FAQs on Bulb, Bubble Tip/Rose Anemone
Health 5
Related Articles: Bubble
Tip, Rose Anemones, Entacmaea quadricolor, Use in Marine
Systems by Bob Fenner, Bubble Tip
Anemones by Jim Black, Recent
Experiences with BTA's by Marc Quattromani,
Anemones,
Cnidarians, Colored/Dyed Anemones,
Related FAQs: BTA
Disease 1, BTA Disease 2,
BTA Disease 3, BTA Disease 4, BTA
Health 6 BTA Health 7, BTA Health 8, BTA Health
9, BTA Health 10,
BTA
Health 11,
BTA Health 12, BTA
Health 13,
FAQs on BTA Disease by Category:
Diagnosing,
Environmental (Pollution/Poisoning, Lighting...),
Nutritional, Social (e.g. Allelopathy),
Trauma,
Pathogenic (Infectious, Parasitic, Viral)
Predatory/Pest, Treatments
& E. quad. FAQ
1, E. quad FAQ 2, E. quad. FAQ 3, E.
quad FAQ 4, E. quad FAQ 5,
BTA ID, BTA Compatibility, BTA Selection, BTA
Behavior, BTA Systems, BTA Feeding, BTA
Reproduction/Propagation,
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New Print and
eBook on Amazon:
Anemone Success
Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term
by Robert (Bob) Fenner
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E. Quadricolor, New Tank Issues -- 11/14/07
Hello once again! <Hello Ryan, Brenda here> I have yet
another question for you. <Not a problem!> It never ends,
does it? <No, but this is how we all learn, and why we are
here.> Thanks for all your great help so far and hopefully you
can help me out with this interesting situation? <I'll
try!> I recently moved my bubble tip anemone and its clone to
a new tank. The new tank was setup with existing live rock and
water, as well as some Chaetomorpha algae. <This is not an
instant cycle. This creature needs an established environment,
including the sand bed. This takes a minimum of 6 months, one
year is best.> Everything has been going well, except the
endless walking around the tank. <It is not happy.>
Different flow and lights will cause that. <The new tank is
likely the cause.> Yesterday I came home from work and found
something interesting. The anemones had been fed the day before
and looked a little unhappy. <What are you feeding it?> I
took a look and found something interesting? I've posted this
on three forums and no one has responded, which, in my opinion
means no one has an answer? Today the anemones look much happier
and the "egg sac" in the attached picture is gone.
After I took the picture last night I noticed the tentacle
started to tear open but I did not stay up late enough to see if
anything was released? I added some carbon and did a water change
just in case something in the tank was off. <You need to keep
a close eye on your water parameters.> Thanks for looking,
Ryan.
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s7/RyanSc_photos/IMG_1496.jpg
It is just to the right of the mouth. <Yes, I see this.>
Any ideas? <Well, I can tell you, it is not an egg sac. Here
is a link to a thread that shows eggs inside of an anemone. The
pictures in this thread are amazing.
http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic74210-9-1.aspx This is also a
good article to read:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/feature.htm As far
as what is going on; it could be a number of things. It looks to
me like one of its tentacles has become injured or irritated.
What are the tank mates, including fish, corals and
invertebrates? Have you noticed anything bothering it? Are there
any possibilities that salt accumulated somewhere and dropped
into the tank, landing on the anemone? What are your water
parameters? How long has this tank been up and running? Did you
transfer the sand bed over also? If so, how long did you leave it
cycle before adding the livestock? Thanks again. <You're
welcome! Brenda>
Re: E. Quadricolor, New Tank Issues --
11/15/07 Hi Brenda, thanks for the reply. <Hello Ryan, and
you're welcome!> You are not going to like this?
<Yikes!> I did the entire change over in one day!
<Ouch!> After asking many people if it would be OK if I
used existing live rock and water as well as some Chaeto, they
all said yes. <No, it is not ok, especially with anemones.>
So if this was not OK what can I do now? Water parameters were
fine until I fed the anemones, I fed them shrimp, same shrimp
I've fed for over a year. My ammonia was a little high the
day after and I'm assuming that one or both of the anemones
did not eat their "dinner", causing the higher ammonia.
<The ammonia spike is caused by the cycle. This is extremely
toxic to anemones.> I did a water change to fix the problem, a
rather large water change and after that they both looked fine.
Here are the water parameters, ammonia 0, nitrite 0 (yes I'm
sure), nitrate 0, calcium 400, Alk 10 DKH, salinity 1.025, temp.
79....I think that's it. <I do recommend a salinity of
1.026 for anemones.> The tank has a couple of frags that were
attached to the live rock, Montipora and that is it, no other
corals or fish....oh other than the one Palythoa hijacker. Please
let me know if there is a way I can fix this situation? <I
suggest getting the anemones out of there for a while. See if you
can find someone local to take it in. If you are starting with a
new sand bed, you need to wait a minimum of 6 months. If you
transferred the old sand bed, it will take less time, but I
can't give you an exact time frame. It could take a few
weeks, or even a few months. There are too many variables. You
will need to keep checking your water parameters. Once everything
has been stable for a while, you can put the anemones back
in.> I assure you I did a lot of questioning before I went
ahead with this move and everyone said it was fine. Now I need
your help, please. I did not check the links yet because I'm
in a bit of a rush and trying to catch you today rather than
tomorrow. Thanks for your help, Ryan. <You're welcome!
