Anemone nuking?

[Stomatopod]

Hello, I setup a 55 gallon aquarium about a month ago.. I added two condylactus anems and everything died over night except a yellow-tail damsel and snails. Everything tested positive at 0 ppm.. nitrates were around 20 ppm. Now I'm setting up a 125 gallon tank and I was interested in have 5 ocellarius clowns and BTA. I'm a little scared with the BTA after my experience with the condys. I'm afriad it will nuke the tank.. sting and kill any shrimp (cleaners and harlequin), move and kill my corals, and such. Tank currently is not setup but I'm still planning.

Will anemones pose any threat to my inverts and fish? Will they actually nuke the tank.. I don't want a ticking time bomb in my aquarium :boom: I know people say "just take it out when its dying" but I have no clue when its dying nor if I'll see it dying overnight in time. I understand BTAs are much safer than all the others like condys and carpets but there still is that risk right? I had emerald crabs and decorator crabs chase and kill my fish many times so I'm not exactly lucky when it comes to low risk..

 

[Holygral]

So much wrong here, dont know where to start. When you first set up a reef, it will take 3-6 weeks before it is even cycled, depending on amount of live rock ect. After the INITIAL cycle, you shouldn't have anything except a small clean up crew to continue the cycle. 3-4 weeks after that you can start to add fish, but no more than 1-2 small every 3-4 weeks. 3-4 months, after that, you can try some simple corals, mushrooms, Star polyps, ect. A year later and you tank is stable, with pristine water conditions, and no deaths or paramiter issues then you can try a nem. But we havnt even got into your lighting, your water, (ro,tap, well ect.) Your tank probably was not even cycled yet, and probably was not even ready for fish alone a nem. Once you set up your tank, it may be 2-3 months before it is ready for anything except snails and a few crabs. Its only going to get more expensive if you do not slow down. Yes a nem can nuke a tank when they die, but if your afraid that when they die they will nuke your tank, then you are not experienced enough, you shouldn't be think in terms of "when they die",

 

[Stomatopod]

So much wrong here, dont know where to start. When you first set up a reef, it will take 3-6 weeks before it is even cycled, depending on amount of live rock ect. After the INITIAL cycle, you shouldn't have anything except a small clean up crew to continue the cycle. 3-4 weeks after that you can start to add fish, but no more than 1-2 small every 3-4 weeks. 3-4 months, after that, you can try some simple corals, mushrooms, Star polyps, ect. A year later and you tank is stable, with pristine water conditions, and no deaths or paramiter issues then you can try a nem. But we havnt even got into your lighting, your water, (ro,tap, well ect.) Your tank probably was not even cycled yet, and probably was not even ready for fish alone a nem. Once you set up your tank, it may be 2-3 months before it is ready for anything except snails and a few crabs. Its only going to get more expensive if you do not slow down. Yes a nem can nuke a tank when they die, but if your afraid that when they die they will nuke your tank, then you are not experienced enough, you shouldn't be think in terms of "when they die",

Ok, When I setup my 125 I plan this: 200 lb. of sand, 125 lb of rock, sump refugium with skimmer and canister and lots of macro, I also got these metal halide bulbs for it, but they look nothing like the ones in the lfs so I'm a little scared to use them... I was thinking a T5/ High par LED. I have 4 powerheads they are all magnetic. I'd use only RO water with the 125. I test my water in my other tanks every day.

Also will the bta have any possibility to sting, kill, and eat my harlequin shrimp, my other fish and inverts, etc.

 

[Holygral]

That is the issue, whenever you just dose a ph buffer, it will throw your alk way off, thats the problem with dosing, 1 fix breaks something else and on and on, it is an endless cycle. Stop buffering your ph and all dosing and just do water changes, it will take a few months but your alk will come down and balance with your calcium, 7.8-8.3 is fine for PH.

 

[Stomatopod]

That is the issue, whenever you just dose a ph buffer, it will throw your alk way off, thats the problem with dosing, 1 fix breaks something else and on and on, it is an endless cycle. Stop buffering your ph and all dosing and just do water changes, it will take a few months but your alk will come down and balance with your calcium, 7.8-8.3 is fine for PH.

Make sense.. when my 125 is setup I'm going to do 15% water changes every week on a specific day. Now my problem still unsolved by everybody as I keep getting mixed answers is... will the anemone sting, kill, hurt, or do anything to any of my fish.. there will be alot of inverts in the 125, for example I might be adding harlequin shrimp in there and I don't want them to get hurt crawling on the anemone.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Now my problem still unsolved by everybody as I keep getting mixed answers is... will the anemone sting, kill, hurt, or do anything to any of my fish.. there will be alot of inverts in the 125, for example I might be adding harlequin shrimp in there and I don't want them to get hurt crawling on the anemone.

Anemones should not be added until the tank is quite mature as in perhaps a year. They are not forgiving of unstable conditions (die easily.) At the point in time where the tank is sprouting all kinds of hitchhiker life forms, coralline algae, pods, sponges, etc, then they can be added. They are safe to not eat inverts nor fish, but they can move around and will burn any coral they come up against.

 

[Stomatopod]

Anemones should not be added until the tank is quite mature as in perhaps a year. They are not forgiving of unstable conditions (die easily.) At the point in time where the tank is sprouting all kinds of hitchhiker life forms, coralline algae, pods, sponges, etc, then they can be added. They are safe to not eat inverts nor fish, but they can move around and will burn any coral they come up against.

