Can I keep an anemone in my FOWLR tank??

[Mikefallen13]

Hello,
I have a 20 gal long FOWLR and I have always wanted to put an anemone in it but I am unsure if the fish in the tank will do it any harm. The current residents of the tank I am concerned about are a tiny (1") Bursa Trigger and a Saddle Valentini Puffer. So will these fish harm an anemone? I really want a green carpet, long tentacle or RBTA. Oh, and before anybody starts posting about it, I realize the trigger will need a larger tank when it gets bigger. Any suggestions/comments will be helpful!

 

[OrionN]

Anemone are sensitive animal that need clean water and very high light. They are harder to keep healthy than most corals. The thing that really differentiate FOWLR and Reef tank is the light and water quality. Do you have enough light? What is the bioload of your tank? Is the water clean enough for a very sensitive invertebrate.

 

[Mikefallen13]

Well lighting and water quality are not a problem. I'm using a 4 bulb T5 fixture that I used on my last reef tank, and water quality is excellent (I am currently battling slightly elevated phosphate levels and some diotomic algae but it shouldn't be a problem). Currently the only other inhabitant besides the puffer and trigger is a longnose hawkfish, so its a light bioload on my filter.

 

[OrionN]

I have not keep any of these two fish so I don't have any personal experience.
LTA and Carpet need a sand bed. They are fish eater so likely they can take car of themselves against the fish. In fact, if you keep a carpet in the tank, I would not worry about the carpet but rather whether or not the carpet will eat the fish.

 

[Mikefallen13]

Ok, I just called my LFS and they told me almost the same thing. They told me a carpet, ritteri, condy or long tentacle would be OK and they think BTAs and rock anemones would be ok too but there's a higher risk of the fish bothering them.

 

[Tmoriarty]

Your LFS will lead you wrong based off what you just stated, a ritteri is not ok in a tank that size, neither is a carpet anemone (s. gigantea).

If you plan to keep clowns (Sebae/Clarki/Maroons will hold their own vs those tank mates) than get a hosting anemone, a BTA will host any of the above.

S. Haddoni will eat those fish (puffers are clumsy) I had a haddoni eat two puffers in a 55g tank. I also kept some BTA's in that tank at another point in time with a decent size Humu Humu trigger and a small puffer.

I would reccomend a BTA, but watch water quality, triggers and puffers as you probably know are extremely messy eaters, they destroy food as they eat so filter socks changed regularly (every day or two) will do wonders for your water quality. Your lighting would be fine for a BTA.

For what its worth the puffer and trigger never bothered the anemone (but puffers are definately coral eaters)

 

[Mikefallen13]

Ok! It's nice to know someone else actually managed to keep an anemone with these fish, I wasn't even sure it was do able. I was also skeptical of LFS's advice, as they don't have many corals and inverts and the few they have are in a tank with no fish. So I guess I will get a BTA! Thank you for the advice!

 

[Tmoriarty]

Just keep an eye on it, while my puffers did not try to pick at the BTA, that does not guarantee yours will not (although yours is a Toby puffer) so its size may keep it from the BTA even if it wants a sample.

BTA's do not pack a potent sting and even accidental brushes from a fish only result in death if the fish was already extremely weak.

Best of luck.