have fish and inverts in my tank, so if there's a concern about filtration capacity of which I should be aware, I'd definitely like to know...

 

[elegance coral]

You can add a large bio load to a 29 gl tank if the filtration can handle it. My 29 is packed out but I have a large filtration system. Manufactures rate thier filtration by tank volume. They do this because it is hard to put a number on bio load. In reality filtration has little to do with the size of the tank. A 100gl tank with one clown fish in it needs very little filtration. The filtration needs to match or exceed the bioload. Don't buy filtration rated for a 29gl tank if you plan on having a large bioload.

 

[bertoni]

Well, the anemone eats a lot of food, and I'm worried about how much waste it might be producing.

 

[coast2coast7390]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9883821#post9883821 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bertoni
Well, the anemone eats a lot of food, and I'm worried about how much waste it might be producing.

they dont eat that much they use the nutrients produced by the simbiotic algae in their cells most of the time and only required feedings once a week...if that

 

[Tahlequah]

I feed my anemone once every couple of weeks. I feed him a sliver of fish about an inch long and about a quarter, probably less, wide. It has grown to about double the size I bought it at six months ago. But thats not saying much as it wasnt very big when I aquired it. Unfortunatly my tomato clown doesnt like my anemone.

Oh yeah, as an edit: The number 1 killer of anemones is over feeding.

 

[glockcoma]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9885353#post9885353 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tahlequah


Oh yeah, as an edit: The number 1 killer of anemones is over feeding.

Where did you read this statistic, I feed mine every other day and when I forget it gets elongated and it looks weak,

 

[Tahlequah]

I believe it was "Saltwater Aquariums make A Great Hobby" by John Tullock. It could have been one of the many other books I have read in the past years, but i believe it was that one.

IT could also depend on they type of anemone that you have. I notice that mine will also catch random flakes that fly its way, and some frozen brine when I give my fish thier weekly treat.

It could be that my tank gets about 2~3 hrs of direct morning sunlight before my tank light comes on. That is makeing my anemone do so well.

 

[bertoni]

I doubt there's any real evidence about what kills anemones, but it's not possible to overfeed them. They just spit out excess food. Now, overloading the tank's filtration is quite possible.

As far as anemones producing waste, I don't know of any strong data on that, either, but it's a big animal.