Anemone + Clown

[digz]

Alright, Im in the proccess of putting my tank together, and I need to know what everyones opinions are for the light setup if I only want an anemone and a percula clown fish. Most specificaly, the smallest/hardiest anemone I can get my hands on. I have a 2.5 gallon, Im going for about a 1.5 inch sand bed, a few pounds of LR, a small fuge on back for heater/water movement/ more water capacity/additional filtration. Nothing else (except for a few snails, and maybe a crab) is going into the tank, so I just need to know what type of lighting scheme I need to research.

[Jahkaya]

I would start with a larger tank first. 2.5 is not big enough for a clown let alone an Anenome. I think that this would be an awesome Idea for a 7g Minibow. Just an Anenome and clown. Then lighting is a concern. I would say that it is almost necessary to have halide, or a shiz load of PC's for any anenome. A 150 DE 20k pendant over the 7 gallon would look awesome and be enough for the anenome. I would next recommend a skimmer, aqua c, CPR bak pak, or at least a prism or via aqua.

 

Bottom line is that a clown and an anenome in a 2.5 is a bad idea. Most likely (%95) they will both die. Unless you plumbed it to a larger tank and had halide lighting.

 

In other words you are looking at a 1" goby and some xenia to "host" unless you get a bigger tank.

 

Please read more before you do this.

[digz]

Yeah... and nano reefs are impossible too :-p Thanks for the input, though.

 

So halide lighting/more intense lighting. Since MH may be out of the question, Ill look into some other type of compacts for now.

[wetworx101]

He is right...anemones are considered by many to be a no-no in nanos. If they die...they kill the whole tank overnight. LArger tanks can deal with it, but a nano just gets destroyed. Assuming you want to take the risk, you would want to eliminate as many reasons for the anemone to die as possible. Good lighting...like at least a 70watt halide, and super skimming, would be be first. As for food, a nano can get crudded up quick if you keep feeding your anemone frozen food...so I would go with a refugium and try to get a mysid shrimp culture going in there for a good food supply. I think the smallest I would try an anemone in would be a 10gallon.

[Von digity]

Originally posted by digz

Yeah... and nano reefs are impossible too :-p Thanks for the input, though.

 

You shouldn't blow off Jahkaya like that. He knows what he's talking about. You should re-read what he said and take his advice.

 

Sticking a fish in a 2.5 is really not a good idea. It's not about possible or impossible, its about providing a healthy environment for your pets.

[jmt]

If you ABSOLUTELY feel you must do this, at least start with a condy or some other sort of $5 anemone to see if it will work. The clown will not host in it and I suggest that you not even get a clown until after you introduce a SMALL BTA or Carpet. That is, if you have had success with the condy. Also, if you're gonna use PCs, your going to want AT LEAST 8.5w per gallon and I suggest 40w 50/50's. BUT, with that much PC light, you're gonna have SO much evap. and the tank temp. is gonna be really high. A MH pendant would solve this, and if you decided to step-up to a 10ga, you wouldn't have to upgrade your lighting.

 

Good luck:unsure:

 

-Justin

[digz]

Eeeek *ducks under thrashing*

 

I didn't blow him off mind you, I don't mean to sound rude here, but all I asked about was lighting for an anenome, and he answered it and I said thank you. If I continue to go ahead with my idea after researching habitat/species, I will do what is necessary to keep the anemone happy, im not incompetent and thus don't take kindly to being treated that way. You guys jump way to fast to conclusions of what I plan on doing. Im not done researching every aspect of this and would have appreciated it more if I hadn't had people jump down my throat. But then again,

 

"No one ever told me to STFU before. Now I feel so much better about my self"

 

So I guess Ill stop ranting, right? Thanks again for your opinions!

 

-digz

[USFnano]

I'm sure it can be done, but beware, any anemone you get is going to outgrow your tank within a couple months...

[Von digity]

Hey man, no-one here is bashing you, thrashing you, or jumping down your throat. In fact, we care enough that were trying to give you advice.

 

How can we be jumping to conclusions about what your plan is, when you've already told us your plan? It was in your first post. Your plan is to put an anemone and clown in a 2.5 gal tank. Tell me if I'm wrong.

