New tank's, what to do with current Anemones and clowns

[Lanimret]

So, I recently setup a new system (its not quite 100% online yet, but very close, it is currently cycling) and I need to make a tough decision about my aneomones and clownfish and i am hoping for some advice.

First off, the equipment. My current tank is a 75g glass tank with a 30g sump + 8g refugium. This system is about 6 years old, but has over the years endured a variety of hardships. It has been moved twice, endured basically two major die offs after each move, and fought a very tough struggle with hair algae and Cyano (that I eventually won). It has an 8 bulb t5 HO fixture, protein skimmer, and that is about it. I make meticulous 20% water changes bi-weekly, use RODI water (regularly tested for TDS of 0) and Reef Crystals.

In the end I am left with 4 fish. Oddly 3 of the 4 being the original fish I first purchased (1 well behaved Jeweled Damsal, 1 Bangai Cardinal, 2 True Perc Clownfish) and at the moment 6 GBTA's. We'll get back to this in a minute.

The new system is a substantial upgrade. I have a build thread on another site if anyone is interested, but here's the summary. I have 2 100g acrylic tanks (48x24x20) which are plumbed into the same system that runs into a cabinet in my garage. That cabinet houses a 50g sump and a 20g refugium. The refugium has a two screen ATS (working great already) and the sump has a filter sock, large protein skimmer, and the heaters. Currently the system has 110lbs of live rock + 80lbs of homemade cement base rock (only 1 tank is online at the moment). When the system is fully online I will move the ~80lbs of live rock from my old tank + another 80lbs of cement to this system. Should total out to about 190lbs of live rock + 160lbs of cement rock. These tanks both use a beananimal style external overflow and closed loop system with an Oceansmotions circulation device. No powerheads inside the tank at all, and the overflow is screened behind eggcrate (part of the faux rock wall I built). Each tank will have an LED light fixture which I am still putting together.

One tank will be a reef tank and the other will either be a fish only or aggressive tank (still deciding). The reef tank will have slightly more lighting than the second tank, but other than that functionally identical.

So here is my question. My GBTA that I have had for years is a huge problem. It constantly splits, I would estimate probably 10x per year) and as such is constantly spreading. It has killed basically all the coral in the tank through its splitting and crowding of the coral. I love Anemones and my clownfish both host in them, but should I move this GBTA to the new reef tank? Is it splitting only because of stress, in this brand new more well designed system should I expect the splitting to cease or reduce dramatically? Or am I setting myself up for more coral death. I want to keep my clowns in the reef, but I hate to separate them from their anemones (and I was very lucky to get them to host anyway). When I do the move I will certainly only keep 1 clone, the rest I will sell to my LFS, but even that makes me nervous.

So, should I move them? Get a new anemone that is more reef safe (which kind?)? or only put them in the non-reef tank (which may limit my fish selection for that tank)?

Thanks for reading that and commenting, I am really having a hard time making this decision.

 

[__SKINNY__]

The reason they split is in fear of death they reperduce to Sistine life.
How are the perimeters on the tank you have them in now? It might just be stress.
I would say keep just one in the new reef tank.

 

[Lanimret]

The reason they split is in fear of death they reperduce to Sistine life.
How are the perimeters on the tank you have them in now? It might just be stress.
I would say keep just one in the new reef tank.

I havent checked them in the last few weeks, but over its life, except during the algae issues, it's never had anything out of whack. 0 nitrates, phosphates, etc. 1.025 SG, Ph 8.2.

I think though that the readings are, and have been, deceptive, and as i've been putting together the new system I have neglected a bit (not changing out bulbs and stuff since I'm not keeping that lighting system). So basically, I agree, it very well may be stress, just not a stresser I can regularly detect. Would moving it to a new tank be a risk? Or should a GBTA that has a proclivity for splitting cease to do so and be a fine reef tank member? Would I be better off putting it in the non-reef tank and getting a new type of anemone for the reef tank at this point?

 

[kduen]

They also reproduce this way naturally so stating that they are splitting as a last ditch effort to sustain life is a stretch. There are other individuals on this site that wish their's would split this much. The choice is ultimately yours but, If I were in this situation I would probably keep the 75 set-up as well with just the BTA's and clowns and try something else in your 120. If they split as frequently as you say just trade them into your LFS for food or whatever just dont bring them in all at once.

