New Print and eBook on Amazon:   Anemone Success Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Lighting Hi Bob, <James for Bob today>  I have a 72 gallon bow front oceanic aquarium which I have recently set up as a reef aquarium. The bow front is 48" long, 22" high. I was advised by my local LFS (who, up to this point I was very happy with) to go with Current USA Power Compact Satellite lighting system. It has 65 Watt Dual Daylights - 10000K White / 6700K White Power Compact Bulbs and Dual Actinic - 7100K Blue / Actinic 03 Power Compact Bulbs, 2 one watt moon lights (total of 262 watts). Is this lighting sufficient for my system?  Equipment for the tank: a Marineland Penguin 330 and 170 filter, a Prizm 100 gallon protein skimmer and a 350 watt therm set at 78 degrees. My water quality is fine, all values are at 0 (ammon, nitrate and nitrite) and calcium is at 480. I have 90lbs of live rock and 3-4" of live sand/crushed coral mix. Right now I have 1 royal Gramma, 2 tomato clowns, a flame angel and a small scooter blenny, 2 cleaner shrimp, two peppermint shrimp, various snails and crabs, a sand sifting cucumber, a frog spawn, a candy cane and a very small Caribbean Ricordea.  I feed twice daily, small amounts of flake (Prime Reef and veggie flakes) to the fish/tank. Twice weekly I target feed Cyclop-Eeze to the corals and scooter blenny. My angel is accepting the veggie flakes but feed twice weekly frozen cubed seaweed.  BUT MY PROBLEM IS: I also have two bubble tipped quad color anemones that have been thriving and growing for about a mth now. I have been feeding them a pea size piece of shrimp twice a week. I've noticed over the past few days, one of them is deflating sometimes twice daily. Tonight, it's tentacles look a bit deflated and it's mouth was open, however, NOTHING was coming out of it (i.e. brown mucus), it was just open. I broke my routine feeding and fed it a piece of shrimp (cooked, thawed, for human consumption), it took the shrimp readily, seemed to perk up a bit and as soon as the daylights went off (blues were on) its tentacles looked normal. It has not moved since I put it in the tank at all. Should I feed this anemone more often, say once a day, or every other day?  <<Do not feed fishes/inverts cooked foods.>> <Anemones produce most of their own food, but should occasionally be fed a thumbnail size of shrimp etc at 10-12 day intervals.>  I'm considering changing to Medal Halide lighting, should I do this?  <See below. Most fixtures do come with cooling fans built in, mind you.>  I am not so sure I want to go with the heat intensity; the potential of having to have a cooler is not something I want to deal with. I want to have a success reef aquarium, and really need your advice. The second quad color anemone is losing its color; its purple tips are almost non existent.  <Proper lighting is lacking. Make sure you have a total flow rate of at least 700gph. You don't mention powerheads so I'm thinking your flow rate is low.> I am also VERY interested in setting up a refugium for my tank. I'm investigating this option, but have found little to no real meaty information on refugiums. (I searched web media and all the threads had to do with moving tanks). I thought of upgrading my filtration to a sump pump, with built in protein skimmer, and maybe somehow incorporating a "fuge" in the sump. My tank is not reef ready, so an intake box would have to hang on the back of the tank, and I've been advised not to do this for fear of the siphon halting and creating a leak. <It wouldn't leak, but if the sump was improperly sized, you could overflow the tank.>  Have you found this to be a problem? Any ideas, should of getting a new tank that is reef ready?  <Not necessary but more functional.> Well, thanks in advance for answering this email Bob. I have read and reread your book a few times (when yo u get older, it takes a few times to retain..).. Loni Davidson  <Loni, for the depth of your tank, two 65 watters is not going to be near enough light to keep what you have now. You would need around a 360-400 watt system to be effective. As for the refugium, have you considered one of CPR's hang on the tank systems that come with the pump? These work very well with no danger of leaking. James (Salty Dog)>

Black Powder and Anemones Fellas, I have one quick question for you. In my reef tank, which I'm still stocking, every time I introduce a new anemone they open up and look good. Then the next time I sprinkle in some Black Powder at night, by the next morning they are hiding and have shrunk in size but are not dead. Is this product that bad? What about the rest of Marc Weiss's line up?  <I've used his products a long time ago. For what they cost, I didn't see much, if any improvement of anything. Personally I think the claims are exaggerated. Keep in mind that is just my opinion. All I use is SeaChem's Reef Advantage Calcium and their iodide supplement. The calcium does contain magnesium and strontium as an added plus. James (Salty Dog)> I appreciate your help. <You're welcome>

Anemone care 3/11/05 Thanks for the help. I have since devoted my tank to only one anemone, the carpet.  <whew! Good to hear. Mixing anemone species is a recipe for trouble otherwise> But can you tell me if the reason for the carpet moving to a part of the tank that is hit by morning sunlight?  <it should be obvious my friend... better light> I think my lighting is ok.... I have 260 watts JBJ system, half actinic, half white light, and I also put the fluorescent 40 watt that came with the tank years ago in action too.  <it cannot compare to the sun> I know... no metal halides, but with 300 watts combined light I am hoping it will be ok without the expensive metal halides. Any other options? <keep the anemone shallow (less than 10" of the surface) if possible. And do read our archives on carpets/anemones for greater perspective. Anthony>

VHO lighting and anemones Hello, <Hi there> I have a 75 gallon reef (18" deep), that's approx 3 months old, and doing very well. Water levels are all in the ideal range, and the coralline algae growth is phenomenal. I have not added any corals yet, but I have some zoanthids and Palythoa that have sprung from my live rock. The tank also houses 8 fish (all small reef safe species) I have the ballast capacity and space in my hood to run up to eight 46 ?" VHO lamps. Right now I have four 36" VHO URI super actinics, and four 46 ?" URI actinic whites. The tubes are 2 inches above the water surface, and 14 inches above the surface of the sandbed. I run the smaller actinics just to keep my color rendering from being too blue.  My question stems around my wife's desire to add an anemone and clown fish to this tank. With the ability to run up to 880 watts of VHO lighting, I'm assuming I can keep one of the easier species like a bulb anemone, but I wanted your opinion, as well as a recommendation on whether I should continue running a 50/50 blend of white to actinic, or should I cut down the number of actinics and add more full spectrum to make the anemone (and future SPS additions) happy?  <You can keep most any of the larger actinarians here. I would likely switch out two of the actinics> Also, is there any real benefit for anemones and SPS to switching the full spectrum lamps to 10K Aquasuns, instead of the 12K actinic whites?  <Not much> Thanks you for a great forum, and for the advice, Robert Moore <Glad to proffer it. Bob Fenner> 

Bubble Tip Anemone Hi WWM guru's. I have a question about my green BTA. I have a 46 gallon bow front, with 50 #s of LR, good coralline growth, a 4 inch sand substrate bed with 2 sand sifting stars and misc cleaning crew, a healthy finger coral, a healthy open brain, healthy fire coral, xenia polyps and a 2" Derasa clam. I have a neon Dottyback, a small 6 line wrasse, a (new) 2" maroon Clown and a 3 " short fin lionfish. The water parameters are salinity 1.023, PH 8.2, temp 79, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, calcium 400, nitrate 10. I bought the BTA a month ago or a bit longer with its tomato clown. I set the BTA in a rock near the bottom front of the tank and for a week the BTA expanded to an unbelievable size and the tomato clown was doing his thing also. The clown, unfortunately, died the following week (cause unknown). The BTA started to wander and after about a week finally settled under a rock ledge backside of the tank where I do not think it gets the best light, but it attached and has been there ever since. So, that is when I bought the new clown. Well, the BTA improved and the clown took to it right away. Now, I noticed the BTA is not expanding anywhere like it did in the beginning and it does not seem to show all its tentacles and looks, well, pathetic. The clown still lives there and seems happy. I  feed it weekly and I do notice other foods that I feed the fish (brine, blood worms, small krill chunks also float by that area as does phytoplankton. After this long winded explanation, what do you think is up with my BTA? Thanks for the great site! <Rob, you don't mention the lighting you are using.  I am assuming that with the clam, you did your homework on lighting required.  Ten percent weekly water changes are certainly a big help in maintaining water quality.  Most invertebrates do better with a higher salinity (1.025).  You might try raising it to that level slowly during the next two weeks.  A strontium/molybdenum addition helps also. Good luck.  James (Salty Dog)> Rob

ANEMONE IN 12 GAL Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2005 Hi Crew, your thoughts on the following would be appreciated: I have a 12 gal FOWLR that has been established about two years. I would like to remove the few fish, and add two or three percula clowns and a compatible anemone; given the tank size, which anemone would be most practical? Thanks, Steve.  <Steve, the bad thing about putting an anemone in a 12 gallon tank is that the water parameters can change too quickly which isn't good. It can be done with daily monitoring of water levels, pH, etc. Another drawback is that the preferred anemone (Ritteri) is too large for a 12. The bubble tip, which is third on their most preferred list would be the better choice, but there is no guarantee that they will inhabit it. James (Salty Dog)> 

(Another) Anemone lighting question Crew @ WetWebMedia, <Jim> Thank you for the numerous responses you have made to those requesting info about keeping anemones! I have a 12 gallon nanocube with 82 watts of PC light (50/50) and understand that lighting is a MAJOR factor in keeping an anemone happy and healthy. <As is the size of systems... yours is too small> I know this lighting is not ideal, however after the tank is thoroughly established, do you think an anemone could be kept in this environment successfully? <What species?> If so, would you please recommend some of the hardier anemones, bubble tips perhaps? Thank you in advance for you time, Jim Vilsack - Charlotte, NC <Jim, you're setting yourself up for a fall here... better to try a mushroom anemone (corallimorph), perhaps a frag, small bit of some soft coral... Bob Fenner>

Ritteri and Saddle Anemone  Hello. I have prepared [a] cube tank for S. haddoni or Heteractis magnifica.  It's 28*28*28inch cube but I'm planning to make plenum so the tank will be 15 inch high.  Will my 150w HQI be enough for either of anemones? <The 150 HQI should be enough provided the light is concentrated on the Ritteri and Saddle anemone>  I can upgrade to 250W if needed.  Magnifica would be on the rock in the middle of the tank and haddoni on the sand.  Would plenum be ok for haddoni? <I don't see where having a plenum would having any effect on the anemone. James (Salty Dog)>

