FAQs on Long Tentacle Anemone
Disease/Health 2
Related Articles: LTAs, Anemones,
Bubble
Tip Anemones, Cnidarians, Coldwater Anemones, Colored/Dyed Anemones,
FAQs on LTA Disease:
LTA Health/Disease 1,
LTA Hlth./Dis. 3, LTA Hlth./Dis. 4, LTA Hlth./Dis.
FAQs on Anemone Disease by Category:
Diagnosing,
Environmental (Pollution/Poisoning, Lighting...),
Nutritional, Social (Allelopathy...),
Trauma,
Pathogenic (Infectious, Parasitic, Viral) Predatory/Pest,
Treatments
LTA Reproduction ,
Related FAQs: LTAs
1, LTAs 2, LTA Identification, LTA Behavior, LTA
Compatibility, LTA Selection,
LTA Systems, LTA Feeding, LTA Reproduction,
Anemones 1,
Anemones 2, Anemones 3, Anemones
4, Bubble Tip
Anemones, Caribbean
Anemones, Condylactis, Aiptasia
Anemones, Other Pest
Anemones, Anemones and
Clownfishes, Anemone
Reproduction, Anemone
Lighting, Anemone Feeding,
Anemone Systems,
Anemone
Identification, Anemone
Compatibility, Anemone
Selection, Anemone Behavior,
Anemone
Health, Anemone
Placement,
|
|
|
New Print and
eBook on Amazon:
Anemone Success
Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term
by Robert (Bob) Fenner
|
LTA wound pic + bonus, decapod spawn release
6/27/09
Hi Bob,
<D-ster!>
Once the lights went out I was able to get a shot of the injury I
mentioned in my previous email.
<Good pic>
While I was at it I saw this too. Holy Stomatopod banquet Batman!
Is that an M. sculptus spawning?
<Appears so>
It was standing there like that for about 10 minutes, shakin'
its booty. If so, can I expect lotsa little crabs?
<Mmm, highly doubtful... may not be fertile, and even is so,
the young going through instars/developmental phases aren't
likely to survive recirculation, the skimmer... and what to
eat?>
By the way, the mantis lives in a small hole just below the
crab's leftmost foot - it didn't seem interested. There
was a note on the hole that read, "out for lunch."
<Me too>
D
PS - I've got a 6-pack of Tiger here for you the next time
you're passing through Kuala Lumpur. Shoot me an email.
<Dang! I was supposed to be there till 6/21... another story,
time>
PPS - I hope approx. 200K is not too big a pic for your
inbox.
Apologies if so, I wanted to sent fairly resolved images.
<No worries Darryl. G'night mate. BobF>
|
|
Re: Substrate and blenders do not mix - New
development-help, LTA... Long Tentacle Air-filled
Anemone 2/21/09 Hi, <Hi Again
Ram.> Thanks for the prompt reply. The water has cleared up a bit
now. I've added the live rock back to the tank from the tub; but
now I have a new problem. <Ok, lets see what we can do.> I had
kept my purple long tentacle anemone in a separate tub because I
didn't want it to sting my corals. <Good Idea> I added a
separate air stone for that tub. Now, somehow, the anemone had attached
itself around the air stone and it got filled with air and started
floating at the surface. <Uh-Oh!.....> I took it out, put it in
the main tank and held it under water and shook it gently and air
bubbles started coming out of it. still it had some air inside which I
was not able to get out. I left it for an hour and it attached itself
to the glass but part of it is still swollen with air and it's
sticking out of the water. Will it be able to expel the air by itself
or is my lovely anemone doomed forever? <The can expel air with
time, good conditions. You need to coax the anemone deeper into the
water so that none of it is exposed to air, and then get it orientated
so the air bubble can escape, which is normally through its mouth. That
said, unfortunately, I am not optimistic about its survival> Thank
You. <You're welcome, do let me know how it turns out.>
<Mike>
<<Hey, I'm happy to let you guys now that the
anemone seems perfectly healthy now. It has attached itself to a rock
and it is fully open. I have added the fishes back to my main tank and
the tank is looking beautiful as ever. Thanks a lot guys. I owe you big
time for your support. >> <Hi Ram, Glad to hear that
everything has worked out. Mike>
Anemone Decline (allelopathy) and leather coral question
(sys.) 12/5/08 I purchased live rock from an
aquarist who was moving and it included a long tentacled anemone and
clarkii clown. The anemone has done fine for about a month, moving to
his own spot and staying for most of the time. The clown often feeds
him from formula two and pieces of chopped krill that I place in the
tank. <Ah, good> Two days ago the anemone moved two feet across
the aquarium under a rock and began getting smaller, different than the
usual fluctuations. He has now moved further under the rock and totally
withdrawn and emitted a pile of mucous. <Needs to be moved...
now> He hasn't distend anything from his mouth but doesn't
open to feed or move into the light for the algae to produce food.
