Finsky
New member
At the request of a fellow reefcentral participant, I decided to start this thread of my Stichodactyla gigantea which I obtained from Petco several months ago. They had kept it a while and I had hesitated and done alot of research before finally moving my third green bubble tip from the right end of my tank to join two green and two red rose on the left end of the tank where it still resides doing much better in it new position at the top of three green bubble tips.
The Stichodactyla gigantea was sticking very well to a piece of live rock and the bottom of the tank in its small little plastic box 14"x14". I watched Petco "aquarium expert" as he called himself, as he gentling removed the anemone under my watchful gaze so that I was sure it would not be torn or injured.
When I took it home I had my place for it on the right side of the tank where I can let it grow to it's maximum size. I had read that it could attach to some smooth rock and I had a small 4" to 5" "hole" in the middle of the live rock which went straight down to a smooth rock surface. I had turned off the two Hydor 8's at 3,250 gph each before placing the anemone in what I hoped would be its new home. After acclimation, I gently cupped it in my hand at the edge of the aquarium and quickly put it in the water where I could guide it by loosely cupping it in my right hand while guiding it down towards the open "hole" being careful to not let it get stuck to my hand. The bottom of it's pedestal made it 50% of the way on the bottom and half on the bottom side of the "hole" before stick in place. I waiting maybe 30 minutes before turning the Hydor 8's on one at a time with the second one turned on about 15 minutes after I could see the Stichodactyla gigantea was staying put with one circulating pump running. It stayed this way for a few weeks before it moved it's entire foot straight down on the flat rock "bottom". I put "hole" and "bottom" in quotes as the hole is made up of different large rocks and the bottom shoots off and down to the left of the flat smooth bottom which is about five inches down from the top edges of rock.
I started feeding it razor clam after a few days with approximately a 1/2" piece. I gently placed the clam in the middle of the anemone with my 18" plastic tongs and it methodically wrapped its outer edge inward to surround the piece of clam. I have been feeding it razor clam and silverside once per week since. I have increased the size of the feeding a little bit at a time as it has grown.
I do have one brown tang, two yellow tangs, two blue tangs, two six line wrasses, one female bird wrasse, one female dusky wrasse, one three inch moon wrasse, three zebra dart fish, two starry blennies, a breeding pair of Tomato clownfish, a black mouth damsel, two four striped damself, two yellow tail damsels, two blue damsels, one azure damsel along with three brain corals, one orange montiopora carpricornous, various mushrooms, some palythoa polyps, and two patches of zooanthid polyps, as well as one deresa clam I put in my 60" five foot 125 tank I obtained for $300 used with the stand it came with. I also now have a Polka Dot Damsel who backs in half way into the tentacles and has a territory around and over the . The Tomatos have no interest what so every towards the True Carpet and prefer lay their eggs and sleep in their five homes, the five bubble tips.
I go into all this detail to give an idea that I consider my tank a piece of ocean with anemones, corals, and fish which affects how I feed my tank and its inhabitants.
On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday I feed a 1/4 measuring cup partially filled with freeze dried mysis and brine shrimp, red and green algae sheets cut up with scissors to flake size sprinkled on top. I then put a a few Ocean Nutrition One and Two pellets with a sprinkly of Ocean Nutrition One and Two flakes on top. I soak this with Vita-Chem Marine formula. The Vita-Chem dose is one drop per gallon or one capful per 50 gallons per week. I try to soak these three weekly boadcast feedings with about two thirds of a capful of Vita-Chem and let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes while I feed my 65 high amazone tank in the upstairs loft.
I then return to the living room to feed the saltwater tank. First I turn off the two Rena XP4 canisters and the Aqua-Medic tuboflotor multi-1000 protein skimmer. Then I dip the measure cup until it is filled to the top with tank water. I wait until this loosens the vitamin food mixture and then I dump it in the right end of the tank where my "saltwater community tank" inhabitants are swarming for the feeding frenzy. It takes them about 15 minutes to clean up and get their "fill" with some food falling into the anemones and various polyps and brain corals. The Vita-Chem will cloud the water slightly and starts to clear in 15 minutes.
This is when I feed my liquid food from Kent Marine. I think the Microvert is the best liquid food for anemones of the four types of liquid food I feed the tank. I also feed Kent Marine Phytoplex. Chromoplex, and Zooplex for the polyps, corals and mushrooms and I hope it helps the anmones although I could not say for sure.
On some mornings, usually Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, I will feed a very small amount of flake food and/or freeze dried mysis shrimp which can be consumed in two to three minutes.
I keep my pH from 8.2 to 8.4 per a Pinpoint pH Monitor as I dose with Seachem Reef Carbonate on a regular basis. My tap water treated with Seachem Prime has alot of bi-carbonate alkalinity and after some emailing with Seachem about drop pH after water changes this was the possible dianosis and Reef Carbonate has been working well for my tank and its inhabitants. I keep the water is temperature between 80 to 84 degrees with two 300 watt Visi-Therm heaters. I keep the salinity at 35 ppt with daily manual top off using a Pinpoint Salinity Monitor. The lighting is a 60" Marineland Pro Lighting System with two 150 watt 14,000K metal halides bulbs and four 54 watt T-5 actinics. I have the actinics come on at 11:00 am and the halides at 11:30 am. The halides go off at 7:30 pm and the actinics go off at 8:00. The five one watt LED nightlights come on at 8:02 pm and go out at 10:00 pm.
