FAQs on Sebae, Heteractis crispa Anemone Health/Disease
3
FAQs on Sebae Anemone Disease:
Sebae Disease 1,
Sebae Anemone Health 2,
FAQs on Sebae Anemone Disease by Category:
Diagnosing,
Environmental (Pollution/Poisoning, Lighting...),
Nutritional,
Social (Allelopathy),
Trauma,
Pathogenic (Infectious, Parasitic, Viral)
Predatory/Pest,
Treatments
Related Articles: Heteractis
crispa/Sebae Anemones, Bubble
Tip Anemones, Anemones,
Cnidarians, Colored/Dyed Anemones, Related FAQs: Sebae Disease, Sebae Anemone Health 2, & Sebae
Anemones 1, Sebae Anemones 2,
Sebae Anemones 3, Sebae Identification, Sebae Behavior, Sebae Compatibility, Sebae Selection, Sebae Systems, Sebae Feeding, Sebae Reproduction,
Anemones, Anemones 2,
Caribbean
Anemones, Condylactis,
Aiptasia
Anemones, Anemones and
Clownfishes, Anemone
Reproduction, Anemone
Lighting, Anemone
Identification, Anemone
Compatibility, Anemone
Selection, Anemone Behavior,
Anemone
Health, Anemone
Placement, Anemone
Feeding, Heteractis malu,
|
|
|
New Print and
eBook on Amazon:
Anemone Success
Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term
by Robert (Bob) Fenner
|
Sebae Health
2/3/16
Ok have a 220 reef I have had this set up since 10-07-15. 1
Sebae which has thrived up until lately.
<Clown, anemone?>
A couple of months ago I introduced a rose bubble tip which within 30 days
split. The sisters are doing great. So is a large Toadstool coral a
few very small stony's way up in the rock work, some Zoos,
<The Sarcophyton and Zoanthids don't play well w/ other Cnidarian groups. >
IF there is some sort of physical, chemical challenge in the system there could
be real trouble here>
feather dusters and 13 small fish, 300lbs of live rock, 40 gallon sump/refugium
and 3 Kessil 360 W lights. Water parameters are great. Run big Skimmer plenty of
flow with double overflows and Tunze Wave Box.
The Sebae a bout 3 weeks ago started to get smaller at times
<Oh, so, Heteractis crispa>
so I started feeding a couple of times a week with Silversides
>See WWM re feeding this species<
only about the size of the mouth. Fed the bubbles at same time too and they look
great but the Sebae wants to sometimes completely shrink up and go into the sand
briefly which never worried me but it seems to be more inflated in the morning
and evening hours or in darkness. At peak lighting times it's smaller and not
extended as much. It does host an anemone crab
but has for 90 days at least. It is about 22 inches from a bubble tip and maybe
10 inches from the Toadstool coral which is very healthy.
I do water changes about every 3-4 weeks and do 3+ gallons.
<What volume is this?>
Everything looks great except the Sebae not as prolific as it should although
color is very fine so I now it can't be the lights and it is not moving at all
maybe 5 inches on a lateral move over 3 months but never came up out of the sand
just got more focused under the light I think.
<Please, please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/SebAnemDisDiagF.htm and the linked files
above....>
I figure maybe not thriving due to chemical warfare or maybe I should back off
the feedings.
<You should READ>
Comments? I know I pushed the envelope on the cycling but took it very easy on
the bio-load with tons of live rock sand seeding and skimming nothing was
stressed. The Sebae and 2 banded corals went in at 30 days after setup and never
showed signs of stress
Thanks in advance
Mike Murphy
<Enjoy the reading. Write back w/ specific questions, concerns (should you have
them), after. Bob Fenner>
RE: Sebae Health
2/3/16
Sorry meant to say 30+ gallons on water change
<Ah; that makes more sense. B>
Re: Sebae Health... more incompatible tankmates
2/5/16
OK. I've already read all of the suggested reading prior to posting.
<//// ? then why are you feeding silversides? Go back and re-read>
The only thing I have not tried is force feeding the Crispa with a dropper and
vitamin soaked mysis shrimp as a treat as it has been accepting
silversides all along.
<I like popcorn too... but not good for me to eat it exclusively>
Coloration is still very good but during day at peak lighting times it is
shrunken and tentacles are deflated somewhat until my LED controller starts o
diminish intensity around 4-4:30 pm. At this time the tentacles tend to inflate
more and more so into the darkness hours. The oral disc remains normal I
appearance and it is still buried well in the sand. If these new Kessil 360's
can keep stony corals and the other soft corals and anemones in good health they
should do the same for this specimen.
<Agreed>
I have a well-established 55 gallon with live rock, led's macro algae and a pair
of Maroon clowns that I am contemplating moving the crispa to in hopes that no
other Cnidarians will be there to wage any chemical war fare and will recover.
<Good>
It has been thriving for 3 months until now and nothing in the water parameters
are out of line and all other specimens are fine i.e.. 2 bubble tip,
toadstool , Torch coral, 2 small carpet anemones
<!? NOT compatible. SEE/READ on WWM re>
and a small rock anemone so maybe someone is not playing well .
I did clean my skimmer out as the fractionizing tube was dirty and it was not
effective but with all the macro and live rock for the short period of time
should not have hurt anything as even when at 100% it does not take a heavy
amount of wastes out.
Maybe I should give him another 24 before moving?
<I'd move it stat! Bob Fenner>
RE: Sebae Health 2/5/16
On the silversides issue maybe I'm missing something? I see several
recommendations that is a good source only maybe soaked in Selcon.
<...."ideal foods are very finely minced meaty foods of marine origin Mysids,
shrimp, krill, etc. Please do research more about this anemone in the FAQs and
articles on this our site www.wetwebmedia.com">
I did start using RO water from a filtration system I purchased and the
last 2 water changes have been using that and also same for top of water
which would coincide with the timeline of this slow decline but when
everything else is healthy as can be I keep coming back to ware fare issues
between specimens.
Torn sebae anemone 6/17/15
Dear WWM
I don't hold out much hope but I must try everything before I give up on
anything in my tank!
<Our values are confluent>
I have had a sebae anemone in my 100 gal mixed reef for about 4 months. We
upgraded from a 30 gal, (4 yrs old at time of transfer) transferred everything
over and then about 10 months later added the anemone. Appeared very healthy at
time of purchase and remained so until 2 days ago when it began moving from its
spot. It got torn I believe on a colony of tube worms, sharp little suckers.
Once I saw the tear, I placed it in the PVC hoping to avoid more damage. Can he
recover from this?
<Mmm; yes; IF conditions are optimal and stable>
His mouth also looks kind of like the tear, like guts. Just checked parameters.
PH 8.1, salinity 1.025, temp 80°, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 20ppm (
been dosing red sea NO3 PO4to help)
<Good>
phosphates on API test are more than 0 but not as dark as .25, which is the
first color reading. KH is 13, CA 480, Mag is 1480. We have LED lights, run Aqua
C urchin skimmer, use a PolyFilter. No carbon. Did I forget to mention anything?
<Not of usually discussed parameters; no>
Any recommendations for this poor anemone?
<To keep on as you're doing>
The picture of him healthy was taken only a month ago and he looked like that up
until this incident. My camera isn't great but it was more than it appears.
Sincerely, Melissa
<Patience; and perhaps a little iodide-ate. Bob Fenner>
|
|
confused ... id please ..sabea anemone??
12/18/14
Hi, pls confirm whether this is sebea anemone..??
<It is a dyed yellow Heteractis crispa; indeed; dying>
Also let me know whether
it is dyed..?? Feeling sick to know it may be dyed from some online
sources.. Please help..
<Help yourself. READ on WWM re the species; DON'T send us 8 megs of
pix....
READ here; my piece on this scam:
http://wetwebmedia.com/coloredanemones.htm
Bob Fenner>
|
|
Re: confused ... id please ..sebae anemone??
12/19/14
Thanks Mr. Bob for quick reply,
<Welcome Anupa>
my god, didn't know they dye corals.. wonder how to find its natural colour
or dye one.. had no clue when looked at it in LFS. Sorry for the pic
size. will take care of the pic size next time
on..
<Good>
Dying?? :( hope it have some chance of recovery?
<Small; not much>
any advice or care recommendation..
<The reading>
thought new to hobby, but will try my best to take care of
these animals.. its a mistake i bought it in first place, have to
blame my ignorance and impulse purchase..
Thanks again..
<And the false perceptions of the folks involved in making these animals,
offering them thus. BobF>
|
dying Sebae anemone?
Hello,
<Howsit?>
I have been reading your site and am impressed. I have a Sebae Anemone that
has not attached for the month it's been here, and I think it is dying. I
am looking for advice. It looked like it was starting
to fall apart so I took it out, but if it has a chance
I'd like to try saving it before it's too late. Also,
if it is hopeless, should I euthanize it?
<... can't tell w/o more data... a pic perhaps? If it's falling apart I'd flush
it. Bob Fenner>
Please Help!
Rena
Re: dying Sebae
anemone?
So sorry, I had meant to include this photo. Thank you for getting back to
me.
<.... this Heteractis crispa is gone>
I did smell it and it doesn't smell particularly foul yet, just sort of
saltwater-aquarium-y. I checked my water parameters and the ammonia is a
bit off at .25. I put some Amquel in. Nitrates are at
40 ppm.
<... you're joking>
I am ashamed to say that it is in a 5 gallon tank that is very new with one
Dottyback and a few small turbo snails. I know it is too small and young
a tank, but I am afraid to put in my 75 gallon where
it might die and kill my other fish. Besides, the 75
was just upgraded two months ago from a 6 month old 20
gallon. So, I know I should have taken it back to LFS and may still
try if they would take it.
<Should have never purchased in the first place. BobF>
Best regards,
Rena
|
|
Purple mushroom problem... Just reading, using WWM
8/31/14
About 2 days ago I purchased a Sebae Anemone. He looked like he
was doing well. He was not bleached, his mouth was
closed tight, and he was opened up well. I ordered him
through a friend who own a pet store who also has a
passion for salt water. However my friend has no experience with reef
set-ups only fish so he's not much help. Anyways, the anemone
refused to eat.
(Brine shrimp, dived silversides)
<These are poor choices. See/read the archived FAQs on WWM re Heteractis crispa
foods/feeding/nutrition>
and if he did eat a little he would
flip over
<Very bad>
onto his mouth and expel it. He hadn't attached to a rock yet.
<Also>
Soon his mouth was gaping and eventually today I noticed he was
disintegrating so I took him out immediately and did about a 40% water
change
<Good move... I'd add carbon...>
to try to remove any toxins that may harm my tank. During this whole
process of trying to acclimate my anemone I noticed my corals, (that are
still mostly frags) were stressed.
<Oh yes; poor choice of tankmates... See Actinarian Compatibility on WWM as
well>
They would not open up. My mushroom even expelled his
indides for mabey 3 minutes after the water change. I just
want to know if my reef is going to be ok. My wife just went out to buy a
fake sebae for the clowns to live in until I am more comfortable trying a
real one again. Advice?
<Keep reading; learn to use WWM. Bob Fenner>
re: Purple mushroom problem
Hey thanks. Good info, I really appreciate it.
<Welcome>
Sebae Anemone problems (H. crispa),,, starved
chemically 8/7/14
Hello,
We have a 120 gallon saltwater setup that is almost 8 months old. We are
having some problems with our anemone and was hoping to get your advice.
I have poured over your website reading every FAQ related to Feeding,
Diseases, lighting and almost every other category but have not found a
similar issue (You have a great website with loads of information, a
must for anybody in the hobby). We got a large anemone (about 12-14
inches when fully open) along with two clownfish that host it about a
month and 1/2 ago from a colleague who was breaking down his tank. All
three were drip acclimated for 2 hours and then introduced into the
tank. They acclimated well, the anemone didn't move around much and just
attached itself to a rock close to where we placed it. The anemone and
fish looked great 3-4 days later. The anemone was a light brown/beige
color and was doing very well until last week. It will shrivel up when
the lights are turned on.
