Should reef aquarist keep anemones?

[Nanoreefer]

I was surfing the web and ran across an article about how anemones are not suited for an aquarium. As owner of a two-year-old long tentacle anemone I am concerned, I was wondering if any one has had a LTA for over five years. My last one lasted about two years and finally died. Does any one have any advice about keeping a LTA healthy for a long time? I was unaware that in the wild they can live for a hundred years.

Here is the article about the destruction of the wild anemone population by reef aquarist:
http://www.garf.org/trever/anem/anenome.html

 

[fishfreek]

Personally I would suggest you put more light over the tank for the anenome. I also agree they are not for the average aquarist. And when people absolutly must have them finding a captive split anenome is prefered as they will be suited to the aquiarum more than a wild caught one.

Something else to note is that clown fish can NOT live in the wild with out an anenome. So removing an anenome from the wild is also either removing clown fish or causing clown fish deaths in the wild.

 

[jddias67]

I tend to agree that an overly high percentage of anemones are doomed. That being said, I have 4 in my 125 gal tank. It is a tough issue ---
jd

 

[piggybank2005]

I read the article and then I re-read your Subject. Are you concerned about the well being of the anemone, are you concerned about keeping an anemone in a reef tank as the subject suggests, or both?

For the former, give it good lighting, moderate water flow, feed it enough food. those are for starters. Keeping water qualities good, well that goes without saying.

For the other concern I am guessing you mean if anemones might sting corals?

 

[Nanoreefer]

considering the anemone I already have, I cannot put him back in the ocean, I just want to provide the best care I can for him while he's in my tank. I am in the process of getting another power compact that will bring my total wattage to 54 watts. But he has been doing well for so long now that I’m not sure that will change anything.

In regards to the bigger topic at hand, whether or not anemones can thrive in a reef aquarium; I'm not sure how I feel. I will have to do more research to make my final moral judgment about wild anemones in captivity.

As for now I was just asking for comments and feedback about long term LTA care.

 

[Nanoreefer]

As for the article about the anemones I was just want to get feedback on how other reef enthusiast feel about the possible destruction of anemone populations in the wild.

 

[nyghtone]

I personally have to say that I don't think it's moral to take anything out of nature, anemone's included that you can't provide for at least as well off as it would be in nature. This leads me to think the anemone's should be left to the aquarist who truly has the resources and know how to keep it alive, and alive healthily. I've made my opinions on "just surviving" and actually "living" pretty well known.

I do not have the resources, or know how to keep an anemone, therefore I willn ot, adding to that the fact that they are required for clowns in the wild makes me want to keep to other corls that can be reproduced in my own aquarium. AFter I finish my lighting and get my CA reactor, I am going to order coral rocks from LRs.com and see what I can get to grow on it's own. Anything I add to the tank other than that I will look for captive raised, just because of my morals.

HTH, Joshua...

 

[Nanoreefer]

Interesting link on reefkeeping:
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~toonen/publications.html#aquarium

more comprehensive artical about anemone survival:
http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen8.html