 

I'm not trying to be rude either, but tell me, "Yeah... and nano reefs are impossible too :-p Thanks for the input, though." doesn't sound snobby. I could be totally reading you wrong, and if I am, then I'm sorry. I apalogize. Anyways, its none of my business how you respond to someone else, I'm not your father. I just don't like seeing people dis-regard really good information. Why ask a question if your not gonna listen to the answers?

 

Anyways, I'm really not trying to bash you, I hope you understand. Please don't get so defensive.

-Von

[digz]

Its alright, there is no way of putting in emphasis tags to tell what we are trying to say. Yeah, now that I re-read what I just posted I was a bit on the defensive, Im just so used to people thinking they know-it-all.

 

USFnano, I had no idea they would grow that fast. Maybe I'll plan a 7 gallon minibow. I just bought a book "Natural Reef Aquariums" that I am currently devouring.

[USFnano]

digz, there's an anemone faq over on reefcentral in their Anemone and Clownfish board. It's very informative and gives information on specific species.

 

Jon

[Jahkaya]

Geez, and I didn't even try to flame. Sub gallon Nano's and 2.5 gallons are very possible and look awesome, they are just not suitable habitats for certain animals such as Clams, anenomes and most fish.

 

Here's the reality.

 

It's not that your tank is too small, it's that it is extremely difficult to keep a tank that small stable with good water quality with a 3-4 inch full grown clown and an anemone. If you had it plumed to say a 30-40 gallon tank I would say go for it. the only limitations are the size of the tank. Since the water quality would be easier to keep the anemone would be happy (provided the lighting is correct) and grow bigger than your tank. 1 fish and 1 anemone is an incredible Bioload for a 2.5 and that was my point. It would be nearing impossible to keep the stablity and water quality good enough to support those animals in only 2.5 gallons of water without doing daily water changes/ topoff every few hours ect.

 

That being said yes you can keep the animals in that size tank, the question is can you keep the water quality and stablity enough for those animals. Most people cannot as they are not able to check their tanks 3-5 times a day. Talk about being a slave to your tank.

[digz]

Thanks guys, I would like to appologize for coming off as an asshat, I guess It was just one of those days. We all have those times where the forums dont do justice to real conversation.

 

So, as I dig this thread up, I saw this small red anemone (not rose anemone) at my LFS, and after some research, found it only gets to be around 2- 3 inches wide to about 4 inches tall (including tentacles). Since this anemone is so small and I believe its found in the deeper waters so it doesnt require a MH?

Maybe just some nice actinics with some 10k bulbs?

[Von digity]

Forums are just forums, y'know?

 

Do you know the name of this anemone?

Have you checked out "mini carpet anemones"? I don't know who carries them though.

[KrackerG]

dude, go to petco and buy one (the smallest one) condy anemone for $3.50 and if anything, you be saving it's life from them ....

 

and get your clownfish too;)

[toefu]

realisticly, most people who start off with anemone's fail. i realize you will probably get an anemone (as I did, against everyone's suggestion) a few years back, but when he died, it crashed my 20 gallon and pretty much everything in there died, clown and all. I bought a condy not knowing it would most likely never snuggle up with my percula. And that small anemone you are talking about sounds like a haitian anemone, which is also unlikely going to work with your clown.

 

From that point on, i swore off anemones until a few months ago, where i bought a tank raised bubble tip, which has supposedly split 4-5 times in this guy's 200 gallon tank. This anemone has done extremely well and doubled in size since i got him. here should be the dillemma about your situation.

 

1. buy a cheap condy or haitiian?? it will almost never host with a clown, so what is the point in that???

 

2. buy a bubble? 20-40 bucks for a creature that you are not even sure it will survive?

 

if that is the case, then what should you do???

 

I recommend starting off with a few mushrooms, zoos (you may think they may not be beautiful at first) but the point is, you are aging your tank, learning how to setup topoff mechanisms ( you need this badly for a small tank). get the correct lighting down (metal halide most likely) cycle your tank (may take 3 months - 9 months, you really ought to get past the diatom cycle atleast) and once you are finally done with that, get your bubble anemone, contrary to what everyone says, atleast it will up your success rate from 5% to 15% and you could prove everyone wrong. More power to you if you succeed, I just want to give the anemone the best chance possible, because you are probably going to buy one anyways.

[homerparrot]

What about adding another atleast 2.5gal fuge to the tank. Not that expensive if you do it from the start. (Do all your heat filtration and lightiung mods from the get go, think about it long and hard, it will save money in the end)

 

With a 2.5 fuge, you will have a 5 gallon eco system, which is big enough to house a small clown. Buy captive bred.

