new to anemones, have a few questions.....

[sjfishguy]

Not new to reefs so care is not a problem. I have a 58 packed with SPS. Is putting ina RBTA a bad idea? Is it going to move all over and sting the hell out of my tank? Are there anemones that move around less than others? Is there anyway I know if it is gonna like one place better than another? I would love to get my hands on a maxi, but I havent been able to find one for years. Would like to hear thoughts from you guys, thanks.

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

Re: new to anemones, have a few questions.....

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15479473#post15479473 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjfishguy
Not new to reefs so care is not a problem. I have a 58 packed with SPS. Is putting ina RBTA a bad idea? Is it going to move all over and sting the hell out of my tank? Are there anemones that move around less than others? Is there anyway I know if it is gonna like one place better than another? I would love to get my hands on a maxi, but I havent been able to find one for years. Would like to hear thoughts from you guys, thanks.

All Bubble-Tipped Anemones love to move around and sting everything in your tank! If you have good lights, try an LTA or something that likes to have its foot in the sand!

 

[syrinx]

Once happy bubbles often stay in place for years- but they do have a wandering jones. I do the LTA`s with sand in a flower pot, behind some live rock- with the rest of the tank only having a thin layer of sand. They seem to like this, and haven`t moved for years. The last time I put a bubble in a mixed tank, it was a bleached green wildcaught. I literally had to move corals every day for a couple of weeks, and then every week or so as it healed and moved higher. A species tank would be better of course.

 

[kkdoughboy]

I have 4 RBTA's in my 155G setup. They haven't moved an inch in two years however they have gotten MUCH bigger! Once the anemone finds it's ideal location in the tank it prolly won't move mu h unless you change something. At first it's gonna move around quite a bit and that may be just enough to damage many of your corals. Taking that chance is up to you. Good luck

 

[sjfishguy]

Ok, so the RBTA is out. It sounds there are other anemones that stay put or you can make them stay put. I didnt know some anemones like sand (I guess now that I think about it often see carpets on the sand). So which ones like the sand? I like the flower pot idea. How about a carpet, will they move around the sand or might they move up into the rockwork? The first 6-8 inches off the sand of rock work doesnt have any SPS.

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15479652#post15479652 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjfishguy
Ok, so the RBTA is out. It sounds there are other anemones that stay put or you can make them stay put. I didnt know some anemones like sand (I guess now that I think about it often see carpets on the sand). So which ones like the sand? I like the flower pot idea. How about a carpet, will they move around the sand or might they move up into the rockwork? The first 6-8 inches off the sand of rock work doesnt have any SPS.

Years ago I kept BTAs in an SPS tank -- will never do it again. The "mother" stated put (( good thing, since it was 15" across )), but its clones would move until they found a spot, which involved going over my SPS. If you are thinking about a "carpet" I would only suggest a Haddoni (( Gigs tend to be on the rocks, and are harder to keep/find a healthy one -- poor shippers )).

The problem with keeping a Haddoni in a SPS tank is keeping enough flow for the SPS, but having quiet spots for the Haddoni. It can be done (( I have Haddonis in my 58 and 75 )), just have to pay attention to the flow near them.

LTAs (Macrodactyla doreensis) and H. Crispa, also stay in the sand, while they will (( generally )) stay smaller then a Haddoni they can/will get rather large, and they longer tentacles could pose an issue. Been too long since I have kept an H. Crispa, so I won't comment on flow for them. But, IME, LTAs have issues with too much flow too --- again just have to find a sweet spot for them.

Should note, some Haddoni keepers have lost a good amount of fish to them. I on the other hand have been very lucky with them. In the 10+ years that I have been keeping them, I have only lost 2 fish to them (( currently have 4 )).

 

[sjfishguy]

Thanks all for the info, sounds like this was a short lived idea for me. I think the anemone (whichever) will just move around too much and most of the spots I was hoping they would stay are very high flow. I also have several small fish and only like a 1/2'' of sand on the bottom. Not worth risking my corals and fish, thanks all for the info!

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15481063#post15481063 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjfishguy
Thanks all for the info, sounds like this was a short lived idea for me. I think the anemone (whichever) will just move around too much and most of the spots I was hoping they would stay are very high flow. I also have several small fish and only like a 1/2'' of sand on the bottom. Not worth risking my corals and fish, thanks all for the info!

The flow might be able to be adjusted, but the 1/2" of sand would be an issue for an LTA and Haddoni. I know that whenever my clowns move too much sand my one Haddoni gets ticked off.

 

[Plan>B]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15481063#post15481063 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjfishguy
Thanks all for the info, sounds like this was a short lived idea for me. I think the anemone (whichever) will just move around too much and most of the spots I was hoping they would stay are very high flow. I also have several small fish and only like a 1/2'' of sand on the bottom. Not worth risking my corals and fish, thanks all for the info!

Bummer.... I was really hoping to mix with sps... or at least finding a sweet spot for the 2 to live with each other.

May have to cross out the Anemones... though I may try 1 and see what happens, but that is MONTHS down the road.

 

[OrionN]

Sand anemones ina sand container is OK. A Malu or Crispa are beautiful and just stay in the sand. More challenging species that stay mostly one spot in the rock are H. magnifica and S gigantea. I have H. magnifica in my reef without problem. They need high flow and high light so if you created a small island with plenty of light anc current, H. magnifica will just stay there and will not bother corals. They get to a size if 16 inches in diameter however.