minimax anemones?

Aeb1419 · Jul 20, 2019

Anyone know where I can buy some/ have experience with online retailers? Does anyone know how old a tank should be before I introduce a minimax? My tank is fairly new and my plan was to put it in before I put corals in. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks

Indytraveler83 · Jul 20, 2019

Aeb1419 said:
Anyone know where I can buy some/ have experience with online retailers? Does anyone know how old a tank should be before I introduce a minimax? My tank is fairly new and my plan was to put it in before I put corals in. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks

I put one in my tank probably before I should have, and it’s doing well. I think they are considered a “beginner” nem.

It’s my understanding that they don’t host anything well at all, so not a good choice for that. I do think they are beautiful under blue lights though!

I’ll let much more experienced folks give detailed info, but I really love mine, and it’s done quite well with minimal effort.

Aeb1419 · Jul 20, 2019

Thanks for the input. Where did u get urs by the way?

rkpetersen · Jul 20, 2019

Aqua SD always has LOTS of mini maxi nems. They just listed a bunch of new ones today.
Some are inexpensive, some more expensive, depending on how exotic they look.
They are very hardy and you can add them to any stable tank with good parameters and light.
White spot anemone shrimp will live in them, and that looks very nice.
No clowns use them as hosts, and in fact they will try to eat a clown if one blunders into them.
They can also grow to be fairly large over time, 4" or even larger.

Leslie Tabor · Jul 20, 2019

I have about 20 of them! My favorite place to get them has been Cherry Corals, they are always beautiful. I wouldn't do anemones until your tank is at least 6 months and only if your parameters are super stable. AquaSD has had some really nice ones as well.

bsn_rn_cen · Jul 20, 2019

Got mine from @AquaSD as well. All look great and have done very well. Only down side is I am pretty sure one made a meal out of Walter my ywg...

Aeb1419 · Jul 20, 2019

Im planning to put one in a 20 gallon. Im worried about my fish. You think they will know not to go near it?

bsn_rn_cen · Jul 20, 2019

Some will argue that a healthy fish will not be eaten, I think in my case it was the fact that he lived in a hole with multiple maxis surrounding it.

ChiSox Rabbitfish · Jul 20, 2019

My local Petco has 3 beautiful maxis in one of there tanks for about 4 months now they can’t sell them because all 3 are stuck on one rock and nobody wants to buy all 3 at once plus the rock

Indytraveler83 · Jul 21, 2019

Mine is fairly large, at least 4 in across if not bigger at times, and I’ve never been worried about my fish. A few learned the hard way not to nip at it, but otherwise it tends to retract from larger animals, including my crabs and shrimp.

Maybe other maxis are more aggressive, but I can’t imagine mine attacking anything that was alive and healthy.

Cassian · Jul 21, 2019

aqua SD has the best. Got mine from Live aquaria, but that was before I found Aqua SD. Bad thing about live aquaria is you cant pick what color you get.

Aeb1419 · Jul 21, 2019

Looking at Aqua SD and they have some nice ones. Do you have to manually feed it?

Leslie Tabor · Jul 21, 2019

I just broadcast feed, they get what they need. I have sexy shrimp living in mine and no issues. Only time one ever nabbed a fish was with a wrasse that was pretty much dead. Otherwise they dont even sting other corals.

rkpetersen · Jul 21, 2019

Here's what happened with one of mine and a clownfish.

It was a month or so after adding a harem of juvenile clowns to a 90g tank with dozens of different anemones.
I had been squirting thawed frozen food into the water in different locations, to see if I could speed up the clowns getting interested in the btas and other clown-hosting nems.
Happened to squirt some food near a 3" minimaxi.
A Phantom clown rapidly zoomed down at the food, and careened right into the minimaxi.
The anemone immediately closed up around the clown, grabbing it and pulling it down. Couldn't see the fish at all.
I watched this happen, dumbfounded.
Pulled the tank lid right away, stuck my thumb in there and scooped the clown out.
Actually took some effort, I could feel it tearing away from the nem.
It was dazed and wobbly, couldn't swim straight, and still had tentacles stuck to it.
No doubt if I hadn't done something, that clown would have been lunch.
Decided just to watch, wait and see if it recovered.
It started swimming normally after an hour or two.
Tentacles fell off the next day and the welts healed over a few days.
Here's the little guy shortly after I saved him from the jaws of death: