Anemone help from South Africa. Anem. incomp.    7/31/16 Hi all I have a 250l Red Sea Max, that is matured. I added a bta to my current setup which has 2 magnificent anemones <Yikes... not good to mix large Actinarian spp.> yesterday (clones). I do not have a qt at the moment. This morning the bta and smaller magnificent were touching. I then separated the bta this morning and put him in a basket, still in the main tank The 2 magnificents are sulking and have turned a very dark cokour compared to normal. I think this might be due to toxin from the bta. The bta was completely open. <The winner> I have removed the bta and put him in a bucket with a pump and airstone to separate from main tank. <Good move> I am running some extra carbon Brightwell carbonit x3 and want to do a 30% water change tomorrow morning when I can create enough water and prep it sufficiently. Any other advice,? <Yes, a treble dose of iodide-ate; a double dose tomorrow... and some (a tsp. or so) of simple hexose sugar if you can find it (just one level for the whole tank, dissolved in system water); glucose preferred> Your response is appreciated Regards Yusuf <And you; Bob Fenner> re: Anemone help from South Africa   7/31/16 Thank you for the response, <Welcome> I'm not sure what iodide-ate is and I don't think get it in over here. <Mmm; yes you can. Look for SeaChem's line> For sugar can I use plain brown sugar or glucose syrup ? <The latter> Once again thank you <Welcome. BobF> Regards Yusuf re: Anemone help from South Africa   7/31/16 Hi Bob. <Yusuf> Thank you for all the help and prompt response. Will pick up the iodide today and the glucose syrup. <Good> Will do a 30% or so water change. <And this> The magnificents are already looking better. <Ahh!> We give the iodine to allow for an immune booster? And the glucose for energy? <Yes> Regards Yusuf <Cheers, Bob Fenner> Re: Anemone help from South Africa         8/1/16 I did the water change now just waiting for everything to settle. <Very well> Thanks once again for the advice. <Welcome> Il let you know if everything is ok. <Please do> Please see pics of the magnificents before and after <Looking better. BobF> Regards Yusuf

Magnificent Anemones. Using WWM - 1/25/13 Hi Crew, <Aaron> I recently purchased an anemone which is creamy coloured with whiter tips. <Very badly bleached... complete loss of Zooxanthellae... can reincorporate> It is not that large about 12-14cms across. My two Ocellaris clowns which have been without an anemone for seven months ignored it for the first day but on the second day were both in it and never really leave it, only for food. I wondered if they need to secrete more mucus over their bodies before they can go inside one having been without an anemone for so long. <Sometimes communication takes a while. Sometimes it never occurs> This is great as it give me so much pleasure to see them rubbing their bellies on the tentacles. This leads me to believe that clownfish should only really be kept with the appropriate anemone as I don't think they will be complete without one. I have dived all over the worked and never seen a clownfish in the sea without an anemone. <They (Amphiprionines) always live in mutual symbiosis w/ one of a few species of Actinarians> I have a couple of questions, all may water param.s are good except......my phosphates were about 0.3 so I have added Seachem's Phosguard in a pouch which I hope will reduce the phosphate to negligible levels within 2-3 days. <I wouldn't do this... see WWM re> How sensitive are they to Phosphates? <Not very... and do need soluble HPO4> Also my temperature is a little high, I live in the tropics and my chiller is set for 30C Why 30C well with the aircon on during the day it hardly has to reduce the temperature, lower temps and it is on much more often and makes a noise and uses about 1amp. The anemone looks in good order, but when I drop New Life Spectrum small pellets on it it does not seem to respond. <Needs meatier fare>  I noticed the anemone is sticky but looking at your site where I saw "There are no naturally white-colored Magnificent Anemones...  <This is correct. Do occur in quite a few other colors though>     and it's rare for ones that are badly bleached to recover" do you think it could be another species or is it doomed? <Most likely the latter, but is also likely Heteractis magnifica... see WWM re ID... the petechia on the column, its color> Should I try another food? <... yes> I placed it about 15 cm.s below the water level between two rocks and it has not moved in four days so I hope it is happy. It looks great. Please find a picture attached. It is very close to a Goniopora, if they touch will either be hurt? <Oh yes. Bob Fenner, out diving in the Philippines>  Thank you in advance, Adam.

