Clown fish and Anemone

[Nighthawk]

Hi there, am interested in getting some clown fish but am wondering if
Anemone is a must to go along with the clown fish. Most articles i read
indicated i need a matching anemone, but here are a couple question that i
hope i can get an answer from experienced keeper.
Here's the spec for my tank :
55 gal tank
30 lbs live rock
Fluval 404 filter
Protein skmmer
1 Yellow Tang
1 damsel
1 Royal Gramma
1 Purple Head Firefish
1 36" PowerGlo ( 40W )

1) would the anemone sting my other fish in the tank?
2) what kind of anemone i should pick ( there seems to be so many different
kinds )? and one LFS tells me it's hard to match them up and i don't need an
anemone ( that's why i am confused ).
3) right now it's only a FOWLR tank, but plan to put in Coral in the future,
is it safe for teh anemone to be there?
4) Do i need to upgrade my lighting in order for the anemone to survive?

Thx in adavne for any help.

[Richard Reynolds]

> Hi there, am interested in getting some clown fish but am wondering if
> Anemone is a must to go along with the clown fish. Most articles i read
> indicated i need a matching anemone, but here are a couple question that i
> hope i can get an answer from experienced keeper.

to start with get better articles :D

there is absolutely no need for a clown to have an anemone, also mostly no need for an
anemone to have a clown. this is documented in several places try reefcentral to stear you
in the direction of at least 1 place.

now IF you want your clowns to "host" in an anemone your chances of a "host" relationship
are best IF you get one of the correct anemones for the clown.

> Here's the spec for my tank :
> 55 gal tank
> 30 lbs live rock
> Fluval 404 filter
> Protein skmmer
> 1 Yellow Tang
> 1 damsel
> 1 Royal Gramma
> 1 Purple Head Firefish
> 1 36" PowerGlo ( 40W )

this is no where near enough light for a anemone that takes a host.

> 1) would the anemone sting my other fish in the tank?

not really. maybee once without harm, then they will learn, and never again.

> 2) what kind of anemone i should pick ( there seems to be so many different
> kinds )? and one LFS tells me it's hard to match them up and i don't need an
> anemone ( that's why i am confused ).

see above about lighting, though its not hard to get them to "host"

> 3) right now it's only a FOWLR tank, but plan to put in Coral in the future,
> is it safe for teh anemone to be there?

yes.

> 4) Do i need to upgrade my lighting in order for the anemone to survive?

also see above, also note anemone's dont like nitrates so you will have to make sure yours
are low enough.

> Thx in adavne for any help.


--
Richard Reynolds

[Marc Levenson]

Hi Nighthawk,

You do not need an anemone to keep clownfish. And you can pretty much count on
only keeping two clownfish of the same species in your tank. They'll pair up
for life. Add more and one will be mercilessly mistreated and chased away.

Clownfish will host in almost anything when they like it. Green Star Polyps,
Featherdusters, Mushrooms, Algae...I've seen a ton of crazy pictures.

Your light is not only insufficient to care for an anemone, but would most
likely speed it to its death. And anemones need more than just survival, they
need to thrive. They can live in the ocean for 100 years or longer, and many
are killed in aquariums. Nitrates higher than 20ppm can poison it as well, so
unless you plan to make some major changes, I'd just get the clownfish and
enjoy.

Marc


Nighthawk wrote:

> Hi there, am interested in getting some clown fish but am wondering if
> Anemone is a must to go along with the clown fish. Most articles i read
> indicated i need a matching anemone, but here are a couple question that i
> hope i can get an answer from experienced keeper.
> Here's the spec for my tank :
> 55 gal tank
> 30 lbs live rock
> Fluval 404 filter
> Protein skmmer
> 1 Yellow Tang
> 1 damsel
> 1 Royal Gramma
> 1 Purple Head Firefish
> 1 36" PowerGlo ( 40W )
>
> 1) would the anemone sting my other fish in the tank?
> 2) what kind of anemone i should pick ( there seems to be so many different
> kinds )? and one LFS tells me it's hard to match them up and i don't need an
> anemone ( that's why i am confused ).
> 3) right now it's only a FOWLR tank, but plan to put in Coral in the future,
> is it safe for teh anemone to be there?
> 4) Do i need to upgrade my lighting in order for the anemone to survive?
>
> Thx in adavne for any help.

--
Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com

[Taff]

marc,
you have a great way with words it is a pleasure to read your posts
Taff
"Marc Levenson" > wrote in message
...
> Hi Nighthawk,
>
> You do not need an anemone to keep clownfish. And you can pretty much
count on
> only keeping two clownfish of the same species in your tank. They'll pair
up
> for life. Add more and one will be mercilessly mistreated and chased
away.
>
> Clownfish will host in almost anything when they like it. Green Star
Polyps,
> Featherdusters, Mushrooms, Algae...I've seen a ton of crazy pictures.
>
> Your light is not only insufficient to care for an anemone, but would most
> likely speed it to its death. And anemones need more than just survival,
they
> need to thrive. They can live in the ocean for 100 years or longer, and
many
> are killed in aquariums. Nitrates higher than 20ppm can poison it as
well, so
> unless you plan to make some major changes, I'd just get the clownfish and
> enjoy.
>
> Marc
>
>
> Nighthawk wrote:
>
> > Hi there, am interested in getting some clown fish but am wondering if
> > Anemone is a must to go along with the clown fish. Most articles i read
> > indicated i need a matching anemone, but here are a couple question that
i
> > hope i can get an answer from experienced keeper.
> > Here's the spec for my tank :
> > 55 gal tank
> > 30 lbs live rock
> > Fluval 404 filter
> > Protein skmmer
> > 1 Yellow Tang
> > 1 damsel
> > 1 Royal Gramma
> > 1 Purple Head Firefish
> > 1 36" PowerGlo ( 40W )
> >
> > 1) would the anemone sting my other fish in the tank?
> > 2) what kind of anemone i should pick ( there seems to be so many
different
> > kinds )? and one LFS tells me it's hard to match them up and i don't
need an
> > anemone ( that's why i am confused ).
> > 3) right now it's only a FOWLR tank, but plan to put in Coral in the
future,
> > is it safe for teh anemone to be there?
> > 4) Do i need to upgrade my lighting in order for the anemone to
survive?
> >
> > Thx in adavne for any help.
>
> --
> Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
> Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
> Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com
>
>