host for clarkii pair

[mattsilvester]

Hey guys,

In the early stages of planning the stocking list for my 240 gal tank. Having had a clarkii clown before, this time round I am going to get a pair - great fish! He used to host in my sacrophton leather coral (about 12" across on average).

This time round, I'd like to get a pair, and a porper anemone. Could you please advise what is the best type of anemone to get. I ant to get something that will be (1) Hardy, (2) Stationary, (3) big enough to be a host (in that order of priority).

This tank will hopefully be SPS based, so water quality will be good, as will flow and lighting. I was planning to get the anemone early in the life of the tank, let it find its preferred spot, and then structure the corals around it - does this sound feasible?

thanks guys,

Regards,

Matt

 

[GSMguy]

anemones need a well established aquarium 6 months old at least
Clarkii will host anything

 

[Last_Tang_o]

I have a new 30g bio-cube, which is an extension of my 55g (moved sand, a piece of liverock, and water from the fuge to the nano), along with my big mama Clarkii who was harrassing my other fish, and got her a bubble-tipped anemone two weeks ago. She took to it right away, and the two are inseparable now. I just added some more "dead coral" rockwork to my live rock (it's now all seeded with coraline algae-- less than two weeks-- and I paid half the price of liverock for it!), so the BTA has its pick of places to settle. It's beautiful when fully open (mostly in the evening). I just can't get over how fast the clown took to it! The minute we put it in, the fish made a beeline for it! I like carpet anemones, but the BTA is just SO much more attractive (to me at least)!

 

[mattsilvester]

Thanks for the input guys. I suppose if I made my plan a little more clear it might help.

When I say "early" in the tanks life, I would mean roughly about 6 months old. From the day that I add salt, it will be a week before I add live rock - I am planning on adding 120lbs of premium fiji LR and 120lbs or good quality "dead" LR (as in dry). There will also be a refigium and a 1" sand bed (Caribsea Aragamax sugar fine). This will all be added, and allowed to cycle / settle for a couple of weeks before adding snails etc. At about a month, if everything is ok, I will be adding a school of yellow tangs (5 fish). It will be a good month or two before I add more fish - and then it will be blennies and gramma's and the like. At about 6 months, the refugium should be well established, and there should be plenty of life on the LR, and the dead LR well seeded - up until this point I will not have added anything like wrasse or dwarf angels etc that would prey on critters etc. This is when I had intended to introduce the clownfish and anemone, before any other corals that might get smothered by a reasonably sized anemone.

I will be starting off with just 2 no. MH lamps. At the 6 month period, right before I get the anemone, I had planned on getting a 400W lamp, which would be positioned centrally, with a good island of rock, in good water flow etc. Hopefully this will prove to be a spot to the anemone's liking.

Thoughts etc. much appreciated.

Regards,

Matt

 

[xbambamx]

five yellow tangs after a month.. eesh.. sounds kinda soon, thats if it even cycles that quick..

 

[mattsilvester]

If it cycles....... if I have to wait longer, then I'll wait longer. I've had quite alot of experience with both setting up tanks and yellow tangs - with the LR, the water volume, the refugium and the the oversized skimmer (deltec turbo 1060s) I am confident that the yellows will be ok - and the tank will be allowed to settle well before anything else is added.

Cheers,

Matt