Up For The Anemone Challenge! Crew, <Scott F. your Crew member here today!> I have a 30 gal. hex (about 20"-24" deep, I guess) tank with a small Gold-Striped Maroon, 1 hermit crab, and 1 Turbo; I have a Bak Pak 2 for filtration, live rock/sand, and 1 small powerhead for water flow. The system is just over one year old and stable. I'd like to know if installing the proper lighting would allow for me to add a BTA to such a deep tank? If so, what specifications, etc., and could I install a PC lighting hood (for example) and add the anemone at the same time?  Thanks, Kim <Well, Kim, as you are probably aware, anemones are among the most demanding of all animals that we keep in our systems. As such, I am not a big one for keeping such demanding animals in systems with relatively modest water capacity. Larger systems give you a better shot at creating environmental stability. In addition to very high water quality and stability, adequate flow, and proper feeding, you'd need intense light. Even in a smaller tank, I'd still recommend a powerful light source, such as metal halide. I'd probably use a 150 "double-ended" HQI pendant, such as the Sunlight Supply "Reef Optix III", the AquaMedic "Ocean Light", or the PFO "Mini Pendant". I'd utilize a full spectrum bulb, such as the Aqualine Buschke 10,000K or the BLV 10k. Both will supply adequate energy to support the photosynthetic processes within the anemone. Of course, with high intensity lighting, there is a concern about keeping the temperature stable within the tank. It all goes back to the stability issue that can be especially problematic in a tank of this size. If you've read about these animals, are certain that you can provide for their long-term prosperity (a larger tank in the future, maybe?), and are up for the challenge, then I know that you can do it! Best of luck! Regards, Scott F.> 

Lighting for BT Anemone Thanks for the wonderful website- I've learned a lot. <Not apparently that there is no such word as a lot> I wanted to know if I have enough light to house a small Bubble-Tip Anemone successfully. I have a 7-gallon bowfront with 9 pounds of live rock. <This tank is too small for an anemone. Bob Fenner> Lighting consists of 1 32watt PowerCompact 10,000k/Actinic and 1 32watt PowerCompact 10,000k/6,700k daylight. I realize the anemone will eventually outgrow the system. Thanks!! JW

Species tank for anemones Hello, <How goes it?> I've written before regarding my tank and set-up:  50 gallon main tank, 29 gallon sump with deep sand bed (fine aragonite), Aqua C skimmer, water changes every week or two, carbon twice per month, ph 8.1 -- 8.4, 0 nitrate, temp: 80F, sg 1.026. <Superb> I have one large H. magnifica (~17 inches from tentacle tip to tip), one 8 inch H. aurora, an A. ocellaris that lives in the ritteri and a bicolor blenny.  I have a few snails and hermits.  The two anemones have been in the same tank for a little over two years, at opposite ends. <You're obviously doing something right to keep a ritteri alive that long! Good job!> I had two 96-watt and two 55-watt 10,000k power compacts, just bought a dual 150-watt HQI system (had a good experience with www.Petsupplyliquidator)  --my Christmas present to myself. <Hafta love em!> The anemones have flourished and continue to, but I worry about allelopathy since I see so many warnings about that problem on here.  Anyway, about two weeks ago I was in a fish shop and saw a small (5 inch across), purple based H. magnifica and I couldn't leave it there.  I Intuitively sensed that this beautiful animal would survive for long if I didn't get it (I'm an anemone psychic I suppose). <Ritteri's don't usually survive long, period> Finally the question, if I remove the H. aurora and put him in a 20-gallon, will the two H. magnifica be okay together?  I've read so much about chemical warfare and I think I've read correctly that anemones are okay if they are kept in a species tank (i.e. no other species of cnidarians).  <As far as I am aware, H. magnifica doesn't actually release toxins into the water, instead relying on it's nematocysts for defense\offense.  Make sure the anemones never come into contact with one another, and you should be fine.  However, know this: even one ritteri is going to outgrow your tank, as they get 36" across.  I would be looking for a larger tank very soon> Thank you in advance for your response.  Happy New Year to all the WWM crew.  We hobbyists are fortunate to have your wisdom as a resource. <To you as well.  Thanks, we try> Gary <M. Maddox>

Anemone sucked into pump inlet 12/26/04 Hi crew, I have tried asking for help on your message board, I had no  response. <Sorry for the slow replies, but a lot of us were away from our computers around the holidays.>   My BTA was sucked into my closed loop pump.  I only noticed when the  water turned cloudy-white.  My skimmer went nuts, and I got a large amount  of nasty skimmate within 2 hours.  I did a 30% water change, it was all the  pre-mixed I had.  I am filtering water for a large water change late  tomorrow.  What else can I do?  I've heard that anemones foul the tank  when they die, how badly will my other SPS, LPS, and clam be affected by  this?? James <Yikes!!!  You have done all the right things so far.  Keep your skimmer working optimally.  Also, (although it is probably too late for this) you may want to crank up the current.  My biggest fear would be that the other animals would be stung by the bits of anemone.  If things are OK now, you should be fine.  Good luck.  AdamC.>

Anemone Removal I have a 15 gallon high tank which houses a Harlequin Shrimp with his CC star, a few hermit crabs all kinds of snail, a LTA with a Pink Skunk clownfish.  I have a HOB filter (which I understand can cause nitrate levels to remain high).<Clean it at least weekly, and it shouldn't be a problem.> The substrate is about 3-4" crushed coral (which I have read is a recipe for disaster). <Not necessarily.  With a few detritivores (not too many!) and lots of pods and worms in the CC, it can work well.> I have 15 lbs Bali live rock.  I would like to install a plenum to help with nitrate reduction, but am unsure how to safely remove this anemone (if possible at all).  He is deeply buried and snaps quickly out of site if touched. <I personally don't recommend plenums.  No one has convinced me of any advantage over a static bed of fine sand.> My nitrates are only about 15-20 ppm, though this is only because of very frequent water changes.  About 5 gallons once or twice a week.  I would really like to find a better way.  Ideally I'd like to remove the HOB, get more live rock.  Install a plenum with 2 layers consisting of crushed coral and live sand.  Each layer would be about 2 inches deep.  The plenum would be one inch deep and screening would separate the layers.  I would also install a small power head.  Do you think this would provide ample filtration?  That is if I can even remove this anemone. Thanks so much.  Corey <I would suggest slowly adding sugar fine sand until the bed is "filled in".  This should provide excellent denitrification, and if done a little at a time, the pods and worms will be able to resurface each time.  You could choose to either keep or remove the HOB.  This way, you won't have to disturb the anemone.  Powerheads are very anemone UN-friendly.  More live rock should not be necessary unless you desire to have it for aesthetic reasons.  Best Regards.  AdamC.>

Haitian Reef Anemone Good day. <How goes it?  M. Maddox here, earning his keep>  I've read your site and thoroughly enjoy your wealth of knowledge. <Thanks, so do I> I recently started a second marine tank (my other is a 75g Reef).  My wife wanted an anemone and a pair of clowns in the bedroom. <Spiffy ;]>  So I went to my local LFS and purchased a Haitian Reef Anemone (yes I now know a poor choice *gasp*). <Do you mean Condylactis spp?  If so, they're not difficult to keep, as anemones go.  If not, scientific name, please?>  I placed the anemone in my cycled tank after the acclimation process. <Unless you're using a significant amount of LR\LS from your main tank I wouldn't add an anemone for several months or more>  The next morning I found the anemone dead and in pieces all over the tank.  A classic epic of Anemone v. Powerhead. <Why is it that everyone who has an anemone insists on using powerheads?  I see\hear this all the time! At least cover the intakes with foam> Needless to say the powerhead won. <They usually do> My question is this:  What steps do I need to take before putting anything else in the tank?  Did the untimely death pollute my tank? <Probably not much> Is so what steps, if any, can be taken to render it safe for marine life again? <Wait a few months, research anemone care, cover the PH intake with foam, or preferably, get rid of them in exchange for better means of flow> Thanks Marc <Anytime - M. Maddox>

Green bubble tipped anemone growth Howdy and seasons greetings to y'all, <Thanks, you too!>      First of all let me thank you for the site. I have learned so much from it. It's always the first place I look when I have a question. <No problem, I'm glad to help out around here.  Loads of info, I read the archives frequently myself> On to my issues. I have a green bubble tipped anemone that was one of the early purchases once my tank was ready to add live stock. <Nice, anemones are awesome> It has been up since The first of July. I have a 75 gallon tank with about 100 #s of live rock and about 140 #s of live sand. I have a separate sump, with a Euroreef C-6 protein skimmer, which holds between 15 and 20 gallons.  The sump flows into a refugium with macro algae, live rock and live sand that is also between 15 and 20 gallons. I have a U.V sterilizer I run about once a month or so about a week at a time. (I mainly got it because of an ick outbreak I had). My lighting is 6 VHO 46.5" bulbs 3 actinic blue and 3 actinic white. They come on and go off in pairs throughout the day about 9 hours total anymore and the algae goes nuts.  <Might want to control those organics better, then - light should not create algae> First 2 blue then a blue and white then the last 2 whites and they go off in the reverse order. (to kind of simulate the day) My water has always been good with the exception of my nitrates which I have been fighting recently it stays around 15 (it has been higher but not by much and not now that I am really watching it) I have added a bag of nitrate sponge rocks to try to help along with sizeable water changes 4 days in a row. I normally do about 10 gallons a week. <Hmm...do you have a DSB?  Skim well?  Might want to up the water change %, chemical absorbers for nitrate are just temporary fixes for a larger problem> Okay now for my question. My anemone does not seem to grow. There are days it seems big and days it is very compact. I understand it is easy to confuse its stretching for growth. Some days it looks great other days just okay. It never looks like the melting ice cream cone and its color has not been bleached. It's still caramel with the green tips. I feed it every other day either Mysis shrimp or plankton after feeding my fish and shrimp because they tend to steal its food if I try to feed it first. I think it's being fed enough from what I have read but I see no significant growth. (arrrgh!) How big should these get and how fast should they grow? When I purchased it I purchased the 2 black and white clowns that were hosting it at the time and once being introduced into the tank, want nothing to do with it. Is this normal? The anemone was in the same spot forever then when I noticed my nitrate issue it was moving around but has now settled down again. I know this may sound confusing but if you can decipher through it any help would be greatly appreciated! <Take out an actinic bulb for another daylight, firstly.  Secondly, how deep in the water is it?  Does it receive decent flow?  Make certain it gets fed a couple of times a week, as well.  If need be, shoo everything away until it's fully ingested the food.  This should get the little guy growing...I fed mine 3 times a week and it doubled in size in a few months.  Remember to feed very small (1\4") bits> Thanks…Butch <Good luck! M. Maddox>

