species tank?

[futureeyedoc]

So I'm thinking about making my new 33 long a "species" tank.... going with the anemones/clowns tank idea.....
I realize all the normal stuff... tank needs to be well established, need to watch what I put in it, carpets are too big for a 33 long, etc... that will all be taken into account when I actually stock the tank months from now...

Just wondering opinions out there....no more than 1 mated pair of clowns???? Or if I'm going to just do clowns and nems....can I keep a few more than that if I have several nems and start the clowns off really really small and introduce them all at once????

Any other advice???

I realize based on size alone this will be rather limited but I'd like to try it as much as possible.....

Lighting, and flow will be more than adequate.... 4 54w (216watts total) T5's with individual reflectors ( remember a 33 long, the tank is only about a foot deep)....2 are 10k and 2 are actinic....

Flow wise I have 2 koralia 2's ( one on each end) and then a 700-1200gph return (catalina 4000) hard lined and split into 2 returns with 1/2 inch loc-line.... So depending on calcs thats like 1500-2000 gph!

 

[futureeyedoc]

oh, btw it would proly be percs as far as the clowns go..... nothing like a tomato or maroon clown that can get a lot bigger....

 

[wareagle35031]

that sounds really cool, I believe if you introduce all small clowns they will be only one female come of them, and all is well, as far as anemones go, I would check out valley tropical fish, last time I was there they had some large bright yellow anemones with pink tips, THEY WERE AWSOME.

 

[futureeyedoc]

thats what I figured... being that its a 33 long and not like a 100g can anyone verify that? What would be the max number I dare try in there as long as I introduce them as real little ones all at once?


also, where's valley tropical fish at?

 

[futureeyedoc]

also, I know the "norms" for nems are usually a tank established for at least a year.....
does that still apply in this case?
The new tank has been up and running for close to 2 months, and I used very well established LR, as well as some water, LR, etc... from my 24g nano thats been going for 2 years.....
The new tank barely ever did a "nitrogen cycle" ... levels have been zero on everything for like 6 weeks....


So I basically just stick more LR in there, and a CUC and let it sit a year before adding the nems????
Thats seems really really really boring... I want to add the nems b4 the clowns.....

any thoughts?

 

[NicoleC]

Multiple clowns -- other than a pair -- even when you combine species, will not work long term in a tank of that size. Eventually you end up with 2, whether you like it or not, unless you physically divide the tank and have them separated.

Anemones even of the same species will often not coexist peacefully unless they are clones. This is a gray area though, you might get away with it. Something you may want to look out for here is someone tearing down a tank who already has multiple clones. That's almost certainly going to be BTA's then, and they are pretty much the hardiest of the tropical anemones. As well as being gorgeous.

I feel you could consider the BTA species for inclusion in 3-4 months, especially with the established rock. You just want the water to have to time to mature.

Bear in mind that BTAs can get quite large. My old RBTA would have filled half of a 33 gallon tank -- it occupied nearly 1/4 of a 100 gallon tank. And that neither A. ocellaris or A. percula is a natural host for BTAs, and all of their natural hosts are inappropriate for a tank of this size with the exception of the LTA/A. percula combo.

They MAY host anyway, but your chances are lower.

Honestly this kind of species tank is perfect for one of the larger or more unusual clowns. Maroons/Tomatoes and BTAs go together fantastically well. I really don't think you need to be concerned about the bigger clowns; you have plenty of space for them. Clowns don't go far in the wild and need very little space.

As for a yellow anemones, they are almost certainly dyed and will most like to die, I am sorry to say.

 

[gflat65]

I echo Nicole's statements. I kept BTA's for years and have a pair of clowns in every tank (all but one of the 10 clowns I have came from Matt at Sustainable Aquatics outside of Knoxville). I, personally, wouldn't attempt more than a pair in any tank, short of say 5-800 gallons, though, as Nicole stated, they don't go far, so you might be able to get away with more than a pair in a slightly smaller tank-and that would depend on the species. Maroons and Cinnamons are the most aggressive IME.

I do have a difference in experience with mixing different anemones of the same species (non clones). I kept several GBTA's from different mothers with no issues. RBTA's can be a little more aggressive, but I have a friend in Nashville that has/had a 45 octagon set up with probably 5 different RBTA's and GBTA's (at one time had more than 20 anemones due to clones, etc.) and he never had an issue. Maybe he got lucky...

Any anemone can get big. My GBTA's were smaller than a lot of RBTA's, but when I was forcing clones, I had two that were in the 10-12" diameter range (and an LTA that was well over 24" in diameter-filled a whole corner in a 120-no forcing on that one, though).

Sounds like a cool idea, though. Established and stable conditions are important for success (and not just 'stable' at the time of testing, but consistently stable-most people post their parameters as perfect, but I don't know too many that hold 0 on PO4 and NO3, etc.). Watch powerheads, too, as a lot of anemones love to give themselves a buzz cut. I've never lost one to suicide, but they never look good after an unexpected buzz...

