new with questions

[poohmarie]

I have been a lurker here for a few weeks now and have learned lots of stuff. Thank you all!

I do have a question that I am getting different answers on. I have a 12 gallon nanocube. It has 4 strips of lights but it's not the deluxe model. I would like to have a anemone for my 2 clowns but have been told from one person that my lighting is not enough then by other person that they don't see any problem since the tank is not very deep.
Also, I would like to know how fast polyps grow? Is there a good online place to buy frags?

Thanks in advance,
Pooh

 

[rbaby]

Stock cube lighting will not suffice for an anemone...and seeing that you are new at this, I highly recommend that you do NOT buy one at all. They really are not a good choice for a nano tank...mainly for a couple reasons:

1: most of their body is made up of water--making them VERY sensitive to slight water fluctuations (which happens moreso in a nano than in larger systems)...this can cause immense stress and lead to eventual death.

2: if your lighting is not sufficient...the anemone can travel incessantly around the tank until it finds a spot that it likes (if it likes a spot at all)...when an anemone travels in a small tank...if it touches any other coral, the chances that the coral will survive is very slim as anemone stings are very potent.

3: in the event that the anemone dies...they will release the zooanthella (sp?)...and when it does, this makes the water very cloudy and also very toxic. If you are not there to do a quick water change and take the dead anemone out...your whole tank can crash.

If you are willing to risk all of these for an anemone (and I hope for a good reason--and not because "i want my clown to host in something")...then go for it...but be aware of the consequences. But keep in mind as well that no anemone should be in a tank that is younger than 6 months old.

Anemones are also not referred to as frags...frags are usually referred to corals that you can propogate (slice, drill etc)...you cannot slice an anemone...they split. With that said...they can grow fairly fast depending on the environment...and the type of anemone that you get. They are mostly photosynthetic but benefit greatly from being fed meaty foods.

 

[incysor]

I have been a lurker here for a few weeks now and have learned lots of stuff. Thank you all!

I do have a question that I am getting different answers on. I have a 12 gallon nanocube. It has 4 strips of lights but it's not the deluxe model. I would like to have a anemone for my 2 clowns but have been told from one person that my lighting is not enough then by other person that they don't see any problem since the tank is not very deep.
Also, I would like to know how fast polyps grow? Is there a good online place to buy frags?

Thanks in advance,
Pooh

If it's just stock lighting then you don't have enough lighting for an anemone, at least not one that your clowns 'might' host in. There are some types of anemone that don't rely on photosynthesis, so it wouldn't matter, but they're not the type that clowns host in, and in that small a tank would likely end up eating one at some point or another.

What type of clowns do you have? Even if you upgrade your lighting you may not be able to keep the type of anemone that they naturally host in because many of the standard types get very large, or as rbaby stated, may just be prone to moving around. If they're tank-raised clowns they may not host one even if they're 'supposed' to. Even the wild caught one's are not necessarily going to host an anemone. Out of my true perc pair, the female will host the RBTA, even though it's not a 'natural host', but the male won't have anything to do with it, and prefers the goniopora coral.

B

 

[dragon79]

I guess it's whatever float their boat, their world, hehe. I've seen RBTA in display tanks of the 24 gallon and 12 gallon. They were huuuge pieces though, so I guess it would keep them from moving around and just stay in one place. No other corals were in there, and there were just like 4 clowns in them. Looked neat, but I know it must have been for display purposes only.

 

[incysor]

I've seen several huge BTAs, both green and rose...Mine is smaller than a tennis ball. It hasn't grown significantly since I got it nearly a year ago. It definitely roams around more than the other BTAs I've got. I think growth rates are greatly affected by how much you feed them. I don't feed large chunks of shrimp/scallop/krill to the anemones because it's harder for them to digest, and it's easier for the shrimp/fish to steal the larger chunks from them. Now I just soak the smaller food in selcon and blast them directly with the turkey baster. They grab lots of small pieces, and what they miss goes to everyone else.

B

 

[dragon79]

I've seen several huge BTAs, both green and rose...Mine is smaller than a tennis ball. It hasn't grown significantly since I got it nearly a year ago. It definitely roams around more than the other BTAs I've got. I think growth rates are greatly affected by how much you feed them. I don't feed large chunks of shrimp/scallop/krill to the anemones because it's harder for them to digest, and it's easier for the shrimp/fish to steal the larger chunks from them. Now I just soak the smaller food in selcon and blast them directly with the turkey baster. They grab lots of small pieces, and what they miss goes to everyone else.

B

Here's a question for B. If a 6 gallon tank like mine is dedicated to just RBTA with upped power to 48 watts (theoretically) Would it do well with it's new lighting and feeding it properly? Would it fail?

Last question...have you seen a Ocellaris Variant Black Clown host one or a different type of Anemone?

 

[incysor]

I've seen several huge BTAs, both green and rose...Mine is smaller than a tennis ball. It hasn't grown significantly since I got it nearly a year ago. It definitely roams around more than the other BTAs I've got. I think growth rates are greatly affected by how much you feed them. I don't feed large chunks of shrimp/scallop/krill to the anemones because it's harder for them to digest, and it's easier for the shrimp/fish to steal the larger chunks from them. Now I just soak the smaller food in selcon and blast them directly with the turkey baster. They grab lots of small pieces, and what they miss goes to everyone else.

B

Here's a question for B. If a 6 gallon tank like mine is dedicated to just RBTA with upped power to 48 watts (theoretically) Would it do well with it's new lighting and feeding it properly? Would it fail?

Last question...have you seen a Ocellaris Variant Black Clown host one or a different type of Anemone?

I seriously doubt that it'll do well under 48w. Mine actually survived nearly 2 weeks during my moving fiasco with no light whatsoever. They are tough as anemones go, but I still think that 48w is a bit low, even in that small a tank....Then again if it were me I'd probably be tempted to give it a shot....Mainly because I have the safety net of the larger system to move it too if it doesn't appear to be doing well.

When I bought my black ocellaris it was hosting a green BTA. I brought the fish home, and it totally ignored the green BTA in my tank, then it ignored the RBTA as well. I liked a patch of pink polyps I had instead. You just never know what they'll decide is a good host.

 

[dragon79]

that's an awesome shot B! I can't wait until they mature to adults. I wonder how long before they get that color? As juvi's I bet they dont care for much, but when they turn adult it may up the chances. I'll keep my eye out for things like that. I need to be picky and offer them options.

 

[poohmarie]

ok guess I'll wait on the anemone until my 75 gal is ready.

I do have some polyps now. Is there a place on line that sells good fragments so I can get more of a variety?

Thanks, Pooh

 

[djconn]

ok guess I'll wait on the anemone until my 75 gal is ready.

I do have some polyps now. Is there a place on line that sells good fragments so I can get more of a variety?

Thanks, Pooh

I would check out the Sponsor Section of this site. Lots of the site sponsors sell really nice frags at decent prices. You might want to also post in the Frag Swap section here http://www.nanotank.com/viewforum.php?f=24. With good weather upon us, you might find some nanotank members that are looking to trade/sell frags.