Anemone keeping & lighting G'day there <How goes it?  M. Maddox here today> Klay from NZ here , wrote before regarding Anemone , thought it was a Pacific LTA  , but have been told it's a Malu, (came from Vanuatu)  seen pics of both and looks similar to both so who knows. <Couldn't tell you without pictures> Anyway it's about 14" dia' and doing really well. <Is it growing?> Now I bought this guy on impulse as large anemones aren't thick on the ground down here, at the moment it's sitting in a 180 ltr 3ft tank , bare of anything but p/heads <anemone death traps, beware - cover the intakes with foam or find another means to prevent them from sucking in a wandering anemone in the middle of the night> and heater , the water reading at the moment is showing nitrite at about .50 <You should have zero nitrites, find out why you don't> , nitrate at about 5.0 , no ammonia and PH at 8.4 , have been doing weekly water changes of 100 ltrs mixed overnight before adding. <Does your source water have nitrites?> Today added some Caulerpa (mexicana), some dark red macro and a rugby ball sized base rock for it all to anchor to (with the intention that they will take care of the nitrate build up and keep the " lovely" brown algae down) <Was this tank fully set up\cycled before the purchase?> I still have 20 odd KGs of base rock cycling in a 4 ft tank (impatiently cycling I might add) <Know the feeling> This is the odd thing, everyone says anemones are hard to keep (is there a dark cloud on the horizon or is he a hardy bugga?) , this guy is blooming and feeds off Mysis or fresh snapper pieces (small fingernail sized) fed every 5 days alternate (too much ?) <Nope, I feed anemones every 4-5 days myself>  A week ago  the nitrite spiked the day after a water change to 2.0 and he still looked full (unfortunately I have to add that the spike killed my 4 skunk clowns overnight, which surprised me as they are bloody hardy little tykes, believe me my eyes welled).  <Find out why you're having excess nitrites!  Sorry about the clowns, skunks are pretty things too> The lighting consists of 1 x 4ft actinic  and 1 x full spec  ( all I had with good tubes ) , plus 5 hours natural sunlight in the morning (hence brown algae) , today also added a 14'000 k halide to help after reading lighting requirements, and I think he likes it. <Make sure you acclimate slowly to the halides.  Natural sunlight is a blessing, but the misconception that NSL causes algae growth is something that has me baffled.  First of all, light doesn't cause algae growth, excess dissolved nutrients causes algae growth.  Second of all, why would sunlight increase algae growth and not regular lights of nearly the same Kelvin?>  Now I'm concerned because running this halide seemed to bleach an umbrella leather and a Galaxea in my garden reef tank and I don't want to have this happen to this guy as I think he's going thru enough as it is until the home tank is ready.  <Yes, improper acclimation will cause bleaching...do everything in a reef tank SLOWLY!>  At present he stands about 8" off the bottom and has about 8/9" of water above him with the halide about 10" above that, will this be too much or ok? <Sounds fine> Sorry for the long winded email but after reading other posts the more info the better the understanding. <Not a problem, seeking information is always a good thing> Any comments / advice would be much appreciated.  <Read about Anthony's screen acclimation method on our acclimation page, and find out where those nitrites are coming from> Cheers Klay. <M. Maddox>

Can I keep a BTA in this setup? I have a 40gal bdr tank (36x18x16) with PC 2x96 light fixture, reef ready CPR BakPak, appx 60 lbs live rock, 20-30lbs live sand.... and the following corals: zoanthids - about 14 sets but mostly small frags with 20 or less polyps colt coral finger leather coral - and 15 of her babies but they are soon to go to the pet store or friends, Turbinaria coral, pagoda cup coral, trumpet/candy cane coral (small frag of about 10 heads), yellow leather toad (about 3 1/2 inches across and growing), pincushion looking toad - about 5 inches across, small pink toad - 2 inches, 2 toad frags about an inch each, large glove polyp rock -growing out of control, small glove polyp rock, about 30+ mushrooms daisy polyps (small frag of about 20), brown button polyps - 4 clumps Large Hair algae rock (for my pods - they love it and it has not spread anywhere else in tank for over a year), large green star polyp rock - appx 12inches across, hammer coral frag (2 heads - small) <Wow! When all of those animals start growing, you are going to have quite a crowded tank!  I would start thinking right now about thinning out!> As you can imagine it is all growing nicely but soon will be on top of each other. <Yup, they will.  There is also the issue of chemical competition (allelopathy) which is likely to become a problem with so many soft corals.> I love the zoos and my toads.. if I run Purigen will they coexist together ALONG with a BTA.  My friends BTA just split again and she wants to give me one but I want to make sure it will be ok in my tank.  <You have hit the primary issue on the head.  No chemical media will sufficiently control all of the allelopathic chemicals produced by corals. That is not to say that you will definitely have problems, but they are likely.  I would not consider adding the anemone unless you significantly reduce the number of corals.  In most cases, I don't recommend that anemones and corals be kept together at all (though most people do so).> Are my lights strong enough?  my tank is about 14" deep after the sand bed and it would go near the top. <Yes, but barely, and only if they are within a few inches of the water.  Regular feeding will help compensate for the lower light.> Are there any corals it will clash with?  I have 1 tomato clown, one citron and a mandarin (that I order copepods for monthly and my tank is swarming with amphipods and Mysid however I think they are to fast for him).  anyway, any info regarding the BTA would be appreciated! I would love to take it but only if it will be ok in my tank.  <The anemone will sting most corals and may suffer from the interaction itself.  Slow moving fish like your citron goby and Mandarin are at significant risk of being eaten by the anemone.  All things considered, I would strongly recommend that you avoid the anemone.  If you really want the anemone, you will have to give up the listed fish and drastically reduce the number of corals.  Best Regards.  AdamC.>

Making Friends With His Anemone (Anemone Acclimation) Hi, <Hi there! Scott F. at your service> I have learned quite a bit from the posted articles, but I think I have a different problem from the others. Most people seem to be having problems with LTAs roaming around the tank. Mine hasn't moved at all. <Well, that may not be a problem, per se...> When I put it into the tank, it didn't seem to be attaching. Eventually, it flew free from the ledge that I had placed it on. <Ah, that can be a cause for a little concern.> Realizing that I should avoid handling it, but at the same time worrying that it would get sucked into the overflow after being dragged around the tank for half an hour, I dug it a hole in the substrate and "planted" it as best I could. I heard they like to be in the substrate. <Some do-some don't...that's the long and the short of it!> Since then it hasn't moved any perceptible amount (in 3 days). It hasn't really buried itself in any further into the substrate either. I got a good look at its foot when I bought it from the LFS and it didn't seem to have any abrasions or tears. It grabs onto food, but doesn't seem to actually eat it. It is secreting wispy threads of "snot" from all around the foot. <Perhaps mucus in response to some sort of stress or injury> The first day, it belched some of that brown algae stuff, but hasn't since. It still seems to have pretty good color and the mouth is closed tightly. Is it healthy? <Hard to say. The fact that it is not adhering to substrate, and not digesting food is of potential concern. This could be simply a result of acclimation; that is- part of the acclimation process- and it may pass in a few days without any further disturbances.> I am running a 196 W 50/50 actinic/10000K PC light.   Is that enough? <For long term maintenance of this anemone, I'd have to say that it is marginal. Anemones, almost as a general rule, demand intense lighting. Such lighting is most economically provided by metal halides, IMO> How much substrate do they need? <Not really a matter of depth. They are found on hard substrate (rocks), sand/rock interfaces, etc. Given a variety of locales to "choose" from, the animal will eventually settle into one that suits its preferences.> I want this anemone to live, what should I do? <At this stage of the game, keep the water quality high, and the lighting intense. I'd avoid disturbing the animal any more than necessary.> Here are the other parameters: V = 55 gal T = 77 F pH = 8.2 S.G. = 1.024 NH3/4 = 0 ppm N03 < 1 ppm Ca = 400 ppm about 16 lbs of live rock I am running a fluidized bed filter, a skimmer, and a small live sand bed in the sump. Thanks so much, Justin <Well, Justin- your water conditions sound pretty good. Just keep the environment stable. Do think about upgrading the lighting for the long term. Give the animal another week or two to settle in a bit. With patience, careful attention to the water quality and lighting, and the passage of time, the animal can acclimate successfully. Keep attempting to feed on a regular basis, too. Hang in there! Regards, Scott F.>

Anemone lost to a canister filter! Hi Blundell, Disaster struck last night in my tank.  One of my anenomes got sucked into my canister filter and died.  It's too bad because it had been thriving.  My question is can I still use my filter? << Yes, but I'd clean that thing out well. >> I'm afraid that it might pollute my whole tank. << Bigger concern is will it happen again.  I'd make sure to improve the screening method on that filter before using again. >> Thanks again! Martin <<  Blundell  >>

Ritteri Questions Hello, <How goes it, Michael here, though I should be studying...> Great site! <Thanks, I'm glad I can help out> I've read just about all the faq's in regards to anenomes and will adhere to your advice. I have a question as to the tank that I would like to set up, specifically looking for your expertise to alleviate any possible problems. Here is what I am looking at: 58 gal oceanic reef ready tank 30 gal sump euro reef cs6-1 protein skimmer Coralife Aqualight pro: 1 150 watt halide, 2 65 watt PC actinic <Not enough lighting for a Ritteri.  You'll need at least 2 150 watt halides for a 48" tank, preferably 2 175 watts> 60-70 pounds of live rock 3-5 inches of crushed aragonite <Go with a DSB of about 6"> I plan to let the tank cycle for about 6 months before adding the ritteri and 2 clowns.  <Sounds good, I let mine go fishless for four months> Does this set up seem ok? <up your lighting and you'll be fine> Would it be possible to add zoos + star polyps too? <yep, place them lower and they should be fine> Thanks in advance for your response, <Anytime> Kwon <M. Maddox>

