Anemone Prop Tank

[Wizzy]

I have a stock 12 gallon Nanocube DX and I'll be getting an LEDTRIC Par 38 bulb pretty soon.

 

I want to remove the hood of my Nanocube and use the LED to light the tank.

 

I want to use it as an anemone prop tank.

 

I thought I would add a few pieces of PVC and leave everything else the way it is (is it easy to remove the anemone from PVC?).

 

My understanding is that the stress of slightly dirty water and weekly salinity changes (through evaporation) will cause the anemone to split naturally.

 

Is the stock pump enough flow though or would I need to add an additional powerhead?

 

Should I add carbon in the back?

 

Also, if I need to propagate the anemones manually should I cut them in half with 1 cut or 2 (instructions varied depending on the person- some said to cut in half with 1 cut while others suggested cutting one side of the anemone first then flipping it and cutting the other side)?

 

Thanks- Wizzy

[Wizzy]

Also, what's the cheapest way to feed my anemones (since a prop tank's purpose is to make $$$)?

 

-Wizzy

[Euphyllia]

I think cutting them in half, just one cut, would be the best way to go. It ensure a higher survival rate for both halves.

 

I know of a propagator on RC that has maybe 10 RBTA in a basket up top of his DT right under the halide. He feeds them silversides and they split on their own VERY often. He makes a ton of money from them.

 

You should probably feed them a lot and give them a ton of light to get them to split... The more light they have, the more food they can take. The meatiest things you can find, they will take those.

 

Also, a 12g is a bit small for any anemone, let alone a propagation tank. I've seen it be done in a 15g, but the tank crashed and it was an expert reefer. He had lemon drops and sunbursts, ect, ect...

[jedimasterben]

I think cutting them in half, just one cut, would be the best way to go. It ensure a higher survival rate for both halves.

 

I know of a propagator on RC that has maybe 10 RBTA in a basket up top of his DT right under the halide. He feeds them silversides and they split on their own VERY often. He makes a ton of money from them.

 

You should probably feed them a lot and give them a ton of light to get them to split... The more light they have, the more food they can take. The meatiest things you can find, they will take those.

 

Also, a 12g is a bit small for any anemone, let alone a propagation tank. I've seen it be done in a 15g, but the tank crashed and it was an expert reefer. He had lemon drops and sunbursts, ect, ect...

+1 to pretty much all of this. For an anemone propagation tank, I'd look to getting somewhere in the 60 gallon range. You can get frag tanks for cheap that are 48"x24"x10-12" that would be good for this. They'll be more stable and easier to light.

 

If you think you can give them poor water conditions and expect them to split and then grow to split again, I'd say you may be a bit crazy. It takes them a ####load of energy to split, so if they don't have clean water, bright light, and food, they most likely won't recover.

[Wizzy]

I think cutting them in half, just one cut, would be the best way to go. It ensure a higher survival rate for both halves.

 

I know of a propagator on RC that has maybe 10 RBTA in a basket up top of his DT right under the halide. He feeds them silversides and they split on their own VERY often. He makes a ton of money from them.

 

You should probably feed them a lot and give them a ton of light to get them to split... The more light they have, the more food they can take. The meatiest things you can find, they will take those.

 

Also, a 12g is a bit small for any anemone, let alone a propagation tank. I've seen it be done in a 15g, but the tank crashed and it was an expert reefer. He had lemon drops and sunbursts, ect, ect...

 

Thanks for the info

 

I agree on the cutting, just wanted some opinions on it.

 

I originally wanted to plumb my Anemone Prop Tank into a much larger system, but I read that they will release stinging cells/toxins into the water and I was worried about the health of the rest of the system... thoughts?

 

I would think that the more light they have, the less food they would need- but I am sure that lots of light/lots of food will equal more growth.

 

+1 to pretty much all of this. For an anemone propagation tank, I'd look to getting somewhere in the 60 gallon range. You can get frag tanks for cheap that are 48"x24"x10-12" that would be good for this. They'll be more stable and easier to light.

 

If you think you can give them poor water conditions and expect them to split and then grow to split again, I'd say you may be a bit crazy. It takes them a ####load of energy to split, so if they don't have clean water, bright light, and food, they most likely won't recover.

 

Space is always an issue in my home, but I will try and find a spot for a larger system.

 

I like the sounds of those dimensions, and am wondering where you find tanks like that for cheap?

