Tips to help keep an anemone to stay put and not move around.

[revhtree]

Let's compile a list of things that have been successful for us in keeping our anemones from moving around a lot on us.

Ericm1205 inspired this thread with a great post of info he received from Anthony Calfo.

1. Surround the foot of the anemone with rubble rock and the anemone is less likely to move.

 

[KLR]

To add onto the first tip; anemones seem to like rocks that were previously coral(coral skeleton,LPS skeleton in particular),the rigid texture allows them to grip/stick easier,therefore they usually find themselves comfortable quicker.

This still doesn't 100 percent insure they wont move,they are an animal,but it does decrease the chances

 

[ToXIc]

my nem has never moved in over 9 months (except when it split).. because i put him into a cup shaped rock.. its foot planted in the center to the indentation and it's brim cling onto the surroundings edges..

here's an over exposed pic of him chilling..

you can kinda see the shape of the rock in this pic..

 

[Russellaqua]

Thanks for starting this thread! I gave up on anemones because they never stayed where I wanted them. Good ideas.

 

[BroncosZOA]

Anemones

They move where they want.

They all have different requirements and shouldnt be lumped together

Haddons carpets like sand
Gigantea carpets like to go in the reef structure
Magnificas like reef tops with lots of flow and light
BTA's like rock crevices
LTA like Sand


The kicker is that if your tank is not to their liking they will do what they do in the wild try to move away and go for a walk.

 

[akabryanhall]

I have found that putting them in right before lights out equals a guaranteed move.
Put them in at the beginning of your light cycle so they know for sure they are in a good spot for light. If you put them in and then the lights turn off, they'll go looking for more light.

 

[Troylee]

well far from a nem pro but with my addition just last month i read on here to use a net to keep it place where you want until attaches.... well i got my nem i bent my net in a cup shape placed the nem in the rocks and put the net over him.. low and behold a hour later it was attached and hasn't moved yet....1smile1

 

[lps1212]

I never really gave it a thought when placeing my rbta I basically put it where indirect light would hit it and she never moved until I fragged her and btw it was a successful fraggin

 

[swannyson7]

Don't make rapid changes to your lighting or flow without anticipating a move. The slightest changes will often result in your nem taking a stroll.

 

[clowns101]

They move where they want.

They all have different requirements and shouldnt be lumped together

Haddons carpets like sand
Gigantea carpets like to go in the reef structure
Magnificas like reef tops with lots of flow and light
BTA's like rock crevices
LTA like Sand


The kicker is that if your tank is not to their liking they will do what they do in the wild try to move away and go for a walk.

Bingo my friend!Theres nothing you can do to prevent them from moving,its a guranteed move anytime you move them from tank to tank IMHO

 

[BroncosZOA]

u know it austin

 

[Reef Keeper 18]

not guarenteed. my bro bought a mini maxi that was on a rock and he moves the rock where he wants the anemone.

 

[BigFeesh]

A rock with a cylindrical hole through it and a rock underneath that so the anemone has the rock to attach to and then the other rock around it to support it. My BTAs hasn't moved yet.

 

[Mellowguy]

This may sound stupid, but for bubble tips, I use the little condement cup containers that you get at restaurants for things like salad dressing and steak sauce. I've done this with two of my bubble tips and they stay in the cup and when they open you can't see the cup. Then you can move them around if needed and wedge between rocks for placement. I have 4 different bubble tips and the two that are in the cups stay put and have been moved a few times without leaving the cup. You have to start with a small to medium sized anemone and put them in the cup and put some bridal veil or netting over them and hold it with a rubber band, holding them in place for a day or two. Then remove the bridal veil. This works well to aclimate them to the lighting also. My other two bubble tips move alot, but stay in the same general areas, due to current. They like to be just below current flowing by over rocks (indirect flow). I also think using a short piece of PVC would work well.

