Anenamone help

[ashpont]

Hello sorry to seem stuuuuupid,

I have never kept an anenamone and clown fish before does any one have any advice on how to look after them or have any links to good online articles about how to care for them??

Any help would be cool.

[jacksonpt]

Depends on the type of anemone.

Most require strong lighting to thrive in the long run, a minimum of 6-7 watts per gallon. bubble tip anemones are different though, they seem happiest in the 4-6wpg range. Anemones require very high water quality and stability, and frequent meaty foods.

The two main problems people have keeping anemones is 1) getting a healty specimen, and 2) keeping it nourished. Since it sounds like you already have an anemone, there's not much you can do about #1. As for #2, get a variety of fresh, uncooked seafood from your local supermarket. Squid, shrimp, and scallops are a good place to start. Take them home, cut them into smallish peices (the size will depend on the size of your anemone - small enough for it to swallow them). Then freeze it. Every other day, feed the anemone 1-2 pieces of your "frozen anemone delight". Make sure that no fish take the food while the anemone is trying to eat. Another popular, healthy food item is frozen silversides from your LFS.

Good luck.

[ashpont]

Thanx very much for your help. I havent got one yet but im considering it, ill probably buy a book on the subject first. Thanx again for your help! Just one more question: What kind of water movement do they tolerate and how much?

[jacksonpt]

Ah, you are researching first... good choice.

If you are buying one from and LFS, check to see if it has it's foot anchored to anything - either a rock, the glass, burried in the sand, watever... just so long as it's not just lying there. Also, check to see if its tentacles are sticky or tacky. They should have some stick/tack to them. My old BTA never had enough of a sting for me to notice, so you shouldn't have to worry about the sting (different anemones have different stings, so do some research about this as well). An anchored foot and sticky tentacles are good indications that the anemone is healthy. I would avoid any specimen that does not meet these criteria.

As for flow, generally the like light to moderate flow. They will move around the tank until they find a place that has current that is to their liking. Just try to have some spots where they is very little flow, and some spots where there is a more moderate flow. The anemone will find a place where it's happy. If you are using powerheads for your current, be careful. Anemones are notorius for getting suck into powerheads.

Good luck.

[ashpont]

Thanx Again

ASH