FAQs on Long Tentacle Anemone
Compatibility
Related Articles: LTAs, Anemones,
Bubble
Tip Anemones, Cnidarians, Coldwater Anemones, Colored/Dyed Anemones,
'Coral' Compatibility: On
Reducing Captive Negative Interactions
Cnidarians by Bob Fenner,
ppt. vers: Cnidarian Compatibility: On
Reducing Negative Cnidarian Interaction Parts: 1, 2,
3, 4, 5,
by Bob Fenner
Related FAQs: LTAs
1, LTAs 2, LTA Identification, LTA Behavior, LTA
Selection, LTA Systems, LTA Feeding, LTA
Disease, LTA
Reproduction, Anemones 1,
Anemones 2, Anemones 3, Anemones
4, Bubble Tip
Anemones, Caribbean
Anemones, Condylactis, Aiptasia
Anemones, Other Pest
Anemones, Anemones and
Clownfishes, Anemone
Reproduction, Anemone
Lighting, Anemone Feeding,
Anemone Systems,
Anemone
Identification, Anemone
Compatibility, Anemone
Selection, Anemone Behavior,
Anemone
Health, Anemone
Placement,
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Not nearly blind,
body-oblivious fishes like Moray Eels. Gymnomuraena zebra, the aptly named Zebra
Moray is a slow-moving chocolate black with vertical white
striped beauty.
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New Print and
eBook on Amazon:
Anemone Success
Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term
by Robert (Bob) Fenner
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Anemone compatible
11/2/18
Good morning
<Good morrow to you Richard>
I am trying to find out if a LTA and flower or rock anemone are compatible.
<They can be; given space/room around the two, propitious circumstances (food,
light...) and determined, slow introduction (see WWM re Anemone Compatibility;
the use of "quarantine" acclimation systems)>
I have a 55 gallon tank 2yrs old. I already have the LTA and would like to add a
flower anemone only if they are compatible. Any info would be of great help.
Thanks v/r.
<I'd hold the flower anemone in a separate system, add water from either system,
mixing a bit (like a cup) every day for a few weeks for introduction; place the
new one distal to the established. Bob Fenner>
Re: Anemone compatible
11/3/18
Thanks for your fast response. Thanks v/r.
<Certainly welcome. BobF>
LTA eating fish? 8/13/12
Hello all,
<Karen>
Thanks again for such a fabulous site and all of your help. My family and I
recently went on vacation and I neglected to feed my LTA before we left (we were
gone for four days). It is host to a pair of maroon clowns who are pretty docile
and spend most of their time tending it. All of the fish have lived together
without incident for quite sometime. When we returned, my dotty back, starfish
and flame hawk were missing and the lemon peel was dead and rotting in the
opposite side of the tank from the LTA :( The blue damsel, green Chromis,
mandarin goby and clowns were left and healthy.
Needless to say, the water was gross. I did a 50% water change (thanks heaven I
keep water premixed), cleaned the skimmer and changed the canister filter's
charcoal packs. All of the equipment seemed to be working fine and temp was
normal. The remaining fish are still healthy a week later. Is it possible the
LTA ate the fish?
<It is; yes... though these animals can dissolve quite quickly when dead>
BTW, no one had access to the house to fish sit so the fish were not fed while
we were gone.
Thanks for your input.
Karen
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Re: Long tentacle anemone - 5/9/2012
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Hi there
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wwm:
Ewan
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I have a question about the Majestic Angel with a Long Tentacle Anemone. Now that the angel is eating mysis, flakes, spirulina, and chopped shrimp, he is now bold and shows himself more. He also nips at the anemone as expected from previous
posts.
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wwm:
Anemones and large Angelfish are an ill advised combination.
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If I get a pair of Ocellaris to host the anemone, will that help the anemone?
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wwm:
Possibly, if the clowns are large/aggressive enough to fend off the Angel and if they take to the LTA. Ocellaris are not a natural symbiant of Macrodactyla doreensis. I would remove the Majestic until a pair of clowns are established in the
anemone and defend it aggressively. The Majestic will likely kill the anemone if not removed in the meantime.
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Will the angel and clown fight from your experience?
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wwm:
Not likely.
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Thanks
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wwm:
Quite welcome.
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Ewan
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wwm:
Jordan
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All fish Under Stress - Anemone?/Macrodactyla
doreensis/Compatibility 7/20/11 <<RMF>>
<Hello Aaron>
I recently acquired a small "long tentacle" anemone about
4" across when fully open. My clown immediately hosted in it. This
morning I found a XL chromis and a Domino Damsel stuck in the anemone
both dead. The chromis was partly digested. When I got home from work,
my Yellow Tang was also stuck in the anemone and all the rest of the
fish are breathing hard, staying towards the bottom and appear to be
near death. What could be causing this?
<This is exactly why keeping fish other than anemone hosting species
is not a good idea.>
are the anemone's digestive juices poisoning the other fish?
<Unlikely, my guess is the stressed fish got a poke.><<Or
also too likely, there is a dire battle going on twixt the Actinarian
and "corals"... Need to be acclimated to each other... gone
over on WWM. RMF>>
The odds of an anemone catching 3 fish in the same day seem pretty
low.
<Can, depending on tank size which you did not mention.>
The water quality is good and all corals and inverts are open and doing
well.
<If the anemone decides to move, your corals will also be in
danger.>
Any clues?
<Do an ammonia test and act if necessary. Bob may comment here as
well.><<Return or separate this Anemone. RMF>>
Course of action?
<Best to keep anemones and clownfish in their own aquarium. I
suggest taking the anemone back if possible, or find a new home for
it.>
Much appreciated
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Aaron
More: re: All fish under stress - anemone?
7/20/11
Thanks for your input, Bob.
James
<Glad to be of assistance. B>
Re All fish Under Stress - Anemone?/Macrodactyla
doreensis/Compatibility 7/20/11 <<RMF>>
Thanks.
<You're welcome.>
Its a 75 gallon tank. I've had anemones before without any issues
but this one did position itself in the entrance to a cave the fish
like to swim through.
<Is the risk you take. I've been down that road in the past and
have lost fish to anemones.>
No ammonia. In the last 24 hours I've lost three 8 year old fish
including a Yellow Tang and my original damsel from the cruel cycling
process. (Btw Ill never cycle that way again and go a more humane
route.)
<Have you read the dailies on our site today? Bob added his comments
to this as well but he likely sent them along to you.
James (Salty Dog)><<Yes, I did/do. RMF>>
Clarkii Clown And LTA 5/16/10
Hello.
<Hello Jennifer>
Hopefully you can help us out. My husband and I recently started a
saltwater aquarium, and love the new hobby. I purchased a Clarkii clown
and a LTA at the local store yesterday. These two were together at the
store and hoped it would be the same at home. The clown has still taken
to the LTA at home, but the LTA hasn't had a chance to foot in the
sand because the clown keeps bothering it. Does it or can it hurt the
LTA if it doesn't foot somewhere? Any suggestions on helping it
foot somewhere safe? Please help...
<Yes, it is best to allow the LTA to get a foothold before
introducing a clownfish. The simplest way is to place an egg crate
plastic divider in the tank separating the two until the LTA settles
in.
The egg crate material is available at Home Depot or similar stores and
can be found in the lighting
department. You may want read/learn about your LTA here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/macrodoreensis.htm>
thanks in advance.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Purple LT Anemone... poor env., incomp...
4/15/10
Hello!
<Hi Brandon>
Iv tried figuring this out on my own, but I have had the toughest time
keeping my Purple Long Tentacle Anemone. Everything seems to be OK with
it, it is sticky, mostly purple, base is vibrant orange, but I
can't keep the thing still.