 

Good point on the grow back/heal thing Lol.

 

Here's another idea that gives them a clean system, but will still stress them enough to hopefully split-

 

100% water changes every week... thoughts?

 

Or should I just try to put them in a stable/clean system and propagate them manually?

 

I was thinking of starting with either a bubble tip anemone or a cheap Maxi-Mini since those seem relatively easy... once again- thoughts?

 

Thanks- Wizzy

[jedimasterben]

I originally wanted to plumb my Anemone Prop Tank into a much larger system, but I read that they will release stinging cells/toxins into the water and I was worried about the health of the rest of the system... thoughts?

 

I would think that the more light they have, the less food they would need- but I am sure that lots of light/lots of food will equal more growth.

 

Space is always an issue in my home, but I will try and find a spot for a larger system.

 

I like the sounds of those dimensions, and am wondering where you find tanks like that for cheap?

 

Good point on the grow back/heal thing Lol.

 

Here's another idea that gives them a clean system, but will still stress them enough to hopefully split-

 

100% water changes every week... thoughts?

 

Or should I just try to put them in a stable/clean system and propagate them manually?

 

I was thinking of starting with either a bubble tip anemone or a cheap Maxi-Mini since those seem relatively easy... once again- thoughts?

 

Thanks- Wizzy

Anemones do, indeed, release stinging cells into the water. I have not had any issues of this, though, in a system with four species of anemones and lots of corals.

 

More light does not equal less food. Anemones and most corals in general can only produce around 80-85% of their necessary energy through photosynthesis. They will need to be fed to flat-out survive long-term to even be able to split - not that they ever will, some will not split and will only grow. Bubble-tip anemones can and will reach around 18" across if given good conditions.

 

You don't want to stress them into splitting. You will most likely kill them. They will split on their own if fed, given proper lighting, and clean water.

 

If one healthy anemone splits into two unhealthy anemones, where does that actually get you?

 

Mini-maxi will split significantly faster than bubble tips will. One of mine has grown over an inch in just a couple of months with feeding every few days. If you feed smaller amounts to each daily, they will split like mad.

[Wizzy]

Anemones do, indeed, release stinging cells into the water. I have not had any issues of this, though, in a system with four species of anemones and lots of corals.

 

More light does not equal less food. Anemones and most corals in general can only produce around 80-85% of their necessary energy through photosynthesis. They will need to be fed to flat-out survive long-term to even be able to split - not that they ever will, some will not split and will only grow. Bubble-tip anemones can and will reach around 18" across if given good conditions.

 

You don't want to stress them into splitting. You will most likely kill them. They will split on their own if fed, given proper lighting, and clean water.

 

If one healthy anemone splits into two unhealthy anemones, where does that actually get you?

 

Mini-maxi will split significantly faster than bubble tips will. One of mine has grown over an inch in just a couple of months with feeding every few days. If you feed smaller amounts to each daily, they will split like mad.

 

Wow, it's interesting how varied the information is on this topic.

 

Where does your information come from?

 

In the system with your anemones, do you propagate them often?

 

Oh yeah, and I'm still interested in those frag tanks if you could give me the details as to where you get them

 

Thanks for all the help- Wizzy

[jedimasterben]

Wow, it's interesting how varied the information is on this topic.

 

Where does your information come from?

 

In the system with your anemones, do you propagate them often?

 

Oh yeah, and I'm still interested in those frag tanks if you could give me the details as to where you get them

 

Thanks for all the help- Wizzy

My info comes from research and my own observations (however short I have been in the hobby).

 

I do not touch the anemones. I feed them daily/every other day with mysis, enriched spiruline brine, or squid, and one of the mini-maxis is looking to split, and my RBTA split (and then sequentially disappeared, I believe it has retreated to the back of the rock it is on, but have not looked back there to find out).

 

I got my 80g frag tank from my LFS - brand is called Deep Blue Professional. Mine is rimless topped. Normal price will be around $600. However, the rimmed-top 60g ones I mentioned should be maybe $200-250. They are predrilled with a corner overflow.

[Wizzy]

My info comes from research and my own observations (however short I have been in the hobby).

 

I do not touch the anemones. I feed them daily/every other day with mysis, enriched spiruline brine, or squid, and one of the mini-maxis is looking to split, and my RBTA split (and then sequentially disappeared, I believe it has retreated to the back of the rock it is on, but have not looked back there to find out).

