Which Anemone Should I Get?

[SWaquariast]

I am wanting to get eather a carpet, 2 sebaes(white & yellow), or a long tenticle.

How much light does each need, wattage per gallon wise.?

I have a 20g aquarium with 20lbs live sand and 10lbs rock. For filtration and water movement I have a Penguin BIO-Wheel 200, Prizm Deluxe Skimmer, and a Maxi 400.

Then I currently have 30w of freshwater growth lights. But will be getting Current Dual Sattellite 24"(This is 160w) I have one on my LPS Softy reef.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Carpet == Need to know what kind of carpet Though all 3 will get too big for a 20g

Sebaes, white and yellow -- bleached for the white one, and dyed for the yellow one. Plus will get too big for a 20.

An LTA would be pushing it size wise for a 20, in fact I just sold mine that were in my 29.

What are your parameters of this tank? With the bio wheel and Prizm skimmer I am going to guess not ideal parameters for a hosting anemone.

 

[E.J. Coral]

20g is definetly too small for any of the carpets and too small for sebaes ( BTW, white is bleached and yellow is dyed, avoid those colors). These animals get huge!!! Get a BTA clone from a fellow hobbiest, it is probably your best choice.

 

[Slakker]

LTA's are capable of getting much too large for a 20g aquarium as well, sometimes pushing 2 feet in diameter.

I've even seen BTA's pushing 18" every so often...IMO a nano tank is not a good permanent home for any anemone, but if clowns are not present Condylactis are the easiest to keep.

A +1 on all above advice, as well.

 

[SWaquariast]

I know they all get quite big but. I will get them small then when they get big enough I will sell them.

 

[SWaquariast]

My parameters are
Amonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-5
pH-8.2

I had a BTA that was 14" in diameter in my 20g reef and thenit split and only one servived and it is now 8" in diameter.

 

[Slakker]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12852087#post12852087 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SWaquariast
I know they all get quite big but. I will get them small then when they get big enough I will sell them.

Seems like you have it all figured out...why ask for advice that you don't plan to take?

Good luck with whatever anemone you choose. Will this be in the tank with the frogfish or mantis shrimp or pistol/goby pair (whichever you chose to go with)?

 

[SWaquariast]

I all ready told you that the frogfish is going to be to exspensive in the long run for feeding. So I am going to put an anemone with a pair of clowns with the goby/pistol pair.

So I would like it if you would stop posting in my forums Slakker.

 

[davocean]

20g is way too small for those nems, and looking at your setup it's bound to get sucked into intakes IMO.
I'd work on upping light b4 anything else.
I'd lose the bio wheel too.

 

[fattyratrat]

Yea, you don't have a proper system to keep a reef. You can't keep a reef with a biowheel being your main source of filtration. You should consider getting a hang on back overflow and sump/fuge before you start keeping advanced reef organisms. Softies can get by with anything, but if you want to move up to things like anemones, lps, and sps, you will have to upgrade.

 

[fattyratrat]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12853947#post12853947 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SWaquariast

So I would like it if you would stop posting in my forums Slakker.

this isn't your forum, and anyone can post genuine advice and/or genuine questions where ever they want to on here.

<img src="/images/welcome.gif" width="500" height="62"><br><b><i><big><big>To Reef Central</b></i></big></big>

 

[E.J. Coral]

lol ... at least the OP is trying to actually keep animals instead of just reading about them.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12852564#post12852564 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Slakker
Seems like you have it all figured out...why ask for advice that you don't plan to take?

Good luck with whatever anemone you choose. Will this be in the tank with the frogfish or mantis shrimp or pistol/goby pair (whichever you chose to go with)?

 

[orchidsnfish]

I think you could keep an anemone in a 20 gallon if that were the only thing in the tank. Otherwise it will get big enough to touch all four sides of the tank and kill everything else.

I just don't see a sebae, a lta, or a BTA (I don't have carpets so I will not comment on them) getting so big it physically will not fit in a 20G. Now it may take up the whole tank, but you guys act like it is going to be hanging over the sides. Even a 24" daimeter anemone will "fit" in a 20G. I think it would be pretty awesome to have a tank with a huge anemone all by itself.

Even so, I would be very concerned about filter intakes. That's the great thing about a sump. I actually have a 20H full of red BTA's. I dont have any intakes to hurt them though. The tank is RR and has a sump/fuge. With a large return pump the nems get plenty of flow. Of course they could go over the overflow, but not likely. I say if you are going to put an anemone in this tank, drill it through the back and use a 10G or something similar as a sump to keep equipment.

Check out these pics. These BTA's are huge and this is a 20L. The tank is very full, but I don't see that anything is in distress. THIS TANK IS PLUMBED INTO A VERY LARGE SYSTEM which is more than likely a lot of the reason these nems are thriving. Smaller tanks have big parameter swings as I'm sure you already know. It also doesn't have any intakes to chew up his nems.

I also wouldn't recommend keeping the anemones under power compacts. Go with t5's or MH. It may be possible to keep them alive with power compacts, but is not ideal.

BTW this tank does have power compacts , but is an exception IMO.

 

[Slakker]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12856129#post12856129 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by E.J. Coral
lol ... at least the OP is trying to actually keep animals instead of just reading about them.

Sorry for being responsible about the animals I choose to keep or not keep.

 

[SWaquariast]

Ok I a cheap HOB filter from Walmart and a Seaclone skimmer in my reef and every thing is doing fine Even my anemone. I have had that certain one for a year and a half.

 

[Slakker]

18 months is not necessarily long term success with a creature that potentially lives for hundreds of years in the wild.

But congratulations.

 

[E.J. Coral]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12859052#post12859052 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Slakker
18 months is not necessarily long term success with a creature that potentially lives for hundreds of years in the wild.

But congratulations.

18 months IS success in my book. I have not seen any scientific data that suggests a lifespan of hundreds of years for anemones. Please provide references!!!

 

[Slakker]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12859140#post12859140 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by E.J. Coral
18 months IS success in my book. I have not seen any scientific data that suggests a lifespan of hundreds of years for anemones. Please provide references!!!

Do your own research for a change.

But you're right, I've never kept one so obviously nothing that I've read about them could possibly be right. Everyone should just buy whatever they want. I've got a 5 gallon bucket out in the garage, I think I'll just fill it up with saltwater, throw a few Magnifica's in there, maybe a vlamingii or two. I've got a spare desk lamp somewhere, I'm sure that would be fine.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Play nice kids.

Slakker, you made the claim, so you should provide the reference.




I personally don't think 18 months is success. My oldest anemone ( Haddoni ) is 8+ years old. ( at least that is how long I have had it. )

 

[Slakker]

35 seconds in google turns up this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/blueplanet/factfiles/jellies/sea_anemone_bg.shtml

"Like other Cnidarians, they do not age, meaning they have the potential to live indefinitely."

Documentation of an anemone that lived in captivity for 75 years before it was killed due to its tank being drained, as well as plenty of other information is readily available for those willing to take the time to look rather than blindly accuse another person of making things up.