For mini maxi anemones, I use bridal veil for about 12 hours to hold them in place, until their foot attaches well. Usually I place them where a rock meets the sand bed. Then place the bridal veil over them and weigh down the edge with small shells, rocks or plugs for 12 - 24 hours. Remove the veil and they usually stay. I have about 20 mini maxi anemones and about half stayed using this method. 25% I can still locate after they moved and the other 25% pop up here and there but usually continue to move around. I just counted them today and I have 4 that are AWAL, but have been seen in the last week. I have one that was shipped to me in a big snail shell and he stays in there well. And you can move him around like I did with my bubble tips above. The shell doesn't look as nice as the others do though. They like to stay in clusters. Even when they move around they tend to cluster in other areas of the tank.

 

[Saltgator]

not guarenteed. my bro bought a mini maxi that was on a rock and he moves the rock where he wants the anemone.

+1. My 9 inch RBTA is the same way. Moved my aqua scape several times, each time moving my RBTA and it's rock. Still there, but went from left of display to middle for display purposes on it's rock. Owned this RBTA for a year and hasn't moved. Likes to sit under a 250 MH with it's 2 picassos.

 

[Ericm1205]

this is my tip for keepiong bubble tips in one spot. find a place to put it and surround the foot with small rubble like a firepit and it will not move. Anthony Calfo told me that tip and none of my bubbles i bought from him ever moved on me.

 

[patent]

Buy a plastic replica of your favorite anemone. :wink:

I try to have a place in the tank that I believe will have enough light for them and low flow. My goal is typically to keep my BTAs at the bottom of the tank, so I'll have a rock wall, place them at the bottom, and put a powerhead pushing alot of water (MP40) just over the top of the wall (high enough it doesn't bounce off the wall and down toward the nem). I also try to have the light positioned such that the nem can stretch to it easily, but also back up out of the brightest part of the light if desired. That way it can pick how much light it wants. last, it needs to have a place for its foot, and there are good ideas here for that so I won't repeat them. In 5-6 years I haven't had any of my nems (they've split every now and then) leave this wall.

Downside is that I also can't make them leave it, absent a whole tank teardown.

Of course, you can do all this, and your nem may not like the spot anyway, every tank is different.

 

[LittleDabOSalt]

Channel your anemone ~ Become one with it then..... Sry, couldn't resist. lol

I'm far from an expert, just a newb but I found that it seemed easier to try and make the choice for my rbta by keeping in mind what has been said earlier: BTAs like crevices, LTAs like sand etc.... and then going from there. I just approached it from that angle and then looked at my tank before even purchasing my nem with the question of WWMAD = What Would My Anemone Do. lol I seriously did, checked out different areas in the tank and gave each area some serious thought as to whether it would be a spot that "fit the bill" if you will.

When I purchased my nem I already had four spots picked. I placed it in my first choice of spots and got lucky, its been there ever since and seems very happy. Did I just get lucky? Maybe but, I still feel giving the creature the best of choices out of what is already known to be liked by that particular type is a smarter move than just throwing it just somewhere that happens to be right according to what the human wants. jmo

 

[Taundi]

I personally have had bad experiences with my first three anemones. However, when I learned how to get my water right , and my temperature, it became a very satisfying thing to purchase a new one. I've had my saltwater tank since February 2018. And the only anemone I have in my 75 gallon tank is the long tentacles green anemone. For the first three days he stayed in the same spot then he started moving around. I think I may need to look into getting better lighting, because he tended to go into a dark spots by the rocks in the back.

 

[Taundi]

I personally have had bad experiences with my first three anemones. However, when I learned how to get my water right , and my temperature, it became a very satisfying thing to purchase a new one. I've had my saltwater tank since February 2018. And the only anemone I have in my 75 gallon tank is the long tentacles green anemone. For the first three days he stayed in the same spot then he started moving around. I think I may need to look into getting better lighting, because he tended to go into a dark spots by the rocks in the back.

 

[Taundi]

I personally have had bad experiences with my first three anemones. However, when I learned how to get my water right , and my temperature, it became a very satisfying thing to purchase a new one. I've had my saltwater tank since February 2018. And the only anemone I have in my 75 gallon tank is the long tentacles green anemone. For the first three days he stayed in the same spot then he started moving around. I think I may need to look into getting better lighting, because he tended to go into a dark spots by the rocks in the back.

 

[davocean]

This should probably be labeled tips to try to keep BTA's from moving, and not just lumping all anemone's into one category.

It will vary depending on species, not all are rock dwellars, not all wander.