Re: Magnificent Anemones. Bob, Wow enjoy the diving, so you think it can regenerate Zooxanthellae and should live? <Yes; didn't I already state this? Can, not should. B>  Re: Magnificent Anemones. Yes but opposite to what I captioned and sent to you from your site, perhaps new info. Please update to avoid confusion. So the purple base will return with green tentacles? <... not necessarily these colours and not w/o good care... Please read where you've been referred to... B> Re: Magnificent Anemones. - 1/25/13 Hi Crew, I have a system with some delicate fish, Majestic Angel etc two pieces of Goniopora and I added the Magnificent anemone <? Angels eat anemones> only a week ago and it died today. <... very typical> My params are all good, slight phosphate 0.05, Nitrate a little high at 10, the fish and the Goniopora are all fine. The temperature could be a problem running between 30 and 31. The anemone was bleached but as previously discussed this should not be an issue. <? Of course it is>  Do you think it is possible it was already "dead" but did not show signs or are they that sensitive to temp. I am upset as my Nemos loved it. Any advice would be great I have read they are very difficult to keep. Regards, Adam. <Am done telling you to read on WWM. Go elsewhere. B> Re: Magnificent Anemones. - 1/25/13 How rude as clearly mentioned previously I had read part of your site and it conflicts what you now say in regards to bleaching. Also in regards to your suggestion that the Magnificent Anemone needs Phosphates that are detectable I find that hard to believe as I live by the Indian Ocean where the Phosphate reading is Zero. <...>

bubble anemone shrinking tentacles... Nope... sent secondarily  4/24/2009 Hi Crew. Thanks in advance for your help. I am needing some help with my bubble tip anemone. <Not... see here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm Can't be sure from your image, but from the color of the pedicle, the verrucae... this looks like a Heteractis magnifica> I purchased him at my LFS about 2 months ago. I am in the process of trying to correctly identify him using your web site, but when I got him he had beautiful frosty bulbs with purple on the tips. <Mmmm?> He was fine, behaving and eating as I would expect based on the research I've done about them. About a month ago we replaced the bulbs in our aquarium. Compact fluorescents 2 each of 65w dual actinics and 2 each of 10,000K dual daylights. <How far away...?> Our tank is a 90 gallon with a 15 gallon sump. No mechanical filtration. 6 inches live sand, 110 lbs live rock, a pro clear aquatics 150 protein skimmer in the sump, and a pacific coast imports chiller that keeps the temperature at a constant 78. specific gravity is always 1.024 with water that has evaporated replaced each day with RO water from a Kent RO unit. We do weekly 10% water changes. Calcium is about 400, PH is 8.2-8.3. no ammonia etc. alkalinity is on the high side of normal according to my test kit. The aquarium has been set up for over 3 years. This is the first time adding a BTA. Also I change a carbon pillow monthly in the sump. We have four ocellaris clowns, one desjardinii tang, one regal tang, one yellow tang, a coral beauty, and a male and female mandarin dragonet. Also a lot of snails, some hermit crabs a couple cucumbers a skunk cleaner shrimp and two red fire cleaner shrimp. Anyway, since we replaced the light bulbs, our BTA has not been well. His color on his body is still the same, brown, but his tentacles have shrunken more and more until they are almost gone. He still eats and excretes waste. I feed PE mysis shrimp mixed with Cyclopeeze and formula two flakes daily to all tank inhabitants, and I feed small chunks of shrimp and scallops from my local grocery store to the BTA every few days. Usually he takes it. Occasionally he lets it go. Are the lights the problem? <Perhaps a contributing factor... This amount (intensity) of light is insufficient for either Entacmaea or a Magnificent...> Should I move him? <I would try this> He is attached to a large rock that can be moved lower in the tank. I am attaching a photo that I took of him this morning. At night when the lights are out his disk expands like a big soft pillow full of water, about 4 or 5 inches across, but the bulbs still stay shrunken. His mouth is tight and smooth. Can you guys(and or girls) help? Thank you so much. I love your site! <Please use it. Bob Fenner>

Re: BTA shrinking tentacles more info... Allelopathy  4/24/2009 Hi I sent you guys a question earlier this morning about my bubble tip anemone problems. I sent a picture of him, and listed all water and lighting other livestock etc. I did not mention the other corals in my tank. I have been reading on your site all day and I'm wondering if the brown, gold, and green Zoanthids in my tank could be the problem. <Mmm, yes> I thought it was the new light bulbs. I will continue researching on your site, but wanted to add to my earlier e mail that there are a lot of Zoanthids in my tank, also some metallic green star polyps, a toad stool, and a mushroom. <All these can be toxic to other Cnidarians... most so the Zoanthids> If the Zoanthids are the problem, should I get rid of them. Our tank has been set up for a long time and they have multiplied a lot. Will my BTA survive? What's the easiest way to get rid of them? Thanks. Dawn D. <Mmm, best for you to read: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm and the linked files above... till you understand your situation, options, consequences. Bob Fenner>

