Aenemones Question

[kaimarkhirst]

Just flicking through my marine invertibrates guide and its really saying that there arent any, other than hermit crabs aenemones

Realistically, are there any aenemones that you can keep in a 29g reef tank?

[labnjab]

Just flicking through my marine invertibrates guide and its really saying that there arent any, other than hermit crabs aenemones

Realistically, are there any aenemones that you can keep in a 29g reef tank? I have a pink bubble tip in my 29 gallon. You take a risk when you add an anemone to a small tank. They can get large and they can move around and kill coral. I got lucky and mine has stayed put since we got it in February, plus its got a 12+ inch radius around it all to its self so it has room to grow. The biggest thing with anemones is the water conditions have to be stable and calcium and alk lvls need to be kept up

[MonkeyPox]

You could also look at some of the carpet families. Two challenges you may face:
Bubbles will expand to gain the required lighting if enough doesn't already exist. I've seen them get 12" in diameter in extreme cases. If you're using a smaller tank, make sure you have enough lighting.

Death. Anemones have a huge bio-footprint. In the event one does in that tank and you don't catch it immediately, the amount of ammonia released when one does is almost certain to wipe out everything in a tank that size. Bubbles more so then carpets in my experience. Just something to be aware of.

[kaimarkhirst]

cheers all.

How much light do they need??

Ive got excellent lighting in my tank and its right above the water line, so I dont suppose that will be a problem, but I dont know how much they need...



Cheers

Kai

[MonkeyPox]

Spectrum is really more important then total wattage. If you're running a reef tank already with actinic lighting, you'll be fine.

[Fishguy2727]

Calcium and alkalinity are important for stony corals, not anemones.

The biggest problems with anemones seem to be inadequate lighting and water quality. People try to add them to tanks that are too young and unstable, and try to push the boundary of minimal lighting. Inadequate lighting can cause them to roam around the tank in search of more light. This can lead to them getting killed by pumps that aren't properly protected, or killing everything in their path as they move.

Bubble tip anemones are a great option for your first anemone and could do well in a 29.

What light fixture do you have? How many watts?

Carpets get huge, they need bigger than a 29. They are also more challenging and should not be someone's first.

[fishymommy]

I was wanting to put a small pink bubble tip anemone in my 20g Long reef (same floor footprint as 29g). I get my new 4x24watt actinin/10k light in on friday. Would this be ok for the anemone/my tank?

All I have in the tank so far is a hitchhiker kenya tree so I was planning on adding the anemone first, that way it can move to whatever position it wants and once its found its happy spot, then I would add other corals. Would that help my chances more? Seems like in my mother-in-laws tank that if the anemone has found its happy spot, it won't move at all.

[MonkeyPox]

Shouldn't be a problem as long as you have nice, clean water and stable parameters.
Give the anemone a clownfish!

[kaimarkhirst]

ok heres the light specs...

150w HQI - 14,000 k

Does this help? (Should imagine probably not as its from the instruction manual!!!!!)

Also, Keeping Invertibrates, how long should be lighting be on for, Net states average 09 hours, but the pacific is a 12 hour light cycle... hmmmm

Suggestions??

Kai

is this good??

Kai

[Fishguy2727]

A halide will be great for an anemone. What is the temp of the tank?

Photoperiod should be 8-14 hours depending on the tank. Some tanks will get algae if the light is on too long. Of course that also means that there are excessive nutrients, but if the tank is getting the most water changes the keeper can reasonably provide and has a fuge, then it is okay to cut the photoperiod.

[kaimarkhirst]

Ok.

Dont have a refugium, my nano is an all in one setup.

So if I have the lights on for lets say 10 hours and algae builds up, then wont a CUC do all this for me??

Temp is at 25-26 c constant and is cooled by a fan when needed to keep the temp at a constant and will be doing 15 litre water changes per week regularly......

Also, What about putting a less powerful light in and keeping it on for a bout 12 hours as I had a temp problem during the day when the halide was on, but now ive added the fan its no longer an issue, but I bought this nano as an all in one setup, so I dont feel that Ishould ahve had to add the fan inth efirst place.

Whats the opinion on this one, and what impact wil lit have on the tank?

Thanks

Kai

[Fishguy2727]

If algae develops then you have excessive nutrients in the water. A CUC will only keep those nutrients moving from water, to algae, to water again. There is such thing as an in tank refugium.

It is impossible to say what will happen. A less intense light may be in sufficient for the anemone. Eight hours of strong light is better than twelve hours of weak light.

Do you have problems with the halide on all the time?