Anenome help....

We are first time anenome owners. We have had two of them for about 9 days (BT & Condy) and are growing concerned about the bubble tip.

The Condy has been fine - found a good place in good light and flows in the current great. It has eaten and everything. The BT is scaring us. It did the same thing around the 3rd day finding a good home in the light and stayed there till about day 6. Then one night it went under a rock and hasn't come out since. We are worried because it is getting no light at all but from what we see still looks good. It hasn't eaten yet.

We are worried because we know if it is sick and dying, it can take the tank with it if we let it go too long.

Our lighting stays on 10 hrs a day and is two 96w bulbs. Water perimeters are good as well as the salt levels. Also have a good current going.

We just need some advice if we should pull it out or not - we just don't want to loose everything and feel like it could be a possibilty if it stays hidden too much longer.

Thanks for the help. Loving this forum for some time and finally starting to use it!

 

Welcome to 3reef.

Not uncommon for a BTA to avoid the light while acclimating to light or cloning ( which is common as well after acclimation).

A dying anemone will not foot, float around the tank, have oral opening gaping.

I would get a baseline ammonia level now and monitor twice a day for a couple of days. If you see an ammonia value or a trend of increasing ammonia you will know the anemone is decaying and should be removed.

As long as it is still balled up I would wait while checking ammonia levels.

 

Anemones have been around for millions of years. They're no amateurs at survival.. It is probably still getting used to things. If it needs light, it will come out. I'd give it a few more days before I would get concerned. Just keep an eye on it and if it starts losing color, expelling its innards, etc., let us know.

 

Thank you both. The problem is it's under some live rock - so we can only see the corner of it - and what we can see is still bubbled. We can't get to it to feed it or see it's mouth. We have about 70lbs stacked in there and of course he went right to the bottom center. Lol. Should we try moving him and blocking that off? Or just give him a few more days? Thank you both again. Awesome to get a quick reply - as the days go on we have been getting more and more worried.

 

IMO, that doesn't tell us anything at all.



Anemones want perfect and stable, not just good...

What are your parameters? Including the SG.

Can you be more specific on the bulbs? Plus their age?

 

No do not move it or attempt to feed it. Sounds like it's just acclimating.

 

SG is 1.025, ammonia is perfect, nitrate at 0 Ph at 8.0, lights are two 96w corallife bulbs one is the actinic and other white.

 

How big is the tank? PC bulbs really aren't the best option for nems...

 

100gal

 

Agreed PC bulbs will be fine for the condy anemone, but not even close to what the bubble tip requires.

to much flow and the anemone will hide from it, not enough light and the anemone will not open up, feeding anemone's is a 1 time per week service (at the most), and feed sparingly and in accordence to the anemone's size- if it's small feed small mysis shrimp ect.

might I ask how old your set up is?

with anemone's there are a few additives that can sometimes be required to insure good health- iodine is one of them- but add nothing right now- first lets get you on the right track so you can properly care for you new critters.

your tanks size please include dimentions
tempreture of the tank
type of filtration
water source
age of system
live rock? substrate?
and other critters in the tank

SG levels
ammonia levels
nitrate and nitrite levels
phosphate levels
if tap water was used- level of copper and the type of water treatment used to remove clorine/clorimines

have you added ANY thing else?

let us know.

welcome to 3reef.