Sebae Anemone Hi, <Hello there> I've tried to look up as many articles as possible, however I haven't really found a full answer to my question. <Go on> I had 3 false Percula clowns...I believe my new sebae anemone ate it as it was the clown that had really taken to the anemone that was eaten. <I see> I've only had it for a couple of weeks. Since it "ate" the clown fish...it's been tipped over sitting on its side and really not looking healthy at all. I've checked the water and the levels seem to be fine. I've also cleaned up the water so that it doesn't choke on its own waste. <Cleaned up? It is a good idea to remove solid waste (after the anemone disgorges it), but they don't like sudden or large changes in their environment> I have a standard two ft tank and have one fluorescent and one blue light as the pet shop lady told me that coral and anemone really love the light so I hope it's not too bright. <Mmm, take a read through WetWebMedia.com re this species (actually Heteractis crispa)... they require a surprisingly intense quantity of light... is yours "bleached out?"... that is, white or whitish with pink to purple tips at the ends of its tentacles? It may be impugned from its collection and shipping ahead of your purchase... very common> Can you please let me know if this is normal behavior for an anemone to be rolled over like that? Thanks Cheryl <Not normal... not healthy. Though almost all "giant anemone" species/specimens that live in conjunction with Clownfishes do have periods of more or less tumescence, they should not be flaccid... for any period of time. A warning sign. Again, there is too much to convey to you in this space, time. Please read through the articles and FAQs files archived on WWM. Bob Fenner>

Anemone care I just wanted to start this e-mail by letting you guys know you have a great site...I've used it many times.  I've had my tank for about five months now...it's my first.  I have a 55 gallon tank, an Amiracle hang on wet-dry with a built in skimmer, Coralife power compact lighting with two 65 watt actinic blue and two 65 watt 10,000k bulbs and three moon lights (I'm a sucker for gadgets), UV sterilizer and an oscillating power head.  The substrate is crushed coral.  I have 25 lbs of purchased cured live rock and 40 lbs of "reef bones" which have been seeded by the live rock and are showing good growth.  As far as livestock I have a percula clown, blue hippo tang, six line wrasse, scarlet cleaner shrimp, a fire shrimp, two Halloween hermit crabs (about 1.5" with bright orange legs), an emerald crab, 2 scarlet hermit crabs 10 blue leg  hermit crabs, 5 turbo snails, and 15 Margarita snails.  The tank started as fish only with no live rock (about one and a half months) and was converted to a reef system (about four months now) after a battle with new tank syndrome and Ich.  I recently purchased what I think is a Heteractis Malu anemone.  It is white (a little greenish yellow) with purple tips.  I purchased it before doing any research on your site which I now think might have been a mistake.  Now for the questions.  I am feeding it 3-4 times a week with Liquid Life bio plankton and Mysis, brine and flake that floats by after feeding the fish.  I put the plankton in about an hour before the actinic blue bulbs go off.  (lighting cycle:  1 hour actinic blue, 8 hours actinic blue and 10,000k, 1 hour actinic blue.)  Am I feeding properly?  Is the anemone getting enough Mysis brine etc.?  Is the lighting adequate...bulb size cycle etc.? << This is the big thing that jumps out to me.  I had four 65 watt pc bulbs on my 55 gal.  Looking back that was not nearly enough light.  If you only have two bulbs I think you are way under powering your tank.  Feeding the anemone is important, but lighting is so much more important. >> The anemone has not really moved since I put it in the tank (4 days now)  I put it on a piece of live rock at the bottom of the tank.  It has moved partially off the live rock and has dug it's foot into the crushed coral substrate.  Is this okay? << Yes. >> Will it move if it's unhappy? << Yes. >> Is it stuck in the substrate? << No this is fine. >> Is it two far from the lighting? (tank is 21" high) << I think so, but don't move him.  Just let him go where he wants.  He may surprise me and do very well there. >> Are there any behaviors I should be looking for as hints to a problem?  The anemone seems to be more open at night and kind of tense during the day.  Is this normal?  Sorry for so many questions but I just want to make sure I'm treating the anemone correctly. << I'd see some other anemones in friend's tanks and in stores.  See if you are providing and environment like those of others (who are successful). >> Thanks so much Matt <<  Blundell  >>

Anemone Acclimation Issues hi guys <Hello, Ryan with you today> I just recently bought a LT anemone and he seems to be doing good, has opened up nicely, he's still pretty new to the tank I just added him last night, ha-ha. so far my clowns have only just looked at him, my smaller and brighter one hovers over it and every once in a while his fin will touch one of his tentacles. I knew that they wouldn't pair up immediately but if you have any idea about how long it takes the average clown and anemone to pair up that would be good. <There is no guarantee...They may never fill each other's niche> also I know its best to feed them brine shrimp and scallops but would he be ok eating just the regular flakes I feed my clowns. <Beautiful livestock is the reward of extra effort, my friend.> Ummm my tank is 25 gallons (I know kind of small :(  with a metal halide I think 95 watts...I don't remember but the guy at the fish store said I could grow ANYTHING in my tank and that I had an awesome light setup for my size tank. <Yes, it is, but many anemones require better water quality than many are capable of providing in a skimmer-less 25 gallon tank.  All the same, but good luck! Ryan> any help would be good <Here you are: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemonelightngfaqs.htm>

Teaching an old marine dog new tricks 10/14/04 Hi, I am planning to set up a 65 gal. marine with mostly fish and maybe an anemone for a clown fish. <Anemones are among the most demanding inverts that we attempt to keep, and their survival is generally poor.  I will fill in more on husbandry below, but one of the keys is species selection.  Rose bubble tip anemones (Entacmaea quadricolor) are available captive raised and are very hardy.  Heteractis Malu (often sold as "sebae" anemones) are a good second choice, but most are bleached white with purple tips.  Do seek out one that is not so.  Stichodactyla haddoni is the only one of the three carpet anemones that can be recommended. Most other species of anemone should be patently avoided by all but the most experienced aquarists.  Be confident in your ID and patient in selecting a specimen.> I have some experience with marine tanks but it was about 10 years ago.  I used undergravel filters with powerheads and canister filter.  At that time wet dry filters were for reefs. <Ummm... what's an undergravel filter?  Just kidding!  My first foray into marine tanks was much the same.> I know times have changed as have the equipment used so could you please help me catch up.  My LFS tells me to use a wet dry with a pre drilled tank with an overflow.  But he says to leave out the anemone and go fish only. <I am not a fan of wet/dries for any application except heavily stocked fish only systems.  In general, I also steer folks away from anemones.  Even those I listed above aren't easy to keep.> (That's not what I want).  This is a small town and it is hard to get straight info without someone trying to sell you something. <This is true in most places.  If you know what you want, do it.  By asking here you are demonstrating that you want to do it right!> I've read a ton of posting from many sites but I am feeling overwhelmed.  I thought I would go with a wet dry with room for a protein skimmer in the sump.  Would that adequate as for as filtration? Thanks, Kim  <I would skip the wet/dry in favor of a simple sump and a good quality skimmer.  Live rock (3/4-1.25 lb/gallon) and sand will easily take care of your filtration needs.  Anemones require light and feeding.  Your lighting should consist at bare minimum of 4 VHO tubes the length of your tank, but you may want to consider 175w MH.  105-200W of PC would probably also be OK, but I am not a fan of PC's because of their complicated and expensive replacement.  Anemones tend to wander around a bit, so you must be extremely cautious of pump inlets, drains, powerheads, heaters, etc. that may injure them.  If you wish to keep these animals, I strongly recommend Bob Fenner's "Conscientious Marine Aquarist" (beginner), The Reef Aquarium Vol 1&2 by Delbeek and Sprung (advanced) and "Anemonefishes and Their Host Sea Anemones" by Fautin and Allen (unexcelled in the hobby for ID).  Best Regards.  AdamC.>

Anemone Setup First off, I want to say I love your site. <Thanks! Ryan with you today> I have found so many answers to questions that basically saved one form of life or another under my care, or simply made their lives better. <Great to hear> Now its time to do that again, to save a small anemone named Whiskers. <LOL> Whiskers was given to me as a present for my 30 gallon tall marine tank. I am not sure what type of anemone he is, but his foot is light pink, his tentacles a clear white with white tips, and his oral disc is a light yellowish color.  Due to some bad information from someone at an aquarium store, Whiskers isn't doing so well.  I refuse to get anymore bad information on how to help Whiskers, so here I am to ask you guys. <OK, no problem> I have three power heads (two rotating), two skimmers, 10 pounds of live rock, and a 2-3 inch sand bed in the tank. The lighting was recommended to me, two 35 watt power-compact fluorescents " one is bluish, the other white. They are on for approximately 10 hours a day (the blue one comes on an hour earlier, and shuts off an hour later then the white one.) Water temperature is at 80° and tank parameters are good (I have it tested at a local store until I get the hang of doing it myself.) <77 is preferred> Unfortunately I think I need to move Whiskers into another tank until I am sure he will survive. <the move may kill him, actually.  I'd leave him be and allow him to adjust> I would like to set up a smaller tank just for him in case I deem it a better fit for him on a more permanent basis. What size tank would be appropriate for his hospitalization tank? <10 gallons, with lighting> I want to absolutely optimize all tank conditions for him specifically, so any recommendation for lighting, water flow adjustment, rock addition, and temperature would be greatly appreciated by both Whiskers and his concerned parent! <more than 10 total volume per hour on circulation, and 5 watts per gallon on lighting!  That, combined with nutrient-poor water.  Good luck!  Ryan> So far your site is the only reason Whiskers didn't immediately die " we both thank you profusely for your help. <;)> -Whiskers and Jenea

ANEMONE Hi I purchased an anemone just over a week ago, but it isn't settling in,   in fact its upside down at the moment, it moves around mainly at night. I've heard that this could be to do with poor water conditions but my  - Nitrates are low <So is my income... how low?> Ammonia is low <Should be zero, zilch, nada... this is TROUBLE> PH is 8.5 SG is 1.022 <Should be more like natural seawater, 1.025 nominal> I don't know what else to check for or what it could be. I've only had the tank set up for 3 months so I don't know whether its just   inexperience I don't know whether I should just wait it out, but feel as though I should   do something. Can you suggest what it could be so that I can check it out? <Yes... please read over the many Anemone Health FAQs archived on www.WetWebMedia.com> Sorry if your going to repeat yourself. Regards Graham <Study my friend. Apply yourself... your animal is in serious trouble. Bob Fenner>
Re: ANEMONE Thanks for the quick reply. Ammonia is 0.1 <Still too high... should be undetectable> Nitrate is 0 Calcium is 300-350 Would the hardness of the water make a difference to the anemone?-if so   could you let me know how hard it should be? <Only slightly important... there are many more important aspects of proper husbandry... particularly lighting and filtration... READ! Bob Fenner> Thanks G