Brenda>
Re: E. Quadricolor, New Tank Issues --
11/16/07 Thank you Brenda! <You're Welcome!> Sorry
to keep this going back and forth with you. <No need to be
sorry!> The sand is new, I thought I was saving myself cycling
issues by doing this rather than using old "dirty"
sand, apparently I was wrong. <Even when using old sand, there
will still be a cycle.> I have little trust in others in my
area, I work at a LFS but don't want my anemones there
because they cram them all in one little tank. <Ouch! I know
what you mean! When visiting a LFS, I first look at how they
treat their anemones. I can't count how many times I've
left feeling sick! I have found very few LFS that provide an
adequate environment for this creature.> I don't know
anyone else (local) with a tank that would be suited to keep
anemones. <Wish I could help, I would gladly take the anemones
in for a while if you were local.> So that being said I would
prefer to try and fix the problem by myself. I watch things very
carefully and hopefully I can pull this off? I have a SPS reef
tank that has been doing great for over a year (started it before
that). Here's what I've been doing. I'm making 5
gallons of new saltwater per day, letting it rest (with a pump)
for a day, adding that to my reef tank, then I take 5 gallons out
of my reef tank and change 5 gallons on my anemone tank. <This
is a waste of effort in my opinion. You simply can not create an
instant cycle. Your new tank needs time to cycle. Dirty water is
not the solution. Once your tank has cycled it will still not be
an adequate environment for anemones.> Not the best method but
hopefully this will get me through this 6 month period? I know
you are not going to be all that fond of this idea. <No,
I'm not fond at all, neither are the anemones. They need an
established environment, no less than 6 months, no short cuts
here.> Do you think it is possible to keep my anemones if I
continue to do this? <It is a possibility, but not a
probability, also not fair to the anemones to be kept in such an
environment.> My other option would be to somehow get them
back in my reef tank. <This would be my choice, with a slow
drip acclimation to reduce added stress.> I would prefer not
to lose my corals. That is an option that I would rather not go
for. <Were the anemones in the SPS tank previously? Were there
problems that made you decide to move them, roaming, etc.? I keep
anemones with SPS, and have had no issues. My anemones do not
roam, and I keep the SPS away from the anemones. Granted, this is
not a guarantee that they won't roam someday. Can you tell me
more about your SPS tank? Size, equipment, livestock, water
parameters, amount of flow, RO or RO/DI water, is there room for
the anemones? I appreciate your help a lot. Please try and see
things from my point of view on this. <I do, (and the anemones
view) we've all made mistakes.> I am doing my best to keep
them happy. I guess I should have emailed you first, before I
made the transfer. By the way both anemones look very healthy and
happy! <This may not be long term.> Thanks so much, Ryan.
<You're welcome! Brenda>
Re: E. Quadricolor, New Tank Issues... Brenda!
Refer Ryan! -- 11/16/07 Hi Brenda, <Hello Ryan!>
Thanks again! <You're welcome!> The anemones were in
the SPS tank before but the two used to be one, it split and then
both started roaming. <Both are a sign of stress.> They are
also very large so their tentacles swaying in the current (lots
of flow) were causing problems with my corals and clam. <Yes,
that is a problem!> I use RO/DI water, have 4000 gph of flow
(90 gallon tank), <That is a lot of flow, likely too much for
anemones.> a EuroReef skimmer, Kalk reactor, refugium with a
DSB and Chaeto, 500 watts of metal halide lighting (10K), 100+
pounds of live rock, 30 gallon sump, etc. <Nice
equipment!!!> My water parameters in the SPS tank are ammonia
0, nitrite 0, nitrate 1.5, calcium 400, DKH 11, Ph 8.3, temp. 79,
SG 1.025-1.026.....I think I got all of those? My SPS tank is
packed full of corals and my main concern is the anemones
wandering or letting loose of the live rock and floating into a
Tunze powerhead. <I don't recommend the use of powerheads
with anemones. If you must use them, they need to be covered with
something to protect the anemone.> I can provide you a link to
a picture to show you my tank so you get a feel for how packed it
is. My other thought was putting them in the refugium but then I
would have to buy an additional light and most likely keep that
light on at the same time my tank lights are on (not sure why I
think that?). <I don't know why you think that either. I
recommend the refugium light to be on at opposite times of the
main tank. Placing the anemones in the sump (with proper
lighting) is an option as long as you can be sure the anemones
are protected from all pumps. Anemones going through a pump can
wipe out an entire system. Without seeing your set up or knowing
how much flow is going through it, I really can't recommend
it.> I certainly want to keep the anemones happy so I'll
do what I need to. I'm also wondering if there would be a
safe way to connect the two tanks for a period of 6 months. I
cannot drill the tank, it's brand new acrylic and cost enough
that I would not feel comfortable putting a temporary hole in it.
<I don't blame you. What size/type tank is your new one?
How close is it to the old one? What lighting do you have on it?
Do you have any old tanks around that you could temporarily
connect to the established tank, a 20 gallon or so? I do suggest
running carbon, and frequent water changes when mixing coral and
anemones. The initial problems you experienced may have been
caused by chemical warfare, along with too much flow.> I
really appreciate all your help. Here's a picture so you can
see what I'm dealing with.