<It is not happy>
It doesn't seem to latch on to anything, All he seems to do is
explore the tank, and almost always stays in a shady area. I call him
Marco by the way, after the explorer :)
Here are my tank specs to the best I know to give :
(I wish I'd found this site before I made purchases)
<Ok>
29 Gallons (I know, small)
<Yes. Probably too small for one LTA. Impossible to keep two
here>
Basic Lighting (Photosynthetic and Daylight)
<Not enough>
A good amount of rocks (15-20 pounds?)
<Probably too much if it is covering the sand>
3 Inch deep Sand Bed
<Too shallow>
1 Ocellaris Clown
1 Maroon Clown
<Not compatible. Better to swap this out for another
Ocellaris>
1 Engineer Goby (He stays to himself)
<Not surprised with the Maroon in there>
(This is where you really yell at me)
<No yelling! Promise!>
1 newly obtained Hermit Crab (quite big) with a Calliactis attached to
him
(This is how I found you guys, and I've learned that I'll be
doing plenty of feeding)
<http://www.wetwebmedia.com/twaanemfdgfaqs.htm>
1 Long Tentacle Anemone
1 Purple Long Tentacle Anemone (Marco)
What can I do to make this guy stick to a nice spot?
<Nothing. He is doomed in this setting>
I feel like he is committing suicide when he holes up under a rock with
no light. Do I just let him hole up wherever he likes even if there is
no lighting and i cant see him?
<No, I would try to take him back to the shop. They should not have
sold you this animal. Read here, they need at least a foot square space
of sand each, with good lighting and a sand bed of at least 6 inches.
Also, two together are not compatible unless they are clones, so one is
also killing the other. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/macrodoreensis.htm
>
Also, I drop frozen Mysis that I thaw out in water directly from the
tank almost every day, and it seems like the Regular Anemone eats it, I
haven't seen Marco (who has no host, for the life of me I don't
know why the Maroon wont warm up to him) eat the Mysis (which is all I
have, do i get something else?) even after the Mysis touching its
tentacles.
<Feeding is not the main issue here'¦ the environment is.
You make no mention of water quality either>
The regular Anemone has been there for about 2 months, Marco about 1
month, and I just added the Hermit today. Have I doomed someone along
the way or can I fix this?
<You can fix this by.. removing one Anemone, providing 6 inches of
live sand for the other.. removing the Maroon, improving your
lighting.. and oh yeah'¦ these should not be placed in systems
that have sand beds under a year old either.>
Maybe the Hermit would love our Florida beaches . . . : p
<Please don't release this animal into the wild.. this is
appalling practice for many reasons>
Thank you for any reply :)
<No problem Brandon. I'm sorry I could not provide better news
for you.>
Brandon
<Simon>
Re: Purple LT Anemone 4/16/10
<Hello Brandon>
First Off, Thank you so much Simon for helping me!
(Water quality seems to be fine by the way)
<No worries!>
I've decided I will get another tank, because I know the supplier
won't help me. In fact I won't be helping them much anymore
either!
<Mmm, this is a very common practice - mis-selling Anemones>
On another note, the regular Anemone is currently attached to a rock
and loves it there (and is great for show). The current sand bed is 2
years old, has copepods, and tons of other micro-organisms (it is so
fun to watch!)
<Great!>
From my understanding I need to add at least another 6 Inches and
remove a few rocks.
<No, you need to add TO 6 inches. Since you have 3 already, this can
be done an inch at a time, once every 6 weeks or so. There is plenty of
guidance here & related http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dsbmaint.htm>
So would the best move be getting another tank and working from there
or find someone to donate poor Marco to?
<Either/ or would be better than the current situation. I would have
a larger tank with just the one Anemone if it was me>
The Manifest Destiny depends on Marco's survival.
<Yes, for sure! Expansion of the available territory IS
required>
Also would it be best to move the Maroon into a new tank? I believe I
can obtain a seasoned 35 Gallon tank from my girlfriend, who always has
it running, but no much in there but rock.
<It is better to choose one species of Clown, OR another, and have a
pair. If you have a bigger system then the larger and more aggressive
Maroon would be fine. If you stick to the smaller system then you are
better off with the Ocellaris>
And lastly, since the sand needs to be deeper, how do I go about
putting it in when it would be younger than 1 year?
<Posted. An inch at a time>
The Hermit seems to be quite happy where he is :) I would never release
him, only find a new home.
<Good to hear!>
Thanks again!
I'm glad I've found a place with seemingly all the answers
<Heee! Not necessarily all, but definitely 'some'.
Simon>
LTA attacking Torch Coral? Usual lack of reading re
comp. 1/7/10
Hi, the other day my LTA floated itself around the tank,
<Mmm, not good>
and ended up interlocking tentacles with my torch coral.
<Ohh>
since then, the anemone has seemed to settle down to one suitable spot.
at first it looked like the anemone got the worst of it, but now seems
just fine (even growing), but the portion of the torch coral that
tangled with the LTA is definitely dying off. should I be worried about
the other sections of torch coral in the colony, or will they be okay
as long as they aren't bothered by the anemone? Thanks, Jay
<Not a good idea to mix Actinarians... as you can/could read on WWM.
Too likely this situation will repeat in future. Both organisms have a
great capacity at regeneration. See WWM re. Bob Fenner>
Re: LTA attacking Torch Coral? 1/7/10
Cool, I actually didn't find your website until I did a search on
Electric Flame Scallops (very helpful). lets just say the malevolence
of my LFS is apparent to me now.
<!?>
my wife is very attached to the LTA, so would it be terribly inhumane
if I were to contain it under some sort of clear plastic basket or
inside a hang-on quarantine box?
<Wouldn't work in any case... Perhaps her own new
system...?>
oh as it seems the norm here this is what I'm running. 30 gal
rectangular, 30 lbs of Fiji live rock, tom aquatics rp3 filter/skimmer
(without the foam pad in the intake, it was holding to much decaying
material in the tank),
<Good move>
Eheim 120v heater, Hydor Koralia 2 circulator, 24" Coralife t5 vho
actinic/10,000 bulbs less than a month old, running a simple blue LED
for moon lighting. water temp stays between 78-80 degrees. ph 8.4, ammo
0, nitrite 0, nitrate 0, kH is a 12, calcium stays a little low at 380
ppm consistently,
<No problem>
0 phosphates. livestock is 1 torch coral, 1 green digitate Acropora,
Christmas tree worm rock (arrived with glass anemone, waiting for
Aiptasia-x in the mail), one long tentacle anemone, 1 clownfish, 1
electric flame scallop that I hope now to give the most compassionate
existence to that I can (as the LFS said it wouldn't take it back
unless it died within the two weeks I bought it, and I know nobody else
to give it a better home), 7 electric blue hermit crabs, 4 turbo snails
(two are VERY large), and a neat little conch that hitched a ride on
the live rock. it might be a little apparent that I put a lot of trust
in my LFS prior to finding this site.
I've only been doing this for 2 months, 3 if you count the month I
let the tank sit with just live rock to cycle, so I wont let it get me
down. thank for the help, Jay
<A pleasure to share with you Jay. Bob Fenner>
Re: Bubble Coral Split/Long-Tentacle Anemone Removal
-- 10/22/2009
Thank you for your help! Justin and you, Bob, have been
awesome.
<Glad to assist!>
My next question is what is "cleaving" and then, the
next question has to do with another coral I have.
<I'm fairly certain the 'cleaving' Bob referred
to, would also be known as 'fragging' -- often these
individual coral polyps on these types of LPS are broken down
into individual branches, each with their own polyp... He was
recommending not to do this, as they will grow largely as one
unit if uninhibited. Do correct me if I'm wrong here,
Bob!><<This is what I intended. RMF>>
My Pagoda coral is about 9" across now, and I would like to
make it smaller. How do you recommend going about that?
