Nems

[Joshifer]

Now before everyone sets me on fire. It's a question lol

 

So I managed this clam. My perams don't swing. I obsessively check everything. My wife tells me why don't you just get inside it lol. Anyway.

 

Do you think I can handle a hardy CLONE nem?

I hear bubble tips are tough. But I hate that they move around I'm a perfectionist it's gonna sit In a corner I don't want it in.

 

Nitrates are somewhere between 2 and 5PPM tomorrow I'm doing my weekly 3 gallon water change so they'll probably drop to undetectable. I have a LPS dominate tank and everything is growing like weeds.

 

I have spin streams so that's nem proof but I have a nano koralia I think it's 425? Very small slits. Think a nem could get sucked into that?

 

Or should I get a mini carpet nem. But their tentacles are short I like long tentacle corals/nems. Kim told me long tentacle plate corals are hard to keep alive.

 

Or a condy?.

 

Or a long tentacle nem. I saw A HUGE one at petco for $30. But my clowns are too small it'll swallow them if they host it. But they don't host anything. Their everywhere.

 

Again these are questions I'm not gonna go buy a nem tomorrow and throw in it. They scare me. Cus if it dies it takes the ship down with it.

Edited September 23, 2016 by Joshifer

[zygote2k]

Josh- Slow Down.

Your tank is still new, the corals and clam have only been in your tank for less than 2 months. Your water chemistry has only been stable for a short period of time.

Relax, breathe out, and enjoy what you have instead of trying to pack that little tank full of stuff. 

Didn't you say that you were going to set up a bigger tank next year?, If so, wait till then.

[MeghanisradxD]

Take it from somebody who kept putting anemones in their tank way too early when starting out. Give it some time. Get the corals looking good and steadily growing first. Anemones can be finicky, even in established tanks.

 

When you do decide you're ready for a nem, I have found that bubble tips are the easiest to keep for me. I had a few condys and they ended up eating fish or just going haywire and dying out. I've never had luck with them. I've had 2 RBTAs in my tank for about 6 months now and they are looking great and split frequently. It's all about stability for them.

Edited September 23, 2016 by MeghanisradxD

[madweazl]

The chances of an anemone staying where YOU put it is slim. It will seek the conditions it desires.

 

An anemone can get into any pump that doesnt have a foam cover. The trick is placing it in a location most like what if find in nature and hope it stays put. I have no rock touch glass, this helps prevent the anemone from moving directly to the glass but provides no insurance should the anemone bail out and become free floating.

 

Maxi minis can provide shelter for anemone crabs which can look pretty awesome.

 

Condylactus anemones are generally roamers. They can pack a mean punch if they come in contact with other inverts.

 

LTA wont be any different than any other anemone.

 

Finally, I've never bought into the six month rule for anemones. If your environment is stable, it is stable (edit to add: if this is dumb luck or good husbandry is for you to determine, just be prepared for the consequences of killing things if you're wrong). My tank is less than four months old and the RBTA is doing quite well. It stayed put for quite a while but just recently started to move higher in the aquarium (probably in search of more intense lighting). I moved a coral out of its path a couple days ago. I'm slowly bumping the intensity of the lighting (3-5% a week in gradual increments) in an attempt to keep everything happy (so far so good) and have shifted the spectrum a bit too (I typically wouldnt change two things simultaneously). Additionally, I wouldnt use a splitting anemone as a measure of health (typically a sign of over feeding in my experience).

 

Edit: Finally, like stated earlier in this thread, slow down.

Edited September 23, 2016 by madweazl

[mogurnda]

1.  Slow down.  

2.  Your tank is a 20 gallon, no?  Condylactis, LTAs, and BTAs are likely to spread out and roast everything in a wide radius, once they are settled in and happy.  This is assuming they don't move.  IMO, corals and anemones don't mix in small tanks.

[Joshifer]

Everybody skipped the parts that I said it's a question. And I'm not doing it because they scare me lol

 

Honestly. I don't find them attractive. (The ones I saw anyway) And I view them as ticking time bombs. That could blow the tank at any given time.

 

My questions are always rhetorical. I'm very curious by nature. They may come off as "oh I'm doing this". Their not.