Anemone caught in powerhead. Well even after placing sponges on all intakes, my Rose BTA found a very small intake on a little pump I had. << It is just a matter of time until they find it.  Don't you just hate that?  I've had the same thing happen. >> I was able to get it out and it survived.  It is still inflated and still has it's foot and color is good.  The issue is I don't see it's mouth and think it may have been torn in the accident.  Will it regenerate? << I think so.  I find that anemones do recover from this. >> It has been almost a week and although it looks healthy, I am concerned that it has not eaten. << Well they like light as well.  So in some ways it may be eating.  Most people only feed their anemones weekly.  Actually that is the good hobbyists, most people never feed their anemones anything other than light. >> Any help you can give me would be very much appreciated!! << Give it time, keep the pump intakes covered. >> <<  Blundell  >>

Rose Anemone Hello Crew, <Hi, MikeD here> I have a rose anemone that seems to be splitting. It has changed from looking normal and stretched into this long piece. How long does it take to split?<Although it's possible, this doesn't sound like splitting to me, but rather like an anemone that's gradually breaking down.> Also I have a clown fish that has Popeye. I think it is injury related and not a bacteria but possibly may be from the protein skimmers bubbles and aeration?<Again, possible, but unlikely> Is there anything I can do?<Here's a couple of suggestions. 1) check your lighting as many anemones require very good lighting, sometimes at least VHO's and always with bulbs that are regularly changed out as the wavelength drops rapidly after 6 months or so. 2) check your water parameters regularly as any ammonia or nitrate can be deadly and even chronic high nitrates can have an adverse effect. To be of any further help I'd need to know if it's a reef or FOWLR tank, what the size and fish load are, and of course, normal water parameters.> Thank you! Nancy

Anemone Disaster Hi <Hello, Ryan Bowen with you today>  I  have read up a lot on your page. <Great> I know I don't have a lot of lighting and my tank is only a month old but I have ran into a problem with my Long Tentacle Anemone that I bought from the LFS. <Wow...I recommend six months to one year of a healthy tank before an anemone is even considered.> At first it wouldn't eat. In the past week it has finally taken food. I feed it Mysis shrimp daily. I squirt the food on the tentacles. I'm gonna get to the point. Since the day I have got it has had what appears to be black stripes on the inside of it. Yesterday it took a crap out of its mouth. I thought I was doing right. (I finally got it to eat and now its eliminating waste) Today though it took a turn for the worst and looks like its trying to get this black stuff out of it. To try and make this shorter I have a link on another forum of me explaining my problem with very detailed pics. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=422599 <The reefers you have already consulted are correct- The anemone will not live in these conditions.  Please read up on these highly sensitive animals, intolerant of nitrate, excessive nutrients, and low levels of lighting.  And please, include your water parameters if you're looking for a detailed answer.  Until then, Ryan> Please help Thanks, Chris

Anemone toxins from a dying anemone. Hi Guys! << Blundell here. >>         I woke up this morning and found my was aquarium milky white. Apparently, during the night, my bubble-tip anemone decided it was a good idea to hang on to my powerhead. It proceeded to get shredded to pieces with only a piece of its foot remaining on the powerhead intake. << Ooh, that's not good. I recommend getting a cover on that powerhead soon. >>I was wondering... besides water changes and extra activated carbon (protein skimmer working as usual), << NO, water change is the best thing. >> is there anything else I should be doing? Thanks, Marc <<  Blundell  >>

Inappropriate animals for aquarists/tanks 8/2/04 We have a new tank.  The water tested ready for fish.  I put in a clown fish, long ten.  sea anemone that has purple dots on the end of each "finger", a flounder,  and some new rocks that had great life on them (one that actually had a sea anemone on it).   <alas, you have been given some seriously bad advice and also most take some of the responsibility  for not being an educated consumer. The anemone is wholly inappropriate for any new tank and in fact  needs coral reef quality lighting. Few people are actually willing to spend several hundred dollars to keep  one common anemone alive. Worse, the flounder is almost certainly doomed to die (soon) in this tank...  the aquarium is too small by a measure of over 100 gallons... also lacks a mature (over 1 year old) deep sand bed  as a food source/supplement... and furthermore is not known to survive on captive foods if it  even eats them in captivity for very long. My very strong advice to you is to not buy any more livestock  and instead make a better investment in some good books like Mike Paletta "New Marine Aquarium"  for basics and Bob Fenner's "Conscientious Marine Aquarist" for animals/husbandry info.  This will save you much grief and money while saving many creatures lives, I assure you> The tank is only 23 gallons, and does not have live coral in it.   <with the anemone now in it, it cannot either. Contrary to what many merchants/aquarists want to believe...  few anemones and corals live well together... and fewer still are natural. Do take the time to read more  about anemones in our archives here at wetwebmedia.com> The clown fish, rock and flounder look fine, but the anemone looks really bad.  In less then 24 hours, it flopped over and half of the "fingers" have really shriveled up.   <likely not dead so soon... just needs more water flow (this tank should have 500-600 gph)  and better lighting (minimum of 100 watts) to keep this anemone> It is barely responding.  I thought I would try to feed it a piece of shrimp, but it didn't eat it.   <feeding large chunks of food may also harm/kill it in time... only feed finely minced meats of marine origin  or tiny whole foods like mysids or Pacifica plankton> The only thing I can think of is insufficient lighting.  One of my bulbs is out, and I shut the lights off last night.   Should the lights stay on all night?   <10-12 hours by day should be enough of the bulbs are new. All fluorescents over anemones or corals  need to be changed every 6-10 months too> Is my anemone going to die? <in this tank, perhaps yes... do trade the anemone and the flounder back to a store> Thanks for the help. Keith Duncan <best of luck, Anthony>

Mixing Anemones and Lighting Needs? Crew, << Blundell here. >> The usual kudos on the excellent site & work you guys do!  I've got a question on lighting a new tank I'm planning on purchasing.  It's a 70gal quarter cylinder (24" sides x 30" high).  From a lighting perspective, the depth will be 24" - I'm going to put in a 6" DSB.  Right now I'm looking to make it a species tank for my pair of true Percs & a future carpet anemone. Would you suggest another anemone that the Percs would take to that might be more hardy?  Crispa?  Other?  The clowns currently  find my RBTA interesting, but they don't go in it.  I know it's not wise to mix anemone species (especially in this size tank), but could I add a pair of carpet, crispa or another perc species that you might recommend to the tank? << I prefer to limit the number of anemones you get, and would try to stay away from them.  So, I guess my recommendation is to not have multiple anemones. >> Taking the tank's odd dimensions into account (i.e. fixture fitment), what lights would you recommend for the anemone tank?  I'm thinking it probably has to be some sort of MH, but if so, what spectrum & how many? << Good questions, but difficult to answer.  I would go with metal halides as well.  I would either go with two 400 watt 20k halides, or go with two 250 watt 10k halides that also have 2 VHO actinics running with them. That to me, is the best combination of color and growth. >> Obviously, it needs to meet the inhabitants requirements, but will it also look visually appealing to the human eye? << I encourage you to see other aquariums with those set ups, and see what looks attractive to you. >> There is a very slight chance I may want to do some corals in the new tank (mushroom, starburst, colony polyp, bubble, xenia) vs. the anemone stocking.  Any change to your lighting recommendation? << Not really.  I think those lights work well for anything. >> Any way to spec the lights to meet both scenarios? << Yes. >> My current tank is a 120gal FOWLR (48x24x24) with 180lbs LR, a 30gal sump, 15gal Caulerpa w/ miracle mud refugium & a 35gal Chaeto/Gracilaria 5" DSB w/ a plenum in the basement below.  The water is returned via an Iwaki MD100RLT (2000gph) and I've got an AquaC EV-240 powered by an Iwaki MD40RLT (750gph).  My plan is to plumb the new 70gal tank (really less than 50gal after the 6" DSB & LR) into my existing 120gal sump/system and return the water to the new tank with either an Iwaki MD30RLXT(950gph) or a MD40RLXT(1200gph).  Having one large water mass is exponentially easier from a maintenance, dosing and equipment standpoint.  Any thoughts or concerns? << Nope. >> How would you recommend introducing the new 70gal tank to the other system? << Slowly.  I like to use a small powerhead adding the new tank to the sump.  Then, after several days, you can use a larger pump as the main stay and have it all running together. >> My original plan was to cure the new 45-60lbs of LR in the new tank with it initially disconnected from the 120gal.  I'd have it dump into a separate 20gal sump with it's return pump servicing that sump and an extra Berlin turbo skimmer attached.  Once it cycled, I'd connect it to the 120 system. The other option is to connect the new tank directly to the 120 system at the start with just the DSB sand installed.  I'd cure the new LR for the 70gal in a Rubbermaid container and introduce a third of it to the new tank one week apart after parameters read 0.  I'm leaning towards the in-tank cycling since the LR will seed the DSB at that time. << I would cycle the new tank first, then add it to the old system.  I would not join them together during that initial set up phase. >> Any thoughts? << Good Luck. >> Thanks, John <<  Blundell  >>

HOW MUCH HALIDE IS ENOUGH? 6/30/04 Hello,  I am currently setting up a 24"x24"x24" acrylic cube tank to house a 10" anemone, it is one of the carpet anemones, haddoni or gigantea?  Will be basically a specimen tank designed specifically for the anemone and some black percula clowns. can more than two perculas be kept together). <Kudos for having the discipline to maintain a species tank for your anemone.  Please do be sure to positively ID your anemone as Gigantea and Haddoni have different preferences and Gigantea gets quite a bit larger  Both can grow to sizes that exceed the size of your tank.  "Anemonefishes and Their Host Sea Anemones" by Fautin and Allen is an outstanding resource for this topic.  Keeping more than two Percs in such a small tank is probably risky.  If you do attempt it, let a pair get established and then introduce a much smaller new comer.> Would I be better off with a HQI metal halide 150W pendant or a 250W  HQI pendant? <150w will be fine if you maintain excellent water clarity, but I would probably choose 250w.> Also 10K Aqualine or 20K Aqualine bulb? <Very much an issue of personal preference here.  The 10K will provide much more intensity, but if you prefer a deeper blue appearance, choose the 20K.  If you choose 20K, I would definitely recommend 250w to make up for the lower intensity.> Hang it 9" of the top of the tank? <Should be fine.> Other than the live rock/live sand and percula's, any suggestions as to what else can be kept in this tank , a clam? dwarf angel? etc., or better yet what not to keep in this tank?  Thinking of the long term. <S. Haddoni generally buries it's foot in sediment and Gigantea will occasionally do the same, so I would go with a deep bed of fine sand.  Other sessile inverts are probably OK, but keep that discipline and don't go overboard!  Shrimps, crabs, slow moving fish (mandarins, gobies, etc.) are all definitely out.  You are in a catch 22...  Your tank is too small for free swimming fishes, but the anemone makes it to dangerous for smaller less active swimmers.> Thanks for your time and expertise, Stephen <Glad to help!  Adam C.>