<Mmm; what sort of lighting here? Have you measured PAR, PUR near where
the Heteractis is?>
It looks normal without the lights (i.e. deflated but large) but once
the lights are turned on, about an hour later it has shriveled up to
about 3 inches (and looks green in color). Its mouth is closed, it is
attached to
the same rock that it first settled in with and feeds fine. We feed it
frozen Mysis shrimp everyday (about 5-6 pieces). It expels a dark brown
(almost black) gooey substance once almost everyday.
<Not good>
Below are the tank details - 120 Gallon w/t 55 gallon sump Skimmer, 2
powerheads (approx 4000 gph), 2 120 W LED full spectrum lighting (this
is the exact light
http://www.oceanrevivellc.com/goods.php?id=19
)
<I see; this should be fine>
80 pounds of live rock, 60 pounds of sand Livestock - 1 skunk cleaner
shrimp, 3 Chromis, 2 Clownfish (1 percula, 1 ocellaris), 1 sebae
anemone, 10 hermit crabs, 30 snails (a variety of them)
Parameters - Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate - 0
Phosphates - 0PH
<Ahh; here is at least some source of trouble... Actinarians are
chemo/autotrophic... need HPO4 (and NO3...)>
- 8.4Salinity - 1.025Temperature - 79-80 F
We run the LED lights @ 50% (Blues & Whites) and for 8 hours everyday.
I have attached pictures of the anemone before this problem and pictures
of it now. The first picture (RF_Jul25_2.jpg) is how it looked a week
ago. The second picture (photo 1(1).jpg) was taken today without the
lights on. The third picture is after the lights were turned on.
Appreciate any advice you can give us. Do let us know if you need any
more information.
Thank you very much, Vidya
<This animal is at least being mal-affected by a lack of soluble
phosphate, being driven photosynthetically sans absolutely necessary
chemical nutrient/s... Whatever means you're employing to render [HPO4]
zero, you need to remove/turn off. Feeding of your other livestock
will/would highly likely provide sufficient N,P,K... but for now you
might consider supplementing.
Do read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/AnemNutrDisF.htm
Bob Fenner>
|
|
Re: Sebae Anemone problems (H. crispa)
8/8/14
Thank you so much for your response, Bob. We are not using anything to
remove the HPO4 specifically as such, only run activated carbon.
<Good quality, quantity of GAC will do this/it... I'd remove about half and
increase feeding, targeting the anemone w/ a baster and small, meaty food
items>
We also have a fuge with some Chaeto in it.
<Will remove HPO4 as well; and a good to great way to do it>
I'll include Cyclops along with Selcon in the anemone's diet.
<Good>
Do you think increasing the feedings from once a day to two small feedings a
day would help increase the nutrients in the tank ?
<Yes I do>
Also, I was looking at the Brightwell replenish product,
<http://brightwellaquatics.com/products/replenish.php
... A trace element replacement product. I'd use a vitamin and
this one... SeaChem's "Vitality" will get you both these>
would this help for the purpose ? We do a 10% water change weekly.
Thanks and appreciate your help, Vidya
<Ah, welcome. BobF>
Re: Sebae Anemone problems (H. crispa)
8/8/14
Thank you so much, Bob. I'll get to these right away. I want to do
anything/everything it takes to get the anemone back (have my fingers
crossed!).
<I do hope for the best here. B>
|
Sabae anemone, bleached 4/12/14
Your website is very informative! I realize I should
check on here before making any future purchases to avoid preventable
mistake. From what I've
googled, this is a crispa anemone. Water salinity and ph,
nitrates, are all perfect.
<Oh... perfect>
Just got this anemone and it is quite content here....has been here
since I purchased it two days ago, my clown love it (close to death).
However, it
is not attached by it's foot? The foot is fully inflated, but just
hanging (not attached to anything). You can see that it is attached to
the rock
though by the underside of its tenacles?
<... not really; no>
I don't see any damage to his foot (and I realize from reading your site
that I shouldn't have purchased a white one now). Is this normal for it
not to attach to something with its foot?
<... this specimen is badly bleached... not likely to live. Bob
Fenner>
|
|
Re: coral fluorescence - Thank you... H. crispa hlth., comp.
4/30/13
Thank you both for responding to me. I read a little bit each day on a
myriad of subjects. Everyone here has an amazing amount of knowledge.
One last question if I may (or two, or three... ). I have seen some
amazing pictures online of Sebaes brought back from the brink. I cannot
tell however if the green sheen mine has means it will be green once
Zooxanthellae return.
<Usually "the sheen" is telling. Many anemones begin or re-begin
brownish from white... but can/do reincorporate Zooxanthellae that are
capable of adopting pigments of a few hues>
Also assuming I do well with this one, I will likely want a couple
others of differing color. Some say that because it is not a clone they
will fight but others just say not to mix species.
<Best not to; or to take a long time (months) approach of housing
separately, mixing water between systems to acclimate them to each
other>
I would think that the chemicals given off by two corals or anemones of
the same species would be the same.
<Mmm, no; not the case... each individual, as with humans, have a
distinct chemical signature>
Wouldn't they be immune then to each other's allelopathic chemicals and or
stings?
<They are not unfortunately. Some species are FAR more dominant than
others. Bob Fenner>
Gaping mouth of new sebae anemone?
4/30/13
Hi! I have an issue with my Sebae anemone. My boyfriend
really wanted it, from Petco, as he was in love with how it was white
<Bleached... this specimen has lost its (necessary) Zooxanthellae...
Read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sebaeandisf3.htm
and blue tipped. So, I bought it. Our aquarium is about 5
months old now I want to say, and is 29 gallons.
<... not likely to live here. Read the linked files above the citation>
We have everything from pH, ammonia, nitrite and our salinity of the
water at perfect levels. We have had our nitrate levels as high as
20, but we are working on lowering that as we have bought some new
things to hopefully fix that issue.
<See WWM re NO3 reduction... many methods are more trouble than useful>
Water changes haven't lowered the nitrate levels for some reason.
Anyways, our Sebae anemone isn't exactly what I expected.
During the night, it's perfect and beautiful! The tank is totally
dark at night. However, when the lights go on in the morning?
It's begins to shrink up.
<Yes>
The anemone does seem to be eating when fed krill.
<... see.... needs more/other than this>
The other issue is the gaping mouth. It's always wide open, and I
know it's not a good thing, but I don't know what it could indicate
really. Would you suggest that we return the anemone to the store?
<Yes>
I'm not even sure they will take it back.
<Mmm, check re your State... most compel such>
What would you suggest I do?
<Read>
Our clown has hosted to it, and I feel bad removing it if it comes down to
it. Again, anemone looks very healthy in the dark, just not during
the day with lights. The white color has turned to a dirty light
brown too, which I have read is a good thing. I look forward to
your reply!
<I do hope you continue as an aquarist. Your bright, inquisitive, caring
mind/persona is exactly what the hobby, WWM, the planet needs. Life to
you.
Bob Fenner>
Bleached Sebae Anemone Recovery
3/11/13
Hi Folks,
<Adam>
This is a pretty quick question - does a bleached Sebae anemone need
protection from aquarium lights while it recovers?
<Mmm, no>
I purchased one that under the store's aquarium lights seemed to be a bit
bleached, but was the darkest and healthiest of the specimens in the
tank.
I paid a deposit and checked on it every day over a 4 day period to make
sure it was consistently inflated and healthy looking before I purchased
it. It wasn't until I got it home and saw it under much stronger
lighting that I realized how badly bleached it was - not as bad as some
I've seen on the internet, but definitely what I would call 'on the
edge'. By comparison the others in the tank with it at the store must
all be doomed. I've read that a badly bleached anemone is recoverable
with TLC, so I'm hoping this one can pull through. I've been feeding it
Mysis or chopped scallops every other day to make up the nutrition
deficit from not being able to photosynthesize, and from the little
refresh I just did on WWM, I'll make sure to chop or blend them even
finer than I have been, but it has been accepting all food I've given it
so far, and it is deflating to defecate in what I would consider a
'normal' fashion. When I initially received it, I placed it inside a
cave, and it was fully expanded by the end of the day.
That was almost 2 weeks ago, and the anemone never moved. The bottom of
the cave is sand however, and it never attached
<Won't to sand>
so any time a strong current hit it, it would flip half over with the
bottom of it's foot (which appears undamaged) facing up.
<Bad>
If the current hadn't been pushing it in to the cave, it would have
floated away. I have limited experience with this species of anemone, so
I don't know how much self motivated movement to expect if it's unhappy
with a certain placement.
I fed it nearly a full cube of Mysis by turkey baster yesterday, which
it accepted. This morning, it was deflated and defecating fully digested
food, so I take that to mean it's actually getting nutrition. I took the
opportunity to move it to a substrate that it was more likely to attach
to,
<Place a plastic strawberry type container over it... or lightly tie
down with some cross threads to a rock>
but it's getting significantly more light where it is now. The foot has
attached to the rock
<Ah good>
so it's no longer getting lifted up by the current, but it has remained
extremely deflated for the past 6 hours, and I suspect it's the light
it's reacting to. It's too attached for me to move it back now, but I'm
thinking I could move some rocks around to give it more shade.
<I wouldn't do this>
Not sure if that's the best course of action, or if it needs strong
light to recover the Zooxanthellae. My tank is 6'x3'x27" and is lit by 8
Radions, so I know I have enough light for the anemone when it's
recovered (I actually can't keep many LPS species as it's too bright for
them), I'm just not sure how much protection it needs while it's
recovering.
Thanks,
Adam
<Do you have access to a PAR or PUR meter? I'd measure the incident
useful light where this Heteractis is. Bob Fenner>
Saving a Sebae/Heteractis
crispa/Systems/Health 4/7/12
Dear WWM,
<Hello Eric>
I have used your site on a couple occasions and wanted to
say thanks for providing such in depth information for beginners such
as myself.
Unfortunately, I recently ended up with a white Sebae Anemone. I bought
it from my LFS who is usually a pretty reliable guy. It looks and
behaves in a healthy manner in all aspects except the color. Which I
have come to find indicates bleaching after researching the care. From
what I have been seeing feeding of fresh shrimp and other seafoods in a
necessity in its
current state. I am hoping that you can provide me with any other tips
on saving it. Is it possible to restore the Zooxanthellae in its system
or cause it to grow some more?
<A chance.>
Is there any hope of keeping it healthy even though its bleached? I
feel really bad about buying and therefore supporting the
trade of what appears to be a commonly mistreated anemone and, I would
very much like to save it. Any advice would be appreciated.
Currently:
ammonia 0
nitrate less than 40
<Too high.>
phosphates unknown
lights ho full spectrum fluorescents
sg .025
temp 78
tank size 10 gallon
<Tank much too small to maintain health of the Sebae
Anemone.>
clarkii clown, LTA anemone
<Is the LTA in addition to the Sebae (Heteractis crispa)?>
<Not a good move in the size of tank you have. If you are
referring to the Sebae as a LTA, they are not the same. A LTA or
Corkscrew Anemone is a Macrodactyla doreensis.>
( doing very well in current tank ) small scooter blenny.
I am currently halfway through cycling my 55 gallon tank which is where
everything will be going too which is outfitted with a four bulb T5 HO
system on a timer. 2 actinic bulbs and 2 full spectrums. 10000k's.
I do a weekly water change and monitor my levels constantly. I
know its a bit of a small tank. It was my first one and i fell in love
with it so now everyone in there will be getting a nice big new home
:).
<Mmm, strongly suggest you read here and related articles found in
the header.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm>
Thank You for any help you can offer.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
> Re Saving a Sebae/Heteractis crispa/Systems/Health
4/8/12
> Dear WWM,
> <Hello Eric>
Thank you for the link James.
