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| There are numerous threads that pop up concerning the keeping of sea anemone. Contrary to what the sales person at the LFS may tell you, anemone are not hardy/easy to keep. In fact, the exact opposite is true. They're one of the animals about which we know very little concerning it's husbandry. A large percentage of the animals harvested for the trade never make it to the store alive. Those that do have dismal survival rates. Considering that these animals live HUNDREDS OF YEARS in the ocean but only months in most aquaria............ Please read the following articles. I think they pretty much say it all. http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen8.html http://www.athiel.com/lib/questions/anemone.htm Having jumped up on my soap box, let me confess to this. I have kept anemone before. A wild harvested E. quadricolor. I was lucky enough to keep the animal alive until I sold it (about 18 months). I have added a tank propagated Rose E. quadricolor in my current system ahead of any coral placement. I am giving the anemone the opportunity to find a location it is happy with and settle in. It moved about 6" the night after it was placed and has stayed in that location ever since (2 weeks). It is being kept under a pair of 400 watt MH so it receives very high light and it actually moved to get itself out of the slight current I placed it in. It is currently expanding well and taking pieces of fresh seafood once every 3-4 days. As a closing note let me make this statement. I've been keeping reef systems for 18 years and was still skeptacle about attempting to keep an anemone again, especially in a reef tank that will filled with corals. If I had not been able to purchase a tank propagated animal, already adapted to aquarium conditions, I would not have purchased one again at all. If you do intend to attempt one of these amazing animals, please research the animal, know as much as you can about it's husbandry and have the required system in place prior to purchasing the animal. For the anemone's sake!
So many species, so little money!
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I agree completely with Nep2N.. Anemones are an animal that even very experienced hobbyists have problems keeping alive, and IMO they really shouldn't be sold in lfs's. And, btw, almost all of the clownfish you will find for sale in your lfs have been commercially raised, and have never seen an anemone for their entire life -- and do fine without them.
***************************Be warned -- everyone at college has a weird roommate. If you don't have a weird roomate -- then you're the weird roommate.
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I think I have to disagree. I've had my LTA for about a month and a half now and he has survived a lot of things. He has rolled over countless times when he was on the sand, and he has been living for a while with only an actinic bulb for lighting since the ballast to my other light broke (I'm getting the ballast for my dual bulb PC next thursday when it comes in at my lfs). Now he is working on sticking to a rock, looking healthy as can be, and he will probably be stuck to the rock by tomorrow. I'd say that he is a pretty hardy anemone.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------38 gallon freshwater: 1 turquoise severum, 4 red& blue columbian tetras, 2 gold gouramis, 3 otocinclus, 1 clown loach 30 gallon saltwater: 1 coral beauty angel, 1 lubbocks wrasse, 1 clarkii clown, 1 banded coral shrimp, 1 zebra turbo snail, 1 serpent star
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Fishkeeping GURU
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Success can't be measured in months with anemones. These animals basically live forever in the wild from what we know so far, so even an anemone living for years before dying challenges our notions of success and ethical fishkeeping. Most die in hobbyists' tanks between six months and two years, so I wouldn't consider it a success until after at least a year. I've had my atlantic anemone for about a year now, and my BTA (now three BTAs since it split) for about six months and I still worry about them. Thankfully the BTAs were captive bred and the atlantic was a rescue anyway.
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| If you haven't taken the time to read the articles above please do. Note that the standard for success in aquaria is 5 years, not just a few months. And with the study including names like Alf Jacob Nielson, indeed who would I be to argue the results. plecodiscus said: | I think I have to disagree. I've had my LTA for about a month and a half now and he has survived a lot of things. He has rolled over countless times when he was on the sand, and he has been living for a while with only an actinic bulb for lighting since the ballast to my other light broke (I'm getting the ballast for my dual bulb PC next thursday when it comes in at my lfs). Now he is working on sticking to a rock, looking healthy as can be, and he will probably be stuck to the rock by tomorrow. I'd say that he is a pretty hardy anemone. |
Don't get me wrong, I wish you all the luck in the world keeping your LTA alive. However the inability of the anemone to attach to it's preferred substrate suggests that it may already be in a badly weakened state. Anemone derive most of their nutrition from their symbiotic algae (or zooxanthellae), not form what they consume orally. Recommended lighting for all anemone (with the exception of E. quadricolor) is 4 watts per gallon. Hopefully your new ballast will get you close. As far as what it takes in orally, just because it consumes an item doesn't mean it gains any sustenance from it. It could eat every day and still die of malnutrition. There in lies part of the challenge of anemone. Again best of luck with your charge.
So many species, so little money!
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Okay. My LTA stuck to the rock today and I'd say that he's not coming off. My clownfish was darting all over the place, grabbing food last night and forcefully shoving it into the anemone without the anemone budging. Maybe the reason the anemone has lived for a couple months without my PC because sunlight is pouring into the tank all day. Does sunlight coming through a window help them at all?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------38 gallon freshwater: 1 turquoise severum, 4 red& blue columbian tetras, 2 gold gouramis, 3 otocinclus, 1 clown loach 30 gallon saltwater: 1 coral beauty angel, 1 lubbocks wrasse, 1 clarkii clown, 1 banded coral shrimp, 1 zebra turbo snail, 1 serpent star
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plecodiscus said: | Okay. My LTA stuck to the rock today and I'd say that he's not coming off. |
Great news. The fact that it has the energy available to hold tight is a positive sign. plecodiscus also asked: Does sunlight coming through a window help them at all? Absolutely! There is no substitute for natural sunlight as long as it doesn't create a heat problem.
So many species, so little money!
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Fishkeeping GURU
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I'm glad it attached, and yes, sunlight helps. I have even read about a reef tank that is lit almost entirely by direct sunlight that is thriving (it was in Paletta's "Ultimate Marine Aquariums").
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