do i have to get rid of my anemone???

[oxkisses12ox]

i have a 3 month old 14 gallon oceanic biocube ... i have had a plate coral in my tank for around a month and it is perfect and doing great... i just got two clowns and they are small... i added a small bubble anemone today... and people are saying i have to take it out because it will die because my tank isnt aged enough.. but i used ocean water from the reef for my tank (i live in key west) and there was no die off to even start a cycle because it went straight from the ocean to my tank.... why do i have to wait so long?? will it really die?

 

[hansonfam]

Okay i wrote to you last night in regards to the clowns. You have ammonia levels and things seem to be out of sorts at the moment. I would not have added an anemone to that tank. First of all it hasn't been running long enough. Second you seem to be still running a cycle. You had a large amount of fish just die a couple weeks ago. And to top it all off you are throwing in a anemone that can be difficult to keep let a lone with a system that is not ready for it.
I would take it back. And try to figure out what is going on it that tank.
Everyone is trying to help you. When you post for advice and people give it to you but you do it anyways just leads to people being frustrated.

IMO take it back for the sake of the anemone and figure other things out. Everyone will help but in this hobby patience is a virtue

Don't rush anything or disaster will strike

Lisa

 

[ChunksInClemson]

Agreed, take it back, get store credit or something else you can use right now before you just throw away money.

 

[SuperNerd]

I also agree. It's hard not to want to jump at every cool little critter you pass by at the pet shop, but it's important to try, not only for the sake of the animals but for the sake of your wallet! :lmao:

If you do not have a lot of experience at least keeping some of the hardier SPS you may find keeping an anemone alive very difficult. These things don't die in nature. They are one of the few animals that only die when they're eaten or some disease gets them. When they die in the aquarium it's usually because something went wrong in the tank.

Take things slow and ask as much questions and do as much reading as you can here before you buy things.

If the LFS encouraged you to buy this anemone with a tank as young as yours I would also refrain from asking it from further advice.

The clowns should not have been added and the plate and anemone will not last too much longer if lighting, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, ammonia, SG, pH and nitrates are not all kept in check.

 

[oxkisses12ox]

i dont have any amonia or anything anymore... i went out to the reef and used reef water to put in my tank... so the cycle is obviously complete.. i wouldnt have put them in if i still had amonia. (which is now 0 ).. and my calcium is 410 now... alk.. 2.5 nitrites 0 nitrates 0 ph 8.2 ... temp 79

i am not disreguarding what everyone is telling me or i wouldnt even be on reef central.. i appreciate all of the advice given to me .... my amonia was .25 and i waited a few hours after putting water from our coral reef into my tank to test my water and everything is perfect... still is just re checked my water..

 

[InvaderJim]

You disrupted your cycle. You HAD ammonia, then did a water change and messed up your cycle. That's why you see no ammonia.

 

[fuzzyt]

Understand that the water in the tank doesn't have much to do with the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Its the filters, such as your live rock and sand that take care of them. Until the bacteria population is up to a point where the take can handle the ammonia levels on their own, you will continue to get spikes. I imagine there is a reason that your 3 month old tank is still seeing spikes. Could be a dead critter hidden away under a rock. Could be the bioload, but you currently don't have much of a load in it ( PS, bristle worms are your best friend ). Could be an algae nutrient export issue. Point is, you should let the tank parameters settle for at least a week before you put anything in. Once the tank levels out, you could easily keep a small anemone.

Best of luck.

 

[davocean]

I would take it back, unless you want to deal w/ a serious amonia spike and a dead nem.
Ocean water isn't really speeding up your cycle, you need established bacteria from LR, sand or whatever.
I personally wouldn't have a nem in a tank that small.
Hard to water params balanced, and it's going to sting whatever it touches.

 

[Javeo]

Take it back dear, your water wont be stable for another good few months at least. Its not nice to subject any creature to such stress simply for your own desires. My anemone tank took a whole year to settle down, this was After a 2 month cycle with only liverock and a clean up crew. Then a year with only fish, only after this did I add anemones. Long term success is better, if you rush it will come to nought and many people have left the hobby beacuse they had short term failure.

 

[RedSonja]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8913951#post8913951 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Javeo
Long term success is better, if you rush it will come to nought and many people have left the hobby beacuse they had short term failure.

IAWTC

You don't *have* to take it back, but if you want to increase its chances of survival, you *should* take it back. Let the tank cycle completely, then let it establish itself for several months, then try again. Please take it back for store credit.

-Sonja

(OT to Javeo: oooh a Cruxshadows sig, I like you. )

 

[Javeo]

:O I love the Cruxshadows, went to a concert last month, was amazingly good. Cant wait for dreamcypher to come!

 

[zoomfish1]

Didn't necessarily mean to bump this thread, but the same advice has been given to this poster on several occassions. I even PM'd to help where I could.

I hope the advice was taken to heart and not just disregarded. This poster does seemed concerned with the mortality of the animals or they wouldn't ask questions.

Oxkisses12ox, how are things doing in the tank? You have been given some really good and heartfelt advice here. Has it helped?
Are thing starting to settle in now with the tank?

 

[oxkisses12ox]

everything is great!! except a little algae ... but my clowns are great and in my QT tank.... they had ick so i am in the middle of treating it but from what i can see all of their spots are gone and i havent had amonia for over a week now.... everything is great!