BTA happiness with light My bubble tip anemone used to puff up rather large on a regular basis, now it is mostly hanging down and stringy.  It used to get this mostly when the lights were out but not as often as now.  Most of the time it is small and stringy.  There is also a stingy thin hair like film coming from it or getting caught on it.  I thought it was dead, but it puffed up and I fed it (which I do 3 times a week). It hasn't moved, well just about an inch to the left, but has been happy. 50 gallon bow, 70# live rock, aqua c remora, canister filter.  192 watt PC Coralife light. I think is enough light!?! <<Hmmm, doesn't sound like much light to me.  I would be like to see more, or at least the anemone near the top. >> Now, I feed it Mysis shrimp or krill, chopped up fine. Water : 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, low to zero nitrates. Fighting to keep phosphates low, but with water changes, keeping it low. Alkalinity is high, around 20dKH << Wow, how did you manage that?  Most people struggle with low dKH.  I would think that could definitely be a problem.  What is the pH? >> which in turn is keeping calcium around 200 good water flow. what else, I don't know, is it just been very sleepy lately. Need anymore info? I have a maroon clown loving it. mark <<  Adam B.  >>

Anemones Me again, my two anemones seem to be peeved with me have decided to move after a month or so. Well actually the larger one was busting a move on the little guy so I moved the little guy to where the big one originated. Happy here for a bit I have been adjusting pH every day << This is not normal.  You shouldn't have to worry about pH on a daily basis, just monitoring it for long term changes. >> as I let it get too low and some of the undissolved powder was hitting them to which they immediately close up (its caustic isn't it?)<< Yes, you should dissolve your additives into something like the top off water.  You really don't want to add it directly to the tank water, as it can have very adverse reactions. >> so the little one yesterday morning was just like over the other side of the tank and the next day the big one was there too. Are they not getting along or getting along too well or is this because of the pH up stuff on em <<I'll bet it is because of the pH swings.  I don't think anemones really get a long, then don't get along, then get along again.  They may be irritated, and move, but not back and forth. >>. Should I leave em, move one, what? << I wouldn't try to move them, as you can cause unnecessary stress.  Let them find a place where they are happy. >> Also the little one (first to move) seems to have swollen areas on his oral disc and some sad looking tentacles in these areas. They both seemed to eat a fish that died weeks ago but have both rejected pretty much immediately the portions of crayfish, scallop and whitebait I have tried to give them (the big one gets his in, the little one ignores it completely) am I giving them too big a portions (whole or half whitebait, quarter scallop) do they not need feeding that often (5-7 days) or are they pissed at me because of the pH thing? Thanks Immeasurably xxx << Try to keep your tank stable for a while.  I wouldn't add any additives or buffers or anything for now.  Let your tank parameters settle out, then measure the levels.  As for directions on the anemones, I would let them be for now, and hope they perk up with time. >> <<  Adam Blundell  >>

Anemone Wipe-out >Hi Bob and Crew >>Hello. >Thanks for all the advice and pleasure I've had from reading your great site. >>Most welcome, what can we do for you today? >Foolishly -I installed a Ritteri anemone in my FOWLR 65gallon(UK) tank. >>I need my little converter to sort that, but I know the UK gallon is greater than the US gallon. Let's continue. >All was well for several weeks. Then I came home and found it had climbed up the glass and got a handful of its tentacles sucked into the skimmer powerhead intake. >>SHEET! Mierde! Oh.. crap. I really hate when that happens (this is where those sponge intake covers come in SO handy). >I extracted it and a cloud of cream liquid spewed in the tank. >>Oh Jesus, the guts, nematocysts, the whole shebang. Not good, my friend, not good. >The fish went crazy and most were dead within 10 minutes. >>Ooohh.. man, I'm sorry to read this. Poor things. >I didn't have anywhere to evacuate the fish to but probably would have not have done it in time anyway. >>Agreed. Should you wish to venture into anemone care again, DO make a habit of having on hand at all times enough water for a 100% water change, mixed, aged, heated, pH matched. In a pinch the fish can go directly into that (I love plastic trash cans for this, usually lined with plain black plastic bags). >Inverts seem OK ( crabs/urchins/shrimps). What the hell do I do now? >>First, it's ok to sit down and have a cry. Then, you are going to need that water, for at least two complete water changes. Carbon, lots of good quality, and if you have one, crank UP that foam fractionator! >Full water change? >>Absolutely. >Have I got to replace the live rock/sand? >>No. >Will active carbon in canister filter, over time, clear out the toxin? >>You need this to happen quickly, my friend. Water changes, go mad crazy with the carbon (this is not a cheap proposition), changing frequently for the next week or two. >Shall I strip down and start again? >>No, no! No need to do that, just need to clean out as much of the nematocysts and dead material as possible.  >Will the inverts live? >>If you act quickly, most certainly. >PS - two clown fish survived - unscathed. >>Notice; Clownfishes are able to live within the tentacles of the anemone, are they not? Do the water changes, DO test for ammonia and nitrite, and let us know how it goes please. Marina 
Anemone Wipe-out - It LIVED?? >Thanks Marina, >>You're quite welcome. For the advice and sympathy. I guess I just learned about anemones the hard way. >>Sorry it was the hard way. >I'll act on your advice, although it will take me a while to do 2x100% water change as RO machine is slow - may be 4 days before the 1st 50% batch is ready. >>I strongly suggest you go out and buy water, my friend, especially in light of what you relay below.  I'm rather pleased, to tell you the truth. >I have a Remora skimmer running and will pile in lot of active carbon when I return tonight.   >>Carbon is good, but can't replace water changes. >The BIG question is - what to do with the anemone ? >>There's anemone left?  (Get ready for this, folks.  Yep, it can happen!) >It looks like it is going to survive. (I'd almost rather it didn't). Although it has a flesh wound - it had a chunk of tentacles chopped off, the foot looks intact and it even managed to climb back up the glass from the sand where it fell from the top near the light. >>Alright, here come what I call "the amazed noises".. WHAAA????  It's alive??  <cut to "Young Frankenstein">  It's ALIVE!!!! >It doesn't look too upset at all! >>Good God, I can't tell you why, but this is making me laugh. >I don't want it to be leaking nematocysts for the next few months while it slowly dies and is a ticking time bomb as I introduce new stock.   >>I don't think this will happen.   >I also have big problem with killing it, but might have to save invert population and the safety of future fish. >>Nay, my friend, nay.. now I sound like a horse.  Wait, alright, remember that sponge intake fitting I mentioned?  Get that, for any and all power heads you have in the tank.  Then, you need to make a choice.  Mine would be to encourage the anemone to move onto a piece of Astroturf (this is what's used to line anemone tanks at most all wholesale facilities I've ever visited) for transfer to its own system.  Know this!  There is NO WAY this anemone could have survived if you didn't have great water quality.  This means you are doing things very right.  I think you could leave it in the system IF you make safe all "anemone eating" equipment.  Or, you could set up a smaller (say, 30 gallons for now?) system, heck, it could be a Rubbermaid tub or something like that, lined with Astroturf.  I'd have it set up in such a way that it's either on its own filtration, or easily isolated from the main display's filtration.  I would not dispose of the animal at this point. >I'm not asking you to make the call - but any experience regarding injured anenomes would be good. >>They *rarely* survive, my friend, RARELY, so you've already beaten the odds, in my opinion.  I've given you some options, and what I would do in your situation.  I've had a great deal of preventative experience from my years showing and breeding horses - an animal, if ever there was one, that WILL find a way to hurt itself on something, even if you think it's impossible.  While they have the nervous system and brains, they don't count for much.  If you can find it within your heart, give this anemone a chance.  If you feel you must pass, then I suggest letting it heal, getting it onto the Astroturf, and selling it back to the LFS.  Future size for this animal can range from 18"-36", FYI.  Marina >Cheers, Chris
Anemone Wipe-out - It LIVED!! II >Thanks Marina, >>Wasn't my doing, Chris.  Take ownership of your husbandry! >Glad you're amazed! >>Oh, I am.  Quite.   >The tank is starting to look like it's been used as the set for a Tarantino movie. >>Kill Bill, eh?  Or maybe something more akin to.. which one was it.. Reservoir Dogs?  (I liked that movie) >I've moved all remaining life to my quarantine tank - which unfortunately was not setup when I needed it most. >>It's difficult to always have these things set up if you don't have a dedicated fish room.  And even if you *had* already had it set up, from your description I think it was only luck that you were around to see the anemone pull the self-destruct bit that wiped your fish.  Timing is everything. >I've drained the main tank and started the first refill, Live rocks are exposed but should be under water again by end of the day. >>You may have some die-off because of this.  If you can, you may wish to inoculate with some Bio-Spira if you have any nitrogenous spikes. >I may leave the damaged anemone in the QT until it looks good enough to either go back to the LFS or back to my tank. (which will never have another exposed pump intake -ever ever again!) >>Good plan. >I am installing a refugium/external pumps so no internal powerhead hazards will be left. >>Even better! >Despite being a Ritteri, which I understand are not the easiest to keep, it does seem to be acting like nothing has happened to it. >>That's rather an understatement.  They can be quite touchy if you haven't got things right.  I surmise that you've managed near sea water (pristine) conditions, and this is allowing this animal to demonstrate its natural hardiness. >Although I fear the dim lights in the QT will soon prove inadequate for its photosynthesis needs. >>What has it been under?  A week, up to a month, though that's pushing, should be alright.  Keep a close eye on it.  What about feedings?  That may very well help in the interim (search our H. magnifica FAQs). >Once it heals up, I don't see why it would pose a threat again. As long as I make sure it cant get liquidated again, it should pose no threat to the fish stock - right? >>I agree.  Though it could sting corals and other sessile invertebrates, something to watch for. >How long do you think it can live with poor light? >>As above, assuming no other stressors. >Their is no way I can get it halide light as it a very small QT? >>If you had a pendant that were located close to the qt, maybe.  Not knowing your setup, my best suggestion would be to go to Home Depot.  From what I understand they have some decent power compact fluorescents that can help in a pinch.  I don't know the name of the product, though.  Normal fluoros can help, too (40W), in a bank of cool whites and daylight units.  If it's under these for longer than a week, reintroduce it to the metal halides carefully to avoid burn. >Cheers Chris T PS - Did you breed/show sea horses or real one ? >>Real Arabian horses, my friend.  I actually wanted to be a horse trainer, till I got with reality and learned it wasn't exactly a lucrative living.  I have also kept seahorses, but never bred or showed them (showed 'em to my friends ;) ).  Marina

