anemone stocking

[ghostgr]

So i already have my 29g biocube pretty stocked already with coral and im really wanting a BTA but i dont want it to sting all my corals and such. How would i add one and keep it from stinging them all to heck? Since they move around such. Any ideas?

[dormreefer]

Personally, I would only add a BTA before corals and allow it to establish where it likes. Then after a few months once I'm confident it won't move I would add corals. That said Anemones are always a gamble.

[Speaker73]

I say hold off on the BTA since you are already stocked up. I have a dedicated nem tank with corals that do well with them or of very little value to me. Waiting on my inferno BTA that was supposed to be shipped last week....

[Bingo1213]

I personally think a 29 gallon is too small for a BTA as they can get 12 inches across. As for sting corals, in my experience, they tend to not kill them right away. You have a day or two to move the corals it is touching before any tissue damage occurs. Sooo if you watch where the nem ends up and move your corals accordingly, then all should, in theory, be ok.

[PiscesFish]

If your light is strong enough, you can keep it on a seperate rock on the gravel, but away from the glass. But even then, there's special cases where it will travel across the sand if it really doesnt like where it is.

 

Also, when you add one into the tank, DO NOT USE YOUR BARE HANDS! Put on some gloves and move it to the tank.

 

Acclimating, you want to either drip acclimate or, depending on the size of the BTA, put it in another container and add some tank water in a 10 min interval. Drain some of the water out, and repeat. I did mine in 1hr 30min and mine is still alive and doing well.

 

When you put the anemone into the tank, turn off all flow until it attaches itself, otherwise it will decide to float around.

[HVani]

If your light is strong enough, you can keep it on a seperate rock on the gravel, but away from the glass. But even then, there's special cases where it will travel across the sand if it really doesnt like where it is.

 

Also, when you add one into the tank, DO NOT USE YOUR BARE HANDS! Put on some gloves and move it to the tank.

 

Acclimating, you want to either drip acclimate or, depending on the size of the BTA, put it in another container and add some tank water in a 10 min interval. Drain some of the water out, and repeat. I did mine in 1hr 30min and mine is still alive and doing well.

 

When you put the anemone into the tank, turn off all flow until it attaches itself, otherwise it will decide to float around.

 

 

Why not use your bare hands? BTAs have a weak sting and can't hurt you unless you are really sensitive.

 

Personally 1.5 hours of acclimation is really long. I usually do 15 minutes but I believe 30 minutes is recommended.

[Bingo1213]

If your light is strong enough, you can keep it on a seperate rock on the gravel, but away from the glass. But even then, there's special cases where it will travel across the sand if it really doesnt like where it is.

 

Also, when you add one into the tank, DO NOT USE YOUR BARE HANDS! Put on some gloves and move it to the tank.

 

Acclimating, you want to either drip acclimate or, depending on the size of the BTA, put it in another container and add some tank water in a 10 min interval. Drain some of the water out, and repeat. I did mine in 1hr 30min and mine is still alive and doing well.

 

When you put the anemone into the tank, turn off all flow until it attaches itself, otherwise it will decide to float around.

It is best to actually keep the power heads running. Otherwise the BTA will find a spot he thinks is good but when the pumps come on, he will often no longer stay in that spot. Just a thought!

[PiscesFish]

Why not use your bare hands? BTAs have a weak sting and can't hurt you unless you are really sensitive. Personally 1.5 hours of acclimation is really long. I usually do 15 minutes but I believe 30 minutes is recommended.

 

I must've had sensitive skin then haha. .

 

I was only really planning for an hr or less, but last time that i did it for 30mins, the nem ended up dying on me, so while I was cleaning my tank, I was acclimated him and ended up 1.5 hrs later. He seemed okay though especially since he's still alive.

[NorthGaHillbilly]

I know some BTAs will walk all over the place no matter what you do, but I approached adding mine taking into account a few variables that seem to have worked well.

 

1) Nems seem to like a place to pull into in the event they get the notion. I made sure that mine had 4 or 5 holes within a few inches that it could move into if it felt the need.

 

2) Nems like relatively high light, if you have a high peak in your tank you can isolate it while providing high light, and a long walk to anywhere else in the tank

 

3) The urge to have more or less flow will often cause them to move around. When I was getting ready to add mine I made sure that the area I had planned out various flow rates within a close area.

 

Ive been lucky, but it hasent moved more than an inch or two even with three different lights, a tank swap and its rock being pulled out of the water atleast 5 or 6 times.

 

In old tank

https://flic.kr/p/qdPAUb'>https://flic.kr/p/qdPAUb'>20141029_181519 by https://www.flickr.com/people/125603963@N06/'>North Ga Hillbilly, on Flickr

 

In new tank

https://flic.kr/p/pHyF4M'>https://flic.kr/p/pHyF4M'>Untitled by https://www.flickr.com/people/125603963@N06/'>North Ga Hillbilly, on Flickr

 

Same rock in both tanks, purposely put in similar conditions.

[pgrVII]

I know some BTAs will walk all over the place no matter what you do, but I approached adding mine taking into account a few variables that seem to have worked well.

 

1) Nems seem to like a place to pull into in the event they get the notion. I made sure that mine had 4 or 5 holes within a few inches that it could move into if it felt the need.

 

2) Nems like relatively high light, if you have a high peak in your tank you can isolate it while providing high light, and a long walk to anywhere else in the tank

 

3) The urge to have more or less flow will often cause them to move around. When I was getting ready to add mine I made sure that the area I had planned out various flow rates within a close area.

 

Ive been lucky, but it hasent moved more than an inch or two even with three different lights, a tank swap and its rock being pulled out of the water atleast 5 or 6 times.

 

In old tank

https://flic.kr/p/qdPAUb'>https://flic.kr/p/qdPAUb'>20141029_181519 by https://www.flickr.com/people/125603963@N06/'>North Ga Hillbilly, on Flickr

 

In new tank

https://flic.kr/p/pHyF4M'>https://flic.kr/p/pHyF4M'>Untitled by https://www.flickr.com/people/125603963@N06/'>North Ga Hillbilly, on Flickr

 

Same rock in both tanks, purposely put in similar conditions.

That sums it up. Feeding it in the spot you place it can help too,as can some clowns helping it settle in. But that's another thread worth of things if you don't have clowns that give a crap about a nem.

[NorthGaHillbilly]

That sums it up. Feeding it in the spot you place it can help too,as can some clowns helping it settle in. But that's another thread worth of things if you don't have clowns that give a crap about a nem.

Thats my SPED clown, he hosts the corner of the tank, I havent seen him within 6" of the nem... ever

 

Solid call on feeding it, I hit mine with a few pellets every day, ive yet to see it turn down food.

[pgrVII]

Thats my SPED clown, he hosts the corner of the tank, I havent seen him within 6" of the nem... ever

I had to coax mine into my lta when I had it,really mine seem to take after 3 months or so.

[ghostgr]

Thanks everyone. I wwnt and finally.picked up a gbta today and i chose it the way i did was its location while at my lfs. Knowing id have roughly the same in my tank. Lowish flow area, down out of the way and all its tentacles had bubbles and was a fantastic shade of green. It set it between 2 rocks and made sure it stayed put. I was stung by my chalice some months ago so i wore gloves just in case. I havent been bacl home yet but it did seem to take fairly well.

[Seth fhy]

If your looking for a fish that will host an anenome quickly get a clarkii, they will host anything

[KyleRay31]

An anemone crab is always a good host, tho im not sure if there's a benefit to the BTA from one.