Anenome help

I have a question (several actually) about my anenome. I have attached a couple of pictures that I hope will help...

This was sold to me as a Green Bubble Tip Anenome. The first day it did exactly what I was told it would do...it moved from where it looked perfect in my tank to the underside of a large rock against the back of the tank.

It would open up and "come out" a couple of times a day and then retreat back to its rock.

I have been unsuccessful in target feeding it with anything. I have tried brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, sliders and krill. It has been in the tank for 6 weeks now so I am assuming it is getting some nutrition???:-/

It has now moved to the spot shown in the picture and just doesn't look healthy. The bubble tips look deflated, the color is not as bright as it was and it still won't eat. Yesterday it took some krill, closed up over it but then opened up and let it go.

I have a TR Ocilleras clown that has begun to notice it but does not seem to be hosting it. In fact, yesterday was trying to take the krill from the anenome

Anyway, any advice would be helpful. I was convinced by the LFS owner that I was ready to take care of the anenome and things were fine but now I am not so sure.

I am guessing the first questions will be about perameters so here is a summary:

35 gallon bow front
T5 lighting (4 - 24w bulbs - 2 blue, 2 white)
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - less than 20
Phosphate - .25
Calcium - 660 (high but coming down)
pH - 8.2
Alkalinity - 10
Salinity - 1.022

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

I'm new to the whole saltwater thing, but from what I've been told the BTA's don't like nitrates so any level above 0 will affect them. Plus yours looks bleached. If I was you I would try and take it back to your LFS. I tried a green BTA once myself and it looked exactly like yours. It ate a little bit the first couple of days I had it but once it got to the color of yours, there was no bringing it back.

Hope this helps.

 

^That SCARES me.

A few things I noticed, and 1 I am curious about.
First, that anemone is bleached to high heaven, and looks close to death. Did you purchase it looking like that? What do you mean the color is "not as bright"? It should have a deep, dull brown color with green accents. Usually heavy manual feeding will help, but the fact that it wont accept the food is not a good sign at all.
Second, your SG is low. You need to be aiming for around 1.025 in a reef. Also, depending on what fixture and bulbs you have, you are pushing keeping anemones with your lighting.
How old is the tank?

Just looking at it there I would pull it ASAP if it was me.

 

Packleader

My SG dropped when I was out of town this past week from 1.024...I am slowly raising it back up.

It was never dull brown, even when I purchased it? It was a bright green and under the same kind of lights I have in my home tank. The green was not dark but almost a flourescent color.

He has literally been under a rock since day one so I was hoping he was getting enough light let alone too much...even enough to bleach him?

I will try again to manual feed him. Any suggestions on how to do this? If he doesn't I will get him out ASAP. I am told the last thing I want is this thing dying in my tank.

 

Should be green not white. If it looked like that when you got it I'd try to take it back to the LFS. I wouldn't try to keep an anemone if your tank is < 1 yr old. Nitrate needs to be darn close to 0 (< 1). Lighting is on the dim side. Don't know what else to suggest.

 

Take a look at the foot. If it is white, it is too far gone to save.
You said it moved, so probably not that bad.

Try smaller pieces of krill. If to large, it will spit it back out.

I would agree, lights seem weak. I started out with a stock Current USA 4 bulb lamp on my 45 and almost killed it from lack of light.

 

The lighting may be a little on the low side, I had (got rid of the green) a GBTA and RBTA bot under T5's but it was a nano and they were quite high.
You params look well enough, you agreed that the Calcium was high and SG a little low.
I dont dare disagree with anyone as I have only been doing this a few years, but I have had my NO3 at roughly 20ppm for months and it started the size of a plum, it had split about 2 weeks ago, but before it split it was the size of a large canteloupe, here is a pic at 20-25ppm NO3-


presently my NO3 stays around 2ppm thanks to Purigen by Seachem, so the NO3 being to high, not sure I would throw my eggs all in that basket.
Mine split from stress of trying "Vodka Dosing"-dont ever try that-off topic I know-Anyway
Mine took silversides and Mysis on day two so that is odd that yours wont take food at all-although they DONT HAVE to be feed they have that photo thingy going on-I quite feeding mine months ago, I feed it and it grows ARG!!

When you placed it in the tank was it "sticky" to the feel-it should have been-

It could have just came into the LFS and if was taken from the wild, perhaps it was not "taken" carefully.

I've seen footage on the folks harvesting, lets just say some are not real concerned about being careful-nems can be very tricky most folks dont advise getting a nem until you tanks at least 6 months old but most I have read say 1 year (UNLESS YOU ARE THAT LFS wanting to make the sale)
I not sure I agree but I know why they say it, and for the average nube, it is good advise

I really hope the store asked about your lighting, do you have a skimmer, what are you params, how long has the tank been "established" etc-

I would lean more to a light issue than anything else (if it was harvested well)-

I'll cross my fingers for you-I know how frustrating it is trying to find

"THE ANSWER"

 

The green will always be there. But take a look at Reefnjunkie's pic. All the white on yours should look a brown like that, and on a bubble tip, should even be darker.
Bleaching in an anemone is not from too much light. It is from too little
I agree with trying smaller pieces. Maybe even some krill.
How old is the tank BTW?

 

I would take it right back to the store since he lied to you and demand a full refund. Don't exchange it demand the refund. They took advantage of you and I would never go there again.

 

Thank you all for responding.

Reefnjunkie, I appreciate the helpful input. It is very difficult to wade through all of the opinion and find THE ANSWER...I am realizing it is usually not that cut and dry. There is a huge learning curve to this hobby (which is part of the fun) but I still feel bad when the lesson is costly to a creature.

The store owner did ask about my lighting, set up, etc. He had actually refused to sale me stuff I was looking at previously because he said my tank was not ready. I trusted him at that point and thought I was getting good information. He had it under very similar lighting at his store and I had watched it over the course of a week before I brought it home. It was very sticky when I placed it in the tank.

I will try to get a good look at its foot and see if it is white as well. If it is, it sounds like I should cut my losses and remove it before it causes bigger problems?

Thanks again everyone.