Anemones. I just don’t get it…

[SteveMM62Reef]

They are my intank test kits, along with my Tuxedo Urchins. I can take one look in the tank, and know if everything is okay, including whether my power heads are all working.

 

[OrionN]

Those are great pictures! How large are the first 2? And how long does it take for them to get that large?

Both are Gigantea. The green one is about 18 inches and the blue one is about 14 inches. Anemone grow really quickly if you feed them. I grew an 3 inches anemone to 20 inches I. 12-18 months easy.

 

[cpschult]

Relatively new to the hobby. Trying to understand different tank inhabitants and styles to develop my taste.

The one thing I can’t wrap my head around is why anemones are so popular. You have to worry about them stinging corals, getting stuck in powerheads, eating inhabitants, etc. I mean butterfly fish are pretty too, but the second they get a taste for coral, you strongly consider getting rid of them.

purposefully trying to sound ignorant here. Help me understand!

They look freakin awesome in a reef. I love bubble tips and rock anemone's. I wouldn't have a reef without them. They add color, motion, home for clownfish, my rock anemones breed in my tank, as well as add different colors. All in all one of my favorite reef inhabitants!

 

[slogan315]

Both are Gigantea. The green one is about 18 inches and the blue one is about 14 inches. Anemone grow really quickly if you feed them. I grew an 3 inches anemone to 20 inches I. 12-18 months easy.

Guessing the Gigantea is considered one of the largest anemone species.

I guess this goes back to the idea that everyone has different goals, but for me it seems like keeping smaller species that maintains the scale of the mini ecosystem would be ideal. Granted, I also have a smaller tank (60g cube, 24x24x24). So a 20 inch anemone might not be the most aesthetic choice for my goal of a mixed reef…

 

[slogan315]

They are my intank test kits, along with my Tuxedo Urchins. I can take one look in the tank, and know if everything is okay, including whether my power heads are all working.

Ha, your living flow meters. Right now thats my Duncans.

 

[MoshJosh]

the symbiosis with clowns, the movement in flow, the color, the feeding response, the size (can be relatively large without the lengthy wait time of coral growth), some can be split and sold (or split on their own).

Lots of reasons. Sure they aren't for everyone. But in the same way someone would set up a fowler to keep the butterfly (and others) you mentioned above, someone would also set up a nem tank.

 

[TnFishwater98]

Everything is based on goals. Some people build a reef around an anemone. Others toss an anemone into a reef. Some pick fish around their coral choices. Others choose fish first then see if any coral options exist later.

At the end of the day, maybe some things should be more or less popular than they are. However, if an anemone is someone's goal in the hobby, they will keep it regardless of the other inhabitants. The only hope should be that everyone does research and understands that an anemone runs the tank.

Yeah I just noticed my mini maxi has started to crawl a bit away from its spot. Had to move some corals that were placed in sand bed near it. Lucky it’s more away from some blasto’s I had…

 

[Cthulukelele]

Echoing everyone else. Well cared for and happy anemones rarely move more than an inch or 2 and usually only after a split. Their likelihood of nuking a tank is imo extravagantly overblown in the same way as things like tiger tail cucumbers--can technically happen but 10 other things need to be going wrong for it to legitimately nuke your tank. They're gorgeous. Overgrowth really is the big one with nems since they grow and propagate so quickly. A hard coral like Galaxia or a hammer is just as likely or more to nuke the corals around it with stings. Nems oftentimes won't even sting their neighbors

 

[Rmckoy]

Yeah I just noticed my mini maxi has started to crawl a bit away from its spot. Had to move some corals that were placed in sand bed near it. Lucky it’s more away from some blasto’s I had…

Weird …
I have 2 maxi mini and they never went for the sand bed .
They have been in the same spot in the rock they’re in for over 2 years

 

[TnFishwater98]

Weird …
I have 2 maxi mini and they never went for the sand bed .
They have been in the same spot in the rock they’re in for over 2 years

It was on the edge of a rock on the sand bed. It’s still on the LR but half on the sand bed. So it’s just moving across LR

 

[TnFishwater98]

Here’s where it was. I took this 2 weeks ago. Was worried Blasto and mini-maxi weren’t going to be happy neighbors. Mini maxi is now moving away to the right. I’ll try and get a pic when I got time.

It’s was in this location for several months.