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s7/RyanSc_photos/IMG_1508.jpg
<Yes, a bit crowded for anemones.> I guess the other option
would be to cage them in with some egg crate until they are
attached and happy? <There are no guarantees that creating a
cage will create happiness. I believe there is simply too much
flow in your main tank, and possibly chemical warfare. In the
mean time, take a cup or two of sand out of your established
tank, and start seeding your new tank.> Thanks once again,
Ryan. <You're welcome! Brenda>
Re: E. Quadricolor, New Tank Issues --
11/17/07 Thanks Brenda! <You're welcome> Wow the
longest running WWM FAQ ever....I'm joking. I do have extra
tanks but connecting them safely would be an issue. The only way
I could do that is to have a pump in the main tank and a pump in
the connected tank, both pumping water back and forth, we both
know you should not do that. The refugium may work. I have no
pumps in the Fuge, just a feed pump from a different area of the
sump which supplies clean water and lower flow. I would need to
upgrade the lighting but other than that I think that may work.
Here's what I'm going to do today. Take some sand out of
the refugium, add it to the anemone tank, take a large amount of
Chaeto and add that to the anemone tank as well. I am also going
to try and add some flow without having a pump directly in the
tank with the anemones. I think they miss the flow. Both settled
in a very high flow location in my reef tank so maybe that's
what they're looking for. <They are suffering from being
placed in a non-cycled/non-established tank. It is important that
you get them out of there. This is not only very stressful on
anemones, but also one of the leading causes of death in
captivity.> I'll assume this will be the last email about
this, so once again thanks so much for all your help. I'll
give you an update in a month or so. Thanks, Ryan. <Good luck
to you! Brenda>
|
Sponge ID, Anemone getting healthier -- 10/12/07 Crew,
<Hello Andy, Brenda here! I have received both of your
e-mails, and will answer both here.> Hope all is well. I have
two questions and have attached three pictures related thereto.
<Okay.> First: I purchased a piece of Tonga Branch with 4
greenish mushrooms on it. At the bottom of the LR is what appears
to be some type of hairy sponge. When I tried to reposition this
piece of LR, I noticed that it has become attached to the piece
of LR on which it rests. On closer inspection, it appears that
this sponge (or whatever it is) has grown and bonded to the
underlying LR. Any thoughts on what this is? <It is hard to
tell with a picture and there are so many different sponges.>
Second: I have had a BTA for 5 or so months. When I got it, it
was tan. Since then, it has gotten progressively darker and is
now a purple/brown color. <Congratulations! Your anemone is
getting healthier.> I feed it 1 frozen cube of Mysis (thawed
and soaked in Selcon) 2 times per week, and it is a very eager
eater. <A full cube may be a bit much. I would also mix up the
diet a bit with some Silversides, Lance fish, raw shrimp, etc.
Portions should never be bigger than the anemones mouth.> My
Gold Stripe Maroon Clown is in love with it. <Yes, I bet! It
is a wonderful relationship to witness.> In any event, as
you'll see from the attached photos, its tentacles have lost
their bubble tips (which it only had for a month or so), which I
know is typical/normal/not indicative of problems. <No, it is
not a problem, and also not completely understood yet why some
have bubbled tips and some don't.> What has me curious is
why the tentacles sometimes look like curly-cues and whether it
is normal for the anemone to go concave on me (first picture).
Its mouth is very tight. It has not moved from that spot since I
added it to the display. <Is it expelling waste when it looks
like this?> As background, I have a 110 gallon display
(48" x 18" x 30") with about 80 lbs of live rock,
a 30 gallon LR/Chaeto/DSB refugium, a wet-dry filter, and a Coral
Life Super Skimmer. Lighting is six 54W T5 HO (four 10,000k and
two 460nm actinics). <Do you have individual reflectors?>
The BTA is positioned almost on the bottom of my tank. Parameters
are: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate all 0; pH is 8.2;
Salinity is 1.024-1.025. <I recommend increasing salinity to
1.026 for anemones.> Temperature is 78 -80 degrees. I do 10%
weekly water changes with aged RO/DI water (Instant Ocean). Other
tank inhabitants are Sailfin Tang (I know . . .), Gold Stripe
Maroon, Brown Combtooth Blenny, Royal Gramma, Filament Flasher
Wrasse, Yellow Wrasse, Clown Goby, about 15 mushrooms (various
types), 2 unidentified tree corals, 1 Lemnalia, hermits, snails,
and two Sally Light Foot crabs. I appreciate your time/thoughts.
Andy Crew, Sorry to cause confusion and delay, but in re-reading
my e-mail below I realized that I asked about my BTA's oral
disc being "concave" from time to time, when I meant to
say convex. Sometimes, it turns outward/upward to fully expose
its oral disc. <It may be trying to reach for light. From the
pictures it looks healthy.> Just so I'm clear, it never
turns itself "inside out"--just appears to reach for
the stars. <It is reaching for light.> Because it has never
moved and has great color, I can only assume that it's not in
need of more light, but I am just a reader of law and no
specialist of inverts. <It may be that the anemone has
positioned itself in such away that it is partially shaded, and
needs to extend in order to reach the light. It does not mean
that you need to add more lighting. The anemone appears healthy.
If you have individual reflectors on your T-5s, I would leave
things alone.> Thanks! <You're welcome! Brenda>
Re: Sponge ID, Anemone getting healthier -- 10/12/07
Brenda, <Hello Andy> Thanks for the response.
<You're Welcome!> I don't think I have individual
reflectors. I know that some T5 bulbs actually have internal
reflectors, but I don't think my bulbs (SlimPaq T-5 HO) have
this characteristic. <Without the individual reflectors, T-5
bulbs are comparable to PC lighting.> What I do know is that
my fixtures are Current Nova Extremes (I have one 4 bulb fixture
and one 2 bulb fixture). The product information states that the
fixture has "A German parabolic reflector increases light
output up to 99%". <With the use of individual
reflectors, lighting can be increased up to 300%. I am really
surprised that the anemone remains so low in your tank, yet
appears healthy after 5 months. I suspect that your clownfish
constantly feeding it, and the use of Selcon, is making up for
the lack of lighting. The 'reaching' out that you see, is
the anemone trying to get as much light as possible. Keep a close
eye on the anemone. Keep all intakes protected in case the
anemone decides to take a walk looking for more lighting. If its
health decreases, it may be time to upgrade lighting, or find the
anemone a new home. At this point, I am not seeing any immediate
concerns. Brenda>
|
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BTA -- Need More Information! -- 10/7/07 Hi
crew.... <Hello Tracy, Brenda here> I have a 30 gal. tank,
fluorescent. lights, <How many watts, what K value?? 3 clowns,
<two clownfish is the limit for less than a few hundred gallons.>
5 damsels, <Yikes! That's a lot of aggression, and way over
stocked!> live rock, all the tests are perfect. <What exactly is
'perfect'?> I purchased a Green BTA a few days ago. It
looked good for a day, but now it is totally closed up, and blown up
like a balloon, and laying on its side even though it is still attached
to the glass. <It should be attached to live rock, not glass.> Is
it dead? <I don't know, I can't see it. You might want to
send me a picture of it, along with the rest of the information I
requested.> I don't want to R/M <remove?> it if it
isn't of course. I was hoping it is just adjusting to its new home.
<It could be, but doubtful, how did you acclimate it, where did it
come from, internet, LFS, friend? Thanks, Tracy <Brenda>
Re: Rose Bubble Anemone hlth.
9/7/07 I've not changed the set up in any way. The only thing
introduced in the last 2 weeks is a small colony of mushroom corals
which are usually the other side of the tank. The lighting I have is
2x24" Acadia blue fluorescents and 2x24" white. The tank size
is 25 gallons (U.K gallon that is). <Ah, anemones rarely do well in
small tanks.> Water parameters are S.G 1.023, <salinity should be
closer to 1.025sg> No3 10mg, <doesn't help> Nitrite Nil,
Ammonia Nil, Phosphates Nil, Ph 8.2, Calcium 360mg and KH 7-10,
temperature is a constant 77.25. <closer to 80 would be better> I
do a 25% water change weekly but this is mostly to try and starve the
annoying patches of hair algae before they get a grip in the whole
tank. I have an Aquaclear 4000 power head directing the flow of water
across the tank. The only other inhabitants in the tank are 2 clowns
(male & female) and a Banded Coral Shrimp, so the tank is hardly
overstocked. <Sure, but I wouldn't add anymore fish.> on the
forum suggested that my lighting was incorrect and not powerful enough
for a BTA. <That's quite possible. However, even if you had
ideal lighting, the tank is still too small for a BTA.> Any
suggestions would be grateful as the BTA is truly beautiful when at
full health. (If you have any ideas to kill the hair algae that would
be appreciated too.) <About all I can suggest at this point is that
you get a bigger tank. For the time being, running activated carbon
might help. Best,
Sara M.>
Stressed BTA due to shipping,
Entacmaea quadricolor -- 8/19/07 Hello,
<Hello Wesley, Brenda here again> I've got a question about my rose BTA. I added it a few
days ago to my tank. The first day it expelled some waste then
expanded to its current size. After reading through your FAQs I
think it is expelling some symbiotic algae. I've attached two
pictures to show the change. <Yes, I
see, and agree.> The first picture was taken 6hrs after it was
placed in the tank and is expelling waste (though it is hard to
see). Second picture is day 3 (color is actually more vibrant than
it appears). You can see that it has opened up and the tentacles
have elongated. Could be that the algae is simply being stretched
over a larger area resulting in less coloration. I have noticed
that at night when it shrinks down the colors are stronger.
<Typical> The open mouth makes me think it is somehow
stressed/expelling algae. <An open mouth is a sign of a stressed
anemone. It does appear to have lost some of its zooxanthellae.> I ordered it online, so it did spend an entire
day being kicked around by FedEx. <This is likely the
cause. Shipping is very stressful on anemones. How was
the anemone packaged?> Also, my maroon clown has now made the
RBTA its home, though she isn't beating it up. <A maroon
clownfish with a stressed anemone can cause more harm. Keep a
close eye on it, and be prepared to remove the clownfish.> Tank
specs: 50g 2 x 150w
20k HQI (same temp online store kept it under) Ammonia = 0 Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0 Alkalinity =
10.5 Calcium = 380 ppm (slowly being
raised) PH = 8.1 (slowly being raised with
Calcium) <A pH of 8.1 is
acceptable.> Salinity = 1.235 (also
being raised to target of 1.25) <Slowly
bring salinity up to 1.026. Use saltwater as your daily top
off until you reach 1.026. Where is your magnesium at?