I've read the FAQs and other answer, but can't seem to find out
what the problem is. <A "lack of agreement" with some
other form of Cnidarian life here... in a word, Allelopathy. Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm and possibly elsewhere on WWM re
Anemones, Macrodactyla in particular if you don't understand enough
what is happening here, the need for action.> I don't want to
give up on him prematurely but don't want to risk harm to the other
inhabitants. Any thing I can do to help him out or sure way to tell
when he's dead (assuming the hermit crabs won't start eating
him as a sign). <You don't want to wait this/that long> My
second questions is regarding a small leather coral 1 1/2" long
that was on the live rock. It was partially covered by algae film. I
removed the film and placed in in my Nano tank. It was knocked off the
top of the reef by a fish or crab and fell to the rear. I left it there
since I wanted to minimize stress of repeated touching and movement.
Now it has grown a 1" long stalk and attached to the rock, and all
feelers extend. My q is there anyway to relocate it (it is towards the
back and difficult to see) or is it better to leave it alone? Thanks,
Sid <If in a "very bad spot" I would move it... it cannot
move itself. Bob Fenner>
Anemone non-dilemma... sys./Macrodactyla
reading 7/24/08 Sherlo Hi WWM Crew <And to
you> I am writing you from South Africa and have a very new
setup. We started off with Tropical many years ago and have now
moved on to Salt Water. We have a 200gal Reef Tank setup with about
100Kg Kenya Live Rock and have recently introduced Livestock,
namely 2 x Yellow Tangs (wish I'd known about the bullying!), 3
x common Clowns, 1 x baby Blue Tang, 3 x Cleaner Shrimps, 1 x Red
Hermit and 1 x Red base LTA. [The Yellow Tangs have toned down a
bit since the introduction of the Clowns]. <Uhh...> We test
the water daily and our latest results are Ammonia - 0, Nitrates -
10, Nitrites - 0, PH - 8.2, SG - 1,023 and KH - 10. There is plenty
of oxygenation and there are no 'dead spots' relating to
the Powerheads anywhere in the tank. We are running T5's (12
hours/day) and Metal Halides (8 hours/day). All the fish look
healthy and are eating fine. My problem rests with the sole Anemone
that we have. The green tentacles are inflated and sway nicely in
the current but it keeps falling over and resting upside down or
sideways. <... this is oftimes called the "Sand
Anemone"... please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm
re Macrodactyla, and the linked files above...> On first
introduction, we placed it on a rock in the middle of the tank in
good sight of the halides and with plenty of current but it
"fell" down to the substrate. <...> I reluctantly
moved it back to a rock higher up to the lighting but it does not
look like it has anchored itself properly and there is some furry
substance around the red base. Also, none of my clowns are
interested in it at all! I am very concerned about it and am wary
of the addition of more anemones at this stage. <... More? A
very poor idea... again, please search, read before writing...>
Regarding the attached pic, today, the anemone is now resting with
the red base hanging over the left side of its rock ledge and the
tentacles are holding on to the rock. I look forward to your
advice! <Read. Bob Best Regards
Tammy Knott |
|
LTA/Health 3/27/08 Hello, <Hi> I recently purchased
a Long tipped <Tentacle> Anemone, Macrodactyla doreensis,
and it seems to be doing well. It ate chopped shrimp right away.
My question is, is it normal for the anemone to "wilt"
when the lights are off. <Yes.> I will leave the lights on
tonight just in case. <Do read here and linked files above for
info on keeping this anemone.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/macrodoreensis.htm James (Salty
Dog)>
Re: Long Tentacle Anemone/Health 4/4/08
Hello, <Hi> I wrote nearly a week ago for info on my Long
Tentacle Anemone, <Is best to reply with original email, I
would know then what has already been said.> and woke this
morning to find it upside down with its tentacles completely
withdrawn. After turning it right side up, it perked up a little,
and even more when I held it in my hand close to the light. I now
think it is dying after it didn't respond as fast as usual to
food. It was really to people's fault. The salesperson told
me that the animal was hardier than the Bubble Tip Anemone,
<Care level is about the same between these two.> and would
be fine being fed chopped shrimp. It was my fault buying it
without researching it first. <Bingo.> I was resolved to
feed it every other day with chopped shrimp <Too often.>
knowing that my lighting was very insufficient, but I suppose
without the light, I should have been feeding it at least once a
day, or better yet, letting the fish store keep feeding it.
