Feeding your Anemone?

Fishfriends,

I like the points you made.  There are some very resposible reef keepers that we know in our club, who are way against buying anemones.  I applaud them for there efforts.  It is funny to me, because in a another topic going on here on this board it was just suggest that someone buy an anemone for their perc to save it from being harassed.  However, many people would say "let the fish get harassed and die, you will save dozens more by doing so".  They (and you) are probably right.

Oh yah, you are also right that anemones are not friendly creatures.  Mine is a fish killing machine!

Adam

Well, I can only speak about my Entacmea quadricolors (Bubble tip anemones).  In my tank these anemones can't be killed, don't require any direct feeding, have never moved (except stretching towards the light and to adjacent rocks after dividing) and are quite friendly to non-anemone fish that brush their tentacles often... 
They also grow and split like weeds (second only to Xenia ).  I started out with 1 about 5 years ago and now have 4 in my 75 gallon tank.  I've sold or given away another 5.  The only negative for me is the distant placement of other corals around them and being able to remove the rocks they attach to when I want to take one out of the tank.

My Premnas biaculeatus (Maroon anemone fish) pair love and visit each one of them every several minutes.  I can't imagine not having an anemone in my reef tank...

As far as anemones living to a hundred years, you bring up some good points. I would imagine that tagging an anemone would prove to be difficult, especially a hundred years ago. It's either true or false though, right. So if it is true than its got to be documented somewhere and with enough research I am sure we could find the answer. if its false it can go into the huge pile of myths that surrounds the aquarium hobby. And 'yes' I do think that with the right technology and understanding you could keep an anemone alive and reproducing as it would in the wild. And ultimately help save an endangered species. I'm am %100 for that. hmm, thats why we are all here at the WMAS isn't it or atleast I hope we are.... I also don't recall me posting that aquariums as a whole were unsuitable for anemones...hang on let me check......nope not in there. I was saying that most aquarists (and, no the WMAS is not most aquarists but rather a tiny fraction of them) Slam them in their tank, check the water levels, check the lights, and set the current with little or no other research. Sad but true. Which most of the time results in an unhappy anemone or a short lived one.  Allow me to further clarify, yes the aquarium is suitable as long as it is done right. If your anemones are happy, which you are correct in saying its pretty much visual, then press on and more power to ya.

yes, I too have seen 'host anemones' get along. I have also seen an ocelleris clown get along with a volitan lion fish. I just wouldn't recommend it thats all. And yes host anemones get along great without a clown and vis versa. I have a breeding pair of perculas that don't have a host. Not a deal at all in the aquarium or controlled environment but I think there was a 'wild' in my previous post... oh yep, that ones there too. I have never seen a host anemone clownless in the 'wild', and I don't know anybody who has. If you have, then you are the first that I know of. Granted I don't know a lot of people though.

I am not trying to argue or sound like I am arguing I was just trying to clear up some possible misunderstandings. I do support aquarium husbandry and reproduction of anemones, fish, corals, inverts so on and so forth. I just am a little concerned at what it takes to get to that point where we can save a species. In example I've killed off six host anemones (and I'm truely sorry for it) before I pulled my head out my butt and did some research. I since have maintained and grown a beautiful sebae which has been in my possession for four years now. So I've still got to make up for atleast twelve now. The six I killed and six more to replace the holes in the ocean that those six came from. It's gonna take me awhile but I gonna try. I might be right in saying that most people would say oops, oh well, the ones still in the ocean can just have more babies. Maybe I just care to much I dunno.

Quick note i forgot to mention. The 'path of destruction' was probably some strong words to use. And all anemones do not have the same potent level of venom. A sebae could float, fly, walk, run, drift or whatever you want to call it with no adverse affects. I just happened to have a purple tube anemone once that let go and killed off 2 hammer corals, killed half of a plate coral and one bubble coral. I still have the skeletons if you'd like them. To some of you that may not seem like a lot, but to me it was a 'path of destruction'.

Thank you guys for your time its been a great discussion so far.

Fishfriends, thank you for your posts.  It is apparent that you have done your homework on anemones.  These are some of the most substantive posts on anemones that have read and they clarified several points I have been wondering about.

You recomended Dr. Shiemeks book.  Is there any other reading on anemones you would suggest?