<Typically done with a diamond cutting blade attached to a
Dremel or similar device -- just work slow.>
Last, but not least (sorry for the 3 part question), my anemone
(whose photo I've enclosed) has outgrown my aquarium. He is a
Long Tentacle Anemone I bought 1.5 years ago as a 2"
specimen. (The clownfish in the photo was only around 1"
long and the Coris Wrasse, about 2" long...Okay, I have to
just put this in here...that male clownfish turned into a gold
barred maroon this year. They both took 3 years turn colors and
she's about 4" long now and bites. ). I have included
both photos so you can see the incredible amount of growth over a
year and half of my Long Tentacle Anemone. His rate is around
1" monthly.
The problem is, if you notice, he's outgrown his environment
and I am afraid he will begin stinging corals. I can't get
him loose. I tried to move him to his own aquarium, but I
can't seem to get him to come loose, even using a big soup
spoon. He's approximately 18" tall when he's
floofing in my tank.
<Allelopathy is a very real possibility here -- I have read
varying methods for removing such anemones (or at least getting
them to loosen their grip a bit) by using somewhat direct flow
from a powerhead, as well as some ice against the glass where its
foot is resting -- do be careful with the ice suggestion, if the
temperature differential is too high, the glass could potentially
crack.>
Thank you in advance for your very welcome and knowledgeable
expertise.
Bonnie
<Glad to provide it! -JustinN>
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And Then There Were Six, Chromis beh.
6/25/09
Hi Crew,
<Darryl>
I recently added 7 small (3/4 inch) Chromis Viridis to my reef
tank.
Then, on their second day of residence, I watched my LTA consume
one.
<What they do>
He was still breathing, very slowly, as he went down. I figured that
was the stupid one. ;-) Now I'm finding that the Chromis are
sleeping with the LTA at night.
<Also natural... associate with stinging celled life to avoid fish
predation>
Often as many as four of them in there among the tentacles. Is this
common/normal/safe behavior?
<Normal yes, safe, no... Would "hang" in and about an
arborose stony (likely an Acropora sp., perhaps a Pocillopora...) if
you had one present>
They've plenty of nooks in the LR that they're eschewing. Maybe
they know about the Stomatopod and figure the anemone is the lesser
evil.
<Mmmm>
I've tried to get that darn mantis out. Traps have failed,
hyposaline dips have failed. My LFS suggested leaving the rock out to
dry for a couple hours, but that seems unlikely to work, in my opinion,
and his
lair has some nice Porites sp. that I'd like to keep if possible.
He's rather small, sub-one-inch and so far and hasn't wrought
so much havoc. He walloped some hitchhiker Xanthids, but who's
complaining.
I'm hoping that as he gets bigger he'll get hungrier for bait I
periodically leave out.
<Ok>
I know, now, that the LTA wasn't the wisest addition. Purple
tentacles, green and fluorescent green oral disk, about 6 inches across
(on average), bright orange base. But I've noticed that he never
quite closes his mouth. It's usually open about a centimeter. Is
this gaping?
<Not necessarily>
He seems otherwise happy, hasn't moved since I buried him in the
gravel, stands up at night and flattens out during the day. I'm a
bit worried about allelopathy with the Euphyllias, Faviidae, Zoanthids,
and Sinularia in there.
<Worth consideration...>
Thanks in advance,
Darryl
<Bob Fenner>
Re: And Then There Were Six 6/27/09
Hi Bob,
<Darryl>
Thanks for your input...
<Welcome>
It seems that the chromis had the last laugh. The anemone coughed out
what was left of the fish as a whitish ball the following morning but
not before busting its gut, so to speak.
<How they... egest>
I've noticed looks like a tear along the column with a small amount
of what appears to be mesenterial filaments bulging out. I'm
entirely not sure what to make of this, but I've read ( on WWM )
that there's a good chance that this will heal within a few
weeks.
<Yes>
I'm a bit hesitant to remove it
<I would not>
to a hospital tank in this condition for fear of causing more damage.
The water parameters all appear normal/unchanged: SG = 1.023,
<I'd raise...>
pH = 8.2,
NH4 = 0, N02 = 0 NO3 = 5 mg/l, Ca = 450 mg/l.
<A bit too high... what is your Alk, dKH?>
The nem's behavior hasn't changed and there's no apparent
necrosis. So I've got my fingers crossed.
I have a couple other concerns. The Ctenochaetus strigosus has come to
regard the nem as its toilet.
<Not unnaturally>
It repeatedly defecates on the anemone, which doesn't seem to
mind/react, but this leaves a large pile of poo on the surrounding
substrate that I have to very carefully vacuum out.
<Many anemone species... make a good part of their nutritional base
thus>
Might an Anemonefish prevent this by keeping the surgeon at bay and/or
cleaning up the area around the anemone?
<Mmm, yes>
Not to mention keeping the chromis away. I've read ( WWM, again ;-)
that they often do more harm than good but I'm wondering if this is
a special case....
Finally, The shifting from my vacuuming has caused the nem to
"float" to the surface of the substrate. It's still
holding on but it's only got a grip on the surface grains and
I'm afraid it will fall over when it stands up. The nem has never
been willing and/or able to sink itself into the substrate, which is a
coarse-ish crushed coral.
<Mmm, maybe put a semi-flat smooth-ish rock underneath>
The grain size varies from 1/8" to 3/8" with similarly sized
shells mixed in. Should I try to dig a hole all the way down ( about
3" ) so it can get a good grip on the glass?
<... the rock>
Alternatively, I've considered taking a small polyethylene tub (
the ones that CD ROMS come in ), setting the nem in that, and sinking
it into the gravel filled with soft fine oolitic aragonite. Alas, I
learned too late about the disadvantages of crushed coral.
Darryl
PS - Lighting = 4 x 39W 36" T5 HO. (2 6500K, 2 actinic). Water
Depth = 12" Is this too weak, marginal, or ok for the nem?
<S/b fine>
I'm thinking marginal as it seems happy. It has never moved from
where I put him a month ago. There's no apparent bleaching, but
admittedly I have no idea how long it would take to show symptoms.
<Most captive systems are over and inappropriately illuminated
intensity wise... Bob Fenner>
Anemone Spawning Event -- 4/24/08 Good day to you
and everyone who reads this. <Hello, Brenda here!> This was a
first for me, I came home from work to find my LTA normally the size of
a dinner plate down to the size of a cup saucer but standing up a good
10 inches with the tentacle's tight and curly. The mouth was out
about half an inch to three quarters of an inch with white
"smoke" coming out no pun intended. This lasted for about
three to four hours as it slowly went down in size. My 72g tank now
looks very milky and the skimmer has stopped working (just like when
oils from your hand get to it). So I guess my question is: Is this
sperm and what is the best way to clear my water without over doing a
water change? <Yep, your anemone spawned! You need to do a large
water change, no other way unfortunately. I also recommend running some
fresh carbon. I would do this as soon as possible. Keep an eye on
everything, and be prepared for more water changes. Good luck!
Brenda>
LTA attacked by Choc chip star 04/07/2008
Hi, <<Hello, Andrew here>> Friday we woke up to find
our chocolate chip star hovering over the spot where our LTA was.
We removed the star from that spot and could not find the LTA
anywhere, not even a trace of it. Needless to say the star went
back to my LFS the same day. <<A wise decision, very
predatory>> I was heartbroken by the loss of our anemone.