 

[slogan315]

Well. You guys convinced me! Found a local guy with some good looking rainbow btas and decided to go for it. Especially since my tank isn’t covered in coral yet, and there’s plenty of room to figure out where he wants to live before it gets too packed.

Temp ancclimated. Then acclimated with a 2hr drip til ph and salinity got close. Then temp acclimated again. Then placed on a medium height crack with powerheads off, and lights on acclimation cycle.

He’s settled in and slowly worked his way up the side of the rock about 6 inches. He still hasn’t spread out much, but has extended far away from the rock (3-4 inches). Since it came from a local reefer and didn’t travel in darkness during shipping, I’m thinking about turning the lights up some. I’m worried I’m being overly cautious with the light acclimation, and he’s moving up to get more light. Worried that if he moves to the top of the tank, he’ll want to reposition when the lights go up, and I like where he’s at now. But also don’t want to risk shock and bleaching. Any thoughts?

pics of when I put him in to now (24 hours later)

 

[OrionN]

Guessing the Gigantea is considered one of the largest anemone species.

I guess this goes back to the idea that everyone has different goals, but for me it seems like keeping smaller species that maintains the scale of the mini ecosystem would be ideal. Granted, I also have a smaller tank (60g cube, 24x24x24). So a 20 inch anemone might not be the most aesthetic choice for my goal of a mixed reef…

Gigantea is not the largest of the clownfish hosting anemones. S. mertensii is the largest 36+ inches, the H. magnifica is next at about 24+ inches. H. crispa, S. gigantea and S. haddoni is about the same maximum size at about 18-20+ inches. M. doreensis is about the same, but IME, a little smaller but not much at about 16-18+ inches. Some E. quadricolor can reach this size also.

 

[OrionN]

The problem with anemones is that they are mobile invertebrates and are powerful animals with powerful stings. For corals, if they don't like the environment, they just die. For anemones, when they don't like the environment, they just walk or sail away. Often time this led them to the overflow or PH or craw up rocks to the high light area and high flow area where you want to keep corals.
Overflow and PH will tear them apart, while up the rock men they sting corals. They are much bigger than corals and thus pack much mor potent sting and will often kill the corals. A Magnifica or Gigantea if tear up by PH will release nematocysts that will wipe out all the fish other than clowns in the tank. The floating nematocysts will sting the fish gills and kill them. You can search and read a bunch of thread when this happened over the years.

So that is the long and short of keeping anemones.

 

[OrionN]

Acclimation is very important for them as well as introduction. Most anemones will move around the tank until they find a suitable spot in the tank to call home. A moderate amount of flow is recommended as well as moderate light. Too much flow will cause the anemone to stretch out and look stringy. Keeping things moderate will help avoid this from happening. Avoid directing your flow directly at the anemone which stresses them.
Assure your light is moderate and flow is not excessive in your case

We cannot really generalized about anemones like this. Different species required different condition. They are not at all the same. I will post some video of the flow requirement of my anemone later this evening.

 

[vetteguy53081]

We cannot really generalized about anemones like this. Different species required different condition. They are not at all the same. I will post some video of the flow requirement of my anemone later this evening.

this is a for sure with Bubble tips and even LTA. Posting a video of flow is great but if you have a 100 gallon and person has a 45 gallon as example, the flow will differ. While you are a trusted person in my book with anemones, Ive gotten this same rule at many trade shows and dealer conventions ive attended and find it to be true and even when recommended , many have with replied with sudden positive results.

 

[OrionN]

The thing is I would not give general Anemone advices as if all anemones are the same. They are not at all. BTA and Gigantea required drastically different condition to thrive.

 

[mmw64]

One thing to remember, is that many of the coral we keep in our tanks, would love nothing better than to eviscerate its neighbor if given the chance. That isn't unique to anemones.

They are Beautiful, Unique, move differently than most other coral, can host clowns in a beautiful relationship.. what's not to love?

Cover your power heads negates making nem soup, most BTA will never eat another inhabitant.

Watch a flowing nem for a bit and you'll see why.

Beautiful tank! What do you use to cover your power heads?

 

[OrionN]

LTA and BTA like low flow and will move if encounter high flow while Magnifica and Gigantea really like high (random) flow. Here is a picture of my Gigantea that really like the environment it is in, very high flow and light. Advice on how to keep anemone only good meaningful if we specify the species, because they all required different conditions. Here is my green Gigantea which IMO, is at optimal health. Best play at 1080 HD