"Croosh" wrote on 27 Jan 2006 11:1:
For some time I've been thinking about getting bubble-tip anemone for
my tank.
My tank is about 1.5 years old and has a pair of Clark's clowns

BTAs (aka Entacmaea quadricolor) are natural hosts for Clark's clowns, so
that ought to work out fine.

yellow tang and a pair of Mandarins.

Anemones could (but usually don't) eat Mandarins.

I think that water conditions are good enough for this anemone, but I'm
concerned about thriving population of bristle worms and all kinds of
pods, sidewinder shrimp and so on (i.e. can they be harmful to
anemones?)

Other way around. Anemones in captivity die from problems of light, water
conditions, or sometimes feeding or current. But as for other tank mates,
it's almost always the other way around. Anemones are some of the
(relatively) most deadly creatures. You're far more likely to find the
anemone eating or stinging something else, than you ever will finding another
tankmate bothering the anemone.

Sometimes a large clownfish will harass/molest a small anemone. I also once
got a long-spined sea urchin, and it devoured one of my rose BTAs with about
10 minutes of being put in the tank.

But as for the other stuff (worms, pods, shrimp), they won't bother the
anemone at all, and some will probably be occasional food.

Also, will this anemone kill corals while wandering around?

Could happen, yes. This is one of the problems with keeping them. Once they
get to a home they like (good light, current, base cave to hold on to and
retreat in, etc.), they tend to stay in one spot (for years and years).

But until they're happy, they can easily walk or even float/drift all over
the place. And sting anything they come in contact with on the way.

I'm aware about the controversy related to keeping anemones in captivity

BTAs can be captive raised (I had one that split into three), but most likely
the one in your LFS is wild caught.

They live centuries ("forever"?) in the wild, but life expectancy in most
aquaria is weeks or months. And they reproduce and grow slowly.

but in case of this LFS, the thing will dye anyway

Not much of an excuse. If you buy it, the LFS will surely acquire more,
since there is a market for them. Whereas, if nobody buys them, and they just
die in the LFS, then the LFS will stop ordering them.

Also, one of my local LFS also has "albino Sabae". Some time ago I saw
a posting from a guy that managed to get his Sabae to restore the
algae. Is this worth the effort, or the guy (anemone) is a goner?

Can be saved, but takes a lot of effort. Mostly, target feeding a variety of
meaty foods, and keeping it under bright light, until it can regenerate its
algae.

A task not to be taken lightly (or by novices).

-- Don
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
Don Geddis http://reef.geddis.org/
Markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent.
-- John Maynard Keynes