We have had it for about 8months, and it was about 8 inches in
diameter and very healthy. So I bought a new anemone to replace
the old one, it is a BTA. When I returned home to acclimate the
BTA, to my surprise the LTA was out and alive! I have a 75gallon
with a snowflake eel, and volition lion, about 90lbs of live
rock, and snails for cleanup crew. The LTA does not appear happy,
he will not inflate fully, his tentacles are long and inflated
though, appears to have no injuries, has not moved from his spot,
however his mouth remains slightly open (which I am aware is not
a good sign). He does seem to inflate more as the days go on, but
mouth remains open. I placed the BTA on the opposite side of the
tank, where he immediately attached his foot. My questions are as
follows: 1. What precautions should I take when housing two
different anemones in the same tank? <<Plenty of distance
between SP.>> 2. What should I do for my LTA? <<If
possible, move to quarantine tank, target feed and monitor
closely>> 3. Will the LTA be okay? <<Given good water
parameters, staple diet, lighting, should recover fine>> 4.
What should I watch for or be worried about? <<The main to
watch is the distance between these two, else chemical warfare
will ensue>> I did perform a 20% water change yesterday
Sat), just to be on the safe side. I use RO/DI water which I mix
myself. All of my parameters are perfect. We have had the tank
for a year, and it has been very stable for the past 6months. I
do have a skimmer, two additional powerheads (which are screened
to avoid the anemones being sucked in) and appropriate lighting
for anemones. Thanks in advance for your help! Love your site
Michelle <<Hope the above helps. If problems do arise
between the two nems in the tank, i would suggest removal of the
BTA.. Personally, i prefer to only see multiple nems in tanks of
100 gals plus, this gives plenty of room for the two to have
"plenty" of space between them>> <<Thanks
and good luck. A Nixon>>
Re: LTA attacked by Choc chip star
04/09/2008 Hi again, <<Hello Michelle>> Thanks
for the quick response. So for an update: I was unable to move
the LTA to quarantine because he would not let go of the glass
bottom. Today he was looking alright, then I noticed the LTA has
moved, he is still close to where he was and in the crushed
coral, still stuck to the glass bottom. When I went to feed the
rest of the tank I noticed he was not looking to good. He was a
little curled up, tentacles still inflated but he appeared
shrunken. He did happily accept a small piece of food and ate
fine. <<That's a good sign that food has been accepted,
and moving is a sign its not happy where it currently is, should
find a happy spot for itself soon enough>> I just did a
water change yesterday. I checked my levels today and here are
the results: Ammonia: 0, Nitrites: 0, Phosphate: 0, pH: 8.3,
Nitrate: 30-40!!! I know high levels of nitrates can be harmful
to anemones. How can I fix this? <<Water changes are you
new best friend here to get them lowered, odd you have had a
sudden spike up that level of nitrates. Nothing died in the
tank?>> My water change was a 20% change (75gal tank)
Should I do another water change? <<Please do>> Try a
buffer? Will a vitamin boost help? What should I do? I don't
want to lose my anemone or any other occupant of the tank. Please
help! <<Adding buffers etc is not the way forward, water
changes to bring your param.s back in line is the best
thing>> Thanks again I really appreciate your help,
Michelle <<Thanks, hope this helps. A Nixon>>
|
LTA/Compatibility/Systems 2/12/08 I have a
one year old 75 gallon reef tank that runs through a 5gal, 4inch
DSB fuge and into my toms <?> aquaria PS3 BakPak filter
with a skimmer. (by the way there is pretty much nothing about
this filter that I like). I have a couple of 300gph powerheads on
rotating deflectors on the back corners set on 45 degrees towards
the front of the tank and it does a pretty impressive job as far
as getting an alternating current. I also have a Hydor #3 facing
on all my sps corals, that obviously does not move, but one of
the deflectors hits the current from the Hydor to make it
alternate somewhat, and finally another powerhead on the other
corner pushing an 18watt uv. I have 100+ pounds of Fiji and
Marshall Island rock, and 80+ pounds of Fiji pink sand. that
gives me anywhere between 4inches and 8inches of sandbed
depending on how much moving of the sand my female Tomatoe Clown
digs up throughout the day. <Yes, they are good at that.>
Corals: huge green Goniopora that has been in the tank for 9 or
10 months and does great, 4 chunks of different acropora (2 of
them full colonies), and a hand size chunk of Hydnophora and a
large amount of LPS corals including a 15 headed branch of
Frogspawn. I also have two rather large colonies of mushrooms. I
only have five fish and they are a pair of Tomatoes that live in
the LTA ever since I put it in 9 months ago, a Six Line Wrasse, a
Diamond Spotted Goby and a Brown Tang. My water parameters are as
follows: cal: 400-420ppm (checked twice daily) alk: 9-11dKH
(checked twice daily) ph: 7.92 at night- 8.20 when 10k shut of (
pinpoint - calibrated every 20 days) mag: 1230-1290 (tested every
30 days) temp: 76-78 in winter, 78-80 in summer sg: 1.024 (
tested every water change) I do a 10 gallon water change every 14
days with Red Sea Coral Pro Salt and RO water. I add 2 liters of
full strength limewater (ph-12.50 calcium 850ppm) to my tank
every day and supplement with SeaChem powder supplements when I
have to. I also make sure to take a break from the Kalk when I
have to use other additives (Reef Advantage Calcium, Reef Buffer
and Reef Builder). I also add 12 drops of Kent marine iodine
every Saturday. Everything else should be included in water
changes except mag only because of limewater but I also have Reef
Advantage Magnesium which I add as needed. Now to the question at
hand. About nine months ago I put in a LTA (compulsive buying),
probably should not have considering the tank was only a couple
of months old. I bought it nonetheless and for the first four
months it stayed right where it went to the first day, and it was
the ideal spot that I kind of made for it, right in the front
view of the tank. The LTA stayed there for about 4-5 months and
then moved to the back of the tank, pretty much around to the
other side of the rock it had always been under but now it is in
the back of the tank. It stayed there for a couple of months and
then I added some rock for more coral places and in the process
halfway shaded the anemone. At this point the anemone has grown
about 6 inches since I got it and has always had good color, very
very sticky, and always eats immediately( fed at least 1 time a
week). Anyway the anemone is just starting to act weird at lights
out and starts wondering just to end up in the same place it was
the night before. I know any wandering is bad (especially since
it keeps stinging my corals), but the next day it is in the same
spot all poofed out and looking spectacular. <Reason why
anemones and corals don't mix.> It should have a
significant amount of light. I can keep Acroporas alive why not
an anemone. I have 474 watts all together. 2-130w 10k PC, 2-130
watt 420 nm actinic PC, and 108 watt 10k T5, and 108watt 460nm
actinic T5. <I'd put another 10K T5 in place of the 460
actinic.> I just recently heard about some chemical warfare
going on in anything less than a monstrously large aquarium
housing both Frogspawn and LTA. If this is true how come they got
along for so long and no problems. <Lucky> The Frogspawn
was in the tank before the LTA so they have been together always
and no prior problems. If my anemone is unhappy with the light
then he would end up in a brighter spot, ( there are much
brighter spots in my tank at the bottom in the sand than where he
is now.) So if he was searching around for more light why would
he go back to the same spot he was trying to leave? Although the
place where he is at now does not have much current, again there
are many more places in the tank that he could go while getting
more light and the same amount of current other than where he is
now but he always ends back where he started. By the way this all
started about 7 days ago and every night it is the same thing.
Another thing is that it all takes place throughout 4 hours.
