hardware specs for clown/anemone tank

[jscarlata]

i have always wanted to have a nice clown/anemone tank. years ago when i was just out of college i created a fairly successful 55 reef, i say fairly because while all of my corals thrived (mostly LPS) i had fish troubles because i did not have or use a quarantine tank. anyway, its been a long time since i had a tank, and i've been considering taking the plunge. Initally, about a year ago, i researched doing a large tank, 120g, but the economics of a tank that big are too much for me to swallow. while at a LFS this week i noticed that the 65's and 75's are very reasonably sized and priced tanks that make getting started pretty easy.
my question for this group is what type of filtration and lighting is required to succeed with a clown/nem tank. my favorites are percs and maroons and for nem's i love magnificas but have read the challenges in keeping them, but i also like BTA's and carpets. i would not be going crazy with other corals like sps. i prefer bubbles and other LPS. i dont want to get too technical with CO2 or ozone...so what do you need to succeed?

 

[stagefright13]

Live rock, protein skimmer, sand, and Metal Halide. Or other strong lighting.

That's my pick anyway. Works for me since I first started. But I'm no expert. But my Clown's may beg to differ.

Drip kalk for top off water and dose a buffer once in a while if test say so. And keep calcium about 400. And make sure your tank has aged quite some time and is past the algae stage first.

 

[Mike31154]

I have a previously owned 75 gal housing, among other things, a Maroon Clown pair hosting in a GBTA. The anemone is doing fine under a 36 inch T5HO lighting fixture with one actinic and one 10000k bulb. In fact, a colony of zoanthids has started growing spontaneously from a single polyp which appeared late last year. Other than that, I have plenty of live rock, an old DIY air driven counter current skimmer and an Ecotech Vortech pump to provide water movement. I don't have a sump yet, but am running a Rena XP4 canister filter with empty baskets for additional volume and a little extra flow. Periodically I throw a bag of carbon in the top basket of the canister filter. Other than regular water changes I do not dose anything into the system.
BTAs are considered one of the easier anemones to keep and since maroon clowns are natural symbionts, you should be good to go with a minimum of gear. As stagefright advises, you'll want to let your tank age for quite a while before adding the anemone, a good 6 months I reckon. You should be able to add the clown of your choice well before that though. Good luck, I'm sure you'll do well having the previous experience with the 55 gal reef to draw upon.

 

[stagefright13]

For Anemones a sump is necessary. You can't keep the heater in the main. It will need to be in the sump. And they can get sucked into a powerhead. So make sure your return can give enough flow to the tank to eliminate powerheads as much as possible. Or in a bigger tank you could use a spraybar or something. Remember this is a Clown Nem tank. Not SPS or anything...

Cover up any powerhead intakes it can roam into with foam. Cause they can roam if not happy with flow etc. Low flow is best for Nems. But Clowns love lotsa current to play in. So position nozzles accordingly. And everyone will be happy.

And will be well worth the effort. After alot of experimentation tho Nems like MH best. I have a bunch of leftover lighting in the garage. But went back to MH because that is what they responded to better. Maybe they like the water flicker... Or maybe they were wild caught ones I have. Clones of nems may be better to keep. But I dunno.

One last tip put most of your flow across the back of the rocks.

1. Nems don't like lotsa current and will come to the front.
2. The back will stay much cleaner. The front is much easier to clean. At least for me.

Trust me I am not an expert. But is my best advice.

 

[jscarlata]

thanks guys, this is great advice and i'm very happy to hear it all, it sounds as though this is the right way to go for my budget. i still have my old little giant return pump and a good amount of hardware. the return i had was too much for the 55, so in a 75 it should be good. thanks again...big smiles here!

 

[stagefright13]

Well I wish you great luck I love clowns and nems.

Hey btw I have 3 boats... A 3.5 deep V a 7.5 deep V and a 7.5 outboard hydro. All with pipe's and water cooled exhaust throttles. Keep on racing dude!

I have TOO many hobbies to list them all lol...

 

[jscarlata]

hey stagefright, thanks...sopunds like cool boats, mine are bigger gasoline burners, but its all the same...my project boat is a 57" Apache with twin Quickdraw 25's in a counter-rotating setup, about 14.25 horses in total. still working out some issues with it, but its gonna be a handful for sure!

back to the tank:
OK, so now i'm seriously going to price the setup out, but i need some suggestions on HW:
for lighting, MH or flourescent and what wattage;
for skimming - inexpensive skimmer for up to 65g?
what else?
thanks in advance for the help!

