bubble tip split
- Thread starter Mike16
- Start date
I don't understand what you mean. I learned a lot from this thread. I also had the same experieces as you and others.
BTA's don't look good before they split or die. Sometimes they even move to the back of the tank.
I have also learned and experieced that they are much more healty when fed small pieces of food rather than when I was feeding silversides because it is more like their true environment.
HTH
dots
Premium Member
Here is the deal, anemone get about 90% give or take of their energy from light. Most of the time this is the case:
Anemone have a VERY slow metabolism, by the time you realize what is going on, its already in decline.
Anemone have horrible shipping records and captivity records, I believe I read once like 25% fail to make it to market. Of those that do, a "success" is considered a year to five. Normally these creatures live for hundreds of years in the wild. The others that survive to the LFS are often sickly and in decline. Most are unaware that the first couple of weeks will make it or break it because of this. When getting one home, you need strong, intense lighting to provide the intensity to produce that 80% of its energy. If you are on the ragged edge and only supply a portion of this light you can offset the deficit by feeding more and more frequently. This works all fine and dandy until it splits and you can't supplement that deficit any more. To make matters worse, it needs even more energy now to heal the split. It gets smaller and smaller and then dies.
Happy anemone do not: Roam, (Though BTAs do more frequently, which is why I suggest selecting the Sebae as they do not), detach, gape, turn inside out, etc.
Constantly moving anemone do not like the water quality, light, flow. Roaming takes energy, which will use precious little reserves.
Anemone do not have eyes, they don't know where the light is and they need to be placed in a rock structure that lends to their proper orientation. BTA's tend to like being wedged in a crevice.
BTA's loose their bubbles over time and get long and skinny tentacles in captivity.
Clown fish trying to host in a sick or stress anemone only make things worse and literally can rub them to death. Often after a split the clown is so large its WAY too big and a mis match further complicating the situation.
An anemone should feed with intensity and react to food when placed on the oral disc. If it does not, it does not know it is being fed and needs to be more often.
In the end, it boils down to light. Yes, I have heard of the guys that kept them under Bic lighters and they split every week, but that is not the average result.
Without strong light, they all die in the end. Unfortunately because of the slow metabolism thing, most aquarist are not aware that it is slowly starving and attribute the death all the while to something else.
How do I know this, because I was that guy. After I got MHs it magically got easier.
Throw a JBJ Viper 150 on it and you will have a fighting chance, but I'm afraid that is where you are coming up short.
As always......IMO, not set in stone, different strokes for different folks....blah, blah, blah....
Anemone have a VERY slow metabolism, by the time you realize what is going on, its already in decline.
Anemone have horrible shipping records and captivity records, I believe I read once like 25% fail to make it to market. Of those that do, a "success" is considered a year to five. Normally these creatures live for hundreds of years in the wild. The others that survive to the LFS are often sickly and in decline. Most are unaware that the first couple of weeks will make it or break it because of this. When getting one home, you need strong, intense lighting to provide the intensity to produce that 80% of its energy. If you are on the ragged edge and only supply a portion of this light you can offset the deficit by feeding more and more frequently. This works all fine and dandy until it splits and you can't supplement that deficit any more. To make matters worse, it needs even more energy now to heal the split. It gets smaller and smaller and then dies.
Happy anemone do not: Roam, (Though BTAs do more frequently, which is why I suggest selecting the Sebae as they do not), detach, gape, turn inside out, etc.
Constantly moving anemone do not like the water quality, light, flow. Roaming takes energy, which will use precious little reserves.
Anemone do not have eyes, they don't know where the light is and they need to be placed in a rock structure that lends to their proper orientation. BTA's tend to like being wedged in a crevice.
BTA's loose their bubbles over time and get long and skinny tentacles in captivity.
Clown fish trying to host in a sick or stress anemone only make things worse and literally can rub them to death. Often after a split the clown is so large its WAY too big and a mis match further complicating the situation.
An anemone should feed with intensity and react to food when placed on the oral disc. If it does not, it does not know it is being fed and needs to be more often.
In the end, it boils down to light. Yes, I have heard of the guys that kept them under Bic lighters and they split every week, but that is not the average result.
Without strong light, they all die in the end. Unfortunately because of the slow metabolism thing, most aquarist are not aware that it is slowly starving and attribute the death all the while to something else.
How do I know this, because I was that guy. After I got MHs it magically got easier.