After the actinics go off he starts his climb to the top of the
tank sits there for a while and then goes right back down to the
sand where he stays till the following night. And yet another
thing is that if I never looked in my tank at night (like when I
am usually asleep not standing over my tank at all hours of the
night because you just cant get enough) then you would not even
know it was happening because the next morning it is right where
it was and opens up fully and still accepts food. I guess I do
have two easily answerable questions besides the behavior of the
anemone. #1 will an anemone kill itself by choosing a spot where
it does not get enough light like under a cliff or overhang?
<Very unlikely.> #2 With only 75 gallon system and 3 feet
of space and rock between my fairly large Frogspawn( 15 heads),
and my very large LTA (at least 16 inches across when fully
open), is this to small of a system to house them both? <Yes,
especially with the 16" span of the anemone. Do read here
and related articles/FAQ's above.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm
In future queries, do cap all names of fish, coral, companies,
"i's", and do a spelling and grammar check. We just
do not have the time to edit queries with numerous
spelling/grammar errors before posting. Thank you. James (Salty
Dog)>
Re: LTA/Compatibility/Systems 2/13/08 wrote:
LTA/Compatibility/Systems 2/12/08 I have a one year old 75 gallon
reef tank that runs through a 5gal, 4inch DSB fuge and into my
toms aquaria PS3 Backpack filter with a skimmer. by the way there
is pretty much nothing about this filter that I like). I have a
couple of 300gph powerheads on rotating deflectors on the back
corners set on 45 degrees towards the front of the tank and it
does a pretty impressive job as far as getting an alternating
current. I also have a Hydor #3 facing on all my sps corals, that
obviously does not move, but one of the deflectors hits the
current from the Hydor to make it alternate somewhat, and finally
another powerhead on the other corner pushing an 18watt uv. I
have 100+ pounds of Fiji and Marshall Island rock, and 80+ pounds
of Fiji pink sand. that gives me anywhere between 4inches and
8inches of sandbed depending on how much moving of the sand my
female Tomatoe Clown digs up throughout the day. Corals: huge
green Goniopora that has been in the tank for 9 or 10 months and
does great, 4 chunks of different acropora (2 of them full
colonies), and a hand size chunk of Hydnophora and a large amount
of LPS corals including a 15 headed branch of Frogspawn. I also
have two rather large colonies of mushrooms. I only have five
fish and they are a pair of Tomatoes that live in the LTA ever
since I put it in 9 months ago, a Six Line Wrasse, a Diamond
Spotted Goby and a Brown Tang. My water parameters are as
follows: cal: 400-420ppm (checked twice daily) alk: 9-11dKH
(checked twice daily) ph: 7.92 at night- 8.20 when 10k shut of (
pinpoint - calibrated every 20 days) mag: 1230-1290 (tested every
30 days) temp: 76-78 in winter, 78-80 in summer sg: 1.024 (
tested every water change) I do a 10 gallon water change every 14
days with Red Sea Coral Pro Salt and RO water. I add 2 liters of
full strength limewater (ph-12.50 calcium 850ppm) to my tank
every day and supplement with SeaChem powder supplements when I
have to. I also make sure to take a break from the Kalk when I
have to use other additives (Reef Advantage Calcium, Reef Buffer
and Reef Builder). I also add 12 drops of Kent marine iodine
every Saturday. Everything else should be included in water
changes except mag only because of limewater but I also have Reef
Advantage Magnesium which I add as needed. Now to the question at
hand. About nine months ago I put in a LTA (compulsive buying),
probably should not have considering the tank was only a couple
of months old. I bought it nonetheless and for the first four
months it stayed right where it went to the first day, and it was
the ideal spot that I kind of made for it, right in the front
view of the tank. The LTA stayed there for about 4-5 months and
then moved to the back of the tank, pretty much around to the
other side of the rock it had always been under but now it is in
the back of the tank. It stayed there for a couple of months and
then I added some rock for more coral places and in the process
halfway shaded the anemone. At this point the anemone has grown
about 6 inches since I got it and has always had good color, very
very sticky, and always eats immediately( fed at least 1 time a
week). Anyway the anemone is just starting to act weird at lights
out and starts wondering just to end up in the same place it was
the night before. I know any wandering is bad (especially since
it keeps stinging my corals), but the next day it is in the same
spot all poofed out and looking spectacular. It should have a
significant amount of light. I can keep Acroporas alive why not
an anemone. I have 474 watts all together. 2-130w 10k PC, 2-130
watt 420 nm actinic PC, and 108 watt 10k T5, and 108watt 460nm
actinic T5. I just recently heard about some chemical warfare
going on in anything less than a monstrously large aquarium
housing both Frogspawn and LTA. If this is true how come they got
along for so long and no problems. The Frogspawn was in the tank
before the LTA so they have been together always and no prior
problems. If my anemone is unhappy with the light then he would
end up in a brighter spot, ( there are much brighter spots in my
tank at the bottom in the sand than where he is now.) So if he
was searching around for more light why would he go back to the
same spot he was trying to leave? Although the place where he is
at now does not have much current, again there are many more
places in the tank that he could go while getting more light and
the same amount of current other than where he is now but he
always ends back where he started. By the way this all started
about 7 days ago and every night it is the same thing. Another
thing is that it all takes place throughout 4 hours. After the
actinics go off he starts his climb to the top of the tank sits
there for a while and then goes right back down to the sand where
he stays till the following night. And yet another thing is that
if I never looked in my tank at night (like when I am usually
asleep not standing over my tank at all hours of the night
because you just cant get enough) then you would not even know it
was happening because the next morning it is right where it was
and opens up fully and still accepts food. I guess I do have two
easily answerable questions besides the behavior of the anemone.
#1 will an anemone kill itself by choosing a spot where it does
not get enough light like under a cliff or overhang? #2 With only
75 gallon system and 3 feet of space and rock between my fairly
large Frogspawn( 15 heads), and my very large LTA (at least 16
inches across when fully open), is this to small of a system to
house them both? In future queries, do cap all names of fish,
coral, companies, "i's", and do a spelling and
grammar check. We just do not have the time to edit queries with
numerous spelling/grammar errors before posting. Thank you. James
(Salty Dog)> Thank you for the info, Salty Dog, and I will try
to be a little more careful in the future. <You're
welcome.> Sorry about the misinformation but my t5s are 54
watts each and four of them (HO-2 10k, and 2 460nm). Does that
matter or still the same reply, (change the other two to 10k) so
that all of my t5 bulbs are 10k. (Also what do you think about
just making two of them 12k or 14k, in place of the 460nm.
<I'd go with one actinic rather than two. Many folks have
just gone with all 14K lamps with good results. I just run two
14K MH's on my tank.> I have heard good things about high
growth rates for sps corals under that spectrum) Another
question, I have read to keep a 1/1 ratio of daylight and
actinic. Is it safe to say that is not entirely true? <Believe
that is dated info with the advent of the 10K-20K lamps.>
I'm sorry, but I did not find anything about the problems
between the long tentacle anemone and the frogspawn coral on the
link you provided. Is the problem that the LTA will sting the
frogspawn on contact, or can there be chemical problems without
contact? Is it a must to remove one or the other? <Problem is,
when the anemone moves, it stings everything along the way. As
far as corals, there will always be some allelopathy going on.
The use of a skimmer and/or high quality carbon/resin such as
Chemi-Pure goes a long way in removing these allelopathic
compounds.> Is it only the LTA that these problems exist? (or
the same with a BTA) <If you mean stinging this is true with
most anemones.> Another (kind of important) thing I forgot to
mention is I have always used dip tests for nitrate and the color
never changed. Since then my buddy got an electronic (Pinpoint)
nitrate tester, and my nitrates are always around 13ppm. It has
been that way for the 2 months that I have tested with the
electronic tester. This does not seem to be the trigger for the
anemones behavior, but do you think it is possible, just that it
took him a while to react? <No, a nitrate reading of 13ppm is
not all that bad but best to keep it under 10ppm.> The high
nitrate reading was the reason for the fuge setup. It has been
running now for about 20-30 days. I just took an Eclipse 6 and
drilled some holes in it and installed it in-line with my filter.
