Add an anemone or not?

My tank just reached over the one year mark, and I'm debating between getting one for my clowns

Water params have been stable for a while, I've had a few small phosphate spikes over the last 6 months, they have been stable at 0 for for the last month.

Lights are 4 54 watt t5's

 

Jd. I don't know what kind of anemone you are looking to purchase. But I just wanted to say that I tried a BTA and it only lasted a week in my tank. I was told that they would do fine under PC lighting but it didn't. Your T5 are probably enough. I also fed it silver sides which later turned out to be the wrong food. Krill is better I guess.

 

Beking, I've kept nems under PC lights, and even standard output fluorescent bulbs before with no problems. Also, silversides are acceptable. I'm curious exactly how much you were feeding it; if it was only in your tank for 1 week, it should not have been fed at all. Overfeeding is extremely stressful for a nem, even after it has established itself in your tank. In fact, if you are feeding fish in the same tank, target feeding may not be necessary at all.

jdameli1, I don't see why you can't keep a nem. BTAs are one of the easiest to keep and the most widely accepted host for clownfish.

 

Time for a nem has been debated until its past a dead horse. Biggest thing imo for a nem is hobbyist expertise. Knowledge is gonna give you a stable tank which is in turn what a nem needs.

As far as lighting I have a couple of mini maxi's in my 75 under 4 x T5 (ebay quality) lighting and they do just fine.

 

PCs, t-5s whatever it can be done. Time yeah helps a year is fine. The issue is more that your adding something that will wander and sting things, likely killing some. Also it's not a nem your clowns naturally reside in, so, no guarantee they will.. If that's ok, go for it.


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having 3 RBTA's myself my best advice is to know what you're getting into with nems. If you take proper care of them and have the right lighting, they will flourish, they will grow quickly, you may have to restructure your entire tank around them if you want to keep other corals.

My RBTA split 3 times and grew gigantic with little to no target feeding, I had to weed out one of them & it can be a pita to get a nem off of a rock without hurting its foot.

I would say your lighting is fine for keeping a BTA or RBTA, be prepared to watch it move until it finds the spot it's happiest. It may stay there for years, it may up and wander all the sudden too if & when it wants.

Screen off any intakes/filters with gutter guard w/ zipties so it is less likely to get sucked in and perish. When you buy one, make sure to check that its mouth is healthy and its foot is fully intact. From what I've read, nems die a slow death internally and one can toxify a tank fairly easily if you don't realize it's dying.

On the positive side, I love my RBTA's they look amazing & the relationship between them and my Ocellaris is a sight to behold. I'd say it's one of the coolest things you can have in the home SW aquarium. Again, just know what you are getting into & be able to support its health/growth comfortably.

my two cents, best of luck.

 

I got a "rainbow" bta hoping my clowns would host and they haven't given it a single look. I am not sure what type of clowns whether they are percula or occelaris. I got them from a friend who wanted to get rid of them and he told me they were perculad but some one else said they were occelaris. When he had them they hosted an anemone but his anemone died. So I don't know why they aren't hosting for me. I even tried the picture trick and no luck.

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It's just one of those things, it could happen in 20mins or 6months, it's never 100% guaranteed. I lucked out because I had an Ocellaris that hosted my RBTA fairly quickly and any other clown that went into the tank followed suit.

 

Yeah I know...I did luck out though because my anemone stayed exactly where I put it since it when in a few months ago. Which I was really worried about because my tank is filled with SPS. Though I am having problems with them now anyway but it isn't because of the anemone.

Best thing I could suggest about keeping it from wandering would be research where they like and try and find the place that would recreate it and move all your corals away from it and hope lol. From what I read they bubble tips like to have their foot in like a crevice to protect it so try and find something like that in your rock work.

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Nems do pose certain risks...more so than a lot of the animals we keep. I find them fascinating and beautiful creatures, but you need to make sure you are familiar with the specific requirements/risks of the species you plan to keep. So long as you are willing to do the research and do the things necessary to keep them (and the rest of your tank) happy and safe, go for it. I think a BTA or LTA are best choices for a "first nem". BTA's are nice because so many are captive propagated these days and healthy strains are already adjusted to captive life and readily available. I actually think LTA's are about as bullet proof as a "hosting" nem can be though. The biggest difference other than appearance IMO, is that BTA'a are rock dwelling nems, while LTA's live in the sand. I actually find LTA's are often better at staying put...give them a place where they can attach their foot to a rock under the sand with good light and flow and they often will stay very close to where you place them...BTA's like to place their foot in a hole or crevis in the rock and will often wander a bit more looking for a spot where they feel "protected".

Just my .02 cents.