Anemone Question.

[Munsterdrool]

We've had our anemone for maybe 5 months. It is.. or was, quite large when we got it for our Cinnamon clown (who absolutely loves his "squishy"). Anyways, when we got it, it was a bright yellow-ish color (see picture below) and now it's more of a reddish-brown color.

I was wondering if this is due to our lighting? We don't have hundreds and thousands of dollars to buy really expensive lighting. We use the light/hood that came with the tank and a Reef-Sun 50/50 bulk. (Saw on youtube they were better then the others?)

Also, I do water changes once a week (every friday) and I change out about 5-10 Gallons of water each time, depending on how filthy the sand is. I tested the water and the only one that seems off/low is the PH, which is at 7.8 when it needs to be higher. - Which is something I am currently working on. The only "chemicals" I put into the tank are Calcium, Iodine and Strontium & Molybdenum.

Also, during the night, it has split into two, and I just want to make sure I take the best care of them as possible.

Please let me know what you think and any/all advice is more then welcome.

Picture A: A day or two after buying the Anemone:

Picture B: This morning, after noticing the split:

 

[phender]

You have a Bubble-tip anemone (BTA) E. quadricolor. The good news is, you have brought it back from being bleached, congratulations. Without knowing the size of your tank and the wattage and type of your bulb, I can't give much lighting advice other than you likely don't have enough. Otherwise healthy anemones that don't get enough light will gradually get smaller and smaller until they can't support themselves anymore and they die. You seem to have two healthy anemones right now. It would be a shame to let them waste away. Lighting doesn't have to be super expensive and BTAs don't need as much as some of the others, it just has to be the right type.
If you give us more info on your tank dimensions, we can help you out.

 

[sdmarriott1]

First of all, welcome to the site. I saw this was your first post. Second, you must be doing something right since you brought the anemone back from being bleached. Like Phil said, lighting does not have to be super expensive. Tell us some more about your setup.:fish1:

 

[Munsterdrool]

Phender, my tank is a 55g, with a standard lighthood which holds one florescent bulb; 50/50 6500K trichromatic daylight phosphor and actinic 420 phosphor. - I'm planning on upgrading to 260W PL Reef Light hood, which holds up to four PL bulbs and four LED moon lights.

Sdmarriot1, Thank you for the welcome. I had honestly no idea that it was bleached. I was comparing pictures of it today and I noticed the huge color difference and was starting to think I had done something wrong!

As for set up, it's pretty generic. I have:

- Hydor Koralia 4 (which at times I think is over kill)
- H.O.T. Magnum Compact Hang-On Tank Filter by Marineland
- Seaclone Protein Skimmer from Aquarium Systems
- I'm not 100% sure of the pounds of Live Rock, maybe around 50-60?
- Deep sand bed, 2" in the "shallow" parts (the clown loves making trenches..) and probably around 4" in the now "deeper" parts.
- Aqueon Submersible Heater

As for inhabitants:
- One "Tomato" Clown (aka Mater)
- One, Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish (whom we will be rehomeing by the end of this month)
- One, Warty Angler Fish (who has eaten two of our other fish >_<
- One, Electric Blue Hermit Crab
- One, Teddy Bear Crab (our very first inhabitant, who hitchhiked on our first live rock)
* - Plus one Coral. I can't remember the name of it, but I have pictures! lol ( http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t180/munsterattack/Animals/Salt Aquarium/Picture218.jpg )

..and that's about it.

 

[phender]

Your new lighting set up would be fine for your BTA. However, if I could make a suggestion..... You are much better off getting a 4 bulb T5 HO system than compact fluorescents. The T5s run cooler, brighter and there is a greater selection of bulbs. I don't know what brand you were considering, but a quick internet search showed that the prices on the T5 units may even be a little cheaper.
FWIW, a 54 watt T5 HO bulb is brighter than a 65 watt CF bulb.

Here are a couple less expensive options
http://www.marinedepot.com/48_inch_Current_USA_Nova_Extreme_4x54W_T5HO_48_Inch_T5_Fluorescent_Light_Fixtures-Current_USA-CU01120-FILTFIT58U-CU01122-vi.html
http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaticLife_T5_HO_4_Lamp_Light_Fixtures_w_Lunar_LEDs_24_Inch_T5_Fluorescent_Light_Fixtures-AquaticLife-AK01035-FILTFIT54U-vi.html

 

[The Punisher]

A bit off topic but I think you need to look into your fish and crab selections also. The angler will eat anything that it can get its rather large mouth around, and the teddy bear crab can be a coral killer. Do a quick google search and you'll find tons of info on both.

 

[Munsterdrool]

Phender, the new lighting was something I had found on Ebay, which is within budget limits. Most of the T5 lightings I've seen that house 4+ bulbs are way out of price range, unfortunately.

Punisher, I'm well aware of what our angler eats. He's already eaten, over 80$ worth of fish. As for our Teddy, I'm also aware of what he does, but he is one of those things that are hard to find/remove. Which is why I've named him "Waldo" - He's kind of like those Aiptasia anemone..which we have a ton of >_<

 

[OrionN]

For a 55 g, I just get all the rock out and remove whatever you want out of the tank then put it back. All you need is an old salt bucket to keep the rock in while it is out of the tank. Good job at caring for the anemone.