 

I got my 80g frag tank from my LFS - brand is called Deep Blue Professional. Mine is rimless topped. Normal price will be around $600. However, the rimmed-top 60g ones I mentioned should be maybe $200-250. They are predrilled with a corner overflow.

 

I had that happen with a red mushroom (disappeared for a month behind my rock) and then all of a sudden I had this huge red mushroom front and center in my tank lol.

 

Thank you for sharing your success with your Nems

 

And I have always liked those Deep Blue tanks (if only for their dimensions/price) and need to convince someone locally to carry them/find them online.

 

Thanks- Wizzy

[jedimasterben]

Most LFS have a local distributor for them.

[Wizzy]

Most LFS have a local distributor for them.

 

Well, I sure do hope mine do lol.

 

Thanks Jedi

[Wizzy]

Just wondering if anyone thinks a nano anemone prop tank would work?

 

Or is bigger the only way to go?

 

Remember, the only reason I want to go Nano is because I want to make sure I understand the propagation process before I invest in a larger system.

[jedimasterben]

Just wondering if anyone thinks a nano anemone prop tank would work?

 

Or is bigger the only way to go?

 

Remember, the only reason I want to go Nano is because I want to make sure I understand the propagation process before I invest in a larger system.

It's a very long, drawn out process that needs as much stability as you can provide. You won't see any return from it for a while, especially if you are buying the initial equipment and not already have it laying around.

[TeflonTomDosh]

let me know when you remove that hood, I'll buy it from you :bling:

[Wizzy]

It's a very long, drawn out process that needs as much stability as you can provide. You won't see any return from it for a while, especially if you are buying the initial equipment and not already have it laying around.

 

That makes sense.

 

I'm not looking to get rich off this, I just have always loved anemones and wanted to see if I could make some "fish-money" using the stuff I already have (i.e. Nanocube, Par38, etc).

 

What do you think would be an ideal set-up for propagation (with a reasonable budget)?

 

 

let me know when you remove that hood, I'll buy it from you :bling:

 

 

I sent you a PM.

[Subsea]

Anemones do, indeed, release stinging cells into the water. I have not had any issues of this, though, in a system with four species of anemones and lots of corals.More light does not equal less food. Anemones and most corals in general can only produce around 80-85% of their necessary energy through photosynthesis. They will need to be fed to flat-out survive long-term to even be able to split - not that they ever will, some will not split and will only grow. Bubble-tip anemones can and will reach around 18" across if given good conditions.You don't want to stress them into splitting. You will most likely kill them. They will split on their own if fed, given proper lighting, and clean water.If one healthy anemone splits into two unhealthy anemones, where does that actually get you?Mini-maxi will split significantly faster than bubble tips will. One of mine has grown over an inch in just a couple of months with feeding every few days. If you feed smaller amounts to each daily, they will split like mad.

 

With respect to stinging cells, would activated carbon remove them? I use activated carbon to alleviate all the chemical warfare between different coral types as well as between macro and coral. I have been skimmerless for more than 20 years and use activated carbon resin to remove TOC (Total Organic Carbon).

If I was to streamline a business model, reducing the amount of water change required would be one goal. In reviewing a current video on BRS, the rbta was cut in half on a flat board with one slice. After being placed back into water, the cut was healed in 60 seconds. It amazes me to see the regenative powers of some marine invertebrae.

[ReeferReefer]

I am not a pro but I personally would try to keep the params as good as you can. As has been said stressing them to split will most likely result in poor nem health. I would give them the most stable environment you can and feed them bi weekly with some cheap frozen shrimp for the grocery store. The more frequent the feeding, the more often they will likely split. I would never cut a nem personally but I only keep BTAs so YMMV.

Give them good water, light and food. They should split on their own.

[jedimasterben]

With respect to stinging cells, would activated carbon remove them?

I can't find any data that shows that activated carbon (or other adsorption resins like Purigen) would selectively target the nematocyst, which is simply a vessel to inject the actual toxins (which would generally be adsorbed by these chemical media).

[ReeferReefer]

I can't find any data that shows that activated carbon (or other adsorption resins like Purigen) would selectively target the nematocyst, which is simply a vessel to inject the actual toxins (which would generally be adsorbed by these chemical media).

You have the right idea here. There is no way chemical filtration will absorb the nematocyst. If anything you would need heavy mechanical filtration with a high return rate to minimize damage.