I put 10 lbs of medium course dry Arag to give me about 3-4
inches of substrate, but in another 2 weeks I am going to add the
other half of the 20 lbs. bag. Does this sound acceptable? I do
not have any macro in there now because it only has an eight watt
bulb in it and I do not think that is enough <enough>.
<As long as the bulb is a PC, it should be enough.> My
nitrates never change no matter how many water changes I do. Is
that normal? <Can be. Do you ever vacuum the substrate? This
area is one of the biggest causes of nitrates. If you use
mechanical filtration and do not clean/change pads weekly, the
trapped waste will turn into dissolved organics.> One more
thing, since the start of the tank I have had bio-balls in my
sump. I have never cleaned them (they are as clean as the day I
installed them, and there is no light that touches them). I have
recently heard that they are not that good in an established reef
tank. <In my opinion, the bio balls alone are not going to
create high nitrate levels. Bio Balls do not produce waste. Most
folks do not use Bio Balls if live rock is used. There is enough
beneficial bacteria on the rock to take care of the nitrification
process. I use the Bio Balls in my sump and never encounter
nitrate problems, in fact, my nitrates are always at the residual
level of the test kit.> Is that the same thing for the glass
cylinders? <The glass cylinders can trap very small particles
of waste. Some say they are efficient at removing nitrates.
I've never tried them so I cannot comment. The best way to
lower the nitrate level is by lowering the nutrient level in the
system. Do read this link.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nutrientcontrol.htm James (Salty
Dog)> Do you think I should take them out and pack my sump
with rock rubble instead? (This would be done very slowly.) Do
you think that the bio-balls are a contributing factor to the
nitrate problem?
|
Re: LTA/Compatibility/Systems 2/13/08 I have
a one year old 75 gallon reef tank that runs through a 5gal, 4inch
DSB fuge and into my toms aquaria PS3 Backpack filter with a
skimmer. by the way there is pretty much nothing about this filter
that I like). I have a couple of 300gph powerheads on rotating
deflectors on the back corners set on 45 degrees towards the front
of the tank and it does a pretty impressive job as far as getting
an alternating current. I also have a Hydor #3 facing on all my sps
corals, that obviously does not move, but one of the deflectors
hits the current from the Hydor to make it alternate somewhat, and
finally another powerhead on the other corner pushing an 18watt uv.
I have 100+ pounds of Fiji and Marshall Island rock, and 80+ pounds
of Fiji pink sand. (that gives me anywhere between 4inches and
8inches of sandbed depending on how much moving of the sand my
female Tomatoe Clown digs up throughout the day. Corals: huge green
Goniopora that has been in the tank for 9 or 10 months and does
great, 4 chunks of different acropora (2 of them full colonies),
and a hand size chunk of Hydnophora and a large amount of LPS
corals including a 15 headed branch of Frogspawn. I also have two
rather large colonies of mushrooms. I only have five fish and they
are a pair of Tomatoes that live in the LTA ever since I put it in
9 months ago, a Six Line Wrasse, a Diamond Spotted Goby and a Brown
Tang. My water parameters are as follows: cal: 400-420ppm (checked
twice daily) alk: 9-11dKH (checked twice daily) ph: 7.92 at night-
8.20 when 10k shut of ( pinpoint - calibrated every 20 days) mag:
1230-1290 (tested every 30 days) temp: 76-78 in winter, 78-80 in
summer sg: 1.024 ( tested every water change) I do a 10 gallon
water change every 14 days with Red Sea Coral Pro Salt and RO
water. I add 2 liters of full strength limewater (ph-12.50 calcium
850ppm) to my tank every day and supplement with SeaChem powder
supplements when I have to. I also make sure to take a break from
the Kalk when I have to use other additives (Reef Advantage
Calcium, Reef Buffer and Reef Builder). I also add 12 drops of Kent
marine iodine every Saturday. Everything else should be included in
water changes except mag only because of limewater but I also have
Reef Advantage Magnesium which I add as needed. Now to the question
at hand. About nine months ago I put in a LTA (compulsive buying),
probably should not have considering the tank was only a couple of
months old. I bought it nonetheless and for the first four months
it stayed right where it went to the first day, and it was the
ideal spot that I kind of made for it, right in the front view of
the tank. The LTA stayed there for about 4-5 months and then moved
to the back of the tank, pretty much around to the other side of
the rock it had always been under but now it is in the back of the
tank. It stayed there for a couple of months and then I added some
rock for more coral places and in the process halfway shaded the
anemone. At this point the anemone has grown about 6 inches since I
got it and has always had good color, very very sticky, and always
eats immediately( fed at least 1 time a week). Anyway the anemone
is just starting to act weird at lights out and starts wondering
just to end up in the same place it was the night before. I know
any wandering is bad (especially since it keeps stinging my
corals), but the next day it is in the same spot all poofed out and
looking spectacular. It should have a significant amount of light.
I can keep Acroporas alive why not an anemone. I have 474 watts all
together. 2-130w 10k PC, 2-130 watt 420 nm actinic PC, and 108 watt
10k T5, and 108watt 460nm actinic T5. I just recently heard about
some chemical warfare going on in anything less than a monstrously
large aquarium housing both Frogspawn and LTA. If this is true how
come they got along for so long and no problems. The Frogspawn was
in the tank before the LTA so they have been together always and no
prior problems. If my anemone is unhappy with the light then he
would end up in a brighter spot, ( there are much brighter spots in
my tank at the bottom in the sand than where he is now.) So if he
was searching around for more light why would he go back to the
same spot he was trying to leave? Although the place where he is at
now does not have much current, again there are many more places in
the tank that he could go while getting more light and the same
amount of current other than where he is now but he always ends
back where he started. By the way this all started about 7 days ago
and every night it is the same thing. Another thing is that it all
takes place throughout 4 hours. After the actinics go off he starts
his climb to the top of the tank sits there for a while and then
goes right back down to the sand where he stays till the following
night. And yet another thing is that if I never looked in my tank
at night (like when I am usually asleep not standing over my tank
at all hours of the night because you just cant get enough) then
you would not even know it was happening because the next morning
it is right where it was and opens up fully and still accepts food.
I guess I do have two easily answerable questions besides the
behavior of the anemone. #1 will an anemone kill itself by choosing
a spot where it does not get enough light like under a cliff or
overhang? #2 With only 75 gallon system and 3 feet of space and
rock between my fairly large Frogspawn( 15 heads), and my very
large LTA (at least 16 inches across when fully open), is this to
small of a system to house them both? In future queries, do cap all
names of fish, coral, companies, "i's", and do a
spelling and grammar check. We just do not have the time to edit
queries with numerous spelling/grammar errors before posting. Thank
you. James (Salty Dog)> Thank you for the info, Salty Dog, and I
will try to be a little more careful in the future. Sorry about the
misinformation but my t5s are 54 watts each and four of them (HO-2
10k, and 2 460nm). Does that matter or still the same reply,
(change the other two to 10k) so that all of my t5 bulbs are 10k.
