Rock flower anemones

[jkcoral]

RFAs are easy to care for. They move sometimes, but nothing like bubble tips. Once they have a spot they like, they tend to stay there for a really long time. They’ll also breed in your tank if you have enough of them and they are well fed.

And even when they do move, you don’t have to worry about them nuking other corals like you do with bubble tips. RFAs have a weak sting, and they are most likely to agitate or harm a coral by just covering it up.

They do not host, but they are colorful, cool, and easier to care for than bubble tips. So you should get a few anyways!

 

[Tired]

GSP can't spread very well on the sandbed. It grows on rocks, so you'll want to place that frag on a rock, away from the rest of your rocks, for it to grow on. You want it away from the rest of your rockscape because it grows very fast and will overtake your entire scape if you let it.

 

[JoJosReef]

Depending on your substrate, GSP can grow across the sand too (e.g., mixed sand/crushed coral). Once the rock is completely covered, it is going to grow out further. But on the sand bed it is easy to trim off GSP "frags".

I don't like to tell people #months before getting a nem. Far too many variables for when is a good time. RFAs are much easier and can go into less mature tanks--a mature tank will always be better for them, but they aren't as picky. BTAs, in my experience, do not do well in new tanks unless your tank is started with live rock/sand--quality of live rock is very much a factor, with ocean live rock and sand being the best of the best.

I have no experience with magnificas or haddoni carpets, although I know that the latter are quite aggressive to other fish. Seems like these two are also commonly hosted by clowns, whereas I've seen much more variable results with BTAs (mine don't take to BTAs, they prefer any of the other coral or powerhead in my tank).

Lighting is a big factor. If you want BTAs, I recommend strong lights with good spectrum. I keep mine around 250-300 PAR and they stay where they are on their nem island (knock on wood).

What lights do you have? Size tank? What are your parameters typically like?

 

[kevgib67]

Rfa’s won’t host clowns but they will host sexy shrimp and porcelain crabs, pretty cool symbiosis

 

[Benji k]

Depending on your substrate, GSP can grow across the sand too (e.g., mixed sand/crushed coral). Once the rock is completely covered, it is going to grow out further. But on the sand bed it is easy to trim off GSP "frags".

I don't like to tell people #months before getting a nem. Far too many variables for when is a good time. RFAs are much easier and can go into less mature tanks--a mature tank will always be better for them, but they aren't as picky. BTAs, in my experience, do not do well in new tanks unless your tank is started with live rock/sand--quality of live rock is very much a factor, with ocean live rock and sand being the best of the best.

I have no experience with magnificas or haddoni carpets, although I know that the latter are quite aggressive to other fish. Seems like these two are also commonly hosted by clowns, whereas I've seen much more variable results with BTAs (mine don't take to BTAs, they prefer any of the other coral or powerhead in my tank).

Lighting is a big factor. If you want BTAs, I recommend strong lights with good spectrum. I keep mine around 250-300 PAR and they stay where they are on their nem island (knock on wood).

What lights do you have? Size tank? What are your parameters typically like?

I don’t have the strongest light but it has a full spectrum I thought a rock flower anemone would be cool because I’ll have lots of other corals in ther tank and with bta I’ll have to worry about them stinging and if the light is strong enough for them and my tank isn’t fully mature yet eather. So my best chance would be a rock flower anemone.

 

[Uncle99]

Easy, don’t walk, don’t kill nothing.
Here’s one sitting on a clam.
Best of friends.

 

[JulesH]

Weirdly my two Rock flower anemones have changed places?

 

[kevgib67]

Weirdly my two Rock flower anemones have changed places?

Ya mine do that, they usually come back, the grass isn’t always greener. Of 9 I know where 6 are.

 

[JulesH]

Ya mine do that, they usually come back, the grass isn’t always greener. Of 9 I know where 6 are.

Crikey, nine, I have two. Have you been able to successfully mate (for want of a better word) them?

 

[kevgib67]

Crikey, nine, I have two. Have you been able to successfully mate (for want of a better word) them?

No spawning yet but fingers crossed!

 

[tsharpe291]

ive got five and they have stayed put since day one.

Are rock flower anemones easy to care for and do they move around like other anemones because I don’t want them stinging other corals or would it just be easier to go for bubble tips. And can I see some picks of anemones thanks.

I have 5 and they have stayed put from day one, easy to care for and great variety of colors out there

 

[Benji k]

ive got five and they have stayed put since day one.

I have 5 and they have stayed put from day one, easy to care for and great variety of colors out there

What do you think about carpet anemones do they stay were you out then or do they usually move

 

[paragrouper]

Easy to care for, but they can move. The two below have been in the same place for months—until recently when the right hand RFA decided to roam around the corner and up the rock work.

 

[Benji k]

Easy to care for, but they can move. The two below have been in the same place for months—until recently when the right hand RFA decided to roam around the corner and up the rock work.

These look really nice do they get any bigger then this or is this the normal size they get too they kinda look like carpet anemones a little bit

 

[Tired]

Deep-water, colorful, fluorescent RFAs tend to stay within 3-5 inches, often on the lower end. Shallow-water, non-fluorescent ones, more like 5-8 inches if fed well. More food = more growth, for both of them.

 

[Screwby]

Hello, I'm not tying to discourage anyone from anything. I know everyone's experiences will be unique, but I wanted to share my experience with a BTA.

I have 24g cube aio system. I know it's on the smaller side, but I purchased a very small bta nem to try about 9 months ago. I have 2 skunk clowns and wanted to see if they might host in it. I found that in my particular setup the nem would be stationary during the day, but do the "superman" thing and float around the tank at night. It would bump into my one GSP and 4 Zoa frags and I think it caused some issues. I bought a small breeder basket to separate the nem, but it was too late and it started to deteriorate and died about a month later.

On another note, my friend has RFAs and he loves them. He has 6-7 in a 60 gallon and they don't move much. I am debating on trying a small RFA, but I have some concerns after my BTA experience. I think I will just make this tank a Zoa garden, lol.

 

[Sesty22]

My clows host my Red Goni!

 

[Tired]

On another note, my friend has RFAs and he loves them. He has 6-7 in a 60 gallon and they don't move much. I am debating on trying a small RFA, but I have some concerns after my BTA experience. I think I will just make this tank a Zoa garden, lol.

For what it's worth, RFAs are a very different beast than BTAs, one you might want to give a try- they're much easier. And it does sound like that BTA might have been unhealthy to start with if it was floating from the beginning.

 

[KandAReefs]

Are rock flower anemones easy to care for and do they move around like other anemones because I don’t want them stinging other corals or would it just be easier to go for bubble tips. And can I see some picks of anemones thanks.

I have found that rock flowers are much less likely to take a walk around the tank and they really don't sting anything when they do. Bubble tips on the other hand alway seem to move around in my experience. Both have been easy to keep just make sure the can't get sucked into a power head.

 

[paragrouper]

These look really nice do they get any bigger then this or is this the normal size they get too they kinda look like carpet anemones a little bit

Those two are around 4” I have one larger, but he decided to make his home behind the rockwork. I also have a Pacific RFA that’s around 4” as well.