<You're welcome.>
The LTA I was referring to is a Long Tentacled or Corkscrew Anemone
which is doing well. The Sebae is a second anemone (which I impulse
purchased) shame on me I know. I however have read your article
and will be speaking with my local fish guy about taking it out and
having him hold it or take it back until my larger tank is ready
thus decreasing my bio load in my small tank. Thank you for the advice
and keep up the good work. I will certainly be more careful with my
livestock purchases in the future.
<Yes, best to read/learn before buying. James (Salty
Dog)>
Heteractis crispa Question, beh f'
mostly
2/23/12
Hi WWM Crew,
<Abbasali>
I read your article on H. crispa and much of the anemone FAQs but
couldn't find what I was looking for... I have a Heteractis crispa
specimen in my tank now for over two months. Tank Specifications are
55g 48"X18"X15" fish only with live
rock and invertebrates, with 25 gallon sump/DSB/Screen
ATS/Carbon/Skimmer. Lights are 2X150W 14k MH. Flow in the tank is
created by propeller pumps
<Screen these... to prevent a mishap w/ the anemone>
and the return pump. PH 8.0 - 8.3 Salinity 1.025 (with
hydrometer. Can't wait to get a refractometer. Not found one here
yet.)
Temp 28-29C Ca. 440ppm Alk 9-10 NO3 0 PO4 0. Live Stock 1 Xanthurus
Angel (4") 1 Yellow Finned Blue Damsel 1 A. clarkii (1.5") 1
Centropyge multispinis (3"), Dancing Shrimp X 3, Blood Red Shrimp
X 1, Coral Banded Shrimp X 1, Fromia elegans X 1.
When I got the anemone it was largely bleached and didn't look too
healthy at all. However I have nursed it back to health and it has
regained a lot of florescent greenish grey hue.
<A good sign>
Only a few outer tentacles are still white but they are no longer
translucent. Normally during the day it is fully open, tentacles turgid
and extended and at night it shrinks in size
<Natural... to avoid predation in the wild>
although it rarely ever closes at night. In the morning it is smaller
and the concentration of colours is greater, however one hour after
lights on it regains it's normal size.
There is plenty of current in the tank as the tentacles wave about in
the water. It feeds well (fed piece of shrimp every other day to every
two days) And it appears to have grown during its time in my tank.
This evening however I noticed that the anemone didn't look normal
and some of the tentacles although full, turgid and not bleached
appeared to be curled up and the colour in the centre section of the
anemone seemed more intense than normal. Within five minutes of lights
out the anemone was closed, very unusual. However, now, about 1.2
hours, after lights out it seems to have opened again and tentacles
appear somewhat normal although the anemone is not fully open. Could it
be that there is too much current where it currently is, since I
changed this about two weeks ago until the anemone tentacles were
swinging around merrily as opposed to gently earlier (however it is not
receiving a direct jet of water).
<Not really; no. This animal would have moved if there was too much
water movement>
Also the photo period has been reduced a week ago from 11 to 9
hours per day. This was done to control temp swings and also to combat
algae growth in the main display and it has worked well in both these
areas.
<No big deal; anemones can widely shift their nutrient
sources>
What do you think? The anemone is firmly attached and shows no other
signs of a problem. Water quality is as usual and the
fish/invertebrates appear totally normal.
Also I am planning to take the Centropyge multispinis back from where I
got him. He was damaged when I got him but has now returned to full
health and fullness but I'd rather a more colourful fish given that
there are no corals in my tank. Would it be possible to safely house a
Powder Blue Tang in my tank given the dimensions?
<No... this volume is too small. You'd be "asking for
trouble">
If not could you please recommend a fish that would eat micro
algae and which is available in Sri Lankan waters as I am limited to
fish from Sri Lankan waters as there are no imports for retail sale
here.
<A small spinefoot/Rabbitfish species, specimen would be my
choice>
Sorry for the length of this email and thanks for all the help your
team have given me readily and when i have needed it...
Thanks.
<Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>
Re: Heteractis Crispa Question
2/23/12
Hi,
<Hello again>
Thanks for that reply. I feel much better and the Anemone too has
opened more since i sent that email. The propeller pumps are screened
:-D. This is my first anemone and I am anxious because I waited nearly
five years before getting one, practicing good husbandry etc...
<Good>
Will the yellow spotted Foxface be a good idea? What about a bicolour
blenny?
<Both can/could work... the Ecsenius might bother your
shrimps...>
Thanks...
<Again, welcome. BobF>
Re: Heteractis Crispa Question 2/24/12
Hi,
<Good morrow>
Just to let you know the Anemone is doing fine this morning... I think
I was just over reacting but thanks for bearing with me...
Warm Regards
Thanks.
<Thank you for this follow-up. BobF>
Sebae and clown
fish/Heteractis Health 1/28/12
<Hello Sharon>
I have had my Sebae for several months and it has been doing great.
Started out white and began getting a nice color like I have read on
your site. Thanks for all the info! After about 4 weeks my 2 clowns
became its best friends. I think they are 'loving it' to death!
I removed the clowns a few weeks ago and the Sebae seems to be doing
better (sometimes I think yes and other times not so much). She used to
eat but now is bulimic. I'm afraid to put my clowns back in with
her but they can't live in my QT forever! Any suggestions? Please
be gentle with me ;)
<Sharon, not enough info here for a helpful response. Size of tank,
type of light/wattage/water parameters, etc. James (Salty Dog)>
Sharon
Re Sebae and clown fish/Heteractis Health 1/28/12
46 gallon tank, 10,000k & actinic lighting.
<Tank a little small for a Heteractis Anemone, parameters can change
frequently. You did not give the wattage of your lighting.>
Tank has been just over 8 months, salinity 1.025, ammonia 0, pH 8.4,
Alk in 'normal' range, nitrite 0, nitrates 20. I know that is
high and I do a 10 to 50% water change weekly because my tank is
'new'. Does that help?
<Somewhat. Suggest you read here, related articles/FAQs found in
header.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm>
Thanks!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Re Sebae and clown fish/Heteractis Health 1/28/12
I get an error message when I try your link, any suggestions?
<Mmm, what does the message state? Google our site, Heteractis
crispa.
James (Salty Dog)>
Re Sebae and clown fish/Heteractis Health 1/28/12
It says the page cannot be found, will Google, thanks.
<You're welcome. Likely your browser giving you a problem. I
copied/pasted the link below and it worked for me.
Might want to try updating your browser to IE9 or Firefox.>
I have been reading your site all morning, so much info I loose track
of time.
<Easy to do, isn't it.>
Both my lights are T5 39 W, one is 10,000k and the other is actinic
420.
Is that not enough light for a 46 gallon tank?
<No Sharon, metal halide/HQI, or if you can afford it, suitable LED
lighting. With metal halide or HQI, somewhere in the neighborhood of
150-175 watts. An LED fixture to do the job will be somewhere around
$1,000 but there are many benefits to LED lighting.>
I have 2 Pajama Cardinals, Flame angle <Angel>, Lawnmower
Benny,
<Did you name him Benny or did you mean Blenny? :-)>
Watchman Goby,
<Please cap proper nouns in future queries such as fish
names.>
lots of live rock several inches sand, assorted snails and hermits, a
Sand Sifting Starfish.
<This animal will slowly starve to death in your 46 gallon
tank.>
Powerhead, Remora skimmer, Penguin bio 350 and baby snails everywhere
(is that normal for snails to mate?).
<Does occur.>
I think they are turbo's. Plus my two ocillarios <Ocellaris>
(sp) clowns that I have separated. I thought I did my homework setting
this system up but knew I was pushing the envelope with the Sebae.
<I think you skipped class on the anemone. Best not to put a stinger
in smaller systems with non-compatible fish.>
Any help would be appreciated. Don't want to lose anybody.
<If you do not plan on upgrading your lighting, I'd find a
suitable home for the anemone and quickly. Do keep a close eye on it
because if it dies unnoticed, you will likely lose everything. Dead
anemones can poison the water quickly.
James (Salty Dog)>
Sharon
Re Sebae and clown fish/Heteractis Health 1/28/12
Any particular brand of lighting you recommend? There are so many to
choose from and it seems I have already made enough mistakes.
<Coralife and AquaticLife are both decent brands and come with
supplemental actinic lighting. I'd likely go with the AquaticLife
as they use T5 lamps for their actinics while Coralife uses the older
technology power compact tubes.
Take a look here.
http://www.marinedepot.com/lighting_metal_halide__subindex-ap.html
I'd carefully consider doing this, especially in your size tank.
Would be better finding a suitable home for the anemone and save 600
bucks. Getting the lighting is no guarantee that the anemone will live
for an extended period of time.
Might want to read this survey conducted by Joyce Wilkerson before
upgrading your lighting.
http://www.athiel.com/lib/questions/anemone.htm
James (Salty Dog)>
Sharon
Sebae Anemone Questions 1/3/12
Dear Bob,
<James with you today Abbasali.>
Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening. It's me again. After over 12 years
in the saltwater hobby and having great success with it I finally felt
I was ready for an anemone for my tank which has been running very well
for over a year. So I acquired a Sebae Anemone (the only variety that
was available)
I looked and got the specimen with the most visible colour, although
much of the outer tentacles were white.
I acclimated it and introduced it to my tank. Within ten minutes it had
found a nice place and buried its foot in the sand and has not moved
until this morning, one week after introduction. The colour in the
center has intensified and some of the outer tentacles seem to have
begun regenerating their colour. The anemone is very responsive and
accepts food (freeze dried krill) like a sponge, grabbing with the
tentacles and passing it to the orifice. I have nearly six watts of
14000k metal halides per gallon, currently and very good flow in the
display area (tentacles waving in the breeze).
Since introduction thin scraggly tentacles have become nice long turgid
looking tentacles and the purple tips have become quite striking, along
with the specimen opening up fully (to take in the light i assume).
This morning however I find the anemone has moved about two inches and
now lies practically entirely under a rocky overhang, although
everything else seems normal. Is this normal behaviour?
<Can be. Anemones generally move to an area of their liking
both in flow and lighting. It's possible the light intensity of the
area the anemone was in may be a little too much for it's liking.
Although Heteractis crispa appreciate strong lighting, it is a good
idea to light acclimate the anemone especially with the lighting you
are using.>
Is everything I have described before normal behaviour? What
should I look out for to tell if an anemone has died so that I
may avert a disaster of gargantuan proportions?
<Look for deflation for an extended period of time (two/three
days),
refusal to feed, and to read here and related articles/FAQs.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm>
As I told you previously (not that I expect you to remember :-D) all my
parameters are well in order and the fish show no signs of distress at
all.
Please let me know if I should be worried.
<Not yet.>
Thanks and warm regards from perpetually sunny Sri Lanka! :-D
<You're welcome from cold and dreary Michigan.>
PS: My skimmer has stopped producing foam as of this morning and it
seems that there is nothing to skim because bubbles are there in full
force and I don't notice any foam in the filtration area where the
surface agitates (normally if the skimmer has not worked for a period
foam develops in these areas). Does this mean that there is nothing to
skim or could this be a cause for alarm?
<Would give it a good cleaning, especially the venturi. Rising
nitrate levels should tell you if the skimmer is not working
efficiently.>
Re Sebae Anemone Questions, hlth f' 1/4/12
Hi James,
<Hello Abbasali>
Thanks for replying so quickly... I shall watch the anemone.
<OK>
As for the skimmer it was fully serviced last week and was working
perfectly fine producing a thick foam and thick green liquid with a lot
of gunk. I cleaned out the collection cup day before yesterday and
tweaked it a bit to get a bit more skimmate. Could this be the
issue?
<Possibly. By chance did you put anything new in the system made
from acrylic?
