Anemones and Nitrates: A Tale of Impatience and Cheap Water Tests

[LucidGoblin]

I started a new tank a little over three weeks ago, a beautiful Nuvo Fusion 30L.

I filled the tank with a Instant Ocean and conditioned tap water mix (may have been a mistake, I don't know), and Caribsea live sand ("cycles fast, blah, blah, blah").
After three weeks, I checked the nitrate levels with an API test, and it showed little to no nitrates. I jumped the gun and added a couple of pieces of live rock, a cinnamon clown, and little bubble tip for him to play with. Everything seemed fine, but suspicious of the low reading I got from the API test, I purchased a Salifert test recommended by my LFS. It gave a nitrate reading near 50 ppm!!!

I've ordered some Seachem Stability, should be here in a couple days. My question is: Do I have enough time to lower the nitrates before the anemone starts to die? (I think the fish will be okay for a while.)

[nemmy]

Start doing water changes to bring the nitrates down. The live rock is also what cycles the tank not just the live sand. You should have filled the tank with saltwater got it to temp and salinity then live sand and live rock. After the sand and rock is in that's when you wait. That sand and rock will have stuff dead in/on them causing the cycle. So basically you cycled again after adding the rock.

Your tank is very new for an anemone I can't guarantee your success. You should also be looking for ammonia spikes.

Oh crap I just saw "conditioned tap water". Mix up some fresh saltwater and test that for nitrates. It may be coming out of your tap water. You should use rodi water.

[juniorrocketdad]

Start doing water changes to bring the nitrates down. The live rock is also what cycles the tank not just the live sand. You should have filled the tank with saltwater got it to temp and salinity then live sand and live rock. After the sand and rock is in that's when you wait. That sand and rock will have stuff dead in/on them causing the cycle. So basically you cycled again after adding the rock.

Your tank is very new for an anemone I can't guarantee your success. You should also be looking for ammonia spikes.

Oh crap I just saw "conditioned tap water". Mix up some fresh saltwater and test that for nitrates. It may be coming out of your tap water. You should use rodi water.



I agree your tank is way too young for a nem and everything else he said

[LucidGoblin]

Thanks for you replies. Here's an update. I took the anemone and the cinnamon clown out of the new tank and put them in an older tank (a 10 month old BioCube 14. I know this is too small for an anemone, I will have to deal with that later). I will do a 50% water change in the new 30 gallon tank with 15 gallons of premixed water from my LFS. Then I will do daily 2 gallon water changes with salt mix and distilled water until the nitrates are at a safe level. I won't put anything else in the tank until it has completely cycled.

Now I have a bit of a new problem. I already had black clownfish in the BioCube, and he is squabbling with the cinnamon clown I just introduced. Will they learn to get along, or will I have to separate them?

[nemmy]

You shouldn't put them together in that tank its too small and they will thunderdome fight to the death. Multiple species rarely works, and when it does its in very large tanks or very similar species (occelaris and percula).

[LucidGoblin]

You're right, I had to separate them. I put the black clownfish in a little backup tank I had planned to use for a refugium (a 1 year old Fluval Spec V, my first tank). I had to choose one or the other. I think the black clown is eventually going to my LFS. The cinnamon clown and the nem I put in the BioCube are doing very well. The nem found a nice spot and stayed put, the fish loves wallowing in it. I guess when the nem gets to be too big for the BioCube, I will try transferring them to the 30 gallon after it has cycled for another month or so. We'll see how it goes.

[nemmy]

The biocube should be able to keep a bubble tip anemone. The lights aren't the greatest but bubbletips don't need that much light. It will be a good while before it outgrows it. Just keep an eye out for it losing color or it spreading itself out real big like its trying to catch more light. If the nem shows no signs of light starvation I would keep it in the biocube for 6 months or so until the larger tank stabilizes.

I'd also invest in an RODI unit to make your own water instead of lugging buckets to a local fish store all the time. BulkReefSupply sells some very nice priced units that can make 75 gallon per day. You will thank your back and shoulders for it!

[m0nkie]

I think 3 weeks is way too early for an anemone.. but when it mature enough, 50ppm nitrate isn't too bad. I've had nitrate spikes that went up to near 100.. My vinegar dosing pump broke.. I have several BTA and carpet anemones. I noticed the carpets not looking so well and BTA split. So they were stressed, but they lived in that condition for a month before nitrate slowly dropped down to 20.. I'm still working on lowering it back to 5..

These are established anemones. new anemones may have a tougher time