What is the temperature?> Slow = at
least a week (hah) I did the drip method
acclimation procedure over roughly 3.5 hours. <Perfect!> I haven't started feeding it yet pursuant
to Crew member Brenda's advice (thanks!) to wait a few days. Is
it bleaching? <It is slightly bleached. I have seen much
worse completely recover. I have high hopes for this little
guy!!!> What should I do if it is? <Start feeding small portions of food such as silversides,
lance fish, or Mysis shrimp. Start with portions approximately 1/8
inch every other day. Don't force it to eat. If it
doesn't want to take the food, try again the next day.
Food soaked in Selcon may also help. http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/207914/product.web
Keep checking your water parameters and keep up with water
changes. Once it recovers feed two to three times a week,
with portions no bigger than the mouth.> Thank you for your help, Wesley
<You're Welcome! I'll keep my fingers
crossed! Brenda> |
|
Possible Torn Anemone -- 8/19/07 <Hello, Brenda
here to help!> I have a rose bubble tip anemone and I lifted the
rock he was under but half of him was connected to it and it looked
like it pulled him away a little. <Ouch!!> I'm not sure if I
did something wrong but I laid it back down when I saw what I did.
<Yes, you did something wrong. However, it is not likely fatal if
the anemone was in good health to begin with. When you say the anemone
was 'under' the rock, are you saying it was hiding and not
getting any light?> I lifted the rock slow but when I could see him
I noticed the small part pull away. Help me please. My finance will
kill me if he dies. He is a week old. <I have to confess! I have
done something similar! I have also witnessed another crew
member/friend do the same. You may have torn the foot. Don't try
moving the anemone anymore. Keep your water parameters perfect! The
anemone may end up splitting, giving you two. Many anemones have
survived going through unprotected powerheads. You should know in a day
or two if the anemone is going to split. Do not try feeding the anemone
for a few days. If it does splits, wait a week to 10 days to give the
mouth time to heal before feeding. I hope this helps! I'll keep my
fingers crossed! Let me know if you have any more questions.
Brenda>
E. quadricolor, Bubble Tip Anemone Not Fully Inflated,
Mixed Species Tank??? -- 7/28/07 Hi there! <Hello, Brenda
here!> Well I have a bubble anemone and would just like to have a
concern addressed if possible? <I'll try!> My water quality
is perfect and lighting is good (in fact all other anemones and inverts
are happy and are growing like mad). <All other anemones? Unless the
anemones are clones, it is likely the problem.> My bubble anemone
just doesn't fully inflate. It rarely deflates. It's open all
day long and very occasionally moves around, but not too often, changed
positions once in the last 2-3 weeks). <A moving anemone is a sign
that it is unhappy. It may be getting stung by a nearby anemone or
coral.> My main concern is why does it never fully inflate? It is
inflated but not to what I have seen it do before! I would say it is
about 3 quarters fully inflated but that is as far as it goes! Any
theories? <I need more information. Are the anemones that you keep
the same species and clones? If not, I would separate, that is likely
the problem. If they are the same species and a clone: What are the
other tank mates? I also need actual water parameters, tank size,
equipment list, including lighting. How long have you had the anemone?
Have you changed anything lately, bulbs perhaps? What do you feed, how
often and what sized portions? How long has the tank been set up?>
Many thanks, Jamie <You're Welcome! Brenda>
Stressed Bubble Tip Anemone, Entacmaea quadricolor,
Tank Overheated -- 6/19/07 Hi Guys! <Hello, Brenda here> So
this is the deal, I've had a bubble-tip anemone for about 10 months
now and it has always seemed happy. It is brown colored with a very
orange base. It attached itself to the lowest point in the fish tank
against some live rock and stretched its body through the live rock so
it could get light. It always took to food and always opened up when
the lighting came on in the morning. A few weeks ago, the temperatures
in the area went over 100 degrees and we didn't have our air
conditioner on at the time. <Ouch!> I didn't anticipate the
heat (darn that weather channel) so I didn't have any type of
cooling for the tank when it happened. (I now have some emergency
frozen 2 liter bottles of water to float for such days). <Great!
Using a fan to blow air across the surface of the water will also
help.> Now, the anemone will not come through the live rock to get
light. I moved some rock around to see what it looked like, and the
foot does not seem damaged at all. Its appearance around the mouth
looks very leathery while the mouth itself used to be very tightly shut
but now stays open to about the diameter of a pencil. The tentacles are
no longer bubbly at the tips, they taper to a point. I moved the live
rock around it so I could have access to it to feed it in the morning,
but when I got up to look at my fish tank, the anemone was completely
shut. Is my anemone out of whack, sick, sensitive to light now, trying
to get better? <Your anemone is likely still stressed from the heat.
Leave it be, don't try to move it. It will move when it is ready.
Moving it will add more stress.> I've had the water tested at
the LFS and they said everything is fine. <I don't trust tests
done by LFS. You really need to be able to test your own water
parameters. Parameters can change over night. Pristine water conditions
will be the key to its recovery.> The only other issue I can see
with the tank is that a bit of my purple coralline algae seemed to turn
brown after the day of overheating. <Your coralline algae will
return.> Thanks for your help! <You're welcome!
Brenda>
Tiny creatures living on my bubble anemone!
Misplaced -- 06/11/07 I have a 20 gallon tank, been up for 4
months and very stable, no deaths and box fish, <... this is way too
small a volume to keep an Ostraciid> mandarin goby, <Ditto> 2
clowns, a camel shrimp and a couple damsels <Ditto> are thriving
and happy. <Ah, no> I just introduced a rose bubble anemone (I
think, orangy white with a little green) to the tank 2 days ago. <A
very poor idea> I might have to return it though, as it hasn't
seemed to find a good spot and is contracting and expanding a bit.