Sometimes this can cause a temporary problem with skimming and/or if
you cleaned the skimmer with a substance other than warm water. James
(Salty Dog)>
Re Sebae Anemone Questions 1/4/12
Hi,
<Hello>
Nope, nothing acrylic. Just cleaned the skimmer with cold water. I
don't normally use warm water. As for the anemone, it's still
under the rocks. I can see the pedal disc. How do I tell if it is
dying? It's just been over two days since it went under the rocks.
Should I be worried?
<Mmm, seems like I just went through that with you. Read the thread
again.>
Thanks.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Anemone/Sebae/ >not< Condylactis
Systems/Health 4/24/2011
Hello,
<Hello Chris>
thanks in advance for answering my questions.
<You're welcome.>
I recently purchased two anemones from a pet store franchise,
which was probably my first mistake.
<Maybe.>
I bought a Condy anemone and a white sebae anemone. The pet store
put both of the anemones in the same bag for
transport home, which I found to be strange to begin
with.
<Did you not realize this was not good?>
They were both attached to the glass when I got them and the
sebae was a tannish color which I have read too be a sign of good
health.
<Not necessarily.>
The car ride home was about an hour in distance.
<Oh boy, stinging each other for an hour.>
Since, then they have both been drip acclimated and placed in my
tank. The Condy has attached to a piece of live rock where it
first landed in the tank and the white sebae has seemed pretty
much lifeless floating with the current until it hits a piece of
live rock and semi attaches. They have been in the tank for about
24 hours and since then the Condy has stayed attached to the live
rock in which it landed on, but has been about 80% retracted
basically the entire time.
<Not unusual.>
The Condy has been retracting more when anything gets around it
so I know it is still alive. The sebae seemed to stay attached at
the spot where it landed until this morning where I noticed it
pretty much rolling over due to the current. I am more concerned
about the health of the sebae because it seems to be doing the
worse of the two.
<Not surprising.>
I was thinking that they might have damaged or killed one another
on the way home from the pet store and was hoping you could give
me some insight to this.
<Kind of late now, isn't it. Should have researched these
animals and their needs before you even bought them.>
I was also hoping you may let me know if there are any
improvements I can make to my aquarium setup. I have a 40 gallon
breeder tank
<Too small for the Sebae Anemone.>
with 55 pounds of premium Fiji live rock, 30 pounds of live
aggregate, and run 2-36 inch t5 bulbs, which consist of a10,000k
bulb along with a t5 actinic 460 bulb, for my lighting.
<Not enough light for these animals, soon to die.>
I run a canister filter that is regulated for up to 100 gallons
and also have a 1050 gph powerhead. My protein skimmer is rated
for up to 80 gallons and seems to do a good job except for the
fact that I have to adjust the air water mixture about 2 to 3
times a week for it to start producing again. My inhabitants
consist of 14 margarita snails, 4 hermit crabs, a coral banded
shrimp, 2 juvenile clown fish, a coral beauty dwarf angel, and a
yellow tang.(and the two unhealthy looking anemones)
<Tank too small for the tang as well and in this small space
your fish risk a good chance of being stung.>
My parameters are continuously at zero with the exception of my
nitrates which stay at about 10 ppm. I apologize for the long
winded explanation and I appreciate the service that you provide
and look forward to your advice and hopefully letting you know
that they both have pulled through and are flourishing.
<I suggest to see if you can return these animals, is not
going to work out in your system. Do read here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/condyanemones.htm
James (Salty Dog) Lake Huron Coast>
Chris Jenkins MS gulf coast
|
Not Condylactis sp... Trouble altogether...
RMF
|
Re Anemone/Sebae/ >not< Condylactis
Systems/Health 4/24/2011
My oversight on the Condy Bob. Meant to state this in the query
but after I got into the message, I forgot, and clicky, sendy.
I've actually had one of these anemones in the past.
James
<Do you know what this species is? BobF>
Re Anemone/Sebae/ >not< Condylactis Systems/Health
4/25/11 I do not know the name of this species but I
believe it is a member of the Phymanthidae family but I'm not
positive.
Cheers,
J
<Thank you for this. B>
|
sebae looks injured???, Heteractis crispa injury
4/20/11
Hi,
<<Hello Peter.>>
Yesterday I noticed that my sebae anemone decided to move, I thought
nothing of it, until I noticed part of the anemone
didn't
look good. It appears to be injured in a small area, but the rest looks
healthy, just not opening up as much as it used to.
<<Peter
it's
difficult to diagnose with such vague information to be honest, without
more the best I can do is guess. Heteractis crispa has a dismal track
record to begin with (See the WWM art;
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm
). Can you describe the characteristics of the injury (i.e. a tear,
discoloration) and where exactly on the animal it is? (Or better yet
send along a pic). Also what type of system is this animal in?
(lighting, chemistry readings, feeding regime...). How long have you
had the animal? All of this is important as these animals usually
suffer in captivity due to some environmental deficiency, assuming they
were collected properly to begin with of course.>>
So I took a look at where it moved from, and no rocks or corals had
fallen on it. Can you help me?
<<See above >>
-Peter
<<Adam J.>>
Sebae Anemone Trouble/Sebae Systems/Sebae Health
10/7/10
Hi,
<Hello Sarah>
Well, first let me say that your website has been a lifesaver for my
fish!
Thank you for being so helpful!
<You're welcome. Sarah, before I can go any further, I'd
like your tank size, lighting used, and tank parameters, pH, dKH, etc.
James (Salty Dog)>
Now, I recently purchased a Sebae Anemone, and I'm starting to
think it was a foolish move. I've had the tank cycled for several
months now with live rock and a homemade sump tank and everything has
been doing great. I have 2 false Perculas that I thought would enjoy an
anemone. Well, for starters I think I bought the wrong one, but that's not my problem. The issue is that
it has been doing great since I've had it. When I first put him in
the tank after dripping him for about an hour, he almost immediately
ventured for his spot in the tank, and has been there since. When I
first got him, he was bleached white, and has
slowly been turning a slight tan color since, so I was happy. Well,
today when I went to feed him, I noticed one of my hermit crabs
starting to trample all over him to steal his food. About an hour later
when I checked him out again, he was all shriveled up and expelling a
long piece of white stuff, almost looked
like a thick cobweb, and it seemed to be all over the shell of the
hermit crab that was harassing him earlier. Is this a sign of any kind
of trauma?
Should I be worried about him? I know Sebaes are not the hardiest of
anemones, but I didn't think they were that delicate.... I was
hoping my clowns would notice it, but they haven't at all...but the
more I read on your site, the more I've come to learn that the two
are not a normal pair... but that's ok. If I can
keep this one alive, I might get a second, or do a trade in.
Thanks for your help!!
Sarah
Re: Anemone ID... Not dying 7/1/10
update
Hey all
I believe/hope my bleached anemone is recovering. I attached
before and after photos taken 6 weeks apart. I still am not sure
what kind it is. (my clowns seem to like it regardless)
Am I correct in thinking its getting better? Can it now be
identified?
Sebae?
Thanks for your help.
Steve
<Yes!, and likely Heteractis crispa. BobF>
|
|
Sebae Anemone/Health/Systems 6/29/10
Dear WWM,
<Nick>
Your posts and e-mails have always provided valuable advice.
<Thank you.>
I have read through many of the FAQ links concerning Sebae Anemones and
cannot seem to locate specific information regarding a few things.
Before I ask my questions, here is some information about my tanks (I
have one Sebae in each tank):
Tank One; 14 gallon (I will be moving the Anemone to tank two once I
know rather or not it is healthy) Oceanic Bio Cube (I do not know the
exact lighting these are sold with; it has not been upgraded from
factory lighting).
<Will not stay too healthy in this scenario, too small even if
temporary.>
I have a UV, skimmer, heater @ 80.5 degrees, 20 pounds live rock,
twenty - thirty pounds of live sand, one sexy shrimp (who loves the
anemone!), one Maroon clown,
<Too small a system for this fish.>
one damsel (white with a yellow tail; don't know the name), 3
Nerite Snails, 3 nessarius (spelling?) <Nassarius>, 4
hermit crabs, a serpent starfish, and a Nano power head. I have the
white and blue lights on for six hours, moon-light for 8 hours, and
just blue lights for the rest of the time.
<The lighting in this system is no where near adequate for this
anemone.
I'm quite sure you haven't read here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm>
Tank Two; 75 gallons. This tank has a 120 gallon sump, a Red Sea
Venturi skimmer, UV, 80 pounds live sand, 55 pounds live rock, three
1050gph power heads, a 4 bulb (2 blue, 2 white) T5 light with 216 watts
total output (same
lighting hours as tank one), 1 False Percula Clown, 3 Damsels, 1 Turbo
Snail, 3 hermit crabs, 4 Nerite / nessarius <Nassarius> snails,
temp at 80 degrees.
Both tanks test 0-0.5 nitrates / nitrites, <?> 490 calcium, 8.5
PH, 15dkh (high), 0.5 phosphates (down from 2.0 last week). Water
changes bi-weekly of 25-45%.
So here are my questions (finally!). I have read a lot of posts on your
site about "bleached" anemones. How am I to know if it is
bleached or normal colored? What color are they when they are healthy
and if mine is not, how do I go about nursing it back to good health?
Both of my anemones are white(ish) yellow with purple tips.
<Sebae (Heteractis crispa) have a gray or violet-brown appearance
overall, depending on the concentration of its symbiotic algae, and
will have a centered pink tip at the end of the tentacles.>
The anemone in tank 1 has grown 1-2 inches in the past month or two. I
feed them phytoplankton and brine
shrimp; perhaps I should move up to something more substantial?
<Yes, found in the above link.>
As for my lighting (in each tank), is it sufficient?
<Tank 1 no, tank 2 may be borderline depending on the depth of the
tank.>
My anemones rarely move around and seem to be content on their rocks at
the bottom of the tanks. In my 75 gallon, the anemone actually moved
into a cave I made for my fish; it could not get any further from the
lights unless it buried itself!
<Not a good sign. Do read the article I linked you to.>
Lol
Do Sebae Anemones like a lot of current? I wonder if my current in tank
2 is too much?
<If the three 1050gph power heads are always on, yes, it is too much
and may be why the anemone
settled in the cave which is not a good place to get the light it
requires.
Better to set these pumps up with a wavemaker device. The Aquarium
Systems model is very inexpensive and
works well.>
The fish do not seem to mind it. J
I know this is a very long post and I truly appreciate your help!!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
~Nick
Sebae Gaining Brown Then Shriveled
5/31/2010
Dear WWM,
<KT>
First of all, thank you for providing such wonderful site for
everyone.
I've been a reader for the past year and today I am in an emergency
and decided to write to you in hope to rescue my Sebae.
My tank is a 28 gal Nano Cube with the following parameter:
pH - 8.15
Alkalinity - 5.5
<In what units?>
Nitrite - 0.075
Nitrate - 0
Ammonia - 1.0 :-( what can I do about lowering the ammonia? I do 10%
water change every week.
Phosphate - 0.75
<High>
KH - 12 dKH
Calcium - 420
Mg - 1025
<Low relative to [Ca]>
These numbers have been the same since I introduced the anemone about a
week ago. When the anemone arrived, it was pretty white (not quite
translucent) but seems in "full bloom". The tentacles were
short and stubby though. I read that they are suppose to be long?
<Oh yes>
From Day 3 to Day 7, I can see the anemone gradually gaining some
brown.
But a couple days ago, it all of the sudden expelled all of its water
and stayed shriveled since. Last night, it begin to "vomit"
entrails and the skin of its foot is so shrunken that its
"internals" are exposed. I kept testing the water and all
numbers stayed the same. Nothing has been introduced to the tank.
Note: from Day 1, it has been showing "attempts" of feeding.
But every time, it would hold onto the food (1/8" fresh
fish/shrimp meat), spit its stomach out, stay like that for about 3
minutes, then drop the food and tuck
its stomach back in. My baby Maroon
<This species gets too big for such a small volume>
has been dropping little bits of food on it as well but same result, it
tries to eat but then wouldn't.
