condi anemone?

[mopar9012]

whats the deal with these guys. seen them at petco, the purple tip ones(if these are indeed condis) and they are cheap...ive seen them at a couple different fish stores as well.
do they eat fish? is there something bad about these guys that make them so cheap?

 

[weaglereefer]

I think they don't host clowns, at least not "nemo" and every one I've seen at the store seems to be on its way out, so maybe they're hard to keep but easy to harvest?

 

[mopar9012]

au01st;470807 wrote: I think they don't host clowns, at least not "nemo" and every one I've seen at the store seems to be on its way out, so maybe they're hard to keep but easy to harvest?

im also thinking something like that...
i dont care if they dont host clowns, my clowns have already hosted one.

im also wondering about the sting...i heard they can be bad, but my current anemone doesnt sting me, or i cant detect any pain. so would that be the same for a condi?

 

[jeffmuse]

mopar9012;470803 wrote: whats the deal with these guys. seen them at petco, the purple tip ones(if these are indeed condis) and they are cheap...ive seen them at a couple different fish stores as well.
do they eat fish? is there something bad about these guys that make them so cheap?

Over the past week, I have seen them at two different LFS, and it has made me wonder as well... are these things hardy, what is the sting like, what do the eat, ect?

A big shipment must have come in, because I have seen them quite a bit over the past week.

 

[raisingtwo2006]

Here's my experience- I bought one from Petco, brought it home, and within days my maroon clown was hosting. I'm sure I've got pictures somewhere- She actually preferred the Condi to a BTA, go figure.

I unintentionally touched him more than once, and it was very sticky- scared the bejeezus out of me, but it didn't sting a single time. They do eat fish, if they can get one to come within reach, will wander around the tank without warning. I never had mine eat any fish, but he would chow down on any pellets or krill that floated his way.

Most 'experienced' reefers stay away from them- just because of the potential dangers, but I think they are beautiful and mine was very hardy!

 

[curtis mitchell]

have had a few and gave the last one away it did eat fish and even would reach out when it felt water movement from the fish. a mistake i wont make agian . oh and they split really fast .other nenms are better to get just not as cheap

 

[rtackett]

They will rarely host clownfish - Kevin had one that was hosting a clown at Warehouse Aquarium in the Alpharetta store. They have always been really cheap compared to the other anemones

 

[jennm]

Condylactus are from the Atlantic. Clownfish are from the Pacific. Normally they wouldn't encounter each other (in the wild) and the Condy is not a host anemone. Occasionally, clowns with a strong hosting instinct will host in them (ie Clark's, occasionally Maroons etc.), but that's the exception, not the rule.

Condies are known to eat fish - but any anemone can and will eat fish, given the opportunity. I've even seen a BTA eat a Clark's clown when the startled clown dove too far into the anemone and inadvertently got swallowed.

Feeling 'sticky' *is* the anemone stinging. The skin on our hands is usually tough enough to not feel any adverse reaction but if they catch softer skin (back of hands, arms etc.) many people get a rash (myself included), and if you're allergic, best do whatever you usually do to take care of a reaction.

Condies are probably cheap because they are abundant and don't have to travel too far to get here - from the Caribbean vs. the Indo Pacific for other species.

For what it's worth, a Caribbean importer who posts on an industry board I frequent mentioned that after the recent cold snap in the Keys, Condies (and emerald crabs) were among the hardest hit by the unusually cold water/weather.

Condies are reported to be a lot more mobile than other species - in my experience they aren't any more adventurous than any other specie can be. They do tend to eat fish more often than some of the other species that are commonly kept, but I'm not sure if that's because more people buy them (because they are cheap) and as such there may be more "out there" or what.

They are fine for what they are - ornamental in a reef. Too many people make the mistake of expecting them to be a host anemone and are disappointed when that doesn't happen (it does happen occasionally as I mentioned above). I personally don't stock them, but I had one in the shop for close to 2 years when a customer brought it to me after it ate several of her fish. It didn't eat any fish on us (and we did keep the occasional fish in the same tank)... but we kept it well fed.

Jenn

 

[dvara78]

I used to have one and recently gave it away. My clown did host in it but this was after months of the the Condy being in the tank.

I gave it away simply because it moved around way to much. It would stay put for a few months and then be on the move again and sting everything in it's path. After I lost a few SPS I decided to give it away.

It was fun to have and watch though