Anemone Question..

So i mentioned to my wife that i wanted to take our Purple Tip Anemone back to the shop and trade it in so i could fully convert my 55gal to a full reef, (dont want him stinging my corals) and I come home to a 20gal tank set up in our bedroom. She wants to put the Anemone with a couple clowns in there. (guess who gets to take care of it. =) anyways.

I've never moved an Anemone from one tank to the other before. he's quite happy where he is at and locked in pretty good. how is the best way to get him to let go so i can move him? Im afraid of damaging his foot.

Also, she thought it would be really pretty with some Purple substrate in there so she put about 1" of purple gravel. they are about 1/4" across. I tried to talk her into Livesand but She loves them, but im not sure whats best way to keep food/poo cleaned up that gets down in them. Gravel vacuum work ok for this? and how often should i run it? or other ideas are welcome.

We have no room there for a sump of anykind, and only room for either a HOB Skimmer, or a HOB fuge next to the Filter. which would you suggest?

Thanks Guys!

 

skimmer, a water change will replace the fuge in a tank that size

 

Just wedge your fingers underneath it little by little until he detaches from his footing. Vacuum the gravel when doing a water change.

 

Cool, Thanks guys.=) will be a while before its cycled so have some time on it. Hopefully i can get some clowns that pair up.

 

Can you move the rock he's attached to?? When I moved mine it was a battle. The foot is very delicate, and if it tears there's a good chance it won't make.. Try to direct flow at it and see if it will move. Best place is to the glass and scrape it off with a credit card....

 

yep I'd say move the whole piece of rock it's on. I tried to move my flower anemone and now it's sitting on the bottom of the tank looking weird and won't reattach to any rock I've set it on. He was slowly going towards the side of a powerhead and I didn't want to see it get sucked in...

 

grab the rock or just bother him with some flow or move the rock to another place and he will get pissed and move.

 

However you do it, take your time moving him. If you start getting frustrated, just stop and try again another day.
I'm speaking from experience, after accidently killing my beautiful long-tentacled anemone a few years ago when I tried to move him.

 

I'm a bit concerned that there is colored aquarium gravel in a saltwater tank. Not sure if that's going to be a very good thing in the long run regardless of whether or not you keep the substrate clean. Maybe somebody else can chime in on this that has experience with it?

 

That was my thinking...i just wanted to make for sure its ok. I really would rather have sand, but she loves the rocks.