I found Mike's reply to a 9/4/05 post. His words of "Never
give up" (never surrender! :p) were very encouraging. I followed
his
suggestion/instruction and force fed the anemone. (I thought I read
somewhere else on WWM to never force feed a nem but at this point,
I'd rather try something than letting it die.) It balled up and
held the food with it. I don't have the Selcon so I just mixed one
drop of Garlic Xtreme with Cyclop-eeze (freeze-dried powder form).
I'll try to find the Selcon tomorrow. How much Selcon should I mix
into the food?
<Just "a drop">
I gave the anemone
about 1 ml aquarium water mixed with a (woman's) pinky nail portion
of the Cyclop-eeze powder. Is this an okay amount?
<If consumed...>
I read that Selcon contains Vitamin C & B12 plus Omega-3 fatty
acid. If I can't get the Selcon quickly, is there another
substitute & how much of that should I use?
<There are several... including "baby vitamins"... Read
here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/vitaminmarfaqs.htm
I realize you receive tons of inquiries everyday and thank you very
much in advance for your time. For your reference, I've copied the
9/4/05 post at the bottom of this e-mail.
Looking forward to hear back from you soon.
Best Regards,
Katie
<Do keep your eye on this specimen Katie... and re-review what is
archived on WWM re Heteractis crispa. Bob Fenner>
Re: Sebae Gaining Brown Then Shriveled
6/1/10
Thank you for such prompt reply, Bob! My alkalinity unit is in
meg/L.
The phosphate level is actually 0.075, not 0.75. (Sorry, when numbers
drop below 0.1, I get confused.) I'll try to bring up the Mg level
and use the vitamins suggested in the provided link. Is there anything
I can do about
lowering the ammonia level?
<... see WWM re>
Should I do an even more frequent water change?
<... likely so...>
Thanks again!
Katie
<... B>
BTA demise 5/13/10
Hi to all WWM crew, Its the first time I ask/write a question to
you, usually I find the answer or something near to it in the
website, Ill try to cover all the details, completely cycled
aquarium,70 gal, plus 30 more of sump, DIY skimmer in urgent need
of perfection, evaporative cooling device (fan) to maintain water
on the 24/28 °C right now its
26°C, it evaporates a lot of water, I
replenish it daily with treated tap water, no RO yet.
SG is 1.1025,
<1.025 likely>
Calcium is 450 ppm,
<Mg?>
nitrates are 5 ppm, nitrites 0, pH 8.4. A deep sandbed about 5
inches consisting of crushed coral an a
1inch or more aragonite sand, lots of live rock and really
don't know how much, full of sponges, coraline algae, two
varieties of Caulerpa racemosa and the other one that is more
common,
<Likely C. taxifolia... both too toxic for casual use. See WWM
re>
under control, just two little patches of green color, GAC in the
sump and also phos sorb from API, sump is also full of live rock,
this live rock has been with me in other aquariums for more than
2 years now. Drilled tank, two 1-1/2 inch outflow and two 1 inch
inflows also two Koralia 3 pumps for creating water movement.
Lighting is comprised of 2 -56w pc 50/50, and two HO t-5 10,000k
and actinic blue lamps making it about 200 w of light, also
aquarium gets some nice sun light from the windows in the
mornings and midday. I used to have some 30 gal aquariums near
this windows and anemones, Condylactis that time used to love the
light, or at least I supposed that.
Now with the livestock, there is only one sand sifting goby, one
little toadstool soft coral, about 3 inches high and about
1-1/2inch wide, one little piece of cup coral that I'm trying
to salvage from the LFS, he
gave it to me free, I think its making its comeback slowly,
(daily feeding trying to get the little tentacles to get
something), three turbo snails about 1 inch each, some Aiptasia
on the live rock, and the purpose of this email, a new green
BTA.
<May not get along w/ the other Cnidarians here>
On the LFS it had already three weeks on the holding tanks, good
color, extended not all but about what I would thing 3/4 it size,
it was housing one little maroon clownfish, was the only
inhabitant of that tank, its foot was strong, no visible tears or
anything suspicious, when I bought it I took much care for the
store guy to don't separate it from the rock it was, so I got
all the piece together, BTA and rock, perfect condition at my
home, made the dripping method to acclimate the anemone and then
to put into the aquarium I never got it out of the water, I
positioned the rock and BTA the about 2/3 from the bottom of the
aquarium, right now it could have chosen any spot it liked,
everything looked fine, stayed extended, mouth normal no gaping,
then next day it started some inflating deflating cycles,
inflated by night deflated by day, but then it started to look
like those clocks from Dali, hasn't moved from the spot,
there is good circulation there, well now It
looks worse 4 days from the introduction it seems like something
has ripped some tentacles apart, they seem like detaching, and
mouth is ok but beside the mouth there is this "open
wound" , with stringy things
coming out, it really doesn't looks good. Right now it is
contracted and on the foot about half its way there is an open
wound also, I haven't been able to understand what is going
on here, seems like there is something picking on it but I cant
see it, the crabs are small and have been with me about 2 years
also, always sifting sand and algae, or staying put where a
current is to get some food from it. Well that's all I could
think of, I don't know what to do my QT tanks aren't
ready, and I'm afraid If I move the BTA it will get worse,
I'm in the process of stocking these new tank (3 months now,
about 1 with the livestock) and well with almost no inhabitants
in this tank I saw little problems for the BTA. Any helpful hint,
piece of advice, or alike would be greatly appreciated.
I'm attaching some pictures of the BTA.
Thanks in advance
sincerely
David Bulnes Abundis
<Allelopathy is the most likely trouble here, though there are
a few other possibilities. Read:
http://wetwebmedia.com/BTADis8.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
BTA Demise pictures 5/13/10
Hi, I just wrote about 10 minutes ago, my laptop was crashing and
to avoid losing all the long email I had written I sent the email
without the attached pictures. By the way, the bta has just moved
up and now is more in front of a current. Hope the pictures are
all right and my anemone can get healthy but it really looks bad.
Thank you again wwm.
<... this animal has been artificially dyed... and appears to
not be an Entacmaea, but a Heteractis crispa... The likelihood of
it living is about zip. I'd siphon it out to waste now. Read
here: http://wetwebmedia.com/coloredanemones.htm
and the linked files above. BobF>
Has recibido 3 imgenes.
|
|
Re: BTA Demise pictures 5/13/10
Just did that about 1 hour ago (siphon it out) really sorry for
the poor thing, I´ve been reading the links
you stated, how can you tell from the picture it is a dyed
animal, I mean, when it was all opened up and "happy"
(if it ever was), it had this tan color nothing very colorful I
even though It was lacking Zooxanthellae owed to lack of
lighting, jut this slight green hue on the tips, but when it
started shrinking the green color started to appear more intense
as in the photos.
<... this fluorescent green is due to Rit dye applied in the
orient... One of a few stock phony colours>
I´ve seen this tan colour, not the super
green, in a very healthy Condylactis so
<There is a lighter, more pale green of this hue that occurs
in C. passiflora; true>
It made me not suspicious of a dyed animal. I would love to learn
to distinguish these specimens as I know the people of the LFS
and I highly doubt they even know they are trading dyed
specimens, I would love to do something to stop this practice, at
least at a local level. I've read and own lots of literature
including your book, the conscientious marine aquarist, coral
propagation from Calfo, Julian Sprung´s the
reef aquarium series, Sea Anemones as a hobby of TFH, and the
like, in fact I think I have a very good
reference book collection. I used to have a little LFS but my PhD
consumed all my time and never started with saltwater trade.
<Ahh! I salute your efforts at educating yourself, and doing
what can be done to improve practices in our trade,
interest>
Really big thanks for your time and the time of all WWM crew,
great site in deed. Sorry for my English and lack of good use of
punctuation marks. I´m just really bad at
writing English or Spanish in fact, my GF always corrects my
research papers.
<No worries. I understand you perfectamente>
Sincerely,
David Bulnes Abundis
<Nos vemos. Roberto Fenner>
Pictures of the "BTA"
5/14/10
I´m attaching more pictures of my poor
anemone, I wanted to know if by this pictures it is possible
to tell it is not E. quadricolor and it is H. crispa,
<This is almost assuredly Heteractis crispa... judging by
the shape, position of tentacles and their red tips... See
here: http://wetwebmedia.com/CnidIndex2.htm
scroll down to the articles by myself re all Actinarians,
this species...>
and more important to me, not that knowing the species
isn´t, but I find disturbing that I
couldn't spot a dyed animal. Any piece of advice will be
very welcome. Hope I'm not being too insistent with this
new email. Thanks for your quick responses. Saludos y
gracias.
Sincerely,
David Bulnes Abundis
<And the article and FAQs file on Dyed Anemones.
BobF> |
|
|
Heteractis Crispa/Systems/Health
5/13/10
<Hello Robert>
My 90 gallon aquarium is mixed corals and has been set up since
November 26 ,2009. I have a 10 gallon refugium with macro algae and
aragonite sand lit with a florescent full spectrum bulb in addition to
the sump and protein skimmer. The 90 gallon is lit with 2- 250 metal
hides and 2- 24inch actinic pc compact bulbs.
<Yowsie, you could grow sun with that.>
I have about 80 lbs of live rock that I received from a retiring
aquarist complete with all of the mixed corals and 1 Bubble Tipped
Anemone <on> December 10,2009.
January 15, 2010 I added 1 Yellow Tang 2 Perculas and a Six Line Wrasse
and some brittle stars. Everything is growing very well and I have
learned something new almost every day.
<Great!>
So here comes the most recent lesson. I added a piece of live rock with
some mushrooms on it and discovered a completely bleached Sebae
Crispa
<Heteractis crispa>
as well. Before you say always check before you drive, sometimes things
happen. So here is my dilemma; I could bring the whole mess back to the
incompetent LFS that the incompetent reef keeper(me) purchased ( I had
store credit from freshwater plant sales.) it from so they could kill
it or sell it to someone else. Or I could set up a 10 gallon Quarantine
tank with metal halide lighting (light can be raised well above
aquarium). Or I could leave it in the 90 and pray that the two anemones
do not attack. Or I could just remove and destroy. The Sebae Crispa
looks very happy and healthy other than being snow white with purple
tips.
Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.
<A pic of the anemone in question would have been nice, but to
answer your question...Moving the Sebae Anemone to a small system will
be a big step backward and will result in almost certain failure as
this 10 gallon tank will not be aged enough and/or large enough to
satisfy it's needs. If the anemone appears
healthy, he can be in no better spot for recovery than in your 90 with
twin MH lamps. The risk you will take is the possibility of losing
fish/invertebrates to it's sting, the chance you would have to
take.
If you decide to keep the anemone, twice daily inspections should be
carried out to ensure the anemone is healthy/improving, and not dying.
A dying anemone can poison the entire tank's
inhabitants. Do read here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm>
The LFS I purchased this rock from has about 10 salt and 300 freshwater
Aquariums and is not normally a go to source for me primarily because
of my 20 years of freshwater experience and feedback they have given
others conflicts with my experience.
<Happens all too often. James (Salty Dog)>
Robert
Sebae, anemone gen., reading 3/10/10
Please help me. I have a very established salt water tank( 1 yr +), 20
gal
<Too small a volume/world for anemones...>
and I just purchased a Sebae anemone, approx 1 wk ago.
<Return this animal>
Did not know that they are not supposed to white until I read your
articles. What I don't get, however, is how to make this animal
healthy? Can I get Zooxanthellae(sp) to feed it?
<Not as such, no... can house with other animals that contain...
that may be incorporated in time... but not likely at all to live
here>
It is small, 2-4 inches, and isn't really eating that I can tell.
Is it big enough for silversides?
