First anemone

[[17]shawn[17]]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8047669#post8047669 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TKByrnes
Get the metal halides if you can. then you can have any coral you want!

1 problem i dont have money for metal halides or any coral i want only 70$ left in the bank im screwed and theres no more work till this winter

im 15 and my parents refuse to drive me to the lfs any more time to tell my mom the next tank is hers so she will chip in some money

 

[dcombs44]

I think the main thing that you need to learn with this hobby is patience. No one has really mentioned that yet in this forum. It's been said a thousand times that nothing in this hobby happens quickly. Do your research. Get on the forums here and read and ask questions BEFORE you make a purchase and endanger an animal's life, and when you feel totally comfortable with what you're about to do, then buy the fish/coral/invert etc. Take your time and learn first. Be glad you found reefcentral before you wasted all your money like I did when I started.

 

[[17]shawn[17]]

ok ive had enough today i think i will return the beloved BTA should i be asking for my money back or half or just give it to him keeping in mind it was in poor health when i bought it (short stubby tentacles and not sticky)

 

[redvipe2010]

What was the return policy? Did you know it was in poor health when you bought it? Do you know anyone in your area that would be willing to take him off of your hands?

 

[[17]shawn[17]]

i do not know there return policy? i had some idea but i did not know that it was that bad i just figured it needed some good food in it and it would be ok,i think i might know someone who might take him he works at another lfs im town i know him pretty well ill c if he wants it

 

[redvipe2010]

Giving him to a reefer friend might be the best, he may get better care than at a LFS, and you may be able to get a split someday from your friend when your tank is ready.

If you decide to take him back to the LFS, I would call and talk to the owner first. Taking the anemone out of the tank, and finding out the LFS will not take him back, and having to put him back in your tank, will only cause more stress on the BTA.

 

[orlenz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8054903#post8054903 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by redvipe2010
Giving him to a reefer friend might be the best, he may get better care than at a LFS, and you may be able to get a split someday from your friend when your tank is ready.

If you decide to take him back to the LFS, I would call and talk to the owner first. Taking the anemone out of the tank, and finding out the LFS will not take him back, and having to put him back in your tank, will only cause more stress on the BTA.

Good point, also it sounds like the guy at this LFS may not know how to properly care for an anemone, while there should be a local reefer that can give it a chance at surviving.

 

[boomsticks]

Don't bother with anems...IMO mantis shrimp are the way to go! LOL They are much more active and mine puts on quite a show knocking snails right outta the tank! But if you must go with the BTA try getting a clown My GBTA or Long Tentecle I just can't identify the stupid thing...well he did much better when I got the Maroon Clown. The clown feeds and prunes the algae around it.

 

[TKByrnes]

I didnt mean that mh lighting would work by themselves. i see that he is learning and it will take time before he can keep anything that he wants. All i was saying is that the lighting would support anything he wants. and no i didnt take it that you were bashing me. i just didnt clarify what i was saying. my fault.

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8017937#post8017937 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AquaReeferMan
Yeah 65w of pc really isnt enough light. I had one in a 20g with 185w and it did alright. It really didnt show any bulbs while it was in there. Once I moved it into my 55g with 300w of HQI and 130w PC actinics It bulbed up nice and is growing. I would take it back until you have a better lighting fixture.

65w of PC is plenty. I've got one under a 13w PC bulb thats growing well. They just need lots of food.

whether or not they have bubbles has nothing to do with light, or health.

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8017995#post8017995 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by [17]shawn[17]
here he is

Did he look that color when you bought him? looks pretty bleached to me.


BTAs are about as bulletproof as you can get, theyre almost impossible to kill if they start out healthy. THe problem is, the stores tend to beat them almost to death.


If you lose this one, get the next one from another hobbiest, it'll be cheaper, and healthier.

 

[redvipe2010]

BTA's are far from being bullet proof. And very possible to kill!

 

[TKByrnes]

yea i learned that the hard way when i first got into the hobby. had it for a total of 32 hours.

 

[thor32766]

any anemone is possible to kill, thats why alot of people tell you that need to be in a mature stable tank

 

[RichConley]

thor, yes, its possible to kill, but IMO, theyre one of the toughest things to kill you can keep in a marine tank. Much tougher than most corals.

 

[redvipe2010]

Anemones are delicate creatures. I don't believe that they are hardier than most corals. Telling a newbie or anyone else for that matter, that BTA's are bullet proof, is completely wrong.

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8057956#post8057956 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by redvipe2010
Anemones are delicate creatures. I don't believe that they are hardier than most corals. Telling a newbie or anyone else for that matter, that BTA's are bullet proof, is completely wrong.

BTAs MOVE if they dont like their conditions. Corals just die. That makes them much more hardy.


Honestly, the belief that BTAs are so tough is silly. LOok at Calfo's book. He grows them in vats with shoplights and just dumps food in. They dont need clean water, they dont need lots of light. THeyre EASY.

Much easier than Xenia.

 

[redvipe2010]

OMG!!! That's insane. BTA's don't need clean water? or lots of light? I guess that all depends on what you consider clean and what you consider a lot of light.

You said BTA's are hardier than most corals, and you give an example of Xenia? People can't give it away where I live, they end up tossing it in the trash because it grows so fast.

BTA's can move if they don't like their conditions? Where are they going to go if the conditions in the entire tank are not suitable?

If they are so easy and don't need much, how come there are so many people that have so much trouble with them? If they were so easy they wouldn't be so expensive, because there would be too many of them.

If you have found a way to keep BTA's that the rest of the world doesn't know about, why don't you post it in the clownfish and anemone forum, and share your information.

I don't see how your offering any help to the author of this thread by posting such comments.

 

[redvipe2010]

Shawn:

Check out the FAQ in the Clownfish and Anemone forum. It has a lot of helpful information, along with the previous website I posted for you.

Do research on everything before your purchase, it will be worth it in the long run.

There are a lot of threads in the Clownfish and Anemone forum also, you may want to take the time to read as many as you can. There is a lot of information on BTA's there, along with pictures of healthy and unhealthy ones.

 

[chammer]

I agree with RichConley, if you can't keep a BTA alive you don't have any business keeping a reef tank. I have had one for about 6 weeks in a 4 month old 50 gallon with 196 watts PC, I feed it 2x a week and it seems to be thriving. I have a pair of Maroon Clowns keeping it company also. When I bought it, it was about 4", now it's 5" and growing. IMHO 65 Watts PC in a 20 should be OK as long as the BTA is in the upper 1/2 of the tank.

I believe the original posters major problem is simply not leaving the poor thing alone. The less often you put your hands in the water the better off everything in your reef tank will be.

That's my .02 FWIW.