How long have you had your anemone?

[aubee91]

My tank is a little over six months old so I've started THINKING about getting an anemone some time in the next 3-12 months for my pair of perc clowns.

So my question for those of you who have or had an anemone is - what kind is/was it and how long have/did you have it? Pics or any other pertinent or interesting info would be appreciated as well.

Btw, if there's another recent thread on this topic, please just point me to it and disregard this one.

 

[aubee91]

Bump.

 

[gkarshens]

I have had my BTA for about 7 months. It took a month and a half before my Clowns (Oscellaris) decided to host. Once they did it changed color and quite getting bubble tips. Otherwise it seems very healthy and the only problem I have had is it sometimes decides to move and I have to rearrange the corals around it. Here are 2 pics. The first is when I got it and the second was about a month ago.

 

[Amphiprion]

I have had a female H. crispa (sebae) for over 10 years.

 

[jeffbrig]

Here's the RBTA that I've had for about 3 months now. I picked it up as a split from another hobbyist. It was one of 7-8 produced in one year from a single anemone.

On 1/13, just a few days before it split:

When the anemone split, I lost one of them to a Tunze stream the next day. The remaining one has nearly recovered to its original pre-split size.

Here's an overhead shot taken 3/16:

Sadly, my clowns seem to prefer this montipora as a home....

 

[Scuba_Dave]

May be a good idea to wait a year - but BTA's are pretty hardy. I've had my green carpet for maybe 3 years now, my clowns host in it. And they have their 2nd batch of eggs on the rockwork now.

Anemeones can live a long time, better to wait & make sure your tank is ready. But a BTA from a fellow reefer is a pretty good bet

 

[StinkinTuna]

About a year and a few months. Sebae. Got him when he was about 4" or so and now he is about 1' 5" when fully stretched out!

Got a RBTA at the same time but he didn't last nearly as long (3 months?)

Thought sebae's were supposed to be harder to take care of than RBTAs but not in my experience....

 

[PupChow]

That is a serious Sebae!!!

 

[Anemonebuff]

I have a green carpet that is a few months old. I used to breed BTAs. Did that for a few years, but became a PITA when I had to keep rearranging for the new clones.

 

[alienz]

I've had the yellow carpet anenome for at least 8 years, probably more like 9. Transported around from tank to tank, gone through periods of tank neglect, poor lighting, no feeding, to feeding fat silver-sides and great daily care.

Has balloned up to about 8" around at the moment. The clowns avoid it and it gave me a nasty sting the other day when I was stupid enough to put my bare arm in.

 

[huggett]

2 years ago I added a bta to my 55 gallon when my tank was about 3-4 months old (a little early). It took my False percs about a month or so to take to it. I upgraded to a 90g 1 year ago, and it must have gotten a little stressed with the move and split. I now have 2 bta's that have not moved since getting settled into the new tank 1 year ago.

 

[M. Python]

7 years with a seabae.

Donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t take this as a common occurrence, most anemones die in captivity shortly after purchase due to shipping stress. It is all in luck finding a healthy anemone to start with. I got lucky with this one, I found it in a live rock tank in a lfs and pointed it out and the owner. He gave it to me, it was about an inch across and bleached, you couldnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t tell what kind of anemone it was. Now it's bigger then a dinner plate.

 

[seansod]

I have had my LTA for over a year. My clowns hosted it right away and have been there until I bought a BTA for the other side of the tank. I have enclosed pictures of both.

Here is the BTA the day I brought him home

The clowns have left the LTA and now host the BTA. I guess its time to get another pair of clowns.

 

[M. Python]

I hope the bta works out for you it is beautiful. Sometimes it is not good to mix certain anemones because they release chemicals to kill nearby anemones, they donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t have to touch. I have a rock and my seabae anemone and they are fine for years but for some reason I canââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t keep a rose bta in this tank, even splits from captive anemones. I was told about this from a good source.

 

[vessxpress1]

I got this one 8 months ago. It moved around the first month a couple times and then stayed put. I guess it liked the flow. It was very healthy at the pet shop. It's in my 38 gal. at the bottom, under 2 96 watt PCs. Lights are 5" above the water line. It now hosts this maroon clown I got a week ago. The maroon took to it the day I got it, when the lights went out. I had to perculas (tank raised) in there for the full 8 months and they never even looked at it. That is until I got the maroon, and then the female tried to kill the maroon, so I had to remove them from the tank. The male perc. I've since put back in, but that relationship won't last for long. I feed the anemone once to twice a week, shrimp or silversides. Seems to like silversides better. Now the maroon clown brings food back to it. Sorry the pic's not so good. I can't get too close without the maroon clown going all over the place yet.

 

[vessxpress1]

Here's the overview to give it scale. It's a 3' tank. As you can see, I'm in trouble if it ever moves again. When it dies I most likely can't risk getting another one, unless it's very small. Fully expanded, I've measured this one at about 9".
The maroon was tank raised and it took to it the first day. The percs don't naturally host BTA's (which are one of the easier ones to keep), so if you get one, I wouldn't expect anything. My percs would barely leave the top corner of the tank. Basically just to eat.

 

[witchdoctor]

I've had this Heteractic magnifica for about 9 years. Those are the second set of clowns that it has hosted. Also, a couple of RBTAs that I've had for about 4 years.

Boy, I've got to upload a new picture, that one just doesn't do it any justice!

 

[jeffbrig]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7037290#post7037290 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by seansod
Here is the BTA the day I brought him home

That anemone is amazing! Did it maintain that coloration in captivity?

 

[lachrimae]

As M. Python said, most anemones die from shipping stress so please keep in mind that you are supporting the trade by purchasing one.

I had a S. Haddoni that didn't make it past 3 months despite the help of many people that know anemone husbandry better than me. Final theory was that it may have been diseased or hurt from the shipping process.

I personally will not purchase another anemone, not because I don't think I could get one to live but because the trade is killing off most of the imported anemones that could have otherwise lived for up to a century (or more by some accounts).

I respect the choices of others but that is my opinion.

Mark

 

[jeffbrig]

That's why it's best to pick up an aneone split from another hobbyist. RBTAs can be very prolific, even in captivity. To me, it's important to know that my RBTA wasn't taken from the ocean. I feel the same way about my corals, preferring to grow them from frags rather than buy collected colonies.