<Food is NOT going to compensate for lack of light.> I also
think the lack of a protein skimmer played a role in its likely
demise. <Lack of research played the biggest role.> I can
only hope that upon returning home after school today that it
will be unfurled in all it's beauty. <Mmm, may want to
stay at school a little longer. You mention nothing of your
system, lighting, etc. I'm assuming your light is no where
near the required intensity and your system is lacking in proper
filtration, including a protein skimmer. Do read here and learn
what is needed for keeping these animals.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/macrodoreensis.htm James (Salty
Dog)>
Re: Long Tentacled Anemone/Health 4/5/08
Actually, my luck held out. I just returned home to find my
anemone completely and beautifully unfurled, like nothing had
ever happened. <Good so far.> I am soon going to be
purchasing a protein skimmer from the pet store I work at (Oh the
wonders of the employee discount), and also plan to look into
lights. Although I cannot give you the pH or Nitrate/ite because
I have never tested them sadly, <The test kits should have
been the first thing you bought.> my salinity is at 1.0215 and
I have four 25 watt bulbs for my 125 gallon tank. <Yikes!>
Would it be possible to put the special lights only on the side
the anemone prefers? <Would be much better than you have.>
And secondly without adequate light and feeding with regularity
(once every 3 days) how long can I expect it to last? <A few
weeks at most. By then it's health will more than likely be
irreversible. Is best not to buy an animal if the means and
knowing how to take care of it are not present.> Just to know
so I can get moving on the skimmer and lights. I'm so happy
it looks as healthy as it did at the pet store! <The lights
should be your first priority, then a skimmer. What other
filtration methods are you using? James (Salty Dog)>
Re: Long Tentacled Anemone/Health 4/8/08
The filtration in the tank consists of two Emperor 400 power
filters on each side of the tank. Are the 4-7 week ph/ ammonia/
nitrate/ite in-tank test kits effective? <If you are referring
to the Mardel Live Meter, they are for freshwater tanks only.
James (Salty Dog)>
Re: Long Tentacled Anemone/Health
4/10/08 The anemone is looking healthy, and until I can
buy better lights I have put both sets of lights over the
anemone. Thanks for all of your help. <You're
welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Re: Long Tentacled Anemone/Health
4/11/08 I actually forgot one thing. I work at a pet
store and I hope you guys don't mind that I recommend
you for any fish questions that I can't answer.
P.S.-did you enjoy the pics? <Is our purpose and yes,
the pics were nice, thank you. James (Salty Dog)>
|
|
|
LTA? is it too late? Hlth...
2/10/08 Hello, super site! <Hi, Mike I here> We are new to
the saltwater tanks and so far so good - but, in the section of your
anemone discussions . . . I was unable to avoid contacting you.
<OK> The day we bought our clown and anemone ( pink long tentacle
w/neon green highlighting throughout and a white base ) together all
was GREAT! ! ! <White base does not sound like a Long Tentacled
Anemone, but with you so far> It's been a few days now and the
Clown is eating part of the anemone. <Yikes! Doesn't sound good
if I'm understanding what it may be eating> At first, he fed it
and slept in it and wouldn't leave the area. Now, he explores some
while the anemone looks like it will die. It is curled into itself a
lot and I am worried. The only difference to daily feeding has been a
recent treatment of purple-up and marine snow for the others in the
tank. Was this why? <Could be a number of things> How long
does/should it take for the anemone to put it's foot down?
<Almost immediately if healthy> I might be the reason it is in
this state . . . what to do? DeAnna <Anemones are delicate little
things, and not something that should usually be attempted to be kept
until a little experience has been built up. You haven't stated
your water parameters - would be helpful, as would details of your set
up. List of other inhabitants too perhaps. How long have you owned the
animal? Some pictures may help too. There are many reasons why anemones
fail, and it may seem I'm asking for than giving, but is essential
to try and provide more help. Mike I>
Shriveled Anemone Macrodactyla doreensis
Declining Quickly -- 2/03/08 <Hello Mike, Brenda here!>
I have an M. doreensis which is not doing very well at all.
