anemeone

How long do you typically wait to add a anemone to newly cycled tank?

3 weeks with live sand, live rock from 3 other tanks and 1/3 live water.

Edited by lockdown - September 20 2008 at 5:25pm

depending on what kind you want. i have waited as less as a week.

3+ months is my typical answer, but since you used good live stuff to start with you may go ahead and add any anemone now. Since Condylactis are the least expensive that's what I would start with. (I now have a Condy that is three times as large as when I bought it when my current tank was a month old. I also have 3 BTA's in that same 75 gal.) Be sure to have some Macroalgae growing in the system and to use AC for 1-2 weeks each month. 

Oh and if you have powerheads, either make a screen cage to surround the intake screen (I can post pics of this) or watch closely that the anemone doesn't go too near a powerhead to get sucked in.

In a tank that is friendly to an anemone, it should attach within hours or even minutes. Find a hole or crack in the rocks in a lower flow area to place it in. Or create a good depression in the sand at the base of a rock, set it there and cover it almost completely with sand to keep it from blowing away and it will attach to the rock and then move to where the flow and rock surface are to it's liking.

Most anemones like to live in a spot where they can retract almost out of sight whenever they feel the need.


Edited by Mark Peterson - September 22 2008 at 9:43am

The simplest method I have found to use AC is to drop a fist sized bag of it right next to the return pump intake strainer. The bag can be a piece of Bridal Veil fabric which costs like $1/yd at the fabric store - so much cheaper than buying little $4 media bags at the LFS. Simply gather the sides of the bridal veil together and wrap with an elastic. Don't forget to rinse the dust out first.