Beginner Anemone Question

[B1uenose]

Hi,

I’ve been lurking on here for a while picking up tips and I’ve finally bought my first anemone. It was described as an “atlantic anemone” but I think it is either a Heteractis Malu or a Heteractis Crispa.

He was not attached to a rock so I placed him in my tank half on rock/half on sand to give him a choice. Straight away it appeared as if he was struggling with the water flow (it looked as if he was being blown over).

This morning he was half way across the tank and his foot was still not attached to anything so I think he has been moved by the flow rather then of his own accord.

I would like to return him to his original spot and maybe hold him in place for a day or two to give him time to anchor his foot but I also know that an anemone will move if it is unhappy and I don’t want to stress it unduly by keeping it in one place.

All water conditions are fine and the tank is relatively established. I don’t have halide lighting but it is only a 20g tank to it is not so deep that it will be in shade.

How can I tell if he is moving on his own or being blown about? How long does it take an anemone to settle into a location?

Any suggestions? All gratefully received!!

 

[Lance M.]

IME once you put a healthy anemone in the tank you can hold the anemone onto the rock for a few seconds and it will attach almost immediately.

Did you notice it being sticky? What color is it? Do you have a picture for identification? How much lighting do you have over the 20 gallon? Is it a 20H or 20L? How long has the tank been set up?

 

[B1uenose]

Thanks Lance,

In response to your questions..

It didn't feel particularly sticky although I was wearing gloves at the time...not a good sign. I thought they would take a while to stick somewhere...

It's white with purple tips - i can post a pic tomorrow if still needed.
The tank has been set up for 6 weeks...ammonia, nitrite = 0, nitrate <5 (ppm?). ph = 8.1. sg = 1.023, temp = 75

Lighting - I'm not 100%. It came as part of a complete marine setup - again I can check for certain and give complete spec tomorrow.

If it helps, tank inhabitants = 2 perculas, one fire dart fish, one scooter blennie, crabs and a starfish)

 

[Toddrtrex]

[welcome]

With it being white with purple tips, and described as an “atlantic anemone" I am thinking that it is a bleached condi -- though a picture would go a long way.

A white anemone is a bleached anemone, and isn't a good thing. They can be brought back to health under the right conditions, but to be honest, I don't feel that you have the right conditions at this time. IMO, your tank is too new for anemone, let alone a bleached on, and since your lights are "part of a complete marine setup" I am willing to bet that they aren't enough.
Lastly, if it is a condi, they aren't a natural host for any clown, and have the same odd of eating it as hosting it.

Not to be a downer, but that is how I see things.

 

[B1uenose]

Thanks for your thoughts...much appreciated. I hope it is not bleached - it looked pretty healthy in the LFS and it was accomodating a clown at the time so I assumed it would be ok. I'll post a pic up later on this evening but can you refer me to a "condi" pic in the meatime so I can compare? I've been using Carlos's Anemone FAQ for ID purposes but cant see a condi listed.

I took advice from the LFS about how long to wait before adding a nem and they said 6 weeks...hence my post.

I'll keep an eye on it later and try and encourage to put it's feet up! (or down as the case may be).

If my lights were inadequate (as they may be) would I not see the anemone trying to climb rocks in order to get closer to the light it craves?

Thanks for the advice so far...

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10949332#post10949332 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Toddrtrex
<img src="/images/welcome.gif" width="500" height="62"><br><b><i><big><big>To Reef Central</b></i></big></big>

With it being white with purple tips, and described as an “atlantic anemone" I am thinking that it is a bleached condi -- though a picture would go a long way.

A white anemone is a bleached anemone, and isn't a good thing. They can be brought back to health under the right conditions, but to be honest, I don't feel that you have the right conditions at this time. IMO, your tank is too new for anemone, let alone a bleached on, and since your lights are "part of a complete marine setup" I am willing to bet that they aren't enough.
Lastly, if it is a condi, they aren't a natural host for any clown, and have the same odd of eating it as hosting it.