I've had it for about one year and it's gone downhill
since it first arrived. <Ouch!> Long story short, the LFS
(my FORMER LFS, I should add) gave me bad advice on just about
everything. <This is not unusual. It is best to research
everything before you purchase.> These last few months,
I've been working on improving pretty much everything
including an RO/DI unit, which I installed last week. My lighting
is now PC, 260W on a 55-Gal. <This lighting is border line for
this anemone. Metal Halide or T-5 with individual reflectors is
best.> Theoretically this anemone should be happier. <I
disagree that this anemone should be happy. It has lived a year
in an inadequate environment.> However, I think I may be too
late. My once beautiful specimen is now bleached, shriveled up to
the size of a cocktail wiener and its' mouth is all inverted
outwards and puffed out. <Yikes!> It has no more tentacles.
<This is a sign of starvation.> Before its mouth puffed
out, it had been accepting small pieces of Selcon-treated shrimp
(though it ate very slowly). <What size portions?> Is there
anything I can do to help it get better? <I would try super
tiny (sliver size) portions of silversides.> How can I feed it
if its' mouth is inverted? <Just lay the food near the
mouth, without touching the anemone. What are your water
parameters, such as temperature, salinity, pH, calcium and
alkalinity? What other livestock do you have in there? Are there
any clownfish hosting it? What protein skimmer are you using? Are
you running fresh carbon? If you can, send me a picture of this
anemone.> Thanks, Mike <You're Welcome!
Brenda>
Re: Macrodactyla doreensis Declining Quickly -- 2/03/08
Hi Brenda, <Hi Mike!> WOW...quick response!...thanks!
<You're welcome!> Well, the moral of the story is that
my research methods have improved greatly. <Good to hear!>
However, at the time I bought the anemone, I thought that the LFS
owners' recommendation was 'good enough' research. I
DID ask many 'right' questions...was it robust enough for
a newbie...would it be OK in my relatively new tank etc. I DID
trust this LFS; so I bought it ($70.00). It WAS beautiful. (see
pic) The LFS actually told me, flat out, that the 48", 40W,
single-bulb fixture that came with the kit was plenty of light
and that "lighting is a gimmick designed to rip you
off". <YIKES! This LFS should not be selling anemones!
There are a few things I've found when speaking to the people
at the LFS. These include things such as, they lie to you, to get
your money, they sometimes don't know the care and
requirements of anemones, nor do they themselves have the proper
environment to keep them, and on very rare occasions I have found
someone that is honest, and knowledgeable in anemone care. Always
question and research before you purchase.> As you can see by
that 'after' pic, it's been a rough ride for that
poor thing. <Sure has!> Actually, the tank has been a rough
ride for many inhabitants as I struggle to improve things.
I'm battling ICH and HLLE on 2 hepatus tangs and along for
the ride in the 20Gal hospital tank are 2 clowns (false Perc, I
think) and a royal Dottyback (all 3 seem to be doing OK). The 55
has been fishless since Dec 15th. Remaining are 2 brittle stars,
2 Pacific cleaner shrimp, 1 Blood Red shrimp, 10 or so snails and
10 or so hermit crabs mostly blue-legged and a few Scarlett.
<Crabs can be predators to anemones.> There is also a small
anemone (probably majano) that I enclosed a pic of. <Yep, that
is a Majano, a pest anemone.> Finally, a small amount of
Anthelia. In December, I decided to set up the hospital tank and
try to improve conditions in the 55. Earlier this year, I changed
from dolomite to aragonite (the former having been sold to me by
the flaky LFS, the latter recommended by a somewhat better LFS).
The 'new' LFS worked with me to improve
parameters...phosphates were high (3.0); <Do you have a
refugium?> ALK and Calcium were way down...PH was 7.9. <A
pH of 7.9 is a bit low, but not dangerously low. It is more
important to be stable.> They sold me some Seachem products to
improve things, as well as a product called
'Phos-Buster', which I dosed one time only. I replace the
junky Skilter with an AquaC Remora (based on WWM
recommendations). <I use and recommend Aqua C products.> I
switched to a 2x T5 fixture based on the 'new' LFS's
recommendation. I've been using Seachem Phosguard and have
managed to keep it between 0 and 0.1 All of this was around May
of 2007. In December I decided to upgrade the lighting (260W PC)
based on what I read on WWM and also because I liked the look of
PC lighting. <How many of these bulbs are actinic. Actinic
bulbs do not benefit reef tanks very much. I think your still
lacking on lighting here. PC is not the best option for a M.
doreensis. I would only keep an E. quadricolor under this
lighting.> Bought a fixture on eBay...'Odyssea', is
the brand. <How old are the bulbs?> Nice unit...very happy.