<They do this last...> Today to my great surprise, I observed
tiny little mite looking creatures on it. There are probably 50 on this
medium anemone. They are flat, same orangy color of the anemone and
they are oval and about 1 mm in diameter. They are "crawling"
on it sporadically and pulsate/lift up slightly from the surface of the
anemone. Are these symbiotic creatures or contributing to the
anemone's discomfort? <Mmm, don't know... there are
acarinans in marine/reef settings... Many can become problematical in
challenging/challenged situations. That is, these could be working this
anemone woe...> Is this a sign of another general state of the
anemone? It's mouth is a bit 'loose'. <... Likely
trouble> Also, I am observing at times, what looks like digestive
strands being exuded from some of the tentacles. Is this possible and
why? <Stress... perhaps a damaged specimen> Thanks so much. Your
website is a great contribution to the fish loving community! Julia
<Julia... please do read re anemone keeping on WWM:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm And if it were my
system, I WOULD return this animal/anemone post haste... There is too much
probability that it will perish, take your other animals with it here... DO read
re the Systems, Compatibility of the life you list... and going forward, what
you intend to keep. You NEED a much larger system here. Bob Fenner>
Re: tiny creatures living on my bubble anemone! --
06/11/07 Thanks Bob for your advice. I will return the anemone.
<Ah, good> How do I go about catching the mandarin goby to return
it also? Is there anyway to get around taking everything out???
<This may be necessary> I wish the store had told me the goby
would not be healthy in my system before I bought it!!! Thus the
importance of your site. Wish I'd found it before my purchase...
Julia <I as well. Life to you my friend. Bob Fenner>
New Bubble Tip Anemone Stressed! Is it
Dying? 5/18/07 I've had my Bubble Tip Anemone 5 Days
now. It has spent most of the time since then shriveled up and hidden
away in a hole it moved to on the third day. <It may still be
acclimating to its new home and/or your lighting? Do you
know what kind of lighting it was under before you got
it? What lighting do you have? How old are your
bulbs?> It was acclimated over several hours. <Good> I bought
the rock it was attached to. It is small maybe 6 cm. Now it
has shriveled up to nothing, it has turned white and now has started to
turn brown. Should I get it out? <White is not good. It
has expelled its Zooxanthellae. It can recover from this
with proper care. Can you see the mouth? Is it
open? Can you send me a picture?> I have an established
tank. Water checked every 2 days (every day during this crisis) ammonia
0 nitrite 0 nitrate 5-10. pH 8.2. <What is the salinity, alkalinity
and temperature?> I noticed my cleaner shrimp having a go at it as
well (he is a little monster, he's learned to knock my snails over
and eat them, getting expensive to feed him this way). <The shrimp
may be adding to the stress, but I doubt it is entirely
responsible. The knocking over and eating snails sounds more
like a crab to me. Do you have any in your tank?> This is
my first attempt at an Anemone and I feel really bad as I've not
lost anything for ages. <I understand completely. If at
anytime the anemone looks to be melting or decaying, it is dead. Be
prepared to do large water changes. If it dies the ammonia
is going to sky rocket.> <Brenda>
BTA, Entacmaea quadricolor not looking well, Clownfish moved out,
4/19/07 Hi Guys, <Hi Nancy, Brenda here> For the past year I
have had a 180 gal homemade reef tank up and running with minimal
problems. I have an Eco System filter, 2- 60" VHO
lights and 3- 175watt MH. Numerous soft and stony corals,
a
few fish and 'house keeper' inverts. Also a green
and a rose BTA, a Sebae Anemone and one tomato clown who had chosen to
live in the Green BTA. All anemones have a clay pot for a
home. <Why the clay pot?> A few weeks ago the green BTA started
to look flaccid and the clown moved out. I have read that
when they are going to divide they will look poorly so I let it be.
