sand-dwelling anemone for A. perculas?

[Moonstream]

I tried an H. crispa three years ago, but due mostly to my own stupidity and a far-from-ready tank, it didnt last very long. Now, I'm beginning to think about giving it another try, now that Im (much) more confidant in my reef-keeping abilities, and have a much more stable system.

my 40br specs are listed below, and everything is up to date. I do weekly 5g water changes, and feed mysis daily. the tank is still in its infancy, and I dont plan to even begin thinking about adding an anemone until after its sixth month birthday (june), and until I've gone at least two/three months without any major upsets (nutrient spikes, unexplained deaths, major algae outbreaks, etc). I DO NOT want a rock-dwelling species, mostly because of the (IMO) heightened risk to my corals, and honestly, I think sand-dwellers look better anyways.

I've been doing a good deal of research on both A. percula hosts, and sand-dwelling anemone in general. from what I've read (from wetwebmedia and various forum sights) it seems H. crispa is very close to BTA in hardiness, as long as a HEALTHY specimen is attained. I've also seen H. malu seems to be of similar care requirements to the crispa, but stays smaller.

so, my questions are:
1- how feasable is a sand-dwelling anemone in a 40br? keep in mind corals will be arranged around it, and it would be the centerpiece of the tank.
2- will larger grade substrate be a problem? I have about 1" of seafloor special grade reef sand, but could beef that up a bit if needed, since I have an extra bag.
3- my current front-runner is H. malu, with H. crispa being a close second. would they do okay?
4- would LA divers den be a good place to go about getting the anemone? I dont have any really trusted dealers in terms of anemones (my favorite LFS has decent coral, but most fish/anemone selection is lacking and often not in the best of health).

any help is greatly apprecciated!

 

[Toddrtrex]

You are going to need to have a deeper sandbed -- at least 2-3 inches, can be locally that deep.

Honestly, I would skip the H. Crispa if you plan on having anything else in the tank -- the last on I had took up about 1/3 of my 75.

H. Malu would be a better fit, though they are harder to come by (( Diver's Den seems to has some right now, but are pretty small )).

LTA would work, but can/will get pretty large too. Though, IME, not as large as H. Crispa.

I would be a bit worried about your watchman goby -- any sand fish will be a some risk with a sand dwelling anemone.

Personally I have had my percs hosted by an LTA and S. Haddoni.

 

[Moonstream]

yeah, Im coming to the realization that a crispa is probably gonna make this a species tank pretty quickly.

Im liking H. malu's more and more. they're very pretty anemones, I think. at this point, if I can find a malu when I start looking, I'll get it. if I dont think there's a great chance of finding one, I might go for one of the more colorful LTA's on divers den.

as for the YWG, he doesnt venture too far from his burrow, which he'd undoubtedly move if the anemone wander too close, and the tank has enough room for him to find a place of his own, so Im not too worried.

 

[OrionN]

There were four H. malu on Diverden for weeks. Last one sold sometime today (was on it last night). Too bad since they only for 35 or 40 dollars each. They do have them fairly often so keep on looking for them. I do feel that they are the best anemone for your tank. I love them.

 

[Moonstream]

yeah, I'd been keeping an eye on them; they're one of the things that made me want to give a nem another try, very nice color, and good price too. I'll probably start to look on DD for them sometime in the spring/early summer. hopefully I can find one a bit larger than those, since my clowns are rather large/hefty.

 

[davocean]

After many years w/ other nems that became just too big, or wandered, I finally went w/ a Malu, and couldn't be happier.
Sand dwellars are much easier in a mixed reef IMO, and they stay relatively small, about 8-10", and are very colorful.
My picasso's are hosted by my Malu(not the avatar, that is RBTA)
It's not a natural host for them, but like most clowns they can adapt.
I also agree your sand bed will need to be deeper.