 

[E.J. Coral]

You need to pick a species, then decide what you need. Every species of anemone has different requirements for light , substrate, and water flow.

 

[E.J. Coral]

Dude, where did you get that info?

Some anemones love flow.... and a ton of it!

I ran a sumpless BTA tank for years also.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13072849#post13072849 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stagefright13
For Anemones a sump is necessary. You can't keep the heater in the main. It will need to be in the sump. And they can get sucked into a powerhead. So make sure your return can give enough flow to the tank to eliminate powerheads as much as possible. Or in a bigger tank you could use a spraybar or something. Remember this is a Clown Nem tank. Not SPS or anything...

Cover up any powerhead intakes it can roam into with foam. Cause they can roam if not happy with flow etc. Low flow is best for Nems. But Clowns love lotsa current to play in. So position nozzles accordingly. And everyone will be happy.

And will be well worth the effort. After alot of experimentation tho Nems like MH best. I have a bunch of leftover lighting in the garage. But went back to MH because that is what they responded to better. Maybe they like the water flicker... Or maybe they were wild caught ones I have. Clones of nems may be better to keep. But I dunno.

One last tip put most of your flow across the back of the rocks.

1. Nems don't like lotsa current and will come to the front.
2. The back will stay much cleaner. The front is much easier to clean. At least for me.

Trust me I am not an expert. But is my best advice.

 

[jscarlata]

my preference is true percs and a magnifica...i know they are challenging to keep, but i'm prepared for the challenge, i just need some guidance.
if that combo isnt doable i would go with either white or yellow striped maroons and an RBTA...

 

[E.J. Coral]

All magnifica need really good flow. They also need good light and a lot of room. They cannot touch glass, or they will move...i.e. get a tank that is at least 30" wide and 30" long....hieght is not that important

My ideal magnifica species tank:

-36x36x20" display with appropriate sized pump
-400w 10k or 6500k in good reflecor
-Sequence Dart on an OM 4-way, surge tank, or a combination of powerheads to give >3000gph.
-Best skimmer you can afford AFTER you have bought your lights and circulation.

 

[stagefright13]

True E.J. maybe your nem won't move and burn on the heater. And maybe your Nem won't get sucked into a powerhead. Well guess what? My first Nem years ago DID indeed get sucked into a power head. And I know another that planted itself on the heater. They go where they want. Most of us go to work and come home and find these things out.

I stated I am not an expert. Just giving advice I know to be true. You should use a sump. That's why installed mine in 2003. JUST for my nem.

The Nems I have or had are lta or bta. So others may be different with desired flow. And maybe will pick a spot with low flow then want more later after acclimated. The 2 I have now stay about a foot away from the return and shield their foots under rocks and or sand. Their tentacles move fairly gently. And the BTA high tailed it away from the powerhead I have behind the rock.

Actually my new bta is now perched in the almost exact spot as the one I had years ago...

 

[OrionN]

H. magnifica will need MH (250W+) and lots of flow and a large tank (lots of money monthly for electricity). Ideal tank for a Magnifica need to be at least 24 inch each size. If you want to stay on a buget, it is best to get a tank for BTA. Either of the fish you like will be fine with BTA. However BTA is not the natural host of Ocellaris or Percula in the wild.

 

[E.J. Coral]

Or you can put your heater in your HOB skimmer and cover all intakes with sponges

Anemones require many things, but not sumps.....

 

[stagefright13]

You got me there EJ but the skimmer I had before the sump was a hang on and can't fit a heater in it. And I hate cleaning out sponges daily after the clowns do tailspins and clog them with sand. My Clown ALWAYS does a burnout under the powerhead. I think she likes to see her damage spray all over the place lol!

Well they live in a small area and maybe that is fun for her. A sump is not so hard. Just 1 return pump and any sized tank that will fit in the stand. And a couple hoses. Also is handy for gentle water changes and dosing Calcium and other stuff. I will never have a sumpless tank again ever.

But maybe you could put a cover over the heater. The heater is the biggest problem cause it will burn their foot if they attach to it. Usually at night when the lights go out and the water cools a bit. And of course it may never go near the heater.

I got my 10 gallon sump tank at walmart for 10 bucks...

But thanks for the info. I didn't realize the harder to keep Nems required so much flow. 2nd thing I learned today on RC.