Don't worry I'm gonna let the tank be at a stable level for a straight year first.. maybe longer after my first experience. I wanted to have 5 ocellarius clowns in a BTA so what I might do is put the BTA in my 30 gallon mantis tank, leave the mantis where he is right now in the 6.6, then I'll somehow introduce 3 more ocellarius clowns (I already have 2..) and get them settled together.. then since it takes awhile for them to actually host the anem I'll try to get them to host in there. the 30 gallon has been running since memorial day... and it will probably be a few more months before I even get sand for the tank. So anemones in general are very invert and fish safe? and from what I heard BTA is the safest of all of them? So the likelyhood of an anemone killing anything in my tank other than a coral is around like a 1/10? 2/10? less maybe? and a bta is even less then that?

 

[Herefishyfishy]

For the last 15 years until recently, have had RBTAs in every tank except for fish breeding operations. Has cost me a fortune in killed corals though. Nem free now and loving it.

 

[Holygral]

Hum, 7 years in, 6 nems and never had a problem, I actually think my reef is easier to care for than a fresh -}

 

[Stomatopod]

Hum, 7 years in, 6 nems and never had a problem, I actually think my reef is easier to care for than a fresh -}

Thats what I always say to people wanting to do saltwater.. I think its easier, and cleaner than fresh mainly due to some tanks being self substaining. Alright I guess that decides it! I'm gonna give it try... I'm just gonna leave my harlys in a nano for viewing and target feeding purposes but i'm still going to have all my cleaners and such! Now what lighting would be good for the anemone? Will this light be enough for zoas, soft corals, mushrooms, and of course the BTA :Fluval Marine and Reef LED Strip Lights | ThatPetPlace.com or what about these:Aqualight Dual Lamp T5 HO Light Fixtures | thatpetplace.com. or even a combination of both. I don't plan sps or clams at the momment so I would like to stay away from 6 bulb, 8 bulb t5 and metal halides. (size of 125: 72x18x20)

 

[Holygral]

just switched from 2x 250 MH to 2 x 160 10k Maxspect Razor LED, will never go back, big investment, big rewards, you get what you pay for in LED's

 

[Stomatopod]

just switched from 2x 250 MH to 2 x 160 10k Maxspect Razor LED, will never go back, big investment, big rewards, you get what you pay for in LED's

I don't want to go too crazy on lighting like said no sps or clam... I just want what I need to keep the anemone, and corals like star polyps, pom pom xenia, leather, ricordae yuma and thats it, no LPS. Either way, do those Maxspect LEDs spread or do they just make a beam going down? how many would I need.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I don't want to go too crazy on lighting like said no sps or clam... I just want what I need to keep the anemone, and corals like star polyps, pom pom xenia, leather, ricordae yuma and thats it, no LPS. Either way, do those Maxspect LEDs spread or do they just make a beam going down? how many would I need.

I love LED lighting. Besides my tank, pretty much every bulb in the house is now LED. Be that as it may, except for direct from China (ebay, etc) they are pricey. I have raised Nems under VHO before and know others do same with T-5s. Lighting is important with them, but one does not have to have halides nor LEDs. A lot depends on the depth and water quality. In a dirty deep tank, would require high par lighting. In a shallow clean tank, not so much.

 

[Stomatopod]

I love LED lighting. Besides my tank, pretty much every bulb in the house is now LED. Be that as it may, except for direct from China (ebay, etc) they are pricey. I have raised Nems under VHO before and know others do same with T-5s. Lighting is important with them, but one does not have to have halides nor LEDs. A lot depends on the depth and water quality. In a dirty deep tank, would require high par lighting. In a shallow clean tank, not so much.

What light fixture do you recommend? i'm trying to go minimual cost wise I would love leds but I wouldn't be able to get one until after new years.. and I'll need two.

 

[Holygral]

I don't want to go too crazy on lighting like said no sps or clam... I just want what I need to keep the anemone, and corals like star polyps, pom pom xenia, leather, ricordae yuma and thats it, no LPS. Either way, do those Maxspect LEDs spread or do they just make a beam going down? how many would I need.

Have pretty much the same mix on my 125, 2 Razor 160 watt,





Taken with an iPhone

 

[Stomatopod]

Have pretty much the same mix on my 125, 2 Razor 160 watt,





Taken with an iPhone

That is a beautiful setup! Wait a second.. Can sailfin and yellow tangs really mix like that?

 

[Holygral]

That is a beautiful setup! Wait a second.. Can sailfin and yellow tangs really mix like that?

Lol, yes they all get along, the Sail and Yellow been together for ever, the Blue was a rescue 4 years ago.

 

[Stomatopod]

Lol, yes they all get along, the Sail and Yellow been together for ever, the Blue was a rescue 4 years ago.

Wow, was there any trick you did to get them to mix? My one lfs said they get along and the other LFS told me no look alike tangs together.

 

[Holygral]

Yea, I've heard that also, but never had any problems at all, they are all peaceful

 

[Stomatopod]

Yea, I've heard that also, but never had any problems at all, they are all peaceful

Is it a fish only reef or are there some inverts in there (minus the anemones)