Throw a JBJ Viper 150 on it and you will have a fighting chance, but I'm afraid that is where you are coming up short.
As always......IMO, not set in stone, different strokes for different folks....blah, blah, blah....
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dots
Premium Member
Thats where the old watts per gallon rule came from. Sure, I would be a fool to say you can't, no one has been able to keep them under PC's, etc....
It kinda goes back to the whole Bruce(isms) as I may call them a couple of weeks back and the discussion after that. If you remember I had mentioned some of the "rules" increase ones odds for success, which is the basis for them. I think by not only making have enough, but overkill on the intensity that is one factor you can eliminate down the road to ensure someone just starting with these animals, especially in this case where it can't be fed.
I want to give the owner and the anemome the best chances for success.
Look at the difference in the BTA between picture 1 and 2. Do you see how bleached it already is? These were under a whopping 65W of PC, and yes this was my first tank where I took a "crash" course in anenome keeping.
Though far from an authority, have broken my fair share of eggs.
It kinda goes back to the whole Bruce(isms) as I may call them a couple of weeks back and the discussion after that. If you remember I had mentioned some of the "rules" increase ones odds for success, which is the basis for them. I think by not only making have enough, but overkill on the intensity that is one factor you can eliminate down the road to ensure someone just starting with these animals, especially in this case where it can't be fed.
I want to give the owner and the anemome the best chances for success.
Look at the difference in the BTA between picture 1 and 2. Do you see how bleached it already is? These were under a whopping 65W of PC, and yes this was my first tank where I took a "crash" course in anenome keeping.
Though far from an authority, have broken my fair share of eggs.
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Canarygirl
New member
My tank-propagated RBTA was "happy" and stationary the first couple of months I had it; then it started to roam a LOT. At night I would find him barely hanging on to a rock by 1/4" of the edge of his disc, entire column waving in the current, directly under a koralia powerhead. I was wondering why it was happening and what to do about it and then one day I found him caught inside the koralia, looking really bad.
He worked himself out and convalesced (sp?) under the rockwork. I tried to feed him tiny bits of food that I sprayed onto his tentacles, and did that almost every night. He is much better now, and has doubled in size since his accident. Also, he hasn't moved since that happened. I'm pretty confused as to why he didn't move, then he did, and now he's stable again. His injuries are 99% healed so I guess I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Do you all cover your powerheads with eggcrate or something so they can't get into them?
He worked himself out and convalesced (sp?) under the rockwork. I tried to feed him tiny bits of food that I sprayed onto his tentacles, and did that almost every night. He is much better now, and has doubled in size since his accident. Also, he hasn't moved since that happened. I'm pretty confused as to why he didn't move, then he did, and now he's stable again. His injuries are 99% healed so I guess I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Do you all cover your powerheads with eggcrate or something so they can't get into them?
dots
Premium Member
wetwebmedia.com is an excellent resource for this topic, here are some examples:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemonelightngfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemonelgtgfaq2.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemlgtgfaq3.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemltgfaq4.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/btasysfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemonelightngfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemonelgtgfaq2.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemlgtgfaq3.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemltgfaq4.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/btasysfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
bored4long
New member
WetWebMedia may be information rich, but I hate the format information is presented. I can't stand reading it and rarely look there for answers.
But thanks for the links. I've put them in a new subfolder in my bookmarks for Anenomes.
PS: I too have found this thread extremely informative. I've never owned an anemone, but feel somewhat confident in the task if I chose to have one.
But thanks for the links. I've put them in a new subfolder in my bookmarks for Anenomes.
PS: I too have found this thread extremely informative. I've never owned an anemone, but feel somewhat confident in the task if I chose to have one.
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Matt_Wandell
New member
I disagree that Sebae (H. malu) anemones roam any less than BTAs (E. quadricolor) and that Sebaes make a better host anemone selection. The vast majority of sebae anemones are near death at retail stores and are notoriously difficult to nurse back to health. BTAs have a very long history of doing quite well and reproducing in captivity.
BTAs do not always lose their bubbles in captivity. Sometimes they gain them, sometimes they lose half, lose them and regain them, etc. CJD has theorized that it is due to lighting...
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/feature.htm
I hope it does not sound like I am harping on you in this already quite tumultuous thread
, the rest of your advice is top notch that I completely agree with. 
And I say "mysids" as well...
Nice, real nice.