Not to be a downer, but that is how I see things.

 

[B1uenose]

Looking at a few photos and I am almost certain it is a "yellow sebae anemone" form a pic I saw on a dealers website. Either that or it is a remarkable copy!!!

 

[traveller7]

Yellow is typically an indicator of dye. Please post a picture in your gallery.

 

[B1uenose]

Leaving work in the next 10 minutes or so (UK) so I should have a photo up in an hour or so...

 

[Toddrtrex]

I am not sure that there is really a yellow sebae, a lot of them seem to be dyed to be honest.

But if yours is a sebae, and it is white, the odds aren't all that good. Sorry. If possible I would take it back.

Just don't feel that 6 weeks is long enough. First off, the tank isn't stable enough for anemone. And second it allows you to get used to your tank. After about 6 months you will have adjusted to your tank and be able to know that something is going wrong before it becomes an issue. It allows you to get a "feel" for it.

 

[Lance M.]

I think the lfs was just trying to sell you stuff.

And having that many fish in the first 6 weeks also is not recommended. (I'm guessing the lfs said it was ok....) Especially the scooter blenny. Scooter blennies (Like other dragonets) only eat live foods (some can be made to eat frozen foods if your lucky) and need a very established tank with a large pod population which a 6 week old tank will not have. Without these conditions the scooter blenny will slowly starve to death.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but don't believe everything you hear at a lfs. Remember they are a business and need to make a profit. With that said there are also those lfs's that do give great advice but the advice you got from your lfs is not good.

I would look for a better lfs or what I do is usually rely solely on what I have learned and if I see something I like I put it on hold and learn about before buying and ask about it on forums.

 

[B1uenose]

Shocked about the scooter blennie. Was told that they were hardy and would graze on algae on the rocks. Have been doing general feeds of baby brineshrimp, flake and pellets. He still seems very active and happy in the tank but I will keep an eye on him over the next week or two.

As for the anemone, see my gallery photo. Seems fairly happy where it has settled - tentacle are inflated and moving freely. Not in best position though - very close to my soft corals.

I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. Thanks for all of your help so far.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Doesn't look at bad as I thought it would, but...

Needs to be fed more, and have a feeling that you are going to have to upgrade your lights. Still think that the best choice -- if possible -- is to take the anemone back.

And Lance is right about the scooter, as far as feeing, they are the same as a mandarin

 

[PenthouseReef]

..if the anemone is white with purple tips it may be a Pink Tip Haitian anemone because my roomate has one in his tank and it is white with purple tips and healthy...his moved around for a few days before it found a place to set itself where it was happy and his is in a 20L tank...if it is a Haitian be careful of any shrimp or crabs because he had purchased a good size fire shrimp and it was gone in no more than 10 minutes...

 

[Slakker]

It doesn't look like a Haitian, if you check his gallery. I think it's probably an H. Crispa.

I would move the corals away from the anemone.

 

[B1uenose]

I thought it was a H.Crispa myself.

I reluctantly moved it (it hadnot fixed itself.....thankfully!!) to a more sparse corner of the tank..and so far it seems to be doing ok....

 

[bencozzy]

looks like a crispa. wouldnt say completely bleached but to white for comfort and starving tentacles should be much longer.

tank should be 6months old at the very least and you should have more experience with reef care in general before even attempting keeping a nem. a bta would be a better first choice anemone to try.

what type of lighting system do you have?

 

[B1uenose]

Assuming it's a crispa, what would be the best thing to feed it? All the advice I've read states a "wide range" of food from flake to mussel to brine shrimp to mysis to rotifers.

Would all of these be ok?

 

[bencozzy]

meaty sea foods.

silversides, mysis, krill, clam, squid, cocktail shrimp(unsalted, seasoned)

ive found rotifier brine shrimp and cyclopeeze to be to small of a food item for the host nems to be able to "capture" and eat so it usually floats around in the tank instead of getting digested.