raeh1

Well after a month the anemone packed his bags. Moved off the rock in about 10 minutes. I was like oh s....t. But moved straight into a brommie I orginally made for an anemone when I set the tank up. Its been 10 days now and he hasn't moved. But he has opened up even more (actually he has doubled in size in the past 45 days). I think he could not fit his base into his orginal rock anymore so moved. The colour is changing alot now. The base is a light tan brown with light fluro green tips. I thought he was in good health when I got it but now.... it looks really healthy... I have photos taken weekly and will post up in a couple more weeks. The only thing is I deleted the first photo by mistake.

Is that a fire bristle worm????

To speed up the "cycling process" put a small dead mussel in at the beginning. It gets your ammonia going.

Good luck bro.

Brianemone showed the versitlity of a two footer. I thought that it would make a great sump size. (reckon make a vote.) a. 2 foot. (Standard dimensions 60cm*45cm*40cm) (108 litre) b 3 foot.(Standard dimensions 90cm*45cm*40cm) (162 litre) put a number by your vote. after 20 votes majority rules and we work from there. To the next part of the set-up. My vote is Number 1... (a). Remember the price budget of $750 (so that that with some livestock it will still be under $1,000. Bigger the tank the more other things we have to save on. 3 footer means we have to save $40-50 somewhere else on the set-up.

I have an acardia 150 metal halide and two 2 foot marine blue lamps. If I put a 20,000k bulb into it. Could I add two 2 foot T5's (mates a electrican) without having to little blue light in may tank. My aim would be to upgrade the metal halide to 250 watt 20,000k next year. I welcome your ideas

This is what I think we should reccomend to get someone started in the hobby. 2 foot tank. (90 litres approx) (can be used as sump if tank upgraded) A hang on the back skimmer (say weir pro 2011) Two via aqua 500 litre an hour pumps. 10-15 kg live rock and 5 kg coral sand A single 150 watt metal halide. (no extra lighting) 20 litre container basic saltwater test kit. 6 kg of salt. 250 watt heater. (no stand as they can sit it on a bench top) Total cost all brand new total approx $750. although if the metal halide was swapped then about $650. The reason I though the components are good is that as per Brianemone's basic old set-up. He could grow all corals including hard ones, had a healthly anemone (now slappers anemone), cheap start-up cost. and alot of parts can be used in an up-grade. Also a great learners tank as it is low maintenance. I invite everyones ideas. The discussion should aim at keeping the set-up simple and under the magic $800 mark. Any equipment sugguestions add a price so we can come to a final starters set-up and price. :lol: I have been thinking about this due to the trouble caused and people being scared off when trying to start a marine aquaium. I guy is coming around to see my tank in the next couple of weeks as he is setting up. and I am going to tell him about the two foot tank idea. Cheers Ru

It is a cool tank. But to me it looks like he has to many fish in it. I think the fish stocking level is the hardest thing to get right. (to little and the tank looks empty.. to many and the tank looks crowded)

Is that your big quad colour. anemone

Oh yeah.... Also watch out for bristleworms when you pull the bag out of the sump. Got myslef last time

Slapper you have a small one of those frogspawn

stockings is what i use. Tie a knot it it though

Get flat worm exit and kill them all. They are just trouble. Read the instructions carefully and have plenty of water for a water change. Siphon them off the rocks before treatment. Left along they will grow to plague proportions. And can cause their own mass die off. (these animals are extremely toxic when dieing) So do it as soon as possible. (flat worm exit is only $35.00) This also saves them from spreading to other peoples tanks when you trade frags etc..

Yip. as slappers saw the rock I got it on was quiet large. and looks out of place in my tank. However the anemone likes it and isn't moving. So I'm not brave enough to move it. Hopefully the anemone will still be sitting there in a couple of months. 8)

The clowns will pick the star fish up and then drop it into the centre of the anemone. The anemone then strings it prey until it either dies or sometimes depending on size may escape. Usually the anemone will win. I have been stung before its like needles shooting into your finger. My mate laughed at me :-? . So I dared him to stick his hand in it.... that shut him up The reason that clown fish do not get stung. Is they release a muces that nutralises the anemones sting. This allows them to live in the anemone. In the wild they look after each other so to speak. Protecting each other from preditors that individually they could not fight off. Symbotic relationship. In a marine tank people say its not essential to have an anemone for a clown fish or vice vera. I beleive it is however... This is because if your clown fish gets sick they will not let a cleaner shrimp help them. Were as an anemones sting will kill most deseases that they may encounter. Others would disagree...

They roll around near the mouth for awhile. I presume the anemone is trying to kill them (with its sting) before eating them. As those starfish can move fast. And I wouldn't like something like that crusing in my belly.

I collect from Maui Bay boat ramp. Its just open ocean from there. High tide or low tide. If I could see far enough I could probably see Australia. Raglan is different from Auckland though. 1.2 million people and a harbour versus 10,000 (max) people and open ocean.

He hasn't moved an inch yet...... I thought there was something strange in it yesterday and looked harder. My clowns had feed a small star fish to the anemone. I was wondering why the star fish (pest) population was decreasing. That means I have been feeding him, the clowns are feeding him. He is looking more and more happy and growing noticably already

I still get my water whether is is high tide/ low tide. Rainy/ sunny. 1-3 metre swell. I think like this. The sea has storms so does my tank. I reckon the corals love it. It oh naturalle.. :lol: Plus since I surf theie is no point collecting when there is no swell... :oops:

No idea. must have hitchhiked as a baby.. I don't know how I have never seen him before

Does anyone know what type it is???? My mandrin was sitting on it before I took the photo. It was more interested in pulling stuff from a rock.. But I am worried about what it will do when it is big.

I tried to take a photo. but batteries in the camera were flat.. typical A big purple crab. Does anyone else have one. The claws are quiet big so I take it that he will have to go. But how to catch a crab. the shell is about 5cm in diametre.

Right smack bang under the metal halide

After working on improving my nitrate level down to 10ppm. and reading Fays article on anemones. I have invested in a entacmaea quadricolour. It is not the most impressive colour (green and brown) but looks really healthy) I had to buy the rock it was on ($30 worth) because they could not get it off it.. after a few days. and I was scared they may damage its base. Its mouth is very tight. I is consuming food within 20 seconds, I cannot beleive how fast it eats food. I also has a sting. The amazing bit is in a week it has not moved an inch. and my common clowns (percula clowns) went straight into it. They used to pull the food out of my old anemone but they feed this one anything they find thats to big from them. It is also opening more everyday. heres hoping..

Hey guys I have a question does it matter if I add sea water "cold" into my tank. 20litres at a time to 300 litre setup. I don't think the fish would notice it pumped in through the sump. The reason being that all the micro- life will still be alive when added. Cheers