-Anemone tank- Hello WWM Crew, Thanks for a great website and such wonderful info., I've learned so much. <Excellent!> One of the things I was glad to learn before diving into the saltwater hobby was that corals and anemones should not be mixed. Because of that, I have decided to start a clownfish/anemone tank rather than a full blown reef tank. <Not often done, but will make for a spectacular display> I have a few questions before I get started - I have of course bought a few books and have read them cover to cover, but there are still some things that I would like your help on. I was planning on buying a 45g tank which is 24" high, and I can either get a lighting hood with 2 96w power compacts or 4 96w power compacts. In both cases, half the wattage would come from dual actinic bulbs and half from dual daylight bulbs. I would like to keep ocellaris clowns and a bubble tip anemone. Would it be possible to keep a squamosa clam as well? <Under the 4 PC setup definitely, possibly under the 2 PC setup> Could I get two or three BTAs, say different color morphs, and house them in the same tank without a problem? <Absolutely> Perhaps if I got a 75g instead of a 45g? Also, if I got a 75g, with a couple of anemones, would I be able to have more than just one pair of clowns or would they fight terribly? <Hard to say, it's unlikely that it'll work 100% of the time. Keep in mind that clowns usually have a square meter to themselves.> I'm sorry for so many questions, but I want to make sure I have everything planned out before I start. <It sounds like you're going in the right direction, I wish you much luck! -Kevin> Thanks so much for your help. Michelle 

True Percs & a Crispa Hi! Thanks so much for the info, I get sucked into reading it almost every night.  <the wonderful journey of continuing education> I've got a 120 gal (4x2x2) FOWLR tank with 180lb of LR. Parameters are good/fair - 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10-15 nitrate, PH 8.3, 10 dKH & Calcium 400 . The tank houses my prized 6" Imperator (had for 4 years now - slightly improving on some HHLD she exhibited about 1.5 years ago), a Regal Blue tang & a Foxface. I've recently moved 2 brutes out to a friend's tank (Harlequin & a juv clown trigger).  <yes... good move. The tank is not big enough for the Imperator and Blue Regal long term as it is (allowing for full adult size/growth without stunting)> What a pain to catch a clown trigger in 180lbs of LR (I had to bait him to the top with a piece of clam & net him out).  <some easy tricks for catching fish in large displays (see WWM archives "trapping fishes" keyword search)>. Short story: morning catch when they are sleepy... several large garbage cans or barrels... a fast pump to drain the tank and force them to the front in mere inches of water... then a fast pump refill. 15 minute catch> With those guys gone, I'm bringing in the first waves of a cleaning crew. On to my questions ... I've had clowns & anemones in the past and I'm looking to potentially introduce a pair of true Percs & a Crispa anemone to the tank.  <I truly hope that you don't... anemone need species specific tanks usually for best long term survival. Most get mixed and never live more than a few months/years in captivity.> The Imperator has 2 large caves & spends most of the time out in the front open water w/ intermittent swims through the caves. She never goes up into a LR shallow shelf (8"-10" under surface) above one of the caves on the left of the tank. I'm hoping to introduce the Crispa there for better light & out of the way - hoping he finds it suitable & stays.  <sigh> It would look great in the tank there. Although, I've always found anemones to pick their own spot despite my best attempts at arrangements for them. <have you ever had an anemone that lived even 4 years? They have no known senescence - they are essentially immortal. Can live decades at least. I suspect your anemone died in mere years (if that) like most people's. Please do try a species tank if you must keep an anemone> The question I have - will the clowns & anemone mix well in the tank with my large angel?  <the angel may eat either... the anemone quite likely> I'm sure my light could be up'd a little bit - PC 4x65W 10K & 4x65W Actinic (total 520W), but is it adequate?  <only if the anemone would stay in the top 10" of the surface. Else halides are needed here for depth/penetration> Also, I selected the Crispa because I've read to believe it's more hardy than others, not as stringent light requirements & a decent/good match for the Percs. I'd love to keep a Magnifica, <yike!...very difficult> but thought best to pass for a more hardier animal given my tank's light/specs (disagree?).  <thank you, my friend> Any other anemone suggestions? <none for this tank> Also, I've been building up my LR over the past couple months. I've noticed I have tiny bubbles accumulating over a good portion of the LR. The best way to describe it is that it looks like you pulled a power head out of the water for a second & coated the rock with bubbles.  <oxygen from photosynthetic processes/algae> They easily come off with the current from a brush of a hand or when a fish swims real close. They release up to the top fairly regularly too.  <yes... coming into solution/off-gassing> I don't think they are causing an issue (chemistry wise), <correct> but they are more of a cosmetic distraction.  <simply increase water flow to a proper 10-20X minimum> I originally thought it might be oxygen saturation from my skimmer, but I now have the skimmer's outlet going into a sponge, it passes through the sump, through a refugium, through a partially submerged sponge & to the return ... still the bubbles appear. Surely that would address that potential cause? Any thoughts? Any harm? Thanks, John <no worries... best of luck! Anthony>

Ritteri shock? Hello Crew, <Graham at your service.> Sent an email about my ritteri falling off his rock, but received no response. one thing I did notice though is its every night when I shut off the lights it falls off and rolls across the bottom of the tank, I have left it and it looks most unhappy so I always put it back on its rock where it seems fine till the next night. <It's completely normal.> Guess my question is, will the sudden change in light cause my ritteri to release from his rock thus being blown off from the current? <No. As you probably know, anemones have no central brain -- thus why they cannot adapt to a certain environment. If your aquarium isn't fitting the exact needs the anemone would encounter in the wild, the anemone will move to find a suitable location. This move is commonly done during the night. With that said, leave your anemone and let it roam around the tank where it wants -- just make sure it cannot be sucked into a powerhead or filter.> if so what can I do to prevent this with having to spend extra money for a dimmer. <See above.> am running a icecap 660 with 4 110 Watt VHO lights 2 super actinic to Aquasun. Thanks as always <Good luck! The Ritteri is a very difficult anemone to successfully keep. It's important to maintain excellent water quality and give the anemone ample amounts of lighting. You may also want to feed the anemone foods such as krill, squid, silversides, lancefish, etc. 3x weekly to give the anemone added nutrition. Take Care, Graham!> Drew 

-Appropriate set-up for a BTA- Hi, and thank you for your prompt response. My tank dimensions are as follows, 48 X 18 X 24 (90 gallons). I have a sea clone protein skimmer (100 gal rating) <Says the Aquarium Systems marketing department, 20g says Kevin>, penguin 440 power head <Make sure the intake is adequately covered to defer any possible anemone puree to come.>, two 400 emperor power filters ,300 watt heater, 48''-40 watt full spectrum bulb and a 48''- 40 watt actinic bulb in my canopy. <This is unfortunately far from the ideal (or even minimal) appropriate anemone set-up. Until you can provide adequate housing for such critters, I would suggest bringing these guys back where you got them and chewing the clerk out who sold these to you, they should know better than this.> The tank is a year old. ps :If I was to add live rock to my aquarium, would I have to remove all the base rock and just go with live? How much live rock would be required for 90 gallon aquarium? <Here's my suggestions for converting this tank to one appropriate for anemone husbandry. The first step is to upgrade your protein skimmer to one truly adequate for your purposes (Suggestions: AquaC EV-120, Precision Marine Bullet 1, Euroreef, etc. Please do some research on the various brands of skimmers on the market, and also do a little research on the sea-clone, you'll be surprised what you find out.). The second step would be to make sure that you're using water from a known good source, preferably through a reverse osmosis and/or deionization filter. I would then establish a live sandbed if one has not been established and add some cured live rock (50lbs or so to get going, you may find that you don't want more than this, or you may add as much as you want). Once the tank has been cooking for a while w/ the LR and LS, you can take care of the lighting. This is just a quick rundown, so do yourself a favor and search through our copious stacks of articles and FAQ's on keeping anemones and reef aquariums before you make your first purchase, livestock or otherwise. Remember, if you do not remove these anemones to a proper home, they will slowly starve to death, which is going on right now. I hope this helps! -Kevin> Regards, Brent J 

-Appropriate anemone husbandry part 2- Are you telling me there's nothing I can do even with my existing tank??? <Oh of course there's plenty you can do, I just mean that the way it is set up now will not suffice.> There's no way I can return these anemones because they were shipped from afar. <Ooo, alright.> Tell me what I have to do to save these creatures. I live in a remote area where there is no one that I know that has a marine tank. I have been feeding them brine shrimp with a syringe once daily and they seem to be doing fine. <Light deficiency is not an overnight killer, it takes time and in my experience goes unnoticed by the average aquarist.> My water is all with the acceptable parameters and I haven't had any loss in over a year. I read through many articles from your web site, which I might add become somewhat conflicting as there are varied opinions. <Ah yes, that is the nature of this hobby!> Please help, I want to do the right thing for these creatures. <Alright, here goes: Unfortunately the upgrades I am about to recommend are going to cost a significant chunk of change, hopefully not prohibitively expensive. For starters we need to make sure your water quality is in check. I would upgrade your protein skimmer to nothing less than an AquaC remora or urchin pro, preferably a larger in-sump type skimmer like AquaC's EV series, Precision Marine's bullet 1, or a similarly sized Euroreef. It is important to make sure that your nutrient levels are at very low levels in your aquarium BEFORE upgrading the lighting (we're trying to grow anemones, not algae!). I would check your phosphate and nitrate levels and make sure that they are both undetectable (or less than 10ppm for nitrate), you may find that your source water contains one or both of these. If this is the case you'll need some sort of water purification device like a reverse osmosis filter or a deionizer. Once that is all squared away it's time to upgrade the lighting. At a minimum I would suggest 4 65w power compact lamps (very affordable now from Coralife), or better since this is a deeper aquarium. This has taken care of the short term anemone requirements, now on to the long term. I would suggest phasing out your base rock in favor of fully cured live rock (if you must mail order live rock you'll have to cure it in a separate vessel; beware the claim of cured mail order rock since after it is shipped there is at least some additional die off) and converting your substrate to one of live sand. Pfew, got all that? :) During this process I would strongly advise picking up Joyce Wilkerson's book Clownfishes which has excellent up to date information about anemone husbandry. Additionally, pick up our own Bob and Anthony's book Reef Invertebrates for all you'll ever need to know about live rock and sand (and of course all the other stuff covered). I wish you luck, and if you need any further clarification or if I just plain don't make any sense, hit me back! -Kevin> Regards, Brent J. 