(However, had to remove covers to accommodate lighting...now lose
about 1.5 liters per day...I don't let it get much lower than
that.). <An auto top off device is best.> Next came the
water; I'd been using a 'Tap Water Filter' unit since
July but found the cartridges got used up FAST and the water
sometimes developed a funky odor after 50 gallons or so. So I
took the plunge 2 weeks ago and ordered a SpectraPure unit;
4-canister RO/DI and a TDS meter. <Great!> I'm hoping
this helps with the phosphates issue, especially since I'm
topping off the tank so often now (I aerate the top-off water at
least 12 hours before using). <RO/DI water does not need to be
aerated.> I've also started storing salted water in a
plastic trash can. <Be careful using a plastic trash can. This
can leach chemicals into your water. I've heard several
complaints of phosphates being leached into the water from these
cans. I personally do not recommend them.> I now dose with
Seachem Reef Builder (in powder form) and Seachem Reef Calcium
now (but WAS using Reef Complete). My CA is around 360 and the
ALK is approx 2.7 (a bit hard to read w/my Red Sea test kit).
<If you are having trouble maintaining Calcium and Alkalinity,
you may want to check your Magnesium, you may find it a bit
low.> My intention is to bring these up higher gradually but
don't want to be aggressive because of the ailing anemone. PH
is 8.3 and stable from what I can tell. <Good! Check it before
the lights come on. Ph is highest at the end of the light cycle.
A refugium with lights on when main display lights are off will
help. You can also grow Macro algae here to help with your
phosphate issues.> Temp is 78 and pretty stable, going to 79
sometimes. <I would raise it one degree.> Salinity 1.024
<Salinity is a bit low, gradually increase to 1.026 by using
pre-mixed saltwater as your top off. Test salinity using a
refractometer. Nitrates 0. Ammonia 0. <Good!> I have 4
carbon containers one gets changed weekly on a rotating basis.
<Carbon is useless after a week or two.> 2 with the floss
in an Emperor 400 + 1 in a media container, and a big brick
'o carbon in a HOT magnum. Attached are some pics: one
'before' of the anemone, a year ago; one taken today
(sob...); one of what I think is majano and one of my clown to
show you the type. I'm almost embarrassed to send you the pic
I took of the anemone today...what a shame. <This anemone is
in very poor health, but not dead yet!> I don't have any
silversides...can I try a sliver of cooked shrimp w/Selcon on it?
<Nope! Never feed cooked food. Always feed raw food, guts
included. Raw shrimp from your local deli may work. However,
Silversides is better in my experience. Your LFS should have
this.> Thanks, Mike.
<You're welcome! Brenda>
|
|
Several reef questions-LTA, Sea Hare, etc...
pre-eminent crash, reading, reading and understanding
01/22/2008 Hello WWM Crew, This is the first time I've
asked a question and I must apologize up front, but this may be a
long email. <No worries. Take your time> I'm sending a
link with photos of my tank for you information. Before I ask my
questions, I will tell you about the tank. It is a 34 gallon Red
Sea Max system. We purchased it from our LFS on their
recommendation. <What do you think of this (new) product?