 

[elegance coral]

There are many ways to set up an anemone/clown tank, and there will be different opinions on what's the best way to do it. Here's my opinion, for what it's worth.
Assuming you are on a budget and going with Perc/Magnifica. I would go with a shorter tank than the 75gl. I am a firm believer in MH lights for anemones. Especially Magnifica. On a 4' long tank, you would need two MH's to get an even brightness to the tank. On a shorter tank, like a 2' cube, you can cut the lighting cost in half with just one MH. You may be able to get away without a sump, but there are many benefits to having one. You will want the Magnifica high on a rock pile in the center of the tank. Without a sump, this will make water changes a challenge without exposing the anemone. With an appropriate sized sump, you can change all the water you want without affecting the water level in the display. A rubber made tote from Wal-Mart is all you need for a sump. I don't know what size your Little Giant is, but I assume it is large enough the provide all the water movement you would need in a shorter tank. This could eliminate the need for power heads. Most people would agree that Magnifica will benefit from alternating current. You could get an OM 4way, but it will cost you. A more economical alternative would be a SCWD. They have recently come out with a 3/4" SCWD that should be able to handle your water flow. You could split each discharge from the SCWD in two, giving you 4 discharges into the tank. This should give you a good back and forth motion without jet washing the anemone in one area.
So, if I were in your shoes, this is what I would get.
A tote from Wal-Mart
A SCWD
The largest skimmer money will allow
A 250W 10K MH. Maybe some PC's for supplemental lighting
For the tank I would get a cube, octagon, or corner tank.
Add LR and water, and you should be set.

 

[jscarlata]

thanks guys, i really appreciate your input. i will probaly research this for a while, i havent broached the subject with the missues yet, but th elast time i talked about a tank with her was when i wanted to do a 120 mixed reef which would have cost me a few grand! she wasnt into that! this might be a little easier for her to swallow....
i would either do a 36" tank or a cube, sounds like the cube is the way to go. anyway, i'll be lurking here and there for a while, and again, thanks for the input

 

[jscarlata]

Hey all...inforgot I started this thread....well I finally started the build...Here isnwhatbinhave so far, all bought used

46 bow front, 36" wide, and about 15-16 wide in the middle.
A combo light fixture, single 250w meal halide with 2 96w power compacts and 8 moonlights, individual switches and cooling fans in the alum case.
Neptune ac-jr
Tunze 7094 controller

Leftover from my old tank:
Reef tech wet dry and overflow
Little giant pump
Airstone skimmer

So I have a good bit of gear i think, at least to get started. Fitting a sump in the curved stand of the bow front was tricky but the old wet dry i had fit the bill. I just modified it a little to put a refugium section where the bioballs used to go. It s a little weird, because the sump's profile is j shaped, not a rectangle. the top section will be the fuge with cheato, the inflow will go to the bottom of the sump, it will go thru a baffle where a small powerhead will pump up into the fugue section, the rest will go to the return. The fuge will overflow into the return section as well. I will feed the skimmer from the overflow and either feed it to the fuge or the main section. Pics will help lol. The Lower section is pretty big so I will put rock and sand in here too. Its hard to describe, il ake some pics.
I figurine have time before any nems to obtain some used tunze controllable pumps, but innate everything else. I do need a new ph and temp probe for the acjr, and probably will go for a controllable outlet block for thelights at some point.
So for the return I will try to keep it all on the rear rocks, i saw a loc-line part that is a long line of outlets that can form a circle...i think it will be perfect.
My plan for rock and sand was to go marcorocks all the way and seed the sand with 10lbs of garf grunge. And some pieces of lie rock bought locally.
I have a coralife luft pump that i think i used on the skimmer years ago, is that a good air pump, I ws also thinking about getting one of the tetratec deep water pumps, but the luft pump has good specs...
Off to take pics...anyone have opinions or suggestions feelfree to post up...thanks!

 

[Conrad25]

They have jump incredibly drastically from those airstone skimmers. I would upgrade the skimmer. You can find a good used one for that size tank for less than a 100.00. An ASM G1 skimmer would work great for it even. The skimmer you have is pretty useless these days if you seen what newer ones pull out:bounce2:

 

[jscarlata]

I know the skimmer i have is not top of the line tear days it will be upgraded by the time the nem comes into the picture. I will say that there are plenty o people that support airstone skimmers. I do t know enough about either to decide on that yet. I have very limited space under. The stand And in the sump so I need an external skimmer. I have been hunting the fs section! Lol
Thanks for the tip