Also, as Nicole stated, a yellow anemone is most likely either not a hosting anemone, or has been dyed. Nothing dyed will have a long life... Some saddles and LTA's have a yellowish base to them, but if it shouts at you from across the room, it's likely trouble.

 

[NicoleC]

Just a follow-up up to the talk about non-clone anemones -- I was speaking of them rubbing elbows, so to speak. When the OP describes a species tank, I guess I think wall-to-wall anemones.

And with BTAs, that's likely what you'll get eventually if they are happy!

 

[8BALL_99]

IMO I wouldn't get percs or ocellaris clowns. Id get some Maroons or something. Get some clowns that get big and mean. Since your not going to have anything else in the tank. To me thats a perfect chance to have some fish you might not want in your reef with other fish.. Besides you have a much better chance of them hosting. I dont think you have to wait a year.. After a few months if your water is stable you should be fine.. If it were me Id probably add the fish first.. Let the water settle down then add the anemone/s. Sticking two fish in a 33 might cause your levels to get out of wack a little..

 

[8BALL_99]

BTW gflat65, has a Great point about the powerheads.. Anemones are great at getting sucked into powerheads.. They seem to be worse about it in shallow tanks. In that size tank even a small anemone getting mulched would probably crash the tank pretty fast.

 

[futureeyedoc]

is the concern with the koralias getting sucked into the side "input" part of the powerhead or the nem or fish getting curious and going in the front if I don't put the flow director on?

 

[8BALL_99]

Anemones just like to wonder around sometimes.. They are like a ball of slime so when the wonder up to a powerhead they get sucked in..It only takes one tentacle then the rest will follow.. Doesn't really matter what kind of Powerhead.. Just something to watch out for..

 

[futureeyedoc]

yeah I haven't really ever had to deal with that with my 24g nano cube....
had a condy and a bta in there ( at different times of course!) but there really wasn't a powerhead in the main tank area for them to get sucked into ....

hopefully they'll stay put if I put enough LR and whatnot in there.....


also, people keep saying the best thing for the BTA's if I can't get a bunch of clones is to get one to a couple of LARGE BTA's and then force clones????
how exactly do you do that? you're not talking about 1/4'ing the original one are you by cutting I hope not????

how does one "force" a BTA to split? I realize it will do it if stressed usually but how does one do it w/o stressing out the nem?

 

[NicoleC]

The anemones are not going to stay if you want them to, sorry, If you want them to move, however...

To get two anemones out of one, remove from tank. Use sharp clean razor blade or surgical scalpel and cut in half through the mouth. However, I wouldn't recommend stressing the clones by putting them in a new environment -- they should have a chance to heal fully in their original environment.

 

[wareagle35031]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13226473#post13226473 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NicoleC


As for a yellow anemones, they are almost certainly dyed and will most like to die, I am sorry to say.

I was told they were not, That was my first question.

 

[gflat65]

When I was forcing clones, I used a modified feeding schedule. I'd get them used to a piece of krill, maybe two, every four or five days. With that as the normal routine, I'd incease from 1-2 every 4-5 days to 3-4 pieces of krill every 2-3 days. Within 12 days every time, they split. I've heard that some RBTA's don't split as easy (I did GBTA's). Coral magazine did an article on the scissor method. I haven't attempted that, though.

 

[8BALL_99]

I think since your system is still very new you are a long way away from cutting them in half lol. Right now just worry about keeping a new one alive! After several months then maybe consider cutting it.. I've never done it.. I've got a pretty large GBTA right now that looks like it will split any day.. Its looked like this for probably 6 months lol. I've almost cut it once or twice. But I figure it will split on its own.. I'm in no hurry.

 

[futureeyedoc]

well obviously...lol.... I was just curious, I had heard/read about it here and elsewhere countless times and didn't know exactly what "forcing splitting" consisted of...

I'm probably 2-3 months more at a MINIMUM from nems at all in that tank and I don't think I'd try cutting them or anything that drastic for proly 9 months after that...

I just realize how unlikely it is I'll get a large number of bta's that are all clones, and even more extremely unlikely b/c I'm a grad student and there's no way in heck I could afford multiples at once!!! lol

 

[kiran523]

I have a fully grown maroon clown that I probably won't migrate into my new tank whenever I get it setup. My Florida Condylactis anemone will go with it if I do get rid of him/her. My maroon seems pretty typical in habit (grumpy old fart). It immediately claimed it's territory in both tanks that it was in and pretty much always stayed in that area. Let me know if you are interested. Have you looked into onyx or picasso clowns? They are relatively less available but would be unique it you had just a pair of them.

http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/popup_image.php?pID=1608

 

[NicoleC]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13229738#post13229738 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wareagle35031
I was told they were not, That was my first question.

They lied.

Alternately, they have no idea what they are talking about and accept whatever their wholesalers tell them. The dying usually happens far up the chain before the LFS gets it.

LFS *always* say things are not dyed.