(Also what do you think about just making two of them 12k or 14k,
in place of the 460nm. I have heard good things about high growth
rates for sps corals under that spectrum) Another question, I have
read to keep a 1/1 ratio of daylight and actinic. Is it safe to say
that is not entirely true? I'm sorry, but I did not find
anything about the problems between the long tentacle anemone and
the frogspawn coral on the link you provided. Is the problem that
the LTA will sting the frogspawn on contact, or can there be
chemical problems without contact? Is it a must to remove one or
the other? Is it only the LTA that these problems exist? (or the
same with a BTA) Another (kind of important) thing I forgot to
mention is I have always used dip tests for nitrate and the color
never changed. Since then my buddy got an electronic (Pinpoint)
nitrate tester, and my nitrates are always around 13ppm. It has
been that way for the 2 months that I have tested with the
electronic tester. This does not seem to be the trigger for the
anemones behavior, but do you think it is possible, just that it
took him a while to react? The high nitrate reading was the reason
for the fuge setup. It has been running now for about 20-30 days. I
just took an Eclipse 6 and drilled some holes in it and installed
it in-line with my filter. I put 10 lbs of medium course dry Arag
to give me about 3-4 inches of substrate, but in another 2 weeks I
am going to add the other half of the 20 lbs. bag. Does this sound
acceptable? I do not have any macro in there now because it only
has an eight watt bulb in it and I do not think that is enough . My
nitrates never change no matter how many water changes I do. Is
that normal? One more thing, since the start of the tank I have had
bio-balls in my sump. I have never cleaned them (they are as clean
as the day I installed them, and there is no light that touches
them). I have recently heard that they are not that good in an
established reef tank. I use the Bio Balls in my sump and never
encounter nitrate problems, in fact, my nitrates are always at the
residual level of the test kit.> Is that the same thing for the
glass cylinders? http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nutrientcontrol.htm
James (Salty Dog)> Do you think I should take them out and pack
my sump with rock rubble instead? (This would be done very
slowly.) 2/15/08 Do you think that the bio-balls are a
contributing factor to the nitrate problem? Thanks again, Salty
Dog. I am sure you guys are tired of hearing it by now but I have
to agree with everyone else and say you guys rock, and this is
probably one of the best sources of reliable info online. <Thank
you.> I do have one more question ( off subject but will
"reply" so you have all info about tank). Like I said
before, I do 10 gallon water change every 2 weeks and 5 gallons in
between. That equals out to 30 gallons every 4 weeks on an 80
gallon setup. (Although I cannot have 80 gallons in my system when
you figure all the displaced water because of rock and sand etc.,
so I am doing a good amount of water changes.) <Yes> It seems
no matter what, I get a surface film build-up by the time I am
ready for the next water change. The whole problem lies in the
overflow box. I don't know if you are familiar with it but it
is a Tom's Aquaria PS3. <Nope.> It has a skimmer but does
not work that great because the overflow box does not take water
right off the surface like it says it does because the slots for
the intake go into the water about four inches. So it will not pull
the surface film down. I cut some plexi and shoved it in there by
the slots and now it pulls of the top 1 inch of the water but the u
tube is so big that it keeps up with the heavy flow of the pump so
that it will not pull down the surface sludge. I have stewed on
this for months and the only other way I can think of doing this
right is to build/buy another overflow, but I ran into big problems
installing this fuge because the PS3 is just not compatible with
pretty much anything. What I mean to say is you just can't
"add onto" this setup like you could a big sump. So I was
thinking recently about just picking up one of those 12$ Tom's
Aquaria surface skimmers that hooks into a standard power filter
and grabbing one of the many spare power filters I have sitting
around and just letting it run for a day between water changes to
pull off the film. I would have this full of activated carbon
media. That should pull the organics out right? <As long as
surface water is being taken in, it should.> Okay If your with
me so far my question is this: I run 1 activated carbon floss
pre-filter pad that I change out every 2 weeks no matter how it
looks, and an activated carbon pillow that probably holds close to
2 or 3 cups of carbon that I change every month. Now I realize that
is a lot of carbon to be running on a reef tank all the time but I
do a lot of water changes and everything has always been fine,
besides that is just another conversation altogether. So I guess
the question is this, do you think running more carbon to pull the
surface film will just be too much activated carbon running in my
system, and also do you think that carbon would successfully remove
the film without pushing that water through a skimmer? <Too much
carbon, one cup would be plenty and no, the carbon isn't going
to do much in the way of removing surface sludge, carbon just traps
very fine particles/organic waste. Your best bet would be to invest
in a protein skimmer that draws it's water from the surface. In
that regard you will be removing surface scum and dissolved
organics and should improve the water quality very much. AquaC is
one company that offers add on surface skimmers for some of their
models. Go here. www.proteinskimmer.com James (Salty Dog)> |
Was Hair algae invasion, now Relocating LTA - 3/15/07 Alex
(or whoever we are fortunate enough to get): <Hi Michael and Dianne,
you got Alex again tonight'¦> Thanks for the recent answers
about our long-haired algae invasion. We are planning to
spend this Sunday cleaning ALL the rock in the 120 with a toothbrush
and, while we're at it, rearrange everything. Part of this process
involves dismantling our 12-gallon nano (we prefer to give our
attention to the larger tank). Since we have three clarkiis in the 120,
we returned to our LFS the two small clownfish, and since we have two
lawnmower blennies in the 120, we returned our algae blenny. Very sad
to have to return fish we've come to enjoy watching, but preferable
to seeing them die. <That is sad. But the right thing to
do.> Anyway, that leaves us with one question. Our nano has a
very healthy, very happy LTA living in it. When he's wide
open, he's about six inches in diameter. We are not thrilled with
the idea of putting an anemone into the 120. <No'¦>
However, we have a clarkii living in our Goniopora (and we are afraid
he will eventually kill it). Perhaps having an anemone will encourage
him to move to a more appropriate home. (Although it is kind of cute to
watch him in the morning sleeping with his head on the closed-up coral
like it was a pillow.) <Awww'¦> But are we making a bad
decision? Should we return the LTA to the LFS instead of moving him
into our reef tank? (We listed the contents of our tank in the
long-haired algae communication.) <Unfortunately, it would not be a
good idea to add an LTA to the reef tank. Corals and
anemones are a volatile mix in the confines of an
aquarium. Read here and linked files at top of page:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ltacompfaqs.htm If you are still
considering getting out of the coral side of things, you could keep the
LTA in the large tank, but not with the corals. Otherwise it
should go back to the LFS also if you do not want to keep another
tank.> Thanks for helping us keep our tank safe and healthy for our
adopted occupants! <Sincerely hoping we can help'¦ Alex>
Michael and Dianne
Toadstool sys., Percula/anemone hosting 12/18/06 Hey
everyone! <Greetings, Mich here.> Sorry if I ask too meany
<many?> questions. <little, nasty, or
number? I'm guessing you mean number.> I know you are
busy! <How did you know?> But who else am I going to go to?...The
LFS...? <Hehehe ...there are some good ones out
there.> I have an LTA. I was wandering
how rare it is for p. clowns to host these? <In the wild only four
species of clownfish are typically observed with this anemone, the
Percula Clowns (Amphiprion percula) is not one of
them. However in an artificial environment, artificial
things happen.> I also have a green toadstool. I know,
shouldn't be together. It came on a VERY small pc of rock. Too
small to weight it down upright, and too small to wedge into the live
rock without hurting the coral itself. I've tried super glue gel.
Didn't work so well. <Yes, I have experienced this frustration
also.> So I resorted to a rubber band (natural color). <Good
solution!> Will there be any trouble with this being in the system?
<No. This should not cause problems. The
rubber band will dissolve with time.> Hopefully it works for a
while! <It should.> The poor thing probably has fallen 5 times in
a month! <and can't get up!> It is pretty secure now though.
