i want to get a haddoni carpet anemone but......

[hemmer]

well i used to have a condi and my clowns would never go near it so i sold it. now i want the haddoni carpet anemone but back then i has a 20watt 24" actinic bulb only and that anemone did great with it. but would this anemone live? and back then i didnt have shrimp. shrimp wont be a problem with anemones right?

 

[Hara]

That particular anemone is a bad idea all the way around. It is very aggressive and will eat anything that comes near it, including larger fish.

 

[hemmer]

is there any anemone that a clown might host in but that wont be very aggressive?

 

[Sadielynn]

What kind of lighting do you have ? What size tank and perameters ....also how long has the tank been up and running ....

 

[hemmer]

i have bad lighting right now. one 24" 20 watt actinic bulb. its a 45 gallon tank. and its been goin for 2 years now. well im gonna make another post just on the light factor.

 

[Lance M.]

Upgrade the lighting and get a bta. They are the hardiest anemones that clowns will host. I have a bta with a pair of O. clowns in a 20gallon with 130 watt pc light so around 6 wpg.

45 x 6 = 270. So I would go with at least a 300 watt fixture to keep it healthy.

If I were you I'd slap on a 400 watt MH pendant or two 150's or two 250's, but that's just me. They are relatively cheap (around $300) and work well with odd shaped aquariums ( I don't know what shape yours is, like I have a 55 gallon corner tank so the spot light from a MH in the middle would be good).

 

[Devilishturtles]

Just wanted to add that there is no guarantee at all that your clowns will host the anemone. So don't hold your breath.

 

[DragonForce]

I would try a BTA as well. I actually had one get sucked into a hagen powerfilter and I ended up with 3 anemones each doing BETTER than the original. Sadly, my clowns prefer to host a frogspawn coral instead.

 

[melosu58]

Sadly, my clowns prefer to host a frogspawn coral instead.

This is reality. Alot of times they wont host an anenome. I bought one for my two clowns and they chose to host a bubble coral and a pagoda cup. Totally ignored the BTA. So dont be surprised if you get one and they ignore your anenome.

 

[hemmer]

alright i think im going to get a 192 watt system. i think $200 on lights is expensive enough but im 16 and only make like 6 a hour and tips so im kinda on a budget. lol

 

[Sadielynn]

Lighting will be your biggest and best investment . This will be your determining factor of what corals you can put in your system ...skimp on it now you will regret it later save for it now and go slowly you will be happier.... Dont try to fit a coral in your system that is light demanding now and race to find the right light to much can go wrong .... if you are able to do it DIY may be an option for you .. there are many options to choose from but dont hurry as you will later regret it .....

 

[Lance M.]

When I got my first anemone it was bleached out (a bta). I had two o. clowns and they never went near it. Then I got a bigger bta about three times the size that was healthier and the clowns hosted it after a week. About a month ago the anemone started to deteriorate (from an unknown infection that also got my hairy mushrooms.....) so I took it out and my lfs took it to watch over it but it had to be put down... Now my clowns host the first one I got (the bleached out one) which is now quite healthy. It is getting it's color back- was totally white but now has tan base, lime green/ white tentacles with pink tips. That's just my experience with hosting clowns.

 

[hemmer]

great advice sadielynn but i think that 192 watts should be plenty for the size tank that i have and its only about 22 1/2" deep.

 

[Innovator]

Hmmm, 22.5 inches deep as in top of the tank to the bottom? Are you including sand depth in your measuring? Either way, it sounds as if 192w is a pc unit, which IMO simply is not adequate for any carpets due to light depreciation once past 17-18", even 10in. at that. S. haddoni has been known to be kept under lesser lighting conditions, but you would probably save yourself grief in the long run by going with metal halide and understanding that all Stichodactyla appreciate bright lighting and for the most part, strong flow. I'm sure you already realize carpets get large at around 18"+ in diameter.

 

[melosu58]

I agree also that IMO MH`s are needed to maintain that type anenome. I didnt know they get that big but that`s good to know James.

 

[hemmer]

alright from the crushed coral to the top is 20 3/4". and i didnt know either that they got that big. but thanks for helping me out here.

 

[hc8719]

Just wanted to add that there is no guarantee at all that your clowns will host the anemone. So don't hold your breath.

also anemones are stolen from wild clowns, who soon find themselves vulnerable without their home. captive clowns do not need an anemone to survive.

anemones are the only animals believed to possibly live forever, though in aquariums, they usually only last for a couple of years.

i'm personally boycotting them

 

[plecoperson]

Has anyone attempted to breed anemones in captivity, or is their reproductive cycle too complex?

 

[Hara]

Anemone's are not being "bred" in captivity so much as they are being aquacultured through the slicing and dicing of them. (anyone that has attended a calfo seminar knows what I am referring to here). Some of them also reproduce by "splitting".

This is not all species, but a few.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Like Lisa said, anemones can be "fragged" much like corals can. Notably, Anthony Calfo (which we've both had the pleasure of watching) will cut apart a Sebae Anemone in front of you at a seminar, plop them in a tank, and an hour later the cuts are aleady healed over. It's very awesome.

I watched him with Fluff in Lancaster at That Fish Place last year do the same thing, with the same results. So yes, anemones can be propogated but it takes a few months to a year to get them to grow to a sellable or tradable size.

There is alot of corals to be saved and money to be made in coral or anemone farming, you just need the money and space to do it in.

Always buy captive bred/aquacultured animals if you can and avoid supporting anybody who sells wild caught specimens.