Wanting some advice

[TVenters]

I'm going to building a tank early next year, but I'm starting on the design work now so I can start picking up the equipment and all I will need. I want to put a separate cube on each end of the tank for anemones, but I'm not sure about how big a cube I would need. So a couple question if someone doesn't mind...

1) Will a 24x24x30 cube be large enough for a H. Magnifica or do they need more room than that?

2) Which species is hardier, H. Crispa or M. Doreensis? I've never kept an anemone, but I'm not really big on the looks of a BTA so I'm trying to get an idea of what other clown hosting anemones are relatively hardy (and planning on waiting longer to put one in to make sure tank conditions are real stable.)

 

[2Addicted]

Mags are known to be one of the hardest anemones to keep so I wouldnt start out with that. When you say your putting seperate cubes on each end of the tank what does that mean? Will they be seperate systems, or will all of the anemones share the same water? If they will be sharing the same water you could possibly run into some problems with chemical warfare. What kind of clownfish are you going to want to keep with the anemones? Im not sure which is hardier between long tentacles or sebae's but I have had really good luck with long tentacles. I have never kept a sebae.


Also
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[TVenters]

Oh, Ive read enough enough about H. Mag to know that while I still want one, its going to be a couple years before I start looking for one to buy. But it a goal right?

As to the cubes, guess I could have explained a bit better lol. I'm going to be building a main tank, and on either end of it on the stand, I am planning on setting a pair of cube tanks. I'm doing this since even the most basic search (oh, and the FAQ to think of it) says that multiple species of nems and multiple clown pairs in the same tank is a bad idea, but eventually I'd like to have more than one pair of clown and a couple breeds of nems...so I figured I would design and build a stand/tanks big enough for the end goal from the get go, to cut down on the work involved, and to keep from having to rebuild a tank/stand down the road ( my wife was pretty specific on how much of the living room I could take up lol)

They won't be sharing the same water (I think) in the sense you are thinking. Each cube and the main tank will have its own return and set of overflows, although they will share the same sump/refugium. None of the water in the tanks themselves should be getting mixed anywhere except down in the sump to get skimmed/cleaned/ect.

As to clown types, I'm thinking Percula's or Clarkii for the main tank, with Maroons in one of the cubes and Ocellaris (the black variety, so pretty) in the the H. Mag after I get it in and settled way down the road. I'm not sure about the Maroons though, since while I like them, I don't like BTA's all that much, and if they don't host well with other nems, I'll rethink it.

So...yeah, would a 24x24x30 be large enough for an H. Mag?

 

[bues0022]

With what you describe, they will actually be sharing the same water. Essentially you have one large body of water split into three tanks. Most who have had problems with several species of nems in the same tank have had them all within the same glass box, but even still with the shared water volume there exists a possibility of chemical warfare between species. Heavy skimming and lots of carbon will help, but there still exists a possibility of unhappy anemones - just so you are aware and can plan accordingly.

 

[TVenters]

Oh, so would it be better to do seperate sumps/refugiums for each tank then? I've read enough to know I would rather not have them engage in chemical warfare if I can avoid it. That's actually why I'm starting my designing and planning 4-5 months before I plan on starting the building much less stocking.

Im guessing that even if I ran seperate skimmers and filters for each that if they share the same refugium the potential will still exist?

 

[Meggie2409]

I wld go with the M. Doreensis!!!! I have one and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! they will max out at abt 18in at the disc and need abt 4 in of fine sand bed but are awesome and my maroon clown LOVES it as well! My LTA is 12-13in right now and is what everyone looks at when they come into the living room... of course no one sees the 100's of dollars worth of corals they just wanna look at the beast of an anemone in the corner of the tank lol Also the M. Doreensis come in some awesome natural colors! Mine has moved a total of 1/4in since I put in the tank which I needed since I have corals all over, and actually it pets yes pets most of the corals around it as well as its fav tank mate my regal tang lol

 

[TVenters]

Mmm...another question lol.

How deep of a sandbed does it take to keep the sand dwelling anemones happy? 3-4 inches or something more/less?

 

[Meggie2409]

Yeah they want at least that and they like to be placed by rocks... It will put its foot in the crevices and bury and sand