I also seem to come off as I'm always defending myself. I'm not. Lol.

 

As for the clam. That was my wife. I tried returning it and was very afraid and hesitant to put it in the tank but it stood 2 hours in a betta cup. It was. Die in the cup or hopefully survive in my tank. The clam is actually for sale as we speak.

 

Thanks everyone for your Info

Edited September 23, 2016 by Joshifer

[Jon Lazar]

Josh, you asked "Do you think I can handle a hardy clone nem?"

 

"Slow down" is a friendly and supportive way of answering your question with a "no."

 

It's great to see your enthusiasm and obvious love of the hobby.  I mean it.  But the others are responding with the benefit of their combined experience, and their observation of other aquarists.

 

Good luck!

[madweazl]

Everybody skipped the parts that I said it's a question. And I'm not doing it because they scare me lol

 

Honestly. I don't find them attractive. (The ones I saw anyway) And I view them as ticking time bombs. That could blow the tank at any given time.

 

My questions are always rhetorical. I'm very curious by nature. They may come off as "oh I'm doing this". Their not.

I also seem to come off as I'm always defending myself. I'm not. Lol.

 

As for the clam. That was my wife. I tried returning it and was very afraid and hesitant to put it in the tank but it stood 2 hours in a betta cup. It was. Die in the cup or hopefully survive in my tank. The clam is actually for sale as we speak.

 

Thanks everyone for your Info

If you dont find them attractive, why inquire about adding one to your system?

 

What makes you think they're a "ticking timebomb?"

[Joshifer]

Josh, you asked "Do you think I can handle a hardy clone nem?"

 

"Slow down" is a friendly and supportive way of answering your question with a "no."

 

It's great to see your enthusiasm and obvious love of the hobby. I mean it. But the others are responding with the benefit of their combined experience, and their observation of other aquarists.

 

Good luck!

Rhetorical question. Can I handle a nem

[Joshifer]

If you dont find them attractive, why inquire about adding one to your system?

 

What makes you think they're a "ticking timebomb?"

I read a lot. And if they die for whatever reason. They take the ship down with them. Most the time anyway

[Origami]

I read a lot. And if they die for whatever reason. They take the ship down with them. Most the time anyway

That's not quite true. It really depends on the amount of non-water (organic) mass you're dealing with in most cases. You'd be surprised how little non-water mass there is in some of these creatures. You're more likely to have a lot of water pollution from the unexpected shredding of a sea cucumber. Other things can nuke a tank through release of toxins. You're unlikely to see much of that from an anemone dying. Most of the problem will be from organic material decaying. Of course, that can happen if a fish or even a shrimp dies if your biological filtration is not up to the task of handling the resulting ammonia/nitrite/nitrate spike (if you don't get to it early enough, that is). 

 

From the standpoint of if you're ready or not, I'd say give it some time so that you practice your husbandry skills some more and over an extended period of time. Then, when you get a larger tank, maybe you'll be more prepared. Mogurnda gave some good advice that's easily overlooked: Some species of anemones can get large. Some, if they thrive, could easily cover half or more of a 20-gallon tank. (In that case, a sudden death/dissolution of an anemone that size in a small tank could be a problem. Again, much of the problem is going to be about organic decay.)  That's not good news for corals within stinging distance. Plus, they can move around if they don't like where you've put them (for flow or light or whatever). So wait. Practice your husbandry skills. And continue reading and researching. Look at the various species and their needs, as well as the challenges of raising each. Then, when you get a larger tank, if you decide you're ready, go for it. Any time we introduce something into our tanks, we run the risk of our being unsuccessful and it dying. We mitigate that risk by doing our homework, knowing our tank, honestly evaluating our readiness, and avoiding impulse buys.

[Origami]

Now if this guy's anemone(s) all died off, he'd have a problem with water quality.

 

[madweazl]

Poor tang, no safe place LOL.

[AlanM]

I've killed a nem before.  Unless the water parameters are horrible what they seem to do in my limited experience is get smaller and smaller until you can't find them anymore.  I've heard stories of them moving around and getting in a powerhead, but it doesn't seem to happen too often. The advice to take it easy and enjoy your current success for a while is good, though.  Moving fast invites disaster.