<Return it>
I have brine shrimp, which I'm guessing from the articles is wrong,
sigh. I really don't want this to die. My Fiji Tomato Clown loves
it!
<These also require a larger world>
BTW, the clown is only about 1 so
it's not loving it to
death.
<Good, and good point>
It is currently starting to shrivel somewhat, not turning brown, which
I'm guessing is what they need to do, but is sticky and has not
moved in the last week from the live rock it has attached itself to. I
fed it some brine shrimp today, but can't tell whether it really
ate it or the clown ate it. He's really not good at feeding it.
What do I do?
<... return>
Yes, levels are fine, nitrates a little high, 30 ppm or so, calcium
perfect, ph a little low, still acceptable, but added a buffer to bring
it up some. Lighting is good, I have a Coralife t5 ho lighting system,
directly on the glass on the gtank, and there is moderate movement in
the tank. I have 2 damsels, 1 clown (already mentioned), a camel
shrimp, 2 hermit crabs, 1 emerald crab, 3 snails and a pajama cardinal.
Also, about 20 lbs of live rock. What do I do to save my little
creature?
Sara
<I want you to be successful, and not suffer the disenchantment of
losing life through your actions, inactions. Take this specimen back.
Bob Fenner>
Sebae Anemone, hlth, no data
7/15/2009
I'm truly baffled by the behavior of my sebae anemone. When I
first got this anemone he was a white/pale yellow in color with
purple tips.
<The one pictured is badly bleached... starving>
Then I thought it was normal, now I know it was most likely
unhealthy.
Since he has been in my tank he has started turning colors. First
it started developing a tan tone so I thought he was on the road to
recovery.
But the color is getting weird now...almost a pink in tone and
instead of being folded inward like a cup he is protruding out from
the middle? Still actively eating, just doesn't look right at
all. What is going on here?
<Summat is amiss... chemically in this system... perhaps a
negative interaction with some other Cnidarian life>
This tank has been up and running for 14 months and the sebae was
added about 3 months ago. All of my parameters are within normal
range and everything else in my tank is thriving beautifully.
Please help me figure out what's going on here. Thank you.
<Need data on water testing, other tankmates, history of
operation. Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/sebaeandisf2.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> |
|
anemone 6/21/09
Hi,
<Hello pa loose!>
I sent you a picture of my anemone...
<Mmm, no, not an Actinarian... look at the prominent corallite
skeleton under the translucent bits...>
can you tell me what to do...
<Is tempting...>
I have a clown that host it, and the anemone still eat.. .but it
don't look fine :(
thank you
<... This is a solitary Caryophylliid... See WWM re?
Bob Fenner>
Re: anemone, not 6/21/09
Hi, thank you for your fast reply...
<Welcome>
but I don't think I understand... this anemone is a sebae no
skeleton at all
<... is not Heteractis crispa... or, at least not the pic you
sent... will attach what you sent us here for your review>
and right now it's look like her mouth is too big but it
still eat it's start looking like that only a couple week
back ( I have it for about 5 months) I tried searching for
"solitary Caryophylliid" on your website, but the
search engine doesn't seem to work
thank you
<See here: http://wetwebmedia.com/caryidfaqs.htm
Bob Fenner>
|
|
Anemone 6/22/09
Hi,
<Noel>
I sent you a picture of my anemone...
<Pardone moi... I mistook another image of an anemone sent in as
yours... I see it now... A Heteractis crispa with the mouth
everted...>
can you tell me what to do...
<We need information re your set-up, water quality tests, other
tankmates/livestock, foods/feeding... the history of care of this
animal and system>
I have a clown that host it, and the anemone still eat.. .but it
don't look fine :(
thank you
<Bob Fenner>
April 12, 2009 6:08 AM
> To: crew@wetwebmedia.com
> Subject: magnifica or crispa?
> Hi,
> <Hello>
> I need your help again :)
> can you help me telling if this anemone is a Heteractis
magnifica or a Heteractis crispa?
> <Yes... the latter, though badly bleached>
> it was sold as a Heteractis magnifica, but the anemone was
white with blue tip... but now it getting some brown on it
> <A good sign... likely re-incorporating endosymbiotic
Zooxanthellae>
> could it be that the anemone was bleach?
> <Yes, this is so>
> thanks again for your help!
> <Welcome. Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/sebaedisfaqs.htm
> and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> |
Sebae Anemone/Health 3/30/09
I just received a sebae from a friend of mine, it has no tentacles
anymore but he said it should be regenerating them or growing them back
some how? Not exactly sure how. what would you recommend to help bring
this invert back to life?
<A magician. A pic would help describe "no
tentacles"....None at all, or retracted into the column? These
anemones are not easy to keep to begin with. See here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm
James (Salty Dog)>
Vince
Sebae Anemone Swallowed a Snail 12/07/08
I have a 90 gallon reef tank that has been running smoothly for almost
2 years now. I have a sebae anemone that I acquired about a year ago,
and it has been extremely happy in the tank and located in place. It
has grown from a tiny 4" to almost 18" now when he is fully
open. <Nice!> That now brings me to my problem. When I got home
last night, I noticed that he had begun to shrivel up. Upon further
inspection it appears that he had ingested a reasonably large Trochus
snail that may have fallen off the live rock, as I could see the last
of the shell as it was being taken into his mouth. I didn't think
there was any way to pull it without damaging the sebae, so I left it
to take its course. <This is best at this point...> Today he is
completely deflated, but I have seen him shift up and lay back down. My
question is this, will he ultimately be able to purge the snail shell
or is there something that I should try and do to help him out?
<This animal may be able to push the shell out by itself... but if a
bit of it large enough to grab shows itself... I would give it a
gentle, steady pull and remove it myself> I know there is a third
potential, but would rather not go down that path as my kids think of
him as much of a pet as the couple of fish I have in the tank. Thanks
-Rick <Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Sebae anemone, bleached, resurrected! I
bought a sebae anemone 2 months ago that was beached white. I don't
have a question I just want to tell you guys with all of the info I
received from your site I was able to bring this anemone back.
<Yay!> I fed it Mysis shrimp and kept it under my 250 watt metal
halides and this anemone has doubled in size and is every sticky now
,but most important of all he is brown in color. I just want to say
thank for the help! Keith c <Congratulations on your success. Bob
Fenner>
Anemone ID- Possible H. crispa / E. Quadricolor / Health Issue
6/14/08 First off, I've learned so much from your site.
<Good to hear! > Thank you for providing such a
knowledgeable service.
<You're
welcome! > It's my first stop when I have a marine
aquarium issue or question. I've tried to ID this anemone but
have had little success. It was sold as a Sebae but looks nothing
like the pictures of Sebae's that I've researched. So
simply, can you ID this specimen? Picture attached. <It has
some similar characteristics of both the Sebae and the E.
quadricolor (BTA). How long have you had this anemone? What are
you feeding and what sized portions? What are your water
parameters? What equipment do you have, and what size tank.
Im
leaning more towards the Sebae here, but
Im
wondering if it is not stressed and/or possibly lacking
nutrition. The color variations makes me wonder if this anemone
was dyed, or if it was bleached and is now regaining its Zooxanthellae. > Thank you for any info. Karl
<You're
welcome! Brenda >
Re: Anemone ID, Possible H. crispa / E. quadricolor / Health
Issue 6/14/08 Thank you for the response Brenda.
<You're
welcome! > I know better, I should have provided more
information. I've had the anemone for 2 weeks now. I took
advice from the WWM site (concerning Sebae's) and feed it a
portion of Silverside every other day no bigger than its mouth.
Water parameters are almost perfect. NH3-0, No2-0, No3-5, Calcium
460, Phosphate 0, 9 DKH . SD-1.024 10% water change weekly.
<Gradually bring the salinity up to 1.026 by topping off daily
with pre-mixed saltwater. This is closer to the normal salinity
of the ocean. > 55 gallon reef setup. Remora skimmer, wet/dry
sump, 500 gph return, <Is there any other flow? A 500 gph may
not be enough after you calculate head loss. > 265 watts of
65k and actinic. <Power compact lighting is border line at
best for this anemone. I would consider an upgrade to T-5 or
metal halide.> 60lbs LR and aragonite substrate. It had been
moving around but looks like it has settled down in the substrate
with good current. <Is likely a Sebae then, as the E.
quadricolor typically does not settle into the substrate. >
Purple Tipped anemone (very healthy!) <No, unfortunately, it
is not healthy, but it can be saved with some effort.> Coral
beauty Maroon Clown Algae Blenny Cleaner Shrimp Many snails and
blue leg hermits. <Be careful with the shrimp and crabs. Crabs
can become predators, and shrimp can remove food from inside the
anemone several hours after feeding.> I tend to agree with
you, I think it was bleached and is regaining Zooxanthellae.
<This unfortunately is not uncommon. Collection and shipping
is very tough on anemones. Because this anemone is stressed, I
recommend feeding about 1/3 of what you are feeding now, but feed
daily until the anemone improves. Soaking the Silversides in
Selcon will also help. Ideally you want to see longer tentacles,
and some color. A white anemone is not a healthy anemone.>
There you have it. Thanks again for any info.
<You're
welcome! Let me know if you need any further assistance. Brenda
> Karl
|
|
H. crispa Health . . . perhaps too late 4-2-08
Good day to all of you at WWM, how are you? <<I
cant
speak for everyone but my status is up to par.>> I have a friend
that bought an Sebae anemone a few weeks ago and did no research on the
species before he bought it. <<Unfortunate.>> He had way to
small of a tank and not nearly enough lighting, and on top of that the
species was already bleached. <<Not a good combination.>>
After I saw it I told him that it was soon to die. <<Not an
exaggeration on your part.>> He asked me to take it home to see
if I could nurture it back to health, I reluctantly accepted knowing
that his 2 CF bulbs over a 30g breeder was not enough for it in this
state. <<Judging by your desire description it will be difficult
to save this specimen even in ideal
settings..healthy
specimens have difficulty adapting to captive life for that
matter.>> With that said, it is really not doing well at all and
I would like to know if there is any chance of survival at this point,
and what is the best route. <<See here;
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm
.>> My tank, 72g with 30g sump growing Chaeto, also live rock
chamber and protein skimmer. Lighting is 2x250w MH 14k's, 4x54w
T5's 2 10k 2 actinic. <<Is there a lot of surface area? Other
Cnidarian life?>> I have had experience in keeping anemones
before and currently have two larger RBTAs, I have also cared for three
previous bleached BTAs with much success. But this specimen is new to
me and more than that it is looking really bad. <<And if those
other anemones are in the same system, they are all in danger, if the
Sebae is in such bad health I would not risk the health of your other
specimens.>> So on with the anemone, when I put it in the tank
three days ago it did not want to attach, but at the same time it did
not attach for the entire time my buddy had it. <<Not a good
sign.>> So I put it in a spot with somewhat minimal flow as to
not let it get blown around and it also had a little bit of shade. Well
he found his way to the middle of an open spot of sand near the glass
over the next couple of hours and buried his foot. I thought this to be
a good sign. He also eat fairly well the first night and a few hours
later looked like he was disgorging the waste. I then woke up this
morning to him with his mouth almost completely inverted! expelling
possible organs. There is no whole you can see straight through but
this is obviously not good. In almost ten hours it has not gone down at
all or closed at all. I have attached a picture to help. Just looking
to see if there is any hope? <<Well hope is an abstract idea I don't
completely understand so
Ill
talk logic. Statistically speaking you
aren't
looking at a successful arrangement. As cold as it may seem you may
want to remove the Sebae before you place your other livestock at harm.
I would say your first responsibility is to the animals which have the
best chance at survival,
don't
compromise their health. Give the above link to your friend as well.
Good luck, Adam J.>>
New Sebae Anemone, Inadequate Environment, More Research
Needed
3/19/08 Dear WWM Crew, Good day to all. <Hello Shanon,
Brenda here!> I am in a bit of a dilemma. I set up my system,
through a local dealer, with the intentions of having a bubble
tip anemone, a clownfish and other soft (possibly hard) corals.