Craftsmanship? Value?> We now know it is more difficult to keep
a smaller tank and we plan on moving in 6 months, at which time we
will be getting a much larger tank. In the meantime, we need some
advice on how to best care for our little creatures. In the tank we
currently have two Ocellaris Clowns (one male and one female),
yellow-tail Damselfish, Pajama Cardinal, 4-5 Nassarius snails, 3
small turbo snails, 1 fire/cleaner shrimp, Sandsifting starfish,
Blue Tuxedo Sea Urchin, Sea Hare (that I've been unable to
accurately identify), <Mmmm> Long Tentacle Anemone,
<Yikes...> 1 mid-size red legged hermit crab, 3 smaller
red-legged hermits, 1 very small emerald crab, a green star polyp
coral, 2 very small sea mushroom coral (one of which is attached to
what I was told to be "leather finger"), 2 other small
soft corals that I can't seem to remember the name of at the
moment but I believe to be pineapple/brain coral, and another
Favites coral that is not in any photos because we just purchased
it. According to yesterday's tests, water quality as follows:
Temp: 78 Specific Gravity: 1.023-1.024 Calcium: 460 PH: 8.2
Phosphate: .1 Ammonia: 0-.15 <I do hope this is an anomalous
reading... test kit artifact. This needs to be zero> Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: .05. <Ditto> We are aware that we need excellent
water quality but we were told by our LFS that our levels were fine
for us and we've NEVER had Ammonia at 0. Oh, the tank is fairly
new, started in late October 2007. OK, so on to my questions. When
we first put the LTA in our tank 2 weeks ago, we placed in where it
is located in the photos and it remained there for a little over a
week. Just the other day it began to move about. <An
"unhappy" behavior> I looked up how to help it settle
and tried moving it to a location and feeding it 1/2 of a
Silverside. <...> It stayed there for 2 days and then began
to roam again. I did the same thing again and it stayed for only
1/2 day and not it's roaming around again. I know that an
unattached anemone is an unhappy anemone but I can't understand
what more I need to do to help it find a home. <The other
cnidarians... the Polyps, Corallimorphs...> When I found it
yesterday morning it was sucked onto the sea urchin and I moved it
because I didn't think that was a particularly good thing. I
thought maybe our substrate wasn't appropriate but the LFS
assures me it's fine. How long should I expect it to roam
around the tank? <Not much longer... as it will be dead...
perhaps the rest of your livestock with it> Should I right it if
it's upside down? <Tentacle side up... and place a
"strawberry basket or such over it> Based on the photos,
can you recommend an appropriate placement that I could try?
<... in looking at this animal, considering your system... I
would remove, return it to your LFS. This specimen is very badly
bleached (dying from a lack of zooxanthellae... which give it
color... and nutrition) and your system does not have sufficient
quality or quantity of light to support such an organism... Please
read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/macrodoreensis.htm and the linked
files above> I'll be getting a net today to try that
technique mentioned on your site. It's tentacles are usually
out while it's roaming around, is this a sign of good health?
<No my friend> Next question: The sea hare that I can't
identify fell onto the anemone the other day. <Very bad...>
Should I be worried about the anemone stinging it? <Yes... and I
suspect this is not a tropical animal... See here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/seaslugid.htm re this Aplysia> I moved
the sea hare when I saw it. What exactly happens to a marine animal
if/when it gets stung by an anemone? <Too much to relate to you
here... but is recorded on our site, elsewhere> Will I be able
to identify if has happened? <This animal needs to be removed as
well... is also mis-placed here> The sea hare was purchased less
than a week ago and it's laid eggs on the side of the aquarium
walls twice. <Stress... reproducing before it dies...> Should
I clean this up or leave it alone (none of the aquarium inhabitants
attempted to eat it). <Should be removed> The mushroom coral
in the photo was purchased at the same time as the LTA. <...>
It was open and appeared happy for several days. We added
phytoplankton to the tank <Nothing you list actually eats
this...> the day we got it and then forgot to refrigerate it so
we didn't add any more until a week ago. It had shriveled up
but the opened back up when we added the phytoplankton (which we
were told to add 3 times a week). We also have been instructed to
add 1 squirt of Arctipods once a week. Now the mushroom is
shriveled again and has been for 2 days. Is this normal or is this
a sign of bad health? If it's a sign of bad health is there
anything I can do to help it? <... my friend... you need to
read... And STOP buying "things", livestock...> Two
more quick questions and them I'm done, I promise. We don't
have an RO/DI filter yet (we won't be able to have one until we
move) so we've been using Distilled water in the meantime.
Since we've never had super great water quality, is this a
contributing factor? <Not much> Is there anything we can to
do help get the ammonia to 0 (Oh, I forgot, we add Amquel 1x/week)?
