I went to Petco yesterday for supplements for my tank and of course stopped to look at the saltwater tanks. To my surprise they had the white anemones with pink tips selling for only $6 and some change. I was SO TEMPTED to buy one since they were so cheap but i did not want to make an impulse buy.And i am still in the process of treating my tank for ich since i had a clown die from it. Also, i am or was unaware of my calcium, iodine, etc parameters. (i know amm, nitri,nitra,ph levels). So, i plan to finish treating my tank for ich (i have 4 more days) according to the bottle, and do a large water change and then let my tank settle down for 2 weeks, then purchase the anemone. I really want one and my one remaining clown would love it too. So, what do you guys think? Should i purchase one or am i or my tank not experienced/old enough? My tank has been up for 10 weeks today(and this is my first time keeping a saltwater tank). I have a 14g with live sand, about 7 pieces of live rock of varing sizes, my amm, nitr, nitra are all 0ppm as of yesterday. My ph is 8.0 and my salinity is 1.023. Also, i plan on buying just one more clown fish for a total of 2. I have 2 peppermint shrimp, and 6 or 7 small hermit crabs. I also have some polyps. Your opinions please!
Your opinions pleeeze...
- Thread starter Deez31
- Start date
Toddrtrex
Premium Member
First, avoid a white anemone if you can --- white = bleached.
Second, the odds are good that it was a Condy, which aren't natural hosts for any clowns.
Third, what are you treating the ick with? While they say "reef-safe" I don't tend to believe that.
And forth, and JMO, a 14g isn't big enough for any hosting anemone.
Second, the odds are good that it was a Condy, which aren't natural hosts for any clowns.
Third, what are you treating the ick with? While they say "reef-safe" I don't tend to believe that.
And forth, and JMO, a 14g isn't big enough for any hosting anemone.
Well, a couple things here. 14g is very small for any anemone, but it can be done. I haven't personally tried it, but I have a couple friends who have successfully kept anemones in 10 and 15g aquariums, so it's not impossible. I wouldn't put an anemone in anything less than a 30g, but that's just my opinion. Your tank is definitely too young for an anemone. If you decide to get one, I would recommend waiting until your setup is at least 6 months old. Anemones are amazing but very finicky critters when it comes to precise WQ parameters. They aren't considered "beginner" animals and they need a well-established environment with extremely stable conditions, which is my main concern about the small tank size; even small fluctuations in something as simple as salinity can cause problems. They also tend to move around a lot to try to find a spot with ideal lighting, water flow, etc. and if they can't find that in the small space they are provided with, you won't have a very happy anemone. If you do decide to get one, realize that when they move around they knock over rockwork along with any coral you might have on it, so I'd hold off on any coral in a small clownfish/anemone tank. In summary, a bigger tank would be much better, but if you put an anemone in your 14g, be neurotic about WQ.
elegance coral
They call me EC
Agree with all of the above.
:thumbsup:
Dragonlady
Premium Member
You should be glad you did not make an impulse buy. Condylactis anemones are not a natural host for any clownfish. Condy anemones are known to eat clownfish...... especially if the clownfish is already sick. I suggest you convert your 14 gallon into a quarantine/ treatment tank and get another larger tank cycling for an anemone if that is your eventual goal.
to You can keep all kinds of cool stuff! I have a 12g nanocube and it's a really fun tank. Nanos are a bit of work as far as monitoring WQ goes, but they're really rewarding if you set them up right. I think an important thing to remember with nano reefs is that the more complete your ecosystem is, the less work you'll have to do yourself. When looking into fish species, try to cover your bases and get fish that have specific purposes in the tank. Substrate sifters are really important, things like a twin-spot goby or a Hector's goby; they're great for that. Algae-grazers like gobies and some damsels can be useful too, although you usually can take care of algae grazing with a good invertebrate CUC. Microinvertebrate grazers are a nice addition too, fish like wrasses and basslets. The only problem you can run into here is overstocking. My tank is a bit "fish heavy", but I love it that way. Extra water changes usually solve that problem.
As far as corals go, you can do a lot. There are tons of beautiful corals that resemble anemones (e.g. torch coral, long-tentacle plate corals and toadstools, etc.) that clowns will host in, if that's what your looking for. Since your new to this incredibly addictive hobby, you might want to start out with some "easy" corals. Leathers are always a good start and xenia grows like a weed as well as most star polyps. Most zoanthids and a lot of mushrooms are pretty hardy too. I'd start there. No need for
As far as corals go, you can do a lot. There are tons of beautiful corals that resemble anemones (e.g. torch coral, long-tentacle plate corals and toadstools, etc.) that clowns will host in, if that's what your looking for. Since your new to this incredibly addictive hobby, you might want to start out with some "easy" corals. Leathers are always a good start and xenia grows like a weed as well as most star polyps. Most zoanthids and a lot of mushrooms are pretty hardy too. I'd start there. No need for
Dave Harms
Premium Member
Glad you asked before making an impulse buy!
You will enjoy your small tank, just remember to take it slow and keep on top of your water quality. Just as important, make sure your water is STABLE, no swings in pH, salinity, and temp.
You will enjoy your small tank, just remember to take it slow and keep on top of your water quality. Just as important, make sure your water is STABLE, no swings in pH, salinity, and temp.
