To anemone or not

[Newsmyrna80]

Two months ago a fellow reefer needed to rehome two clowns, black Oscellaris and an orange Oscellaris. I ran them through my usual quarantine protocol and moved them into the main last week. I do not have any anemones and the female is looking for a host. Right now she is molesting the hairy mushrooms and causing quite the sandstorm in the tank. So do I bite the bullet and get an anemone? My concern is that I have 3 shrimp and a mandarin. Could there be a problem there? Thanks:)

[shifty51008]

depends on the anemone you want, if you got a BTA then I wouldn't worry to much about them eating the shrimp or mandy. other anemones there is a possability.

[asudavew]

What Shifty said, a BTA will be fine, but there is no guarantee that the clowns will take to it.

[Newsmyrna80]

I was looking at a BTA. Everything else just looks too aggressive. I think I have to do something...her and her mate do not fit comfortably on the shrunken (and stressed) mushroom.

[D-Nak]

I was looking at a BTA. Everything else just looks too aggressive. I think I have to do something...her and her mate do not fit comfortably on the shrunken (and stressed) mushroom.

The natural host anemones for ocellaris are Ritteri (Heteractis magnifica), Giant carpet (Stichodactyla gigantea), and Mertens (S. mertensii.) but all require a high level of care, especially during the acclimation process. Ritteri are the most common and typically cheapest, while Mertens are rare, are easier to care for, but can get very large.

The reason I mention natural host species is because your Ocellaris may not ever take a BTA as their host, though many do. How big is your tank?

How long have you had it up and running?

[kenman345]

I am in a similar predicament. My clownfish seem to try and host my GHA, though that's now gone and taken care of. They seem to want an anemone and I currently am running the tank as a FOWLR 56G. I know I have the lighting for a BTA, and the pumps I have can easily be covered, as I have materials for that, but I am still concerned as I am unsure if I am ready for an anemone.

Could people kind of help point in the right direction of what I should read before getting a BTA and help calm my nerves?

Also worth noting, my GF who inspired me to get into the hobby is telling me that for our 1yr anniversary present, she is gonna buy me an anemone whenever the tank is ready for it. So my hand is somewhat forced on getting one at this point, but need to prepare myself.

I see that a LFS I trust and have had success with has some beautiful specimens that have been around for a while. What type of QT process should I undertake? what type of things do I need to make sure to do to keep it alive but maybe not growing much larger than 4-5", stuff like this would be helpful. (might just start my own thread if I find I am having trouble finding this stuff)

[Newsmyrna80]

The stickie on anemone and clownfish at the top of the forum says that BTA is a natural host for Oscellaris. I really do not want a carpet due to the shrimp and mandarin as I stated earlier.
Note: I just checked with the previous owner and she did used to host a BTA and a toadstool. Guess I'm doing research on BTAs.
The tank has been running for 9 years. My previous clown was tank raised and never looked for a host.

[justinky]

The stickie on anemone and clownfish at the top of the forum says that BTA is a natural host for Oscellaris. I really do not want a carpet due to the shrimp and mandarin as I stated earlier.
Note: I just checked with the previous owner and she did used to host a BTA and a toadstool.
The tank has been running for 9 years. My previous clown was tank raised and never looked for a host.

BTA's are not a natural host anemone to ocellaris or percula, the reason that is listed on that thread is they are known to be hosted by them in captivity.

[D-Nak]

The stickie on anemone and clownfish at the top of the forum says that BTA is a natural host for Oscellaris. I really do not want a carpet due to the shrimp and mandarin as I stated earlier.
Note: I just checked with the previous owner and she did used to host a BTA and a toadstool. Guess I'm doing research on BTAs.
The tank has been running for 9 years. My previous clown was tank raised and never looked for a host.

A tank raised clown will still look for a host. Clowns find a host instinctively via smell. It's similar to how many domesticated cats are attracted to catnip.

BTA's are not a natural host anemone to ocellaris or percula, the reason that is listed on that thread is they are known to be hosted by them in captivity.

That sticky is a bit misleading. I think it needs to be re-written to discriminate between natural host and nems that will host.

BTAs are a great beginner anemone. If your tank is able to keep corals alive, it should be fine for a BTA. Just keep in mind that BTAs will float around until they find a spot that they like, and if they happen to land on a coral, the BTA will win 100% of the time.

[justinky]

That sticky is a bit misleading. I think it needs to be re-written to discriminate between natural host and nems that will host.

Agreed