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| 3) What is the age of the tank? | | |
IMO this is of little consequence.
- To some extent but I think you need to wait atleast 6 months to let you tank settle down before even thinking of an anemone. And then you need to double check all parameters before adding any.
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| 5) Dissolved organics - are these under control with a good skimmer? | | |
IMO the terms "under control" and "good skimmer" are totally different from one person to the next. Beyond that, over skimming could be an issue for a filter feeding. FWIW, there are plenty of happy skimmerless anemones out there.
- Probably, but I think its always better to err on the side of overskimming than underskimming or not skimming at all. Also this would depend on the tolerance of the anemone species. FOr example, my LTA freaks out a lot earlier than my BTAs when water quality declines. Maybe there are a few people who have nurtured anemones without a skimmer (and there surely are reasons for their success) but I prefer the skimmer route. Its made a world of difference to the health of my anemone.
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| 7) Lighting - Depending on species the type and amount of light required may vary. Taller tanks may need MH for greater penetration. Also a minimum of 4 Watts/Gallon is a MUST. Try and provide maximum lighting. 6 W/G and above is ideal | | |
I believe watts/gallon is a meaningless standard. Intensity of light on the animal is all that matters. Indirect shaded light in 10000w/gal tank is still just indirect shaded light. Conversely, an anemone would be happy in a 10000 gallon tank at 1w/gal if it were right under the light. Ultimately, the BTA will likely find one of the highest/brightest spots in the tank and take up residence.
Personally I recommend MH lights. From what I've seen BTAs do MUCH better with them.
- agreed with the MH option. Anemone happy with 1 w/g if it were the right kind? 
...Hmmmm...not totally sure about that. But I agree that its better to have more light and preferably MH and if the anemone needs shade it can always seek it.
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| 11) Clownfishes can be cute but also a pain sometimes when trying to feed an anemone as they can pilfer food. This is not always the case but is common. | | |
I've seen this happen. But I've also seen clowns pull food out of the current and toss it in the anemone. Ultimately, I feel that a hosted clown will do far more good than harm.
- Probably in 95% of the cases. In my situation it was doing more bad than good and I sold a clarkii off to save to my LTA. Now I have an ocellaris that is much better behaved. I guess you just have to observe how the partnership develops. Its usually good but just because I have experienced otherwise I thought I should mention it. Some people just go and buy a clown when they find their anemone looks not so good. IMO, there are root causes for poor anemone health and most likely not because of the absence of a clown.
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| 12) Water changes of about 7-10% per week is good | | |
This is an opinion about reefkeeping in general. Some believe it, some dont. Like my skimmer opinion, it's not hard to find happy old-water anemones.
Agreed - but this would be a tank to tank thing. It all depends on the quality of the water and how well the ecosystem is balanced. When its not, then you have trouble.
Thanks for the discussion Chris, I liked it and I think a lot of people will benifit from reading it as well. Ciao!!
Jake.
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