Anenomes in a reef?

[ponokareefer]

I was wondering what peoples experiences on here have been with anenomes in a reef system. I have read a lot of "experts" articles on the subject, but was wondering what actual experiences were. Do carpets really eat anything? I have seen pictures of bta's in the middle of a bunch of corals. Do they not sting anything even remotely close to it? Have people experienced their corals being wiped out as an anenome "wonders" for a new home? I was really wanting to get an anenome, but are the "experts" correct in saying that it is a really bad idea to have an anenome in a reef?

[BC564]

I have a small ( 1.5 - 2") anenome in my tank.....and he does wonder around a bit but stays in his littlel area of about 6" diameter section. I just placed everything else away from that section and all seems fine. I have cleaner shrimp that actually pull food out of him when he closes up to eat. I have had no problems with having him in there at all....mine was a hitchhiker on a live rock.

[i have crabs]

i have a big condi, it dosent wonder much but it has a arm span of about 15" and what ever it touches shrivles up for a bit.its quit anoying not being able to use half my tank since i have to keep a foot and a half bare around the center of the tank.

[ponokareefer]

What kind of anenome do you have BC564?

[Delphinus]

The answer to your questions I don't think are as straightforward as you hope.

Obviously anemones live on reefs in the wild, so why not in reef tanks?

But then you have to measure out the balance.

Indeed, a BTA will sting anything it touches. Some things may tolerate it more than others. But eventually things like LPS, SPS, will start to recede in the areas of contact.

You generally need a buffer zone around the anemone. This can be a challenge with new anemones and new anemone keepers because if conditions aren't to their liking the anemones will wander.

Each species of anemone has its own preferences as to where they will want to reside. Some like the bottom, some like crevasses, some like sand, some like rock, some like the top. Some are more demanding, some are more forgiving. It's a HUGE spectrum of things to know, but as long as you do your homework and be reasonable with your choices you can have a lot of success in this area. (You can have a lot of stress too, so again the emphasis is knowing what you want.)

Oh and yes, a carpet will eat fish if given the opportunity. Sometimes not, but it's a crapshoot. Basically if a fish blunders into a carpet, then it's game-on. Lots of stories of carpets killing/eating large fish.

[RicePaddy]

When I purchased my GBTA I put her where I though she would look best and moved everything else out of the way. For the first week she was moving around looking for that right spot while expanding and contracting. It is amazing how big they can get when they are fully opened. After about a month I noticed there was little to no movement, she had found her spot. In the fifth week I started to move the other LPS around making sure that they are not placed to close to my Anemone.

I love watching the Clown GBTA interaction the how the cleaner shrimp temp death to try and steel my GBTA's meals from it grasp. Till this day Jacque and Jolene have been unsuccessful in their attempts.

Will

[Chad]

I have a nice big RBTA in my tank, maybe 6" across during the day?, I have corals all around him, they don't seem to mind and none are receeding. So, not sure what to make of that

He has not moved in over 1.5yrs

[bassman]

I agree with Delphinus.

I have two anemones in my tank right now. They don't move around much, not presently anyways. It looks as though they have found their "happy place". When they do move it's a bit frustrating.

When they move you have a few options.
1. Move the corals that the anemone decides to sit next to. It's not always that simple though. Some are attached to the rock and some might be glued in place.
2. Poke the anemone softly with some tubing or something until it moves away. However, if it wants to be in that spot due to water flow or lighting it will come back time and time again.
3. Barricade them with rocks. Which is not easily done.

I have noticed that some of my corals shrink up when touched by the anemones and others don't seem bothered at all. Right now I have a cluster of pulsing xenias sitting right beside my purple tip anemone and they seem just fine.

Keep in mind that anemones can get very large, mine have grown quite a bit since I got them. My purple tip is approx. 7 inches across right now, it was 3 six months ago.

[BC564]

I have tried to find pics of it on the net and the closest I found was a Rose Bulb anemone....mine is pale pink....

this site is good www.liveaquaria.com

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

In my 220g, I have an "Anemone Wall". It's in the back, just to the left of center. On it lives several large & small RBTAs, BTAs, LTAs, and purple tipped brown Sebae anemones.

(BTW, most of the purple tipped LTAs LFS sell are actually Sebae anemone & brown sebaes are the only ones that generally survive, not those beautiful white with pink tipped bleached out ones)

Knock on wood, but I have had fairly good success with keeping anemones with corals but I work at home & keep a very close eye on things in the tank, which most people can't do. I have a friend whose RBTA wandered all over his 175g bowfront, stinging & killing off several expensive corals.

I guess the ideal is to set up a species tank for anemones. Unfortunately, most of us are not in the position (or inclination) to do that. Second best would be, if you really want to mix anemones & corals, to put the anemone into a lightly stocked (coral-wise) reef tank & give it lots of space. Be very observant about its behaviour during the first couple of weeks because that's when its most likely going to move. I found that once my anemones found a spot they like, they are pretty good about staying put.

BTW, some of my anemones may expand to dinner plate size (12-14") so take that into consideration.

Anthony