<Not necessarily.> It has at least a 4" base on it, has
thrived up to this point and has been in my possession for a couple
years. Concerned that as it had shrunk to the bottom of its pot and was
not getting sufficient water flow I tipped the pot on its side and the
anemone moved out. It is now hanging off the side of the
live rock where there is maximum current but still looking less than
healthy. Now and then the clown will come over to visit but
does not stay. What do you think? Getting ready
to divide or getting ready to cash out? <I doubt it is getting ready
to split if it has been like this for a few weeks. You
should not mix species of anemones in one tank. All those
corals you have in there are not doing it any favors
either. I imagine there is a lot of chemical warfare going
on in there.> As it is so large I hate to leave it in there to
slowly die and contaminate the rest of the tank but we have been
together for some time now and I feel like I need to give it a
chance. I owe it to the critter. <Yes, we are ultimately
responsible for the animals we keep.> I did change the VHO bulbs and
put in two blue instead of one blue and one 50/50. Is that
enough to make a difference? <Not likely enough. What are
your water parameters? I suggest doing a water change and
running some carbon immediately. If that don't help in a
day or two, I suggest removing one of the anemone species and some
corals. What have you been feeding your anemones?>
Thanks, Nancy <You're welcome! Brenda>
Re: BTA, Entacmaea quadricolor not looking well,
Clownfish moved out, 4/21/07 Thanks for the timely reply
Brenda, <You're welcome> Water parameters
: temp 74.5, SpG .023, Ph 8.2, Ca+ 400, Alk 300,
everything else 0. <Your temperature and salinity are
low. Gradually bring temperature up to 79 -- 80, and
Salinity up to 1.026. I would bring Salinity up by topping
off with saltwater over the next few days. Alkalinity at
300? I'm not sure what test kits gives Alkalinity in
that type of measurement. It is not one I am familiar
with. Alkalinity is typically expressed as meq/L or dKH
(when expressed as carbonate hardness), with 2.8 meq/L or 8 dKH as a
target for anemones.> I do have carbon in the sump that I change
when they get covered with algae and did so around a month ago. <How
are you running the carbon, through a reactor or in a mesh
bag? A reactor is best as it will force the water
through. It is my understanding that carbon is only good for
3 weeks at best.> I feed the anemones silversides, shrimp (that I
would like for myself) and then whatever type of frozen food that I am
giving the fish I will squirt a bit on them. <Raw shrimp I hope.>
The interesting thing is that they were together in a 75 gal tank along
with soft corals and mushrooms and did fine. The BTA and the
Sebae have been in the 180 for three months or more and the rose was
put in two months ago. <Yes, interesting.> It is still on the
side of the live rock right in the inlet water flow this morning and is
looking better than it has for some time. I will try a H2O
exchange and give it a few more days. The flower pot is to give is a
comfort and secure spot to live so it won't wander all over and get
itself into trouble. That was suggested to me by a dealer
and has worked well. No one messing with water intakes or
heaters or other critters. <I'm surprised you can get it to stay
in there. I would still protect your intakes with some
needle point canvas.> Nancy <Keep me posted with any improvements
or decline. Send us a picture with your updates if you
can. Good luck! Brenda>
Update: BTA, Entacmaea quadricolor not looking well,
Clownfish moved out, 4/26/07 Brenda, I wish I had good news to
share with you regarding my BTA but unfortunately that is not the
case. <Sorry to hear that.> The temp is partially
determined by the ambient house temp with supplement from a heater in
the sump. When the temp cooled off outside after a short
warm spell I relit the fire and the temp came back up to
76-77. I guess that I need to adjust the heater a
bit. <Yes, needs to be warmer, 79 -- 80
degrees.> I did raise the salinity up to .026 over the course of a
few days. When the BTA initially vacated its flowerpot and
hung on the side of the rocks in the current I thought that it was
improving as it was well stuck and the base was inflated although the
tentacles remained short. <Short tentacles are a sign of
hunger.> I was out of town for two days and when I got home it had
moved/dropped to the bottom of the tank, lost all tentacles on one side
and looked mushy. I hated to do it but as I feared for the
health of all the rest of the critters I took it out and sent it to
anemone heaven. <Sounds like it may have been time to remove it.>
Since that time the red Brain Coral has been inflating better than
previously. Could be circumstantial or could be it's
happier without some irritant. <Likely the later.> Life in my
mini ocean sure is interesting. Thanks for all your help.
<You're welcome.> I do think that I will forgo adding any
more anemones. The Sebae and the Rose are both looking
chipper and the clown is sharing his time between the two. I'm
going to leave well enough alone. <As previously suggested, only one
species of anemone per tank.> Nancy
<Brenda>
Bleached BTA, Entacmaea quadricolor eats bicolor
angel -- 4/15/07 Please help me identify this anemone. <Sure
will> I brought it from my local pet store and recently it
killed my bicolor angel. His head was sucked in his mouth. <A
bicolor angel should not be kept with an anemone. It is
known to nip at them.> Did the anemone sting or just suffocate
my angel cause he was hungry or for any other reason. I have been
feeding the anemone since I brought it home on a regular basis.
<Your anemone was likely defending itself. What have
you been feeding your anemone? It is
hungry. The short tentacles are a sign that it is not
getting enough to eat.> It has a brown base with white chubby
tentacles and at times they appear to be thin and pointy like.
<Your anemone is a bubble tip anemone, Entacmaea
quadricolor. It is known to have 'chubby'
tentacles at times. Your anemone is also
bleached. This means it has expelled its zooxanthellae. Zooxanthellae is an algae the lives
inside them. I suggest feeding meat foods, like
silversides, soaked in Selcon daily. I also suggest
portions no bigger than the anemones mouth.> I have attached a
couple of photos I took this morning. If it's not too much to
ask could you send me a link or some information on his requirement
and what if any special precautions I should take. <I recommend
researching before you purchase. Anemones are delicate
and difficult to keep creatures with special
requirements. There is a lot of information regarding
such on WWM. Also www.karensroseanemones.com is also a
great site.> Thanks in advance for all your help. Cheers,
Kristy
<You're welcome! Brenda> |
Re: Bleached BTA, Entacmaea
quadricolor eats bicolor angel -- 4/16/07 Thank you again for
all your help. <You're Welcome!> I have been feeding
frozen brine shrimp as the person I purchased from suggested and
for now on I will be feeding it daily. <Brine shrimp has little
or no nutritional value. Try some
silversides. Once your anemone is healthy again, you can
cut back on feedings to 2 -- 3 times a week.> Will my clowns go
in this as they haven't yet? <There is no guarantee with
clownfish. It may take some time, and it may never
happen.> Is this because he is hungry? <No.> I have a pair
of Ocellaris. Also in my 5ft tank I have a large Regal blue tang, a
very beautiful Large Powder Blue Tang (Surgeon Fish), Coral beauty
and a Heralds Angel <C. heraldi?> along with some live rock
and a Catalaphyllia. I also purchased a medium sized butterfly fish
and was told it won't eat the Catalaphyllia as he will sting
the fish. The fish pecked at the coral. I have now moved
the butterfly to a different tank. Will the coral come
back to its normal self again and why didn't it sting the
butterfly? <Butterfly fish are known to eat anemones, which also
sting. It is likely immune to the sting. It
should never be kept with corals or anemones. It may
come back. It really depends on the amount of damage and
if it is in a healthy environment. You have to be
careful with Angel fish and Butterfly fish with corals and
anemones. As far as your anemone's health, it sounds
like there is a lot going on here. Feedings need to be
changed, and increase. It needs to be separated from the
Angel fish, Butterfly fish and Catalaphyllia. It sounds
like you are getting some bad advice. I suggest making a
list of all your livestock and researching their care and
compatibility.> Thank you.