I change 15 to 18 gallons of water per week.
The Aquarium
The Left Half
The Right Half
True Carpet Anemone (Stichodactyla gigantea) with it's Polka Dot Damsel
The Stichodactyla gigantea was sticking very well to a piece of live rock and the bottom of the tank in its small little plastic box 14"x14". I watched Petco "aquarium expert" as he called himself, as he gentling removed the anemone under my watchful gaze so that I was sure it would not be torn or injured.
When I took it home I had my place for it on the right side of the tank where I can let it grow to it's maximum size. I had read that it could attach to some smooth rock and I had a small 4" to 5" "hole" in the middle of the live rock which went straight down to a smooth rock surface. I had turned off the two Hydor 8's at 3,250 gph each before placing the anemone in what I hoped would be its new home. After acclimation, I gently cupped it in my hand at the edge of the aquarium and quickly put it in the water where I could guide it by loosely cupping it in my right hand while guiding it down towards the open "hole" being careful to not let it get stuck to my hand. The bottom of it's pedestal made it 50% of the way on the bottom and half on the bottom side of the "hole" before stick in place. I waiting maybe 30 minutes before turning the Hydor 8's on one at a time with the second one turned on about 15 minutes after I could see the Stichodactyla gigantea was staying put with one circulating pump running. It stayed this way for a few weeks before it moved it's entire foot straight down on the flat rock "bottom". I put "hole" and "bottom" in quotes as the hole is made up of different large rocks and the bottom shoots off and down to the left of the flat smooth bottom which is about five inches down from the top edges of rock.
I started feeding it razor clam after a few days with approximately a 1/2" piece. I gently placed the clam in the middle of the anemone with my 18" plastic tongs and it methodically wrapped its outer edge inward to surround the piece of clam. I have been feeding it razor clam and silverside once per week since. I have increased the size of the feeding a little bit at a time as it has grown.
I do have one brown tang, two yellow tangs, two blue tangs, two six line wrasses, one female bird wrasse, one female dusky wrasse, one three inch moon wrasse, three zebra dart fish, two starry blennies, a breeding pair of Tomato clownfish, a black mouth damsel, two four striped damself, two yellow tail damsels, two blue damsels, one azure damsel along with three brain corals, one orange montiopora carpricornous, various mushrooms, some palythoa polyps, and two patches of zooanthid polyps, as well as one deresa clam I put in my 60" five foot 125 tank I obtained for $300 used with the stand it came with. I also now have a Polka Dot Damsel who backs in half way into the tentacles and has a territory around and over the . The Tomatos have no interest what so every towards the True Carpet and prefer lay their eggs and sleep in their five homes, the five bubble tips.
I go into all this detail to give an idea that I consider my tank a piece of ocean with anemones, corals, and fish which affects how I feed my tank and its inhabitants.
On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday I feed a 1/4 measuring cup partially filled with freeze dried mysis and brine shrimp, red and green algae sheets cut up with scissors to flake size sprinkled on top. I then put a a few Ocean Nutrition One and Two pellets with a sprinkly of Ocean Nutrition One and Two flakes on top. I soak this with Vita-Chem Marine formula. The Vita-Chem dose is one drop per gallon or one capful per 50 gallons per week. I try to soak these three weekly boadcast feedings with about two thirds of a capful of Vita-Chem and let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes while I feed my 65 high amazone tank in the upstairs loft.
I then return to the living room to feed the saltwater tank. First I turn off the two Rena XP4 canisters and the Aqua-Medic tuboflotor multi-1000 protein skimmer. Then I dip the measure cup until it is filled to the top with tank water. I wait until this loosens the vitamin food mixture and then I dump it in the right end of the tank where my "saltwater community tank" inhabitants are swarming for the feeding frenzy. It takes them about 15 minutes to clean up and get their "fill" with some food falling into the anemones and various polyps and brain corals. The Vita-Chem will cloud the water slightly and starts to clear in 15 minutes.
This is when I feed my liquid food from Kent Marine. I think the Microvert is the best liquid food for anemones of the four types of liquid food I feed the tank. I also feed Kent Marine Phytoplex. Chromoplex, and Zooplex for the polyps, corals and mushrooms and I hope it helps the anmones although I could not say for sure.
On some mornings, usually Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, I will feed a very small amount of flake food and/or freeze dried mysis shrimp which can be consumed in two to three minutes.
I keep my pH from 8.2 to 8.4 per a Pinpoint pH Monitor as I dose with Seachem Reef Carbonate on a regular basis. My tap water treated with Seachem Prime has alot of bi-carbonate alkalinity and after some emailing with Seachem about drop pH after water changes this was the possible dianosis and Reef Carbonate has been working well for my tank and its inhabitants. I keep the water is temperature between 80 to 84 degrees with two 300 watt Visi-Therm heaters. I keep the salinity at 35 ppt with daily manual top off using a Pinpoint Salinity Monitor. The lighting is a 60" Marineland Pro Lighting System with two 150 watt 14,000K metal halides bulbs and four 54 watt T-5 actinics. I have the actinics come on at 11:00 am and the halides at 11:30 am. The halides go off at 7:30 pm and the actinics go off at 8:00. The five one watt LED nightlights come on at 8:02 pm and go out at 10:00 pm.
I change 15 to 18 gallons of water per week.
The Aquarium
The Left Half
The Right Half
True Carpet Anemone (Stichodactyla gigantea) with it's Polka Dot Damsel
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