<Did it get Life Alert?> Thanks so much for your help! <You
are quite welcome.> By the way, the clownfish anemone page on the
chat forum isn't working! <Oh, thank you for this, will
notify.> <<On WWF? On WWM; what is the URL? RMF> Keep up
the good work! <We'll do our best!> Hope to meet you all one
day! <It's always nice to put a face with a
name. Remember aquarium conferences are
fun! -Mich>
Anemone/LTA - 2/28/2006 Hello, <Hello
Chris> I've got an LTA that is doing excellent in my
tank (anchored in the sand at the front of the tank), and is hosting
two skunk clowns who love it. I've had no problems with
it and the other corals in my tank, but I've noticed it is growing
huge and is getting near my Fiji leather (not touching
yet). Recently, I read on WWM that keeping
anemones in a reef tank is a bad idea, <Yes> and that it is
unnatural as they are not found in the same areas of the
reef. If it's one or the other, I'd rather have the
reef (an authentic one at that), so should I remove the LTA and will
the clowns be affected by the sudden removal of their home? <I would
remove the anemone. It will just be a matter of time before
your corals are stung. Anemones are not necessary for clowns
to survive and will do fine without one.> Are clowns found naturally
in the reef, without their anemone hosts? <No> Thanks,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Chris Stevens
Reef And LTA...Not A Good Mix - 11/25/05 Good Afternoon,
<<Good Morning>> I would like to buy a LTA for my 55 gallon
reef, I have been looking up info for about a month now. <<Then
you should have discovered these animals are best kept in species
specific tanks, not reef tanks.>> Would it be alright to keep it
with a Yellow Tang, Maroon Clown, Shrimp Gobi, Plate Coral, Red
Mushrooms, Green Mushroom, Cabbage Coral, Yellow Polyps, Gigas Clam,
Needle Algae, 2 power heads, Sea Clone 100 protein skimmer , Magnum 350
canister filter, 20 lbs. live rock, and 45 lbs live sand? <<Not
in my opinion. You should not be mixing a motile anemone
with sessile invertebrates...the anemone can/will do much damage
if/when it goes walkabout. If you are serious about keeping
one of the animals for the long term, do some research as to proper
care and set up a tank just for the LTA.>> And I have a Condy
anemone would it be possible to keep a LTA with it if not I will put in
my other 20 gallon tank. <<The Condylactis anemone should not be
in the reef tank either...and it definitely should not be mixed with
the LTA. EricR>>
Clowns and my LTA Hey Bob! Dude from Miami
again! How are you bro? <Fine, thanks> Sorry, got
another question for ya - I just put in my new LTA (see pic) last night
and he/she is doing terrific! (Pleasant
surprise!) Anyway, my question is: Will my Nemo
(Amphiprion ocellaris) hang with this LTA and form a relationship?
<Mmm, a good possibility, though these two species are not found in
natural association in the wild> I know its only been one day, and
it will take time, but I'm wondering what the chances are of them
hooking up. (Nemo seems mostly interested in eating and
looking cute) And, if not, can I get a second, different
type of clown that will go to the LTA, and if I can, which type of
clown would be my best choice? <Yes... please take a look at the
compatibility chart here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm>
I've read through your FAQ's and articles on
clowns, but still a little uncertain. Will a second clown
compete with Nemo, or try to kill him? <A possibility... how big is
this system? If more than sixty gallons, you've got more than a
50:50 chance they'll "get along"> Or will they sex off
and maybe even share the Anenome if the second one is bigger than Nemo
(Nemo's quite small)? <Very unlikely> I know lots of
questions/details - sorry, but I trust your opinion(s), not really
anyone else's! Thanks again for all your help and the ultimate
site. Dude <Be chatting. Bob Fenner>
Re: Clowns and my LTA Thanks for the response
Bob! Yeah, I have just a 55 gallon with Ecosystem
filtration. I figure a saddleback clown would be my best bet
for a second, but I've also read on your FAQ's that Clarkiis go
to the LTA as well. Another possibility I guess would be to get another
slightly larger Nemo to pair them up, since you said its a good
possibility that the ocellaris will hook up with the LTA despite not
being naturally assc'd in the wild............. Thanks so much
again Bob for all your help!! Dude <Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Anemone troubles, induced Hey Guys. <John> Just
wondering if is possible to put a Long Tentacle Anemone in the same
(30gal) tank as a Condylactis anemone? <Not a good idea> also, I
was wondering why my LTA appears buried in the sand all day and then
when the light go's out, he curls up and comes completely out so
that you can see his orange base (foot?) and doesn't bury in the
sand again until the light go's back on in the morning?
<Trouble... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm scroll
down to the index on Anemones... READ> Thanks! (how do I
see a response to this email?) J.F. <We respond directly to all, as
well as post on WWM. Bob Fenner>
LTA symbiotic relationship question I have just
witnessed my Long Tentacle Anemone doing something I didn't know
they did. While it was lying on a Live rock, the center of it started
to enlarge (around the mouth area, when it enlarged, it was white in
color (mouth area) and it looked like it had opened its mouth and
leaned over to the rock and out of it's mouth came a small creature
( about the size of a Japanese beetle but with a small tail and it was
as if it had a curtain around it so you couldn't see legs. It
slowly moved out of the mouth and crawled up on the live rock and went
into a hole in the rock. The anemone slowly raised back up and shrank
in size for bout an hour. Like it had a baby or something. I
haven't seen the small creature since. The anemone seems to be
doing fine though. I was wondering what your thoughts were? Saltwatered
in PA <There are many commensal to mutualistic organisms that live
in concert with these animals... you likely saw a crustacean one. Bob
Fenner>
Long Tentacled Anemone/s I have two long tentacled anemone,
one which has settled in nicely. The other though is puzzling. I turned
off one of my powerheads (2 in a 45 gal tank). The anemone shriveled up
and my husband said it was dying. I turned on the powerhead again and
it came back to life. I guess it prefers the powerhead. Today I
added some items to the tank, 5 shaving brushes, one coral beauty two
horseshoe crabs (very small) and two curly q anemones, and a pencil
urchin. <Trouble... anemones are not easily kept in
home-hobbyist settings... two LTA's are not compatible... mixing in
the other species, disastrous> Now the anemone that played dead the
other day is just floating around the tank. I have tried to get it
settled, but it refuses to attach to anything and keeps floating
around. It looks to be in good health, the tentacles are full with
purple tips. Any ideas? <Plenty. The U.S. should stop
invading sovereign nations and realize that commerce is
"king", people should turn off their teevees and exercise a
great deal more. Oh, you mean re your circumstances? Yes, read... on
WWM re Anemones, their systems, compatibility. Start here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm.
Read, act, now! Bob Fenner> <<Time for an editorial
page!>><Heeeee! RMF>
Re: Long Tentacled Anemone/s I moved the curly q anemones and
the long tentacled anemone settled down on the tank floor once again
and has blossomed. I guess it just didn't like the new anemones. If
push comes to shove, I'll move some to another tank. Thanks for
your help. <Sounds good> By the way, I cannot do without CSI in
any of its forms or Law and Order. <Am changing my name to Bob
Bruckheimer> Other than that the TV can sit dormant. As for
attacking other nations, well, someone has to play nice and since
people are too stupid to do that, well, the bigger of them has to be
the peacemaker.. . . . <You will never make people free, create
peace by murdering peoples families and children. Bob
Fenner>
Evolution, the Conversation Evolves Ok, phasing from politics
to religion. . . . .people will never be free, from the beginning some
were not free. <Define "freedom"> And, since we are in
the last "days", these things must happen. We (Christians)
know this and are ok with it. After all, it has been decided. . . by a
higher power than any of us here on earth. So get on the ride, strap
yourself in, and get ready, it's going to be a bumpy one!
<Heeee Heeee! I put invisible friends like the Easter Bunny and
Santy Claus in the same box. Good luck, life to you. BobF>
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