My system was set up with cured LR a 2 in. sand bed (some live
sand) and left to cycle, after 1 week 2 blue damsels were placed
in the system and my water tested regularly by the LFS. <Get
in the habit of testing water parameters yourself.> After 6
weeks I began to add some mushrooms, zoo's and a maroon gl
clown. When the system was 4 months old the bubble tip was added
which continually wandered the tank. I discussed this with the
salesman and he said this is common, that it hasn't found a
spot where it is happy, but this should improve. <A 4 month
old tank is much too young for an anemone.> It didn't, and
I lost the bubble tip after about a month. I had been doing some
research on the web, but I figured that it was a problem with
that particular specimen. <The E. quadricolor (BTA), is the
easiest to keep out of all the hosting anemones. > Several
days ago I purchased a Sebae anemone (which seemed, to me, in
excellent health), it also is faring poorly, shriveled with mouth
gaping open. <Based on the pictures, I do not consider the
mouth to be gaping open. Shriveling up is common with acclimation
and expelling waste. What are you feeding? > I was told this
was an African Sebae Anemone, does this exist?. <No. However,
I have seen this term used. It is best to use the scientific
name. > I began doing some intense research and have quickly
realized that a salt water system is MUCH more complex than I
realized. I have gone through each likely problem with the
Anemone (through research on your site) and have corrected minor
problems. The most significant problem I found is the lighting
(and possibly protein skimmer), which I think is extremely low.
This dealer is the only local dealer. I traveled to Indianapolis
and visited several dealers, <Have you visited Premium
Aquatics? See here: http://www.premiumaquatics.com > only to
be blessed with more confusion (I was told that actinic lighting
is the lighting source I need. <Actinic alone is not
adequate.> Another said that PC is the best lighting.
<Yikes! > All seemed confused when I mentioned metal
halides. <Metal Halide or T-5 with individual reflectors is
the best way to go with this anemone. However, a 16 gallon is
much too small for an anemone. It will not do well in its current
environment.> I have spent much time researching the lighting,
it is very complex and time consuming. <Yes. > I fear the
Sebae Anemone does not have the time. <I agree. > My
system, as I understand it. Please excuse my lack of proper
terminology and my ignorance of relevant information.....it is
rapidly improving. 16 gallon, <Much too small for an
anemone.> 7 months old 15 lb LR 2 in. sand bed Salinity 1.22
<Do you mean 1.022? It needs to be brought up slowly to 1.026.
How are you testing this?> Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrates 0
Calcium 540 <High> pH ? <Knowing your pH is very
important. > alkalinity ? phosphates .7 <This is too high,
see here:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2002/chem.htm >
Temp 78 Lighting Current-USA model #1136-18" Nova Extreme 1
18watt T5 HO 10K/ 1 18 watt T5 HO 460nm actinic (no timer, not
sure of proper cycle) <This is not enough light for this
anemone. Typical light cycle is 10-12 hours (assuming you have
appropriate lighting).> Marineland Maxi-Jet 900 power head for
water flow <Powerheads do not belong in tanks with
anemones.> I have no protein skimmer, I was told with this
size tank I could use a standard, hang on filtration (came with
tank) .....(please advise if you differ in opinion and what
brand, model you recommend). <I personally do not recommend
any tank that is an all in one for anemones. A protein skimmer is
a very beneficial piece of equipment. > Stock: 1 maroon
clownfish, 1 Sebae anemone, 1 Ricordea mushroom, 1 pulsing xenia,
2 zoos, 1 flaming scallop (am now aware of the issues) and some
snails and crabs. <Crabs can be predators. If you must keep
them, keep no more than 1 per 10 gallons. > All is well
(though possibly not exceptional) except the anemone. Please
advise on crowding/incompatibility issues. I hope to establish
this tank and eventually upgrade to a larger system (possibly
turning this tank into a breed specific (seahorse) tank. I would
appreciate an answer as to how I can rectify the lighting issue
(including brand, model) (as well as other issues I may not be
aware of). Are larger wattage bulbs available for this model?
<No.> If not, what are my other alternatives? <Returning
the anemone until you can provide it with an adequate
environment, and lots of research.> Unfortunately, though I
absolutely love this hobby, money is an issue. <This is an
expensive hobby. > I have already invested much more than
originally anticipated, very possibly, on equipment useless to my
cause. <Research before you purchase.> I want to pursue
this hobby, but possibly with other alternatives. The beauty of
the symbiotic relationship between a clown and its host is
unsurpassable. <Yes. However, they are considered
difficult
to keep. Many rush into keeping an anemone, resulting in the
death of the anemone. > My maroon clown is doing well. I have
seen clowns host in a (what I was told was) toad stool. Would the
toad stool flourish with my current lighting? <Yes.> Would
my maroon gl clown accept it as a host? <Possibly. There is
never a guarantee that a clownfish will host in captivity. >
Thanks in advance, Shanon
<You're
Welcome! > p.s. I do believe the information from the dealer
was presented with the absolute best of intentions. <Very
possible! I have found that most sales people are not
knowledgeable enough in anemone care. > In comparison to the
other dealers I visited, I would rank my local dealer the
highest. I think this is an industry with less than specific
standards. I am still left, at this moment, with this unsettling
issue. <Return the anemone and continue researching.
Brenda>
Re: New Sebae Anemone, Inadequate Environment,
More Research Needed
3/20/08 Hi Brenda, <Hello Shanon!> Thank you for your
response!
<You're
welcome!> I'm sad to hear my tank is too small for the
anemone. My LFS has a tank that is yet smaller (maybe 10-12
gallon) which has a large bubble tip and a maroon clown.
<Minimum tank size recommendation for this fish is 30
gallons.> The bubble tip appears healthy. <It
wont
stay healthy long term and this is a poor representation of how
to care for these animals.> Will you please tell me the
reasons why the anemone requires a larger tank (not to question
your knowledge, but for my understanding) and what size tank
would be suitable? <Anemones need pristine water conditions.
The chances of this happening in a 16 gallon tank are slim. With
a larger volume of water, the water quality decreases at a slower
rate. Add the fact that you
don't
have a protein skimmer, the chances of survival have decreased
even more. Ammonia is extremely toxic to anemones. When an
anemone dies in a tank, it pollutes the water quickly. A dead
anemone can wipe out even a much larger system. In a 16 gallon
system, you will likely end up with nothing. Anemones also grow
quickly. They can reach
18
or more. When they have outgrown their space, they move to find a
more suitable place. There
isn't
going to be any space available to move to in your current
system. This will cause stress on the anemone. Stress causes
death. I recommend 40
50 gallons of water volume, or more, for anyone new to keeping
anemones. I also recommend the tank be an established
environment.> I am feeding krill to the anemone twice weekly,
though he rejects it about an hour later. <Try smaller pieces
until you can find the anemone a new home
(1/8
sized portions).> I also feed Marine Snow twice weekly and
Mysis shrimp every other day for the clown fish. <Mysis shrimp
is also a good choice for the anemone. Marine Snow is useless for
anemones. Anemones need raw meaty foods, no exceptions here.>
I did mean salinity 1.022. <This is much too low for anemones;
1.026 is best.> I test it with a hydrometer (is this
adequate?). <I
don't
recommend using hydrometers. A refractometer is more
accurate.> The hydrometer says that 1.026 is out of the safe
range. <1.026 is closer to normal salinity of the ocean.> I
guess I need a lot more information to understand how the system
works. <Keep researching. You will find many answers to your
questions here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm
also read through all the Related FAQs at the top of the above
link.> If not power heads then what should be used for water
flow? <Pumps need to be outside of the main display. I
recommend a sump/refugium. Either will add more water volume. A
refugium will allow you to grow macro algae.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nutrientcontrol.htm > I thought I
needed the hermit crabs to clean the tank and keep nitrates down,
is that wrong? <It is not wrong.
However it is not the best option in such a small tank. I do keep
hermit crabs. However mine are kept in the refugium. crabs are
opportunistic feeders. They are known to kill small sleeping
fish, eat polyps, snails, and bother anemones. > I believe the
toad stool is the way to go for now. I would still like optimum
lighting. I have not been able to find better lighting to fit my
18 inch tank width. Do you have a suggestion? <Check with the
manufacturer or the place you purchased the set up to see if they
offer a lighting upgrade. However, be careful that you
don't
add too much that you have heat issues.> Thank you for the
info on the chemistry.
<You're
welcome!> I will start doing my own tests immediately.
<Great!> I will be sad to see the anemone go but I think
the toad stool is a good solution until I get a better
understanding of my system and upgrade to a larger tank.
<Indeed.> Best regards, Shanon
<Good luck to you Shanon! Brenda>
|
|
Bleached Sebae Anemone, Zooxanthellae
3/14/08 <Hello Harold, Brenda here!> I am hoping you
can answer a question about a new Sebae anemone I purchased one
week ago.
<Ill
try.> The Sebae was pure white with blue tips and from what I
have been reading a white Sebae is not a healthy Sebae due to the
depletion of the needed Zooxanthellae. YIPES! <You are
correct.> My tank is 120g (48x30x24) with 760W Metal
Halide's. The Water parameters are: NO2 = 0 ppm Ammonia =
0ppm NO3 = 0 ppm PH = 8.2 Alkalinity = 300ppm <What is your
salinity and temperature?> So, I believe I have enough
lighting and suitable water parameters but the Sebae continues to
slip onto its side. I have a mated pair of true Percula clowns
that have "bonded" with the anemone and it would break
my heart to think that it may not make it... <It is best to
keep the clownfish away from this anemone.> The anemone is
currently residing on the bottom of the tank next to live rock.
Should I move it to the top of the live rock or should I just
leave it alone? <Leave it alone.> I fed it Formula 1 today
and it took in a portion of the cube but the remainder was ate by
the clowns. <It is good to hear the anemone is eating.>
What are some suggestions you can make to help me save my newest
addition or am I overreacting? <You are not over reacting. A
picture would help me a lot here. I do suggest feeding
Silversides soaked in Selcon. I would feed very tiny pieces daily
for now. Can you move the clownfish to another tank for a
while?> Thank you so much for your time and attention. Harold
<You're
welcome! Brenda>
Re: Bleached Sebae Anemone, Zooxanthellae... no
referral... - 3/15/08 Thank you Brenda for your help! <You
are welcome!> I picked up some Silversides soaked a piece in
Selcon and fed it to the Anemone this afternoon.
<Excellent!> The Sebae ate the piece of Silverside but
continued to leave his mouth open and then "pucker up"
for about two hours. <I would not be overly alarmed with
this.> (I've been a "worry wart" so I continued
to watch it....) <I understand, I was once new to anemones
also! I learned a lot, quickly! However, I do recommend doing as
much research as you can. Also continue sending in your specific
questions to us.> The Salinity is 1.022 <Your salinity is
much too low! Gradually bring up to 1.026. Do this by topping off
daily with pre-mixed saltwater mixed to 1.026. Once you have
reached 1.026, go back to topping off with RO or RODI. I must
stress here, this must be done slowly. It will take days.
Anemones do not like change. Changing any parameters too fast
will add more stress, likely resulting in death with this
one.> and the temp is 80 degrees Fahrenheit. <Perfect!>
I've included pictures taken during my 2 hour watch. <Yes,
I see them. The anemone is not healthy, but does have hope! I do
have some concern over the shrimp that is in the picture. Is it
bothering the anemone? They have a tendency to steal food from
them, several hours after the feeding.> Thank you again for
your guidance! <You are welcome! If you run into any more
problems/questions,
don't
hesitate to ask!
Im
keeping my fingers crossed for you both! Brenda>
|
<... RMF>
|
Follow up from 2/2/08 Zooxanthellae recovery in my Sebae.