-Red + Green BTAs- Hi, I have couple of questions about the above mentioned. <I'll take a stab at it.> I have 100 gal tank with base rock live sand and coral aggregate. I was told to take it slow and developed a gradual bio load with a few fish over several moths.. I now have a yellow tang, coral beauty, cleaner shrimp, pink skunk clown, and a couple of lawnmower blennies. All have been doing very well. I maintain a salinity of 024 <I believe you mean you have keep your salinity at 1.024. It's also important to note that when we refer to our 'salinity' with a number such as 1.024 we're referring to the specific gravity of our saltwater (your water is 1.024 times as dense as pure freshwater). True salinity is measured in parts per thousand.> and a ph of 8.2. Recently I acquired a couple of anemones to add to my tank. One was a pink rose and the other a green bubble tip. The pink rose is doing great but the green bubble tip seems to hide behind the rock. Often it cannot be seen. I have 48''-40 watt full spectrum bulb and a 48''- 40 watt actinic bulb in my canopy. Is this sufficient lighting? <Nope, adequate lighting would depend on how deep the tank is as well. If the tank is under 24" tall, 4 65w power compact lamps or 3-4 4' VHO lamps would suffice.> Why does the green tip seem to shy away? Sometimes I have taken the anemone and brought it out of its hiding place (still attached to a rock of course) and expose it to the light. Within minutes it begins swell open and move its tentacles about. <It's likely peeved about being moved, it's best just to leave it be.> The rose anemone stays in it's original place and has a the pink skunk clown as a new host. I tried to introduce a sebae clown to the green tip but the pink skunk became very aggressive and chased it away. <It's unlikely that you'll be able to keep another species of clown in the tank with the established skunk.> Maybe I've jumped the gun and have move to quickly. Uncertain of these issues could you please give me sound advice. <You're up for substantial lighting upgrade, and maybe even a filtration upgrade. Do respond with tank dimensions, age of tank, filtration, and other details of the tank so I can make further recommendations. Although bubble tipped anemones are about the hardiest of the pacific anemones, they still require exquisite water conditions and moderate lighting. -Kevin> Respectfully Yours, Brent D. Johnstone 

Anemone Hi!<Howdy!> What is the suitable water condition to put in an anemone to a tank?  My water condition is: NH3---0 to 2mg/l NO2---0 mg/l NO3----< 5mg/l Temp--- 27C to 29C Salinity------ 1.021 KH------8dkh My tank already set up for more than 6 months, so is it suitable for me to put in anemone now?<You will need to do a ton of research before you purchase one of these and our site is a wonderful place to start: www.wetwebmedia.com.  Cody> Thanks for your reply. Have a nice day! Seng

POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO 'LOST ANEMONE' HUNT Saw the response to the guy who 'lost' his anemone. Four months ago I set up what I thought was the 'perfect' anemone tank. Sixty gallons, built in overflow, NO POWERHEADS with enough flow from the vented return jets (two pipes, with splits on each). My anemone disappeared one day. . . and two days later I was about to tear my tank down looking for him. . . when I got an idea. I checked my sump. . . under a DIFFERENT TANK. . .  and there was my little rose BTA, snuggled up against a powerhead, which fortunately had a lot of intake-vent-slit space (meaning the little guy didn't get the real suction applied to him). He has since been returned to his tank. . . and his method of escape (a tiny 1-8" slit between the top of the 'teeth' of the overflow and the acrylic 'roof' of the tank) has been sealed up with acrylic bar cemented to the tank roof. Evidently he fell to the bottom of the overflow, and backed up enough pressure over the return line that he got the ride of his life through eight feet of tubing into my main sump. Just an off-shot this guy might be seeing the same 'Houdini act'. . . Chuck <Thank you for this anecdote. Will post/share. Bob Fenner>

White sebae with purple tips I purchased this anemone (white sebae) <Actually, this is a bleached (lack of light damaged) Heteractis crispa. Normal, healthy ones are colored> a month ago. It is in my 30 gallon tank. My 30 gallon tank includes a Power Compact 2x96 watts (actinic blue and 10000K full spectrum) with Moonlite system, a 330 penguin bio-wheel power filter, a 100 SeaClone protein skimmer and undergravel filter which is powered by two powerheads (AquaClear 301 and 802. The tank is currently overloaded space wise but all chemical parameters are ideal for a marine system. The tank includes a snowflake eel (12"), a porcupine puffer (3"), a yellow tang (3"), and a true percula clownfish (2.5"). <Are you joking? Really? In a thirty gallon system?> It also includes a baby (3"long arms) serpent seastar, 4 turbo snail, 4 blue legged hermit crabs, and an array of anemones (this is where it gets messy). I have an Atlantic carpet anemone with a 8" diameter which is very very sticky, three Haitian anemones, two have yellow tips and one has pink tips, a zebra mat anemone (Phymanthus crucifer?) <... please read through WetWebMedia.com re Anemone compatibility... your system is soon to crash> and the anemone in question (a purple tip white sebae anemone). The sebae had not moved since I had introduced him to the tank until two days ago where he moved from the side of the glass to three inches away where it wedged it's column between a rock and the crushed coral substrate. It behavior has been very weird. During the day, the tentacles have been short and extremely stalky almost shaped like small quarter-balls while at night with the Moonlite on the tentacles become a half inch long and are about 1/8 to 1/16 of an inch wide. It also expands at night two about three four inches in diameter as opposed to the 3 inches during the day. Is this behavior normal? <Normal? Yes, per your overcrowded mis-stocked conditions> I also read on a webpage that there white Sebaes actually are not suppose to be white at all but have become bleached. Is that true? <Oh, yes!> I have actually observed that it is very slowly becoming slightly darker. I have been trying to feed it small scraps of frozen formula and even a piece of shrimp. It seems to have taken the food but I didn't observe it long enough to see the food being introduced into it's mouth. Thanks for your help. Absalom <Absalom... your enthusiasm for the hobby needs matching with more tanks, volume... do separate these anemones... get larger quarters for your fishes... quick! Bob Fenner>

The Malu blues... 4/2/04 Hey there from New Zealand, your site rules - hands down - its taught me loads - thank you! <Glad you have found benefit!> I have been keeping a Heteractis Malu for several months, with a pair of Ocellaris clowns, and everything has been fine until recently when my poor anemone (I think!) has been considerably less inflated and perky. All my levels are as they typically should be, and I am running 3 10k 250w halides with 4 blue actinics in a 300 gallon system. My anemone has been in the same spot about 3/4 the way up the tank, I presume to get enough light...I am a tad uncertain as to the current requirements of this species, I have read they come from shallow, fairly still conditions - but mine is getting a LOT of water motion -I'm not sure if its too much? he/she/it has lost a bit of 'stickiness' and does not cling to food (Mysis shrimp mainly) anywhere near as well previously...any thoughts help or potential remedies would be so much appreciated...keep up the great work. Thanks again! PS. could it be that I have changed to dosing iodide rather than iodine???? Calcium 400, Alk 10dkh phosphate/nitrates/ammonia/nitrites -all 0 to very faint -Salifert tests ph 8.3, specific grav 1.023 temp 25C yeah yeah its in Celsius! <All of your water quality sounds like it is in line, but I would consider raising the SG to 1.025-1.026.  What you have observed is not uncommon.  Anemones will often be "fussy" for a while.  Although anemones generally will move if they don't like the conditions, it may be beneficial to experiment with adjusting the water flow.  If it does not respond to a change in water movement, I would continue to feed, but otherwise leave it alone.  Best Regards.  Adam>

Heteractis magnifica lighting 3/22/04 Hi Anthony, <cheers> I thank you very much for your great advice on the care of the Heteractis magnifica I inherited.   <always welcome my friend> Since I last wrote in December, I have been able to add a Sea Clone protein skimmer and 15 gallon refugium to the 20 gallon long aquarium that houses the H. magnifica and now mated pair of percula clowns.  The water quality has greatly improved and for the past 6 weeks ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates have been undetectable.  In another month or two I will have a 90 gallon aquarium ready to house the anemone and clownfish.  I am taking care to set up and cycle the aquarium the right way to provide a permanent home for this anemone. <a wonderful story... very glad to hear this anemone is getting a good home. So very few do> My question has to do with lighting.  I have just purchased a 175 watt metal halide pendant with a 10,000 K bulb.  It will be delivered in a few days.  What would be the best way to introduce this lighting so as to not shock the anemone too much.   <place it 6-9 inches off the water... and place a stack of plastic fiberglass fly screen (like for windows) on top of the canopy between the lights and the water. About 12-15 sheets should do nicely. Remove a sheet every day or every other day for a few days to gradually acclimate the anemone to the new light over a couple of weeks> Currently I have 8 6700K NO fluorescent bulbs about 2 inches above the water.  I replaced the glass cover with eggcrate to help increase the lighting intensity until I was able to get a metal halide.  Right now the anemone has taken up residence on the front glass right at the water surface.   <yes... common. Starving for light> Should I start with the metal halide several inches above the water surface then lower it a little day by day?   <yikes... less than 6" is dangerous with MH here (6-9" is about right)... only fluorescents are to be 0-3" off water> Or should I start by cycling the lighting with the current lighting for 5.5 hours, then one hour of metal halide, followed by 5.5 hours of the current lighting?   <too complicated... simply run the  lights for the right time 7-10 hours at the right height, etc... and shade the light partly for a couple of weeks> Then I would slowly increase the amount of time the metal halide is on in relation to the current lighting. I thank you very much for your advice, it has prolonged the life of this anemone and has given me a chance to provide the right environment so it might live a very long life. Jerry <in agreement/shared admiration... Anthony>