 

AS far as an anemone, sorry man but I have to agree it is jusk asking for trouble. One option I thikn would be attempting to get the clown to host with a soft coral of some knid. This would give the almost the same visual effect, without endangering you nano.

 

Put lots of live sand and rock in your fuge, make the bigest fuge possible, lots so much LR in the tank, make a hiding place or two, but give the clown some room to swim.

 

I think the issue hear is the animals at stake. Most anemones don't rapidly reproduce in the wild, so if every nano reffer takes a shot at anemnones and fails the real reef population is going to take a dive. Anemones never live as long in a tank, as they would in thet wild. Only keep an anemone if you are positive it will live a long healthy life. And man If all these guys are saying it won't be an easy thing, then dont try.

[digz]

oh sorry, let me clarify myself a bit (I have new plans, hehehe). I was planning to keep the small anemone by itself in the 2.5, just one of the contenders for my 2.5 main inhabitant. Right now though, the tank is mostly for softies (zoos and shrooms, though, I do have 40 watts of 50/50 on its way for the hood) since I dont feel like worrying about calcium too much. I have been slowly slowly peicing togther a 20 gallon though, which might take on my anemone + clown wish, but that is not till way the hell down the road.

 

Thanks for the input guys! I think I might sway getting the small anemone for either a yellow goby or... what I am really finding appealing, a pom pom crab . Just need more.. and more.. and more research (and, well, money)!

[Von digity]

Dude, 2.5's make sweet softies tanks. I think you'll enjoy it more if you just keep it simple like that. I've been running my 2.5 since 01-02-04 with a single 27 watt 6500k quad pc from HD, and have been getting great results keeping softies w/out actinic or anything.

 

Just keep it simple, I think you'd be on the right path w/out an anemone.

 

And, if your still gonna get an anemone, at least set up a 70 watt halide for it (like wet recomended), thats the minimun lighting I'd try. From what Iv'e researched Anemones just don't do very good w/ PC period. They'll live with it, but won't grow, or slowly waste away.

 

*edit* just in case your thinking 40 watts is too much for softies, don't. I'm in the process of upgrading to 2x32 watt pcs for my softies. the bulbs hang off 1 1/2 inches though.

[dwolls]

ok I'm jumping in here because I've been there done that. I started with a 5gal (I really do think a 2.5 would be too small) a condy and a tomato clown. I've had them for 4 years now. I started with just normal stock lighting. BUT I fed my condy every other day. In just 3 months we had to move up to a 10 gal because he got HUGE! About 6 months ago I upped my lighting to 72w of 50/50 pc's my condy now takes up about half or better of my 10 gal when he is streached out. My tomato clown hosts him and they are a wonderful pair. I don't really do anything special other than feeding my condy and doing a 1 gal water change about every week. NOW I do believe that condy's are easy to keep. I plan to try a carpet one day but right now I'm happy with my condy.

[digz]

Im glad you had such luck dwolls! Yeah, so Im going to get myself a boxer/pom pom crab instead. Looks to stay small, easy to manage, and very attractive. Ill leave the anemone and clown Idea for another tank.

[offsprg01]

dwolls that's awsome, but condy's don't host in nature so you typically have about as much chance of a clown hosint in a condy as yuo do it hosting with a ph. condy's are pretty easy to keep as far a anenomes go. but they are still not for begenners, especially in nanos. now with that said i do keep anenomes in my nano but they are very small and i am NOT tryiung to get them to host. small anenomes are extreamly delicate and clown fish are not very delicate fish. thus they usually beat hell out of an anenome. not saying don't try it but just do a few months of research and know for sure what you're getting into.

[Dutch]

Im prob just reiterating here but anemones are very hard and no way would I put one in a 2.5 They need an established tank and enough light. I have a BTA in my 75 for about 6 months now and its huge. If you really want an anemone read up on them and get a larger tank.(15-20g) AGA make a 16g bow that would be perfect, I just picked on up. Now for BTA's you dont need MH but its essential that your tank is established. Ive gotten all my clown fish to host a BTA: Sabea clown, False perc, Black and white saddle back Give that some thought before you get one and IMO I would get a BTA as they seem to be easier then most to keep.