[AKSE]

Hey everyone, I figured since about a month or two ago I got a 55g Acrylic saltwater tank, it was time to sign up for a marine forum. I am only about 7 weeks into the whole marine aquarium hobby, but I have gotten it down well and am enjoying it greatly.

When I got my aquarium, it already had two mated Ocellaris clowns in it (or maybe Fake Oc., I can't quite recall) and they have been hosted in/around a castle since even the previous owner had them. Just today I got a Spotted Watchman Goby, a Bicolor Pseudochromis, and a Bubbletip Anemone. I acclimated them all correctly and they seem to be doing fine for being in the tank about two hours now. My questions for right now are: When I introduced my anemone to the tank, I placed it on the liverock floor next to a few rocks and it hasn't moved from where it was placed. Should I move it onto a rock or ledge, or is it possible that Bubbletips can do fine just on the gravel floor? Also, my clownfish don't seem interested in it at all yet, as they are just always around and in the castle. Any feedback about this, or the other tankmates I just added would be great.

Thanks in advance, and I'm looking forward to becoming a part of this forum.

[leebca]

WELCOME TO REEFLAND!

I moved your post from where you posted it (in the Saltwater (fish only) Forum) to the Reef Aquariums Forum where hopefully, it will get more attention.

I would advise, from my perspective, that you are going too fast. You should be adding one marine life specimen to your aquarium at a rate no faster than one item per 6 weeks. You will find that patience and slow goes a lot further. Second, you want to know how to take care of marine life before you invite one home. The advice given to you by your local fish store (LFS) may not always be the best advice. Another reason to take it slowly.

Feel free to look around here and check out some of the other posts you may find helpful by clicking on this link: Table/Contents - Link List

[Ninong]

Hi AKSE,

When I got my aquarium, it already had two mated Ocellaris clowns in it (or maybe Fake Oc., I can't quite recall)...

Ocellaris clowns (Amphiprion ocellaris) are sometimes called False Percula clownfish. I think you're a bit confused here because there are no clownfish that are commonly called Fake Ocellaris clowns.

My questions for right now are: When I introduced my anemone to the tank, I placed it on the liverock floor next to a few rocks and it hasn't moved from where it was placed. Should I move it onto a rock or ledge...

No, I wouldn't move it. If it wants to move, it will move on its own. This species, Entacmaea quadricolor, prefers to locate its foot in a crack or crevice of the rock structure so that just the tentacles are exposed. In reef tanks, it will sometimes choose a location where the rock structure meets the sandbed. It will insert its foot underneath the rock structure. Other times they may choose to locate higher up in the rock structure. It depends on where they find the water current and lighting suitable to their needs, provided the location also allows them to hide their foot and most of their column from the light.

Be aware that this animal will wander around the tank and that exposed powerhead intakes can be dangerous to their health. Usually they will settle down into one spot eventually.

If your clownfish are A. ocellaris, there is a good possibility that they will eventually accept your BTA as a host. If they are A. percula, the possibility of them accepting it as a host is really very low. This anemone is not a natural host to either Ocellaris or Percula clownfish but it is usually accepted by Ocellaris clowns in captivity.

Check out this article by Dr. Ron Shimek on the care of E-quads.

[AKSE]

Thanks alot for the quick replies! Is there any easy way to tell the difference between a Percula and Ocellaris? Doesn't one or the other have a black stripe between the white and orange on their bodies, where one does not? Also one more question, how strong of a current should I provide my anemone? A calm-moderate where it's tentacles are hanging and slightly erect and waving, or a moderate-strong current where it's tentacles are nearly all erect and waving around? Sorry for these newbie questions, I just want to make sure I'm doing the best I can for these animals!


Also, my BTA is about 1" or 1.5" in diameter. I fed him a chunk of my frozen slurry (shrimp blended with aquarium water and put in freezer) which was about .25" in diameter and he took it in and ate it. Does that size of food sound suitable? And how frequent should I feed him his set amount? 2-3 times a week?

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by AKSE

Is there any easy way to tell the difference between a Percula and Ocellaris?

That question comes up a lot. I believe we discussed it last in this thread.

Also one more question, how strong of a current should I provide my anemone?

There are two different strains of Entacmaea quadricolor in the wild and they live in different habitats. The colonial strain lives in shallower water that is more turbulent and the solitary strain lives in deeper water. To answer your question, moderate flow would suffice for any E-quads, however, I have seen some of them kept in areas of fairly strong flow.

Sorry for these newbie questions, I just want to make sure I'm doing the best I can for these animals!

Just remember to make sure you don't have any exposed powerheads in your tank. This is how new BTA owners usually run into problems with this species. And be sure to read that article by Dr. Ron Shimek.

Also, my BTA is about 1" or 1.5" in diameter. I fed him a chunk of my frozen slurry (shrimp blended with aquarium water and put in freezer) which was about .25" in diameter and he took it in and ate it. Does that size of food sound suitable? And how frequent should I feed him his set amount? 2-3 times a week?

That sounds about right on both counts. Yes, two to three times a week is the usual recommendation for this anemone. It's best to not feed them two days in a row, so every other day would be the most you would want to feed them and twice a week would be the minimum.

If you want to know what to feed them, just ask zhenya. He bought a nice little rose BTA about five years ago and he fed it regularly. And then it split. So he fed both of them. And then they split. And so on. And on. And on.



This is zhenya's 110-gal tank. His rose BTA pretty much took over the entire tank. There are now more than three dozen of them in there.