<... this may be giving you a false positive...> Besides
adding PH 8.2 to the distilled water, should I be doing something
else? <Reading> Last question. I now know that our clowns
don't naturally host with a LTA but is there a possibility that
this might happen? <... reading> Is there anything I can do
to help this process (besides a home for the LTA)? I know that they
can survive without each other but it would be nice if they would
pair, besides, the clowns have taken up residency in the little
cave in our tank that was home to the shrimp. Now we hardly see the
shrimp because it appears to have been pushed out of it's home
by the clowns. It would be nice to be able to give it back it's
home. Thank you for you wonderful site. I've learned a lot
(much of which has come after making this purchase and had I known
better would have made different choices). I've looked on your
site for answers to my questions and I often see that you refer
people to "read wetwebmedia.com about your question". If
you are going to refer me to an article, can you please give me a
link or please be very specific about the location of the article
because I sometimes have difficulty navigating your site. Thank
you, again. http://www.sendpix.com/albums/08012114/2t2jg47po0/ Link
to photos of our tank Lynda Hounshell <Read and heed the
above... and then, keep reading... Do NOT buy anything more w/o
researching for yourself ahead of time. What you have now will very
likely "crash" soon... You need to ACT with knowledge...
ASAP. Bob Fenner> |
|
New LTA question
5/25/07 Hello and thank you for all of the great
info on your site! <Welcome!> I have a 7-month old 150
gallon saltwater tank with a 225 pounds of live rock, refugium,
very strong Current Halide lighting, Current drop-in chiller,
protein skimmer, 35 watt UV sterilizer and additional 4 power
heads being directed by a Wave master. My inhabitants
are a Copper banded Butterfly, Sail fin Tang, Bellus Angel, 4
Chromis, 3 Blennies, 1 female square spot Anthias and 1 male Liar
<Heeee! Lyre> tail Anthias. (The female Lair tail and Male
Square spot Anthias recently passed. I believe that it
was due to the increased use of halide lighting once I added
corals. Both of them went into hiding and after a
month or so,
died).
<Mmmm> After about 5 months I added mushroom, elegance and
bubble corals. They have been thriving and growing
well over the last two months. My water levels have been steady
and I keep a good eye on the phosphate, calcium and alkalinity
levels now that I have corals. I keep the water temp
at 76 with a variance of 2 degrees with a salinity of
1.0235. I do a 30 gallon water change every two weeks
with water I make from my R/O unit. Since adding the
corals, I noticed that keeping the alkalinity up is the main
change in the water. I add a dose Pro Buffer dKH
almost every day. Phosphates are a little bit of a
challenge as the tanks is still kind of new. When they
get above .03 I add a dose of Phos-Pro liquid which the tang does
not appreciate. I also have a bag of Phos-ban in the
refugium constantly. The tank gets 13 hours of blue
light (7am to 8pm) and 7 hours of halide light (12pm
to 7pm) everyday. Last weekend I purchased a LTA <Could be
trouble mixed with the corals you list...> along with a male
and female clown fish. They were already an acclimated
set together in the tank at the fish store. I asked
the salesperson the proper caring instructions. He replied that
the LTA would attached itself to the sand and the fish would feed
it. Here's what I've done so far: I dug a
little hole in the sand, placed the LTA in it then watched him be
blown around by my power heads. It ended up on the
bottom, on its side next to my overflow with it's tentacles
being sucked into the overflow slits. Not damaged as
far as I could tell. I moved it back into place, put a
live rock, shaped like a half-circle, behind it for stability and
turned off the power heads. After one day, it appeared to be
nestling into place. This morning, it was closed up
like a ball with the two clown fish trying to get inside of
it. Once the blue light came on and I fed the
fish/corals it appeared to open a little, but then closed up
again. It's resting at an angle that's tilted
probably 20 degrees. If I turn on the power heads, I
think it will be blown around again. Given that the
flow of the tank will probably push him into the overflow again,
I'm worried. He has a red bottom and it's
tentacles are light tan to greenish. My questions...
1) Should I continue to keep the power heads off until
the LTA settles in or should I run them as normal so it finds a
spot that's comfortable? <Mmm, no... you need to
re-arrange the flow such that it doesn't blow this animal
about...> (I'm worried that if I run them he'll end up
by the overflow again. Also I worry about the fish and my corals
as they're used to the current provided by the power heads).
<Yes, very important>
2) Feeding? Seems like the more I read, the
more I see that I should be feeding him and not relying on the
fish to feed him. <Correct> My current feeding for the fish
is two to three times daily of Arctic-pods, herbivore minced and
Mysis shrimp. The corals are fed once each day either,
Phyto-plan, Zoo-Plan, Cyclops or Mystic Snow. Thank you so much
for your help!!!! Greg E. <Please... take a while and read
here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm
Scroll down to the tray on Anemones, LTAs... Bob
Fenner>
|
|
|