6/22/08 Hello! I am following up from a long time ago about the
Zooxanthellae recovery in my Sebae. He has gotten quite a bit
darker, and has grown to about 9-10 inches in diameter. <Ahh,
much better!> The only thing that is slightly weird is his mouth
is ALWAYS SLIGHTLY open. Not gaping, just opened up a little bit. I
have attached a picture of him right after feeding, and his mouth
in the picture is open a little more then it usually is. <No
worries> Sent you guys emails before, specifically Brenda and
asked about Clownfish mating habits, but for some reason it
didn't dawn on me about following up on the health of the
Sebae. Whoops. Anywho, enjoy the pic! Thanks!
<Thanks for sharing. Bob Fenner> |
|
Unhealthy White Sebae Anemone, Expelled Zooxanthellae
2/20/08 Hello, <Hello Josh!> I am new to marine fish keeping
(4 1/2 months) and have gotten my water quality to the point where I
can now house corals in my tank. I have just a small 24 gallon
nano-cube, 35 lbs live rock, 30 lbs live sand, protein skimmer, power
compacts for lighting. Livestock: Percula clown, possum wrasse, coral
beauty, and a brand new diamond watchman goby (to keep my sand looking
nice and fresh). My fish are all rather small and don't seem to
make much of an impact on my water quality since I perform water
changes religiously. <Great!> My problem is that I recently
purchased an all-white Sebae anemone. <Yikes!> He looked
brilliant in the store, but shortly after I acclimated him to the tank
(24-48hrs) he began to shrivel up, and has stayed that way for two days
now... is he doing this because he is unhealthy or is he just possibly
still adjusting to the water in my tank? <This anemone was unhealthy
when you purchased it. A white anemone is an unhealthy anemone. When
they are white, they have expelled their Zooxanthellae. Zooxanthellae
is an algae that lives inside them and is needed for their long term
survival.> I took a sample of water to the store before I purchased
the anemone, and the clerk told me that my water quality was better
than any of the tanks in the store. If he is unhealthy and starting to
die, when should I get him out of the tank? <I would return the
anemone to the place you purchased it or find someone local that is
experienced with the recovery of anemones. A 4 month old, 24 gallon
tank with PC lighting is not adequate for this anemone.> I have a
business trip coming up in a few days where I will be away for almost a
week... I really do not want to come home to disaster in my aquarium.
My girlfriend can check on the tank while I am gone but she is not
familiar with this at all... <Its time to find it a new home now.
This anemone is going to continue to deteriorate in its current
environment.> Thank you so much for your help. Josh
<You're
welcome! Brenda>
Re: Unhealthy White Sebae Anemone, Expelled
Zooxanthellae
2/20/08 Thank You for the advice Brenda,
<You're
welcome!> I just returned from the store where I purchased it. They
are willing to let me bring the anemone in and keep it for me until I
return from my business trip. I purchased a very healthy looking bubble
coral today that should take its place nicely... If I return from the
trip and the anemone is looking healthy again, would it be a poor
decision to bring it back home? <This anemone will not be healthy
again any time soon. Recovering a bleached anemone takes months, and a
lot of dedication. I don't
recommend it.> Thanks again! Josh
<You're
welcome! Brenda>
Health of Sebae Partial Zooxanthellae
Recovery
2/2/08 Keep up the great work on this site guys! <Hello,
Brenda here, and Thank you!> Anywho, to the question.
<Okay!> I got this Sebae when he was completely bleached.
<Ouch!> Mail order, not a good idea. <Not always the
best! Shipping is very stressful. However, this anemone may have
been bleached before it was shipped. We unfortunately will never
know the journey of this anemone.> Anyways, most of his
tentacles are a deep brown. The pictures do not do his color
justice, but the only part of him that hasn't turned into a
light brown is in the left side of the second picture I believe.
<Yes, I see this. This is a bit unusual. How long has this
anemone been in your care? Typically when I see this sort of
color pattern in anemones like this, I have to consider that this
anemone may have previously been dyed. However, I am not
convinced that this is the case here. If you would be so kind, I
would like to see regular updates on this anemones progress.>
Will he turn into a deeper brown then this, or is this as dark as
he will get in a home aquarium? <It does appear to have some
color, so I do believe Zooxanthellae are recovering in this area.
What are you feeding? How often and what sized portions? What are
your water parameters, specifically, temperature, salinity, pH,
and alkalinity? What size tank, and what lighting are you using?
How long has this tank been set up?> Thanks a bunch!
<You
welcome! Brenda>
Re: Health of Sebae, Partial
Zooxanthellae Recovery
2/7/08 I usually switch feedings of frozen Mysis, plankton,
prime reef, mega marine and formula one. <I would stop using
any food that contains algae. Anemones are meat eaters. Mysis
shrimp, Silversides, Krill, Lance Fish etc. are good choices.>
I usually feed the tank 1-2 times per week. The anemone gets a
piece about half the size of his mouth. <Good!> Temperature
is 77-79, salinity is at 1.024(I've been raising very slowly
to .026 for awhile now). <I recommend bringing the temperature
up a bit. I would target 79
80 degrees.> pH is almost always steady at 8.2, and alkalinity
is at 10 dKH. It is a 30g tank, with 250w MH. The tank has been
set up almost 10 months now. The Sebae has been in there for
about 2. I think that is about it! <It sounds like it has come
a long ways in two months! Great job! Brenda>
|
|
Sebae Anemone, Possibly Regurgitating, Stressed from
Collection/Shipping
01/21/08 Hello. <Hello Pam, Brenda here!> I bought a
Sebae Anemone about 3 weeks ago. I didn't realize it when I
bought him, but when I bought him, he was bleached. (see attached
picture). I didn't realize they are supposed to be tan or
brown. He has been doing very well. He settled right into the
spot where I put him in my tank. He's very tacky. He seems to
be eating. I have him on the sand bed, and he has butted himself
against the wall of my rock structure. He hasn't budged from
this spot since I put him there 3 weeks ago. I have 150w Metal
Halide and 4 24w t5's. <What size tank? How long has the
tank been set up?> 10 days after I brought him home, my
Percula started hosting in him. That was about a week ago, and
the Anemone has been doing fine. I left for work this morning,
and the Sebae looked beautiful. My 15 year old son just called me
and told me something was wrong with him and it was freaky
looking (my son rarely glances at the tank, so something has to
be really wrong). He said something really big is coming out of
his mouth... big as in a couple inches. Could he be expelling his
stomach? <It sounds like it is expelling waste, or has
regurgitated. What are you feeding, how often and what sized
portions? What other livestock do you have in the tank?> My
son tried to take a picture on his cell phone to send to me, but
I couldn't make out anything in the picture. I will get out
of work as soon as I can and run home, but I'm an hour away.
Is there anything I can do for this Sebae if it's his
stomach? I can send a picture later. If it's his
stomach...does that mean he's dying? <It may be stressed
from wild collection and shipping. This is often times deadly to
anemones. Providing an adequate environment and time is all you
can do for it.> My son said the rest of the Anemone looks ok,
just something coming out of the mouth and the clown is still
hosting it. Parameters: Salinity 1.026 PH: 8.3 Alk: 8 dKH
Nitrites, Nitrates and Ammonia all zero. Phosphates: between 0
and .1 Calcium 390 Magnesium 1170, Temperature 80 degrees, Flow:
25x display. Thanks, Pam <Hope this helps! Brenda>
Re: Sebae Anemone, Possibly Regurgitating, Stressed from
Collection/Shipping
01/21/08 Hi Brenda <Hello Pam!> Oh my goodness! This is
so funny. I came home, and the Anemone had moved into a cave. I
looked at him, and he looked fine except that he had moved
(strange because he hadn't moved in 2 weeks since I put him
into my tank). I asked my son, if maybe the Anemone was upside
down, and he was looking at his foot. My son
said..."OH...yea...that's it.. I didn't know they
had a foot". He must have flipped upside down, then flipped
himself and moved into the cave, or the current took him in
there. He wasn't expelling anything at all and looks fine!!
Yay! I don't know if I should have left him in the cave or
not, but I moved him back to his regular spot. <Unfortunately,
when an anemone of this type starts flipping itself upside down,
it is usually bad news.> Now if the darn clown would stop
stealing his food! It's not that the clown is eating
it...he's just kicking it out. I stood guard for a while, but
as soon as I took my arm out of the tank, the clown went and dug
out the small piece of silverside I had put in. I thought he was
trying to eat it, but he isn't. He just threw it away.
<Try placing a strawberry basket that you find at the grocery
store over the anemone until it is able to eat. Since your
anemone is stressed, feed small portions daily. I would start by
trying a
1/8
piece once a day. Gradually increase the size, but never feed
anything larger than its mouth. Once the anemone has recovered,
you can feed 2
3 times a week. I would suggest using silversides, krill, or Mysis shrimp. Stay away from brine shrimp, it is not nutritional
enough for anemones.> So anyway, the Anemone is fine. It
isn't regurgitating anything. He had just flipped himself
upside down....or the current did. Thanks! Pam
<You're
welcome and good luck to you! Brenda>
Thank you Brenda.
<You're
welcome!> The strawberry basket is a great idea. I'll give
that a try. I have been cutting up the Silverside and only
feeding it about 1/8 of a whole silverside. <Try a 1/8 inch
piece. You
don't
want to stress the anemone any more than collection and shipping
has already caused.> I also bought some krill. He deflated SO
much last night several hours after I got home, and I thought oh,
this isn't good at all. <It does not sound good.> He
was probably only a 10th of his normal size. Woke up this
morning, and he was nice and inflated again. I have a feeling
it's going to be touch and go for a while, but I am
determined to be patient and nurse him back to complete health.
Have a great day. <You too!>
Pam
<Good luck to you Pam! Brenda>
|
|
Sebae Anemone Failing Quickly, Inadequate
Environment... Brenda... refer
1/5/08 Hi, <Hello, Brenda here!> I really need your help.
My tank has been running for three months. I have a 55 gal.
w/approx 60 lbs live rock, 1 blue tang, 1 clown, 3 damsels, 1
cleaner shrimp, 1 coral banded shrimp, 2 peppermint shrimps, 7
Ricordea, mushrooms, and 1 hammer. We do weekly water changes of 7
gallons at a time. My problem is my Sebae who is deflated and has a
white liquid coming from the bottom and what appears to be a fleshy
tissue that almost looks like cotton. <Yikes! Your tank is not
ready for an anemone. Anemones need an established environment, 6
months to one year minimum. How long has this anemone been in your
tank? What are your exact water parameters, including temperature,
salinity, pH, nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, calcium, and alkalinity?
I need to know what equipment you have on the tank, including your
lighting, skimmer, amount of flow, etc.> He had been eating fine
up to 2 days ago when he began to not take the food in. He has been
eating krill because that is what they were feeding him at the
store that we purchased him from and since he didn't accept
that we tried brine and Mysis shrimp and also plankton. <Brine
shrimp is not an appropriate food for anemones, unless it is newly
hatched brine shrimp.> Nothing worked until last night when he
did take in 2 pieces of krill. <This is too much food for one
feeding. With unhealthy anemones, I recommend food portions to be
about
1/8
in size (or less). Over feeding can cause regurgitation, leaving
the anemone with no food.> Today he looks awful almost a grayish
color. I have sent a few pics of before and after and I just
don't know what to do with the little guy. If you could help me
I would be eternally grateful. We are new to this and your web site
has been a huge help in problem solving. <Unfortunately, your
anemone is in very poor health. It is best to return it to the
place you got it, or find someone with an adequate environment,
that is experienced in the recovery of anemones. I also suggest you
research all of your livestock before you purchase. More
information on anemones can be found here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm
I also recommend reading through the FAQs.> I appreciate all
that you do for us out here! Keep up the knowledge because we need
you! Thank you again!
<You're
welcome! Brenda> |
|
|
|