Im Starting up a new tank upgrading from a 23 gallon to a 137 gallon, At the moment i have a BTA and im looking for a different anemone in the bigger tank, the tank will have a wide range of corals from hard sps to zoas and the anemone , it will also have a different array of fish. I was just wonder whats the .02 cent on what anemone would be best for this tank and could it possibly host 4 clown fish? such as 2 black ice semi snowflake and 2 super black (phantom) semi snowflake clownfish. Thanks
Carpet Anemone or H Magnifica Anemone
- Thread starter gotzkill
- Start date
velvetelvis
Active member
E.intheC
Active member
I would add a BTA or Haddons to the list as well personally.
One of the biggest issues I had, (even with a stable 90 gallon aquarium) with two haddonis was the flow. It was difficult finding the balance. Haddons carpets don't like a lot of flow, and if you're going with SPS, it will be difficult making everyone happy.
Everything I've read has said gigs and mags are much more difficult than haddonis, and haddonis aren't easy to keep for beginners either.
JohnniG
New member
Isnt that generalizing a bit?
Great point!
I think natural environment should be considered when adding/planning any inhabitants to a tank... There is a big difference between tidal/lagoon species and reef/surf species... Shallow vs Deepwater plays an important role with lighting requirements as well...
In my opinion it is our responsibility to consider all this before purchasing a fish/invert...
The first time I encountered environment being an issue was several years ago when I bought a Borbonius Anthia... I added it to my 58g reef tank and wondered why I hardly saw it and the rest of my anthias were always out... After a bit more research I discovered it was a deepwater species... I then set up a deepwater reef tank without metal halides and stocked with Dendros, zoanthids, and lower light species and then my Borbonius was out all the time...
I guess this lengthy post is all to suggest to the OP to consider all of the inhabitants of the tank before setting it up... Understand you may have to sacrifice having certain fish/inverts for others because the equipment and environment requirements are different... One of the most rewarding things about having an aquarium is being able to observe different species as if they were not captive, but in their natural environment... Create that environment and it is possible to do so...
This comes back to the discussion of which clowns are being planned to stock and the size of the tank they are being put in... I have seen many larger tanks with multiple pairs of clowns...
Some species of clowns are more territorial than others... GSM's get larger and will cover a larger area than Percs... If there is only one host anemone in the tank, it will likely not end well for one of the pairs... If there are multiple host aneomes set at opposite sides of the tank, the chance for success increases...
Another misconception I see is that volume is what is important when deciding a tank is large enough... IMO footprint plays a much more important role. A 135g tank 72x18x24 is a better tank than a 150g tank 48x24x30 for hosting multiple pairs of clownfish... That also being said I prefer a larger footprint than a 135 for multiple pairs... I do plan to have multiple pairs in my 185g tank 60Lx30Wx24H...
Bottom line is do the research... Try to follow the rules of thumb and not hope to be the exception... Best of luck! :thumbsup:
velvetelvis
Active member
Well, it generally turns out to be the case.
What may sound like pessimism or discouragement on this forum is actually often the voice of weary experience. A lot of new clownfish and/or anemone keepers think they're going to be that one-in-a-million exception to the "rule" they're bent on breaking. They almost never succeed. The naysayers are trying to help people avoid making decisions they'll almost invariably come to regret.
