found out what killed my open brain

[Larry M]

Jon--You make many good points, and a few I could argue with. I think it boils down to this: we look at the issue from different sides of the fence. I'm being more than a little conservative about this because I feel a sense of responsibility connected with putting this board out for the world to see. What worries me is not so much the people who post here, but the people who read the board and don't. Of the 4000+ that hit this board every day, the silent majority are the ones we know nothing about--their skill level, knowledge base, etc. So, when I see a thread like this one get to the point of almost endorsing the keeping of these animals, I get a little excited.

But your point that we should be freely sharing what knowledge we do have about them instead of repressing any discussion, is a point that has been made by others too--ctenophore, for example. As a result we are in the process of putting together a special forum here that will deal with just that concern. It should be up and running soon. Thanks for your input.

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Larry M

My Personal Site, Northern Reef

 

[Larry M]

BTW, apologies to Christine for getting her thread so far off track.


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Larry M

My Personal Site, Northern Reef

 

[Christine]

No problem. I've enjoyed reading it.

 

[reefgal]

Since you are being so gracious with your thread Christine, I will add my two cents worth....

jdthomas & Larry M,

You both have excellent points. I, too am one of the many who acquired anemones with the encouragement of the first lfs I did business with. Books I purchased, such as Fautin & Allen's "Anemone Fishes and their Host Sea Anemones" (by Tetra), said NOTHING to make me believe they were impossible (or even THAT difficult) to keep.

It was not until several months (and at least a dozen books and the discovery of the bulletin boards) later, that I realized the lfs I was dealing with was not a "student" of the hobby, he was simply a "fish monger". But, how was I to assesss the qualifications of someone who was involved in an activity that I knew NOTHING about? (Incidently, I have since located a wonderful LFS. The owners and staff are all dedicated hobbyists, extremely knowledgeable and environmentally conscious.)

So there I was.... In possession of two bubble-tipped anemones (one rose, one green) that I felt guilty for owning. I thought about taking them back to the lfs, but decided that all that would accomplish was ridding myself of the guilt. Chances were, the anemones would have faired much worse in his care (or in the care of another newbie).

So I kept them and continue to keep them.... I do my best to provide the most suitable environment. I read up on any current information available. I DO NOT recommend them to others, nor will I replace mine if they die. However, they are presently both doing fine. (Although I still don't call myself a "success story", more like "lucky" ) They have about doubled in size since I got them in April of 1999. They have both found locations in my tank where they are happy and have not moved. I have a pair of percula clowns that float between the two.

I wonder how many other accidental anemone owners there are?

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Now, how do you pronounce that again?

Reefgal in the desert

 

[golfish]

Reefgal,
I'm glad to hear you've been able to keep your Anemones alive as long as you have and hope that they stay alive for a long long time.

I'll bet there are thousands and thoudands of accidental Anemone owners out there....and I agree the biggest problem is the LFS guy who sells them.

Mark

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http://members.xoom.com/golfish1/reef.htm

 

[Aquaman]

Golfish,

Actually I took my carpet from my father-in-law. He had it in his 125 for a year before I took it. He is a dinosaur in his fishkeeping techniques. He is running NO lights that are over a year old, has mats of green hair algae and red cynaobacteria. Never fed the anemone. It shrank from over 12" in diameter to about 6 before I got it. I have had it for almost a year now myself and have it back up to 10 to 12" in diameter.



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Teach what you have known for years as if you learned it yesterday,
Teach what you learned yesterday as if you have known it all you life.
Life is short so Reef Hard

www.magicnet.net/~jwhite/aquamans.html