Settling In

[Saltyjam]

I bought my Clarkii and LTA last Thursday. Probably didn't do my homework as well as I should have 'cause the first night I stock the Anemone on a rock. Anyway, it moved itself down to the sand after a couple hours. I shut off the main powerhead and it wandered a bit for a couple days before finding it's spot.
Meanwhile, the clarkii ( which is pretty well full grown 4.5-5") stirred up a mess in the tank fanning the sand everywhere. Anyway around Sunday when the LTA started to settle down the clarkii finally started to take notice of it. The past couple of mornings I've spotted her sleeping in/near the anemone but was still very skiddish. As of this evening the Clarkii is hosting the anemone most of the time.
Pics to follow as soon as I can figure out how to send them from my iPhone.

 

[Saltyjam]

Initial placement last Thursday lol

Found what it was looking for

And now

 

[garygb]

The clarkii looks too large for that anemone. They can led to the ultimate demise of the anemone. General rule of thumb is anemone needs to be 3 times wider across tentacles than the clownfish is long.

 

[Saltyjam]

Ok, the anemone when fully inflated (2nd pic) is about 8-9" but the clarkii is quite aggressive with it so I may have a problem. Unfortunately, returning either of them to the LFS is not a very viable option.

I have a 20gal QT that I can have up and running in a couple of weeks. However, it only has 2X 14K NO flourescents on it.

Here are my options (as I see them)
1.) move clarkii to QT (QT is possibly to small and it would have to stay there long enough for anemone to grow out.
2.) move anemone to QT and let it grow out (probably has plenty of room but inadequate lighting)
3.) get a second larger anemone and hope that the Clarkii hosts that.
4.) buy 2 juvi clarkiis if someone is willing to take mine on trade. (probably cheaper and safer for than replacing LTA for larger one)
5.) stick LTA in PVC pipe and hope that it's left alone enough to grow faster than it dies.

Upgrading the lighting on the QT tank is not really an option, I just don't really have the money for that right now. Plus, I paid almost nothing for the animals so I don't want to drop hundreds on them after only a week.

Any suggestions are really appreciated.

 

[velvetelvis]

I wouldn't try swapping out the anemone...being transported is very stressful for nems. I think your best bet might be to swap out your Clarkii for two juveniles. You should be able to at least get credit for her if you trade her in at a good LFS--probably not enough to completely pay for two new fish, but some. Clarkiis don't tend to be one of the more expensive clowns anyway, IME.

How long has your tank been set up? I ask because it looks little bit sterile--no coralline, and the sand looks very white. Anemones really need to be in a system that's been up and running--and stable, not just recently cycled--for several months in order to do well. It looks like a nice healthy anemone, but keep a close eye on it for stress. Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

[Saltyjam]

This tank has been up about 5 months now. (keep in mind those are phone pics) Most params are good (ph 8.1, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate was barely detectable but is up a little bit, I think because the clown has really stirred up the DSB, phosphate undetectable) but I've been finding with I/O that my calcium has been quite low, so I've slowly been raising it with kalk. It's currently at about 360. I just bought 4X t5's with individual reflectors, but before that the tank was on NO T8s. Most of the rock was dead when I got it but I seeded with #14 LR. The SB was a mess after the cycle but I've got a pretty good size CUC in there.

How long do you suppose I can wait and observe? What signs should I be watching for that spur me to immediate action. My next closest "LFS" is 2 hours one way with good road conditions.