anemone photos and question

[Bdeppen]

My anemone attached itself in a strage place, but I was just happy it didn't find its way to my pump this time. 2 Days ago my clown fish hosted my anemone and have been looking pretty happy in it. Today I noticed all the bulbs are shriveled up. The clowns keep trying to swim into it, but the bulbs are too small and shriveled up. Is this normal for them to do this and then expand back out?

Anemone yesterday...

Anemone today...

 

[Bdeppen]

This is a 4"-6" anemone. From the time I posted this it actually pulled its entire body of tentacles inside itself. All I can see now is the foot attached to the glass and a few tiny bulbs poking out of center.

 

[cet98]

this should be a sticky:

How long has your tank been set up?
What size tank?
What type of lighting do you have?
Current water parameters, with numbers please.

• NH3
• NO2
• NO3
• PO4
• pH
• SG
• Temp

when was the nem introduced to your tank?
if very recent, how was it acclimated to your tank?
can you post pictures of it's current condition?

by just your description of it's current condition does not sound promising, however, a picture can clarify that quickly

 

[Bdeppen]

this should be a sticky:

when was the nem introduced to your tank?
if very recent, how was it acclimated to your tank?
can you post pictures of it's current condition?

by just your description of it's current condition does not sound promising, however, a picture can clarify that quickly

Tank has been up about 7 months
55DT, 20g sump
TEK 4 bulb T5, 3 ATI blue plus, 1 coral plus
ammonia-0
nitrite-0
nitrate-0.25
phosphates-0.06
pH-varies between 8.2-8.3
SG-1.025
temp-78.7

BTA was introduced 5 days ago. It was drip acclimated as I do with all my livestock. Was doing really well the past few days as it stopped moved around, the clowns hosted it and it did start feeding. I fed a very small piece of raw shrimp which I assume it ate as I didn't see it later in the tank.

Super hard to get photos as its column is attached to the front corner of the tank.

I thought I read somewhere that they can curl up and reinflate as they acclimate to the lighting. Any truth to this?

 

[cet98]

very difficult to see, but to answer your last question, yes...it is very typical for them to want to hide and acclimate themselves to our conditions and lighting.

This could be happening for multiple reasons including feeding it...
Everyone has their own techniques but I personally try to refrain from direct feedings when I introduce a new nem to my tank...
I also prefer to feed small offerings of mysis until they are fully settled into their "happy place". Then I offer 1/4" size chunks of raw shrimp as well a few times a month.
This may also just be a case of "I wanna hide but can't seem to find a rock to hide in" syndrome as well....

You can either try to remove it from its glass corner and set it on your rocks (I would do so with as little water flow as possible to give it time to anchor itself) or I would suggest covering your tank with 2-3 layers of window screening (use eggcrate to cover your tank temporarily if you don't have a screen cover already) and remove a layer every 5-7 days to acclimate the nem to your lighting...

I'm sure the clowns are irritating it as well but not much you can do about that unless you isolate the clowns temporarily...

GL

 

[justthewife]

I have a green bubble tip and he has done this several times. It is usually after a big meal and he shrivels up and then poops. If your anemone is moving around a lot, it is not happy. You could try making a rock pile close to it that he would want to attach to and then try moving him to a place in the tank where you think he will be happy. Mine seems to like a place that he can stick out of when he wants and go underneath when he wants so you can't see him. Believe me, I have stressed about my anemone several times until I got to know him. Color is very important. If he is bright, he is good. If his mouth is not gaping he is good, if he has many little fingers, he is good (if they start looking sparse, they are eating on themselves and starving). Good luck and make him a little cave where he seems to want to hang out. If he stops moving around your tank, he is good. You can't make them go where you want them to, they have a way of their own. I am a newbie to saltwater tanks and all its creatures so I am only talking from experience. We were not even supposed to have an anemone yet but ours is three times bigger than when we got him.

 

[Bdeppen]

very difficult to see, but to answer your last question, yes...it is very typical for them to want to hide and acclimate themselves to our conditions and lighting.