Kristy
<You're welcome! Brenda> |
Update: Re: Bleached BTA, Entacmaea quadricolor eats
bicolor angel -- 4/17/07 Hi Brenda, <Hi Kristy> Ok so I have now
separated the bubble anemone and Catalaphyllia. <Good> I moved the anemone
into a smaller tank (3ft) I used once for quarantine. I used the same water
from the 5ft and shell grit. So conditions didn't change much, I transferred
the rock he was on along with him. I was watching his behavior closely. His
mouth was closed up all day yesterday so I wasn't able to feed him any
silversides so I went to the store and got some Aquasonic liquid sea food.
<Yikes! You are putting the food in his mouth? Stop! The anemone will
take the food itself. It will open his mouth all by itself. Never put
anything in its mouth. Aquasonic liquid sea food? I don't know what this
is. If it is a liquid food it is not an anemone food. Do not use it on an
anemone. They need meaty pieces of food. Your anemone is bleached and in
poor health. If you tear it, it will likely not recover. If the anemone is
unable to hold onto the food with its tentacles, simply drop the food near
its mouth from an inch or so away. Turn down the flow if you need to so it
doesn't get blown away. If your anemones mouth is open that means its
health is declining. It does not mean that it wants you to put food in it.>
Last night when I went in to check on him, his foot was puffed up and was
rolling/floating around the grit on the tank. Once he rolled right over
until he was on his tentacles. <This is not a good sign.> I placed another
piece of rock in the tank thinking he might be just moving. I carefully
placed him on the rock. Did I do the right thing and he only done this
behavior when the tank lights were off, was he searching for light. <Your
anemone is looking for a happy environment. My guess is it will not find
one.> I turned on the marine light (blue light) and decided to leave him be.
Should I have done this? Should I have fed him when he was all puffed up and
open. Anemones are so fussy but it is a learning experience and I like to
learn new things. <Anemones are not fussy when they are healthy and placed
in the proper environment. It may be a learning experience for you, and you
may like it. However your anemone is sick, and will likely die. This is an
animal that you chose to keep. It is your responsibility to provide it with
the proper environment. This includes researching and knowing the
requirements before you purchase.> So it is also kind of fun, and stressful
at times. But it is all worth it at the end. <It might also be worth reading
the information and website that I provided for you previously. Also,
WetWebMedia covers all of these items. Myself and many others have covered
them many times.> Sorry to bug you with so many questions, I just want the
best for the anemone. Do you know the reason why he would act like so.
<There are many reasons. As I stated in my e-mail yesterday, 'As far as
your anemone's health, it sounds like there is a lot going on
here. Feedings need to be changed, and increase. It needs to be separated
from the Angel fish, Butterfly fish and Catalaphyllia. It sounds like you
are getting some bad advice. I suggest making a list of all your livestock
and researching their care and compatibility.' This morning he has settled
on the rock I placed him on but is still closed and can't seem to put food
in him and doesn't seem to want it as he closes more when I place it on his
tentacles. PLEASE HELP MY ANEMONE. <Take him back to where you got him, or
offer him to someone in a local club.> THANKS HEAPS. kind REGARDS KRISTY
<Brenda>
Update: RE: Bleached BTA, Entacmaea quadricolor eats bicolor angel -- -
04/17/07 4/87/07 You must have had me mistaken. I didn't use the correct
choice of words by stating that I tried to put food in his mouth meaning is
mouth was visible but closed, I could see the center of the disk as the
tentacle were sucked in so bad. No way will I do that. As I know the risks
of driving further to anemone heaven. <Good> I have read the site that you
gave me from top to bottom. Its a great site, also another document that I
found useful was
http://www.carlosreef.com/AnemoneFAQ.pdf
Its really good and I read most of that one today, I recommend it to all
that would like to purchase an anemone. <It is a good reference. It is not
BTA specific such as Karen's website.> The more I read on my BTA the more I
regretted buying it. I have chosen to see if the store will take it back and
I have learned a lot from this experience and I would hate for this to die.
I will be doing heaps more research on these before I buy another. <Both
excellent choices. Do you have a local reef club? You may find someone
local with experience that can help your anemone.> Thank you for all of your
help; will let you know how my Catalaphyllia goes in the future. Kind
Regards Kristy <You're welcome! Good luck to you! Brenda> |
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