I had started up a 30gallons fish-only tank with some clowns, a damsel and a blue tang. Thought of adding two anemones into it. Just wonder what does it feed on and how to maintain its health and how is its lifelong?
Adding anemones
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HoopsGuru
Aquarium Advice FINatic
There are many kinds of anemones with different requirements, for the sake of argument none are really good for new tanks, and most do TERRIBLE in captivity to the tune of 90% dying within the first 6 months as compared to a lifespan in the wild of several 100 years or more. They really should be left in the wild.
The blue tang will also require a tank larger than your 30g. I would either return the fish or secure a better environment for it as it grows.
The blue tang will also require a tank larger than your 30g. I would either return the fish or secure a better environment for it as it grows.
Normally anemones get their food from the water colum in the wild. But I believe that captive ones pretty much need to be hand feed. And I have never heard of captive ones making it past a year.
I second the blue tang. They need much bigger tanks. You would probably be best off with just the clowns and damsel. They will grow bigger and fill that tank by themselves.
I second the blue tang. They need much bigger tanks. You would probably be best off with just the clowns and damsel. They will grow bigger and fill that tank by themselves.
S
steve-s
Guest
tkos said:
That is completely incorrect. 8O Over 80% of the nutritional requirements come from zooxanthellae in which the anemone converts to sugars. The rest of their food source does come from the water column. In the absence of supplimental fish feeding, target fed foods would be necessary but in very small quantities and only a few times per month.
Although I do agree anemone's have an increadilbley low survival rate.
Cheers
Steve
sokhamik
Aquarium Advice Activist
hehe.. my carpet anemone eats shrimp... lets hope he passes a year of living... oh yeah.. i third on that blue hippo tang thing... they like hiding spaces also, so it's hard to accomodate both of its need.. if you allow lots of hiding place, then it won't have enough swimming space...
tamren
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I'm sad to hear that. I just bought a rose anemone. It's so beautiful. I really hope it last. Does rose anemone has a better survival rate that others?
FYI: my friend has long tentacle anemone that has been in his 20 gallons tank for more than 1.5 years. It grows really big now.
If you must have one try to get a captive rased one. These would have come from tanks and not from the wild. They also have a better adaptablity to the aquarium enviorment.
The brightest lights you can provide for your tank is best if you wish to keep an anenome. As was mentioned they get alot of their food via the algae that they host. They also should be feed meaty foods on occasion. In the wild the host clown fish will acutally bring food to the ananome or it will capture fish, shrimp, or other creatures in its stinging tenticles.
I have a captive rased bubble tip that was given to me. I feed it every few days with some small krill. This very amasing to see this creature detect the krill on its tenticles and to pull it in and move it toward its mouth.
The brightest lights you can provide for your tank is best if you wish to keep an anenome. As was mentioned they get alot of their food via the algae that they host. They also should be feed meaty foods on occasion. In the wild the host clown fish will acutally bring food to the ananome or it will capture fish, shrimp, or other creatures in its stinging tenticles.
I have a captive rased bubble tip that was given to me. I feed it every few days with some small krill. This very amasing to see this creature detect the krill on its tenticles and to pull it in and move it toward its mouth.
Gauge
Aquarium Advice FINatic
How long does it take the anemone to react? I have a friend who had an anemone, and he could never feed it. It died within a couple weeks of being in his tank. He would put silversides on the anemone and it simply wouldn't react. He fed his clownfish brine shrimp, too, so it didn't really have a lot of "crumbs" to drop on the anemone.
sokhamik
Aquarium Advice Activist
yeah.. my lovely giant carpet, which i love, eats right away... he takes in shrimp.. cocktail shrimp pieces.. it sometimes take in brine shrimps.. it's fun to watch because it reacts right away.. i can tell that it stings the shrimp then take it in slowly.. i've seen it put it through the mouth too.. Bob Fenner said on his site that most anemones die due to overfeeding.. mines just drops any thing that he doesn't want to eat..
S
steve-s
Guest
sokhamik said:
I don't mean to harp, but you should really take that to heart. Many anemones become over stressed from too much feeding. I think it's great that you are not having this problem but I would urge caution in advising others to feed their anemones in the same fashion.
Anemones go through alot of stress when fed too much as they must use much of their stored energies to digest and then expell the wastes that solid foods often induce. It can sometimes be the "straw" that throws them over the edge.
When feeding a tank for fish, the secondary feedings can often be all that is needed. In lightly stocked tanks, intervention on the reefkeepers part may be necessary but feedings should be light, infrequent and very small portion sizes.
Cheers
Steve
sokhamik
Aquarium Advice Activist
i don't continuiously feed the anemone.. it is just once in a while when it doesn't look "normal" is when i feed it.. i mean, the first week i brought it home, it was moving around searching for something.. it wasn't searching for light because it wasn't moving towards any light all.. after i fed it a piece it stayed at the spot and haven't moved since..
EMS503
Aquarium Advice Freak
I agree a newly setup tank should not house an anenome, you should give it at least a year in mop. I have a Pacific anenome which I feed twice a week with shrimp. I agree with most die very shortly after being placed in the tank, but I believe most are from new tanks and people not sure how to raise them. I have mine in a 30 long under PC lighting 65 watt smart light. Also tkos hear is a picture of mine 3 years + and going strong.
sokhamik
Aquarium Advice Activist
oooo.. nice picture...
BillyZ
Aquarium Advice Addict
EMS503, I noticed in your picture you're using a "PowerHead" PH but i couldn't quite make out what you're using for an intake diffuser. I've had probs with fish getting cought in my "PowerHead" intakes and jerry-rigged a solution (i'll upload a pic someday) but was curious what you're using as i'm not totaly satisfied with mine.
EMS503
Aquarium Advice Freak
Nothing on the infuser never had a problem with fish, an occasional snail yes but no fish. Hagan has slots on the bottom of there PH stops fish from being sucked in
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