 

[bues0022]

Pics will help greatly, as would all of your water parameters.

While stress can be a factor in splitting, so too can health (super happy, great health, why not have a baby?). However, from my experience, a BTA will split more often when it is due to stress than to health. Your battles with hair algae and cyano sounds like nutrient problems, which could cause stress and splitting. That said, I've also seen some "strains" if-you-will of BTA's seem to be more prolific splitters than others. A person I know had a RBTA that was nearly 18" across before splitting, while another in their tank split at no larger than 8" regularly.

A BTA will always have the "risk" of splitting and the new one moving. If you definitely do not want to worry about splitting (and more predictive movement) go for a sand-dwelling nem - LTA, haddoni.... You can get great colors, good tentacle movement, and they won't climb up your rocks to sting your corals.

From your post, it sounds to me that while you like your current anemone, you are trying to talk yourself into getting rid of it for something that won't kill corals (or keep it somehow and not kill corals). A LTA is a small shift aesthetically from a BTA, with similar care, but more predictive behavior.

 

[Lanimret]

They also reproduce this way naturally so stating that they are splitting as a last ditch effort to sustain life is a stretch. There are other individuals on this site that wish their's would split this much. The choice is ultimately yours but, If I were in this situation I would probably keep the 75 set-up as well with just the BTA's and clowns and try something else in your 120. If they split as frequently as you say just trade them into your LFS for food or whatever just dont bring them in all at once.

I can't keep the 75 online, the stand is falling apart basically and I am cannibalizing a lot of parts for the new system so that's not possible. I could separate them into the non-reef 100g, which I am considering, but I still would like to have my clowns and an anemone in the reef side. Not sure if the clowns would re-host with a new type of anemone, but I think so.

I do regularly trade them in, and yes it has been profitable (they have paid for themselves many, many times over) but once the split it can be difficult to remove them from the system when they attach themselves to a rock with coral on it, or to the coral itself. IF they are going to continue to split, I simply have to remove them from that situation. I will keep them in the fish-only tank one way or the other, but that would mean separating them from the clowns and finding the clowns a new anemone to hopefully host with that is less problematic (which is what I am leaning towards).

Pics will help greatly, as would all of your water parameters.

While stress can be a factor in splitting, so too can health (super happy, great health, why not have a baby?). However, from my experience, a BTA will split more often when it is due to stress than to health. Your battles with hair algae and cyano sounds like nutrient problems, which could cause stress and splitting. That said, I've also seen some "strains" if-you-will of BTA's seem to be more prolific splitters than others. A person I know had a RBTA that was nearly 18" across before splitting, while another in their tank split at no larger than 8" regularly.

A BTA will always have the "risk" of splitting and the new one moving. If you definitely do not want to worry about splitting (and more predictive movement) go for a sand-dwelling nem - LTA, haddoni.... You can get great colors, good tentacle movement, and they won't climb up your rocks to sting your corals.

From your post, it sounds to me that while you like your current anemone, you are trying to talk yourself into getting rid of it for something that won't kill corals (or keep it somehow and not kill corals). A LTA is a small shift aesthetically from a BTA, with similar care, but more predictive behavior.

If you don't mind me linking to another forum, here is the new setup:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?221653-Dual-Tank-System-Build-Thread/page12

Lot of very recent pictures on the last page of the thread. Feel free to poke through the rest if your curious. The marine section of aquariacentral is pretty much dead so it's kind of stagnant.

I don't have any readily accessible pictures of the old tank (I am at work) but I can try and get some tonight. I could test the water tonight, but I will tell you that when I have tested over the years (and this has been a fairly constant splitting cycle over the 4 years i have had them) I have generally had these readings:

PH 8.2
Nitrates 0
Nitrites 0
phosphates 0
Ammonia 0 (except during die offs after moves)
SG 1.025

Now, are those reading accurate? Who knows, I assume they are not because obviously there were nutrient issues (the algae problems) but those were the results I have always got a good 90% of the time.

I appreciate everyones advice. It sounds like the safest bet is to get a sand swelling anemone and hope the clowns re-host and move the GBTA's to the non-reef tank.