Condy Anemone

[Samper]

This exerpt is from liveaquaria.com. This is what they have to say about the condy anemone.


"The Condy Anemone requires strong light and should never be purchased if a good lighting system is not in place. It will do well in an aquarium with live rock and several crustaceans. Although a Condy requires a reef environment, it is not the best suited for the reef aquarium. The Condy Anemone moves around the tank and has a sting that can inflict grave damage to other anemones and corals. Do not include its natural predators such as the Red-Leg Hermit Crab. Unlike other anemones, the Condy Anemone does not have a relationship with any particular fish, and it is rare for any type of clownfish or damsel to reside within them."

My questions are these.

With a frogspawn, various mushrooms, xenias and yellow polyps would I be wise to remove this condy of mine? He is about the size of a baseball when fully open. Also I have in the past seen a percula warm up to one but from what I read this is rare. Have any of you had any luck with this anemone and a clown. I would like a blue stripe maroon but have only seen it one time. Any ideas on the subject? The condy was cheap so I have no problems removing him to another tank.

[Ninong]

I don't think a Condylactis gigantea is a good choice for a 20-gal reef tank. They are very hardy, as anemones go, but they do get rather large. I guess that's why they are called "gigantea." Also, they have been known to eat small fish if given the opportunity. According to Joyce Wilkerson in Clownfishes, they are sometimes accepted by Maroons, Clark's and Tomatoes.

It would probably be better to hold off on an anemone until you get a larger tank.

[Samper]

With the fish I have I am not too worried about him eating them. I was just worried about him stinging his tankmates cause he does like to move around. If you have heard about a maroon developing a relationship with them then I think I will give it a try. If I have to I will put him in another tank.

[Ninong]

With the fish I have I am not too worried about him eating them. I was just worried about him stinging his tankmates cause he does like to move around.

Maybe you would be more worried if he were larger, say 12" across? How about 20" across? It's not likely that it will get to be 20" across in your tank but that is the maximum size for C. gigantea. They are dirt cheap because they just pick them up in shallow water in Florida.

[Samper]

I am slowly and painfully I might add learning to research better......