Anemone problems, Ritter's   11/25/08 Hi there, you have helped me out in the past, and I am back again. I just acquired a Ritteri anemone, about 4" in diameter, <Mmm... "squeezed down" for shipping likely... Heteractis magnifica in the wild are almost always much larger than this> came shipped, arrived in good condition. I have tons of live rock, checked up on your website, placed him high in the tank. Cut back the water flow for now, he rolled around a lot and now is where i think he wants to be, however my maroon clown has taken interest in him and now is trying to move him. The anemone isn't attached yet and it has been a few days. What should i do?? Thanks for all your help. <Mmm... I'd remove the Clownfish for sure... temporarily... to see if this "helps" the anemone to settle... H. magnifica/Ritter's do "go floating about" much more than any other symbiotic Actinarian species... Do make sure pump intakes and overflows are effectively screened... heaters as well. You have read my piece on this species care on WWM: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/hetmagnifica.htm  and the linked files above? This is not an easily kept animal... Bob Fenner>

Heteractis magnifica health 12/12/03 Guys, <Adam here this evening> I have had a magnifica for about 8 months (previous owner had it for 2years) <congrats on your success with this difficult animal!> and all of the sudden the mouth has protruded outward and it has not decreased in size. At night the mouth comes out even further. <I have seen this behavior in other species of anemones, and have always seen it pass in otherwise healthy specimens> The anemone has not lost its color or its ability to hold onto food (it does not eat food but holds onto it for about 10 min. and then lets it go) <Good signs that the stress it is experiencing is probably mild and still reversible.> It is about 12 inches wide and 2 clownfish host it one 3 inches long and one 1inch long. I have metal halides and bombard it with current. <You obviously are aware of this animals requirements in this regard.  If it has been healthy for 8 months in your care, I suspect that you are meeting light and current needs.  My next thought goes toward water quality.  Even if all of the parameters you test for seem to be within acceptable limits, there may be a water quality issue outside of the things we normally test for.  If this aquarium also houses corals, I would be suspicious or allelopathy.  If not, I would still recommend a couple of significant water changes.> I use to feed it 3 times a week but for about 2 weeks I have not fed it at all. Let me know what I can do to remedy the situation. <I would verify that all measurable water quality parameters are acceptable, and proceed with a couple of water changes regardless of the results.  If any large corals are present, I would consider moving them to another tank.  In the mean time, I would limit feeding attempts to only enough food to see if the animal resumes eating.  When it does, you can increase the amount.  If you don't ever vary the food, you may try that also.> Thank you for your input <Always a pleasure!  Please do keep us updated. Adam> Alexander Blanco

Ritteri blues Good Morning, <hello> I have a 50 Gal. tank that is 36"L X 18"W X 20"D, with 2 175 Watt Metal Halides and 2 65 Watt power compact actinic blue lights. My tank is completely cycled for almost a year now, and my water quality is exceptional ( I do a 30% water change every two weeks, sometimes more often), and I have a motion full tank with alternating wave action.  My question is I have purchased a 8"-9" Ritteri Magnifica about 6 weeks ago, I did the acclimation properly for a week, and he was in good health when I bought him. For about the lst 4 weeks he deflates himself for several hours a day several times a day ( at no specific time period for any amount of time) and he looks like a blob, but he isn't deteriorating, and then reinflates himself for several hours again.  I filter feed him only twice a week, and he is hosting a percula clown, he hasn't moved since the first day he was in my tank so I don't know if he is happy or not.  I also have a carpet anemone in my tank, but he is all the way in the other corner of my tank, and he hasn't moved for 6 months.  I am beginning to wonder if I am pushing to<o> much light or not enough, could you help me please. < no you are not pushing too much light. This is most of the time normal. they expel water and take in new. this is one of the most hardest anemones to keep. the best way I have found to keep them is by making a raised platform near the top of the surface and place them there. turn off pumps for 10 minutes and he will stick if healthy). they love light and also love to get hit with a lot of random current. your should also try feeding him cocktail shrimp uncooked). Last it could be the clown is harming the anemone. If the anemone is small and the clown is big it can damage the anemone. the anemone should be at least 5 times the size of the clown. hope good luck Mike H> Thanks,   Michael C. Arnold
Re: Questions about my Ritteri Thank You for your response, <welcome> I have a wave maker in my aquarium that is set on rolling action.  My clown is about 1" in length and my Ritteri is about 8"-9", so I doubt it is the clown <I doubt it too> Should I keep my lights on little longer, right now they are on 10 hours a day? <10 hours a day is good I would not go any longer than that Mike H> Thanks,