Saddle Carpet or Corkscrew?

[NCADAM]

Hi All,

Looking for advice to move forward with a Saddle Carpet or Corkscrew Anemone in my tank. I have done BTA' S for years but they cloned too often for me. I had six clones at one time before I removed and sold them to the LFS. Anyhow I have a 12 year old tank which just about pristine conditions and only 2 fish at this time. Running an LED system with good par ratings, multiple power heads, refugium and sump, reef octopus skimmer. Thoughts on anenone choice with experience greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[ThRoewer]

What fish do you have in that tank? Gobies, jawfish, and many other bottom dwellers will sooner or later become anemone food in tanks with haddoni.
I have no first hand experience with LTAs, but they are less dangerous to fish.
Otherwise haddoni are pretty easy as long as you have deep enough sand and sufficient light. But same should go for LTAs.

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[NCADAM]

I currently have 1 Sapphire Damsel and 1 Tailspot Blenny...would add 2 saddlebacks after Haddoni settles in. My sand bed is 4.5 to 5 in on one side and 3.5 to 4.5 on the other side of the tank. I have 2 Current Pro LEDS that support SPA coral propagation so I think I am good on PAR levels.

[ThRoewer]

If you want to put a pair of saddlebacks (Amphiprion polymnus) into your tank then you would need to get a haddoni as that is their preferred host. The sand you have should be enough.
The damsel should be safe. The blenny could be at risk if he decides to sit down on the anemone, but the risk for that is limited if there are anemonefish in the anemone.

BTW, you know that polymnus get large and can be aggressive, right?

[OrionN]

I would stay away from Saddleback clowns. They are extremely rough on Haddoni. I am the type of reefer that never have hungry fish but my Saddle back clowns would digs INTO the Haddoni and often live inside the anemone. There they often rip chunks of the anemone and eat it. I have keep anemones for years 20+ years and have anemones that are 12+ year old.

My Saddle back clown kill one of my Green Haddoni, and about to kill my Blue Haddoni before I gave up on them, took them to LFS and vowed never have Saddle back Clown in my tank again.


I hope I never have the opportunity to tell you "I told you so"

[NCADAM]

Yeah I did see some note of that in a article or two. My other thought was 2 Pink Skunks perhaps. All the others out there are also very aggressive as I am not an OC or Percula fan. Any other thoughts on hosting clowns? And thanks for all the info btw!

[ThRoewer]

My bicinctus are not overly aggressive towards other fish and I found the same to be true with many of the clarkii variants and lookalikes. Many of those are also not overly picky with their host anemones and take pretty much everything. Some will even accept anemones that are not host anemones. I had once a chrysogaster that forced himself on a Mediterranean Actinia equina.
Skunks, on the other hand, can be as aggressive as all the others.
In general I found it depends more on the other fish than on the anemonefish whether there is trouble or not. But with just a damsel and a blenny I would not expect much trouble.

[Small Heavens]

Anemonefishes are not community fishes.

If they rip through their anemone; their territory was too small.

LTA's are very easy.

[OrionN]

Originally Posted by Small Heavens

Anemonefishes are not community fishes.

If they rip through their anemone; their territory was too small.

LTA's are very easy.

You can say anything you want, but I have clown fish in all of my reef tank. Long live and happy, spawned like clock works.
Amphiprion polymnus, is a different story. I keep them in my 420 gal reef tank until I return them to the LFS. I know that breeder breed them in much smaller tank than that.

You are welcome to your opinion. Opinions, like a few things I don't care to name, everybody have them.

[ThRoewer]

Originally Posted by OrionN

...

You are welcome to your opinion. Opinions, like a few things I don't care to name, everybody have them.

Ahh, don't fudge it!
Opinions are like a**holes - everybody has one.


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[NCADAM]

So I got a nice LTA at the LFS this weekend. So far so good with acclimation. Waiting to see where he ends up. Currently holding on to the side of my tank. Tried to do pictures but they failed...will try again later.

[NCADAM]

Well my LAT inverted and ultimately died...you can see his insides to the left in the pic...this was the beginning...he looked awesome the day before....water parameters were perfect...well as perfect as a test kit and refractrometer can be...

Thanks again for all your help!

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[ThRoewer]

Originally Posted by NCADAM

Well my LAT inverted and ultimately died...you can see his insides to the left in the pic...this was the beginning...he looked awesome the day before....water parameters were perfect...well as perfect as a test kit and refractrometer can be...

Thanks again for all your help!

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Are you sure this was an LTA (Macrodactyla doreensis)? It looks more like a (sick) Heteractis crispa to me. LTAs should have a more orange foot and tentacles with longitudinal stripes like this one:


Also, LTAs will rather dig into the sand than crawl up the rocks or sides of the tank.

Crispas are quite prone to this kind of spilling their guts and pretty much all I bought this year died like that. Once they start spitting out these white chunks it's pretty much over. I tried Cipro treatment but to no avail. I doubt that it has anything to do with your water quality - especially since it went downhill so quickly - but rather with how the anemone was collected and handled before it even got to the store.

[NCADAM]

Well he had the bumps on the column near the tentacles so I assumed he was a LTA....but yeah as soon as he started expelling his guts I knew it was over.

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[ThRoewer]

Crispa has those "bumps" as well.

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[ThRoewer]

In your last pictures, it looks indeed like an LTA. You can even see the striping of the tentacles.
Normally LTAs are hardy. Yours just lasting a week was likely due to preexisting damage.

[OrionN]

I think it was a LTA due vertical lines of the verracae and the reddish foot. Very stressed and unhealthy in the last picture above.
Crispa and Malu have random spots not in line.