This could be happening for multiple reasons including feeding it...
Everyone has their own techniques but I personally try to refrain from direct feedings when I introduce a new nem to my tank...
I also prefer to feed small offerings of mysis until they are fully settled into their "happy place". Then I offer 1/4" size chunks of raw shrimp as well a few times a month.
This may also just be a case of "I wanna hide but can't seem to find a rock to hide in" syndrome as well....

You can either try to remove it from its glass corner and set it on your rocks (I would do so with as little water flow as possible to give it time to anchor itself) or I would suggest covering your tank with 2-3 layers of window screening (use eggcrate to cover your tank temporarily if you don't have a screen cover already) and remove a layer every 5-7 days to acclimate the nem to your lighting...

I'm sure the clowns are irritating it as well but not much you can do about that unless you isolate the clowns temporarily...

GL

Great news, it appears to be slowly opening back up! How would I go about removing it from the glass? From what I've read it scares me to try and move them once the column is anchored. I placed the new there but on a rock originally because my clowns weren't even looking at it. Clowns hosted it pretty directly after that, but it moved off the rock it was on and onto the glass. I'll also take your advise about feeding it mysis for awhile. As for the lighting, I did actually have a magazine laying on my window screening to drop the lighting in the corner. I use the clear BRS screening so I don't believe its really lowering much of my lighting, but I do have a lot of lefter so I guess I could really layer it on there.


1.How long before regular feedings?
2.How can I safey move it?

Thanks for your help! This is my second nem, first one fell victim to my powerhead. I'd be super bummed about losing another one especially after so much more research and patience! :uhoh2:

 

[Bdeppen]

Should have taken a photo of his mouth, but it seemed to be closed and not all loose. Have him near by where he was with my vortech pumps on lagoon mode at about 60%. (They usually run reef crest 100%) Just waiting for him to hopefully attach and restart this process of finding a place, this time without feeding anything larger than mysis to start!:spin3:

 

[justthewife]

You also don't have to feed every day. They get a lot of their food from photosynthesis. If you spot feed a lot, you might end up with more than one anemone because he will split So if you are feeding a lot and he starts to separate in two, don't panic lol.

Also, my anemone was behind a rock for 2 weeks straight so I couldn't feed him. He was still getting light though through a crack. I could see he still had good color when I strained myself around in odd positions to get a glimpse of him (oh what we do for this hobby). He just came out and we spot fed him mysis shrimp. I also noticed my anemone (his name is Bubbles) likes smoother rocks to attach to rather than rubble or bumpy rocks.

 

[Bdeppen]

cet I saw your new nem, looks awesome, but I'd like to see a pic of yours justthewife! Looks like he finally reattached to a rock, in a much better viewing area.

Really happy with how he is looking now!

 

[cet98]

excellent..!!! happy to see it on the rocks Bdeppen
I presume you had no problem removing it from the glass...

BTW...do not be surprised (or upset) if it decides to move...it will need to find it's own optimal place in your tank and settle in there...

keep us updated please

 

[justthewife]

He looks great!!!!!!! And the clowns look happy too!

 

[worm5406]

During acclimation sometimes I have seen them expelle EVERYTHING and shrivel to a 90 yo lady skin. Then bloom up and be good.. Almost like expelling it all and sucking in the new good water.

 

[Bdeppen]

Looks like he switched gears to the back glass wall now. He moved around several times last time. My favorite, which I didn't get a pic of, he was upside down in a cave, looked really cool. My biggest issue with him being in the back, the clowns are also in the back lol. My 2 favorite things in the tank aren't easily viewable. I'll keep updates with where he eventually ends up. But I have read they like smooth rocks, and my reef saver rocks from BRS aren't exactly smooth in any spots. So I'm thinking if he is back on the glass, he may stay there.

 

[worm5406]

Hey.. Lets cut back the lighting for a bit.. It may be trying to hide and not get a sun burn.

Wall/cave/upside down... all places where there is not as much light.

 

[Bdeppen]

Hey.. Lets cut back the lighting for a bit.. It may be trying to hide and not get a sun burn.

Wall/cave/upside down... all places where there is not as much light.

I can't really turn my lights down, its either on or off, so I just put a magazine over the screen on his side. Luckily I don't have any coral over there that would suffer from lack of light.

 

[worm5406]

Some window screen would help too.

A few sections maybe to block some of the light.