Beginner anemone owner help!!!

[zombiereefer]

Ok i got an awesome red bubble tipped anemone. my buddy has a bunch they are as big as a basketball. so he gave me one that is about to split into 3 i think. Its huge in my tank. looks great. didnt really do anything as far as getting used to the tank. Today though as the lighting went down, he got a lot smaller and not really shriveled up but just shrunk down. Is this normal? what should i look out for? should i feed it? anything anyone can think of as a new owner and from you experienced ones. this is my first anemone!!! also using maxspect razor 120w 16k on my 45 gal cube. ill get pics soon

 

[Azedenkae]

Shriveling is a sign of it ready to split any moment now.

 

[tatuaje08]

Shriveling is a sign of it ready to split any moment now.

Lol.........uh, no. That is not true. Shriveling could be from a number of things. There's really no way of telling.

You don't have to feed it as it will probably filter food from the water when you feed your fish. If you do want to feed it, you can use pe mysis.

Warning signs to look for - excessive wandering around your tank, gaping mouth, losing its tentacles, bleaching.

It will most likely take a little while for it to acclimate to your tank, so I don't think you have anything to worry about.

 

[Azedenkae]

Yes, shriveling can also mean that it's about to keel over/not doing well/stress/defensiveness.

Just saying it is a sign that it's about to split. Too.

 

[tatuaje08]

That is not what you stated in your first post. You implied shriveling was only a sign of it about to split. In fact, shriveling is the least common sign of a Bta that is about to split. I don't think I have ever seen a deflated Bta split naturally, they always seem to be inflated.

 

[Azedenkae]

Alright, in that case apologies for not being clear the first time round I guess.

So to clarify, shriveling can indicate multiple things. As indicated above, 'it's about to keel over/not doing well/stress/defensiveness' + 'pre-splitting jitters' or whatever else.

Yes, I'm still saying it's probably preparing to split. It's reported heaps that they do that sometimes before splitting. Simply going on what the OP stated, that seems to be the case - it's about to split. Of course, it could be one of the other options.

 

[tatuaje08]

But they also deflate when they release waste. So I think we can at least agree that it could be a number of things. I believe the main point is - the op needs not to worry at this stage.

 

[zombiereefer]

ok it only moved the first day and half or so. and hasnt left the new spot. the thing is huge like rediculous. and it does loose a little piece of tinicle once in a while but everything else looks great. i think it was jsut that day. also my new allardi feeds it.

 

[tatuaje08]

It shouldn't be losing its tentacles. Is something biting them off?

 

[bues0022]

so he gave me one that is about to split into 3 i think.

How can you possibly tell A) that it is "about to split", and B) "into 3"?

Both are absurd. Perhaps your buddy gave you a larger specimen, and in his tank when they got large they tended to split. However, in your tank it may not. If it does split shortly, it is more than likely due to stress from being moved than anything else.

Additionally, knowning that it will split into 3, and not 2, is just plain foolish.

Especially just after a move, it is quite typical for a BTA to appear shriveled up as they are moving water out of their body to regulate themselves to the new water parameters. The discussions about shriveling being a sign of splitting - connect the dots above.......

New nems in a tank are stressed due to different water parameters. A stressed nem is more likely to split (survival mechanism). A new nem will expel its water to re-regulate the internal / external water. Hence the conclusion (faulty) that shriveled nems mean splitting. They are correlated, not causational.