Can't keep an Anemone

[DeSimone93]

So I've had my tank for over a year now, and the only anemone I was able to successfully keep was a Condy. My clowns loved the condy, but I wanted a BTA so once I bought it, I think some chemical warfare occurred because both went downhill, with BTA winning. Ever since, my anemones don't survive.

pH: 8.2
SG:.025
Ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 0
Nitrate: 10
Phosphate: .25
Calcium: 440
Lighting: 156 Watt T5HO, 2 Aquablue special, 1 Blue plus and 1 Purple plus.

After being acclimated:

 

[DeSimone93]

Wrong image, this is when I first got it:

the above picture was taken about a week later.

 

[ryannterror]

I could be wrong but that looks more like a Ritteri (Heteractis magnifica) to me not a cody. Going by the shape of its oral disc.

How far from the water is your light and how deep is the tank?

 

[Reef Doctor]

Your phosphates are super high too (should be near zero). Some inverts don't respond well to higher phosphates. Rest of your params look normal.

 

[sjwitt]

From the pictures your BTA looks bleached so it's not terribly healthy to start. Even so, a week is not very long so it could still be acclimating. I agree you need to work on the phosphates and I think you should check your lighting. Are the bulbs new or older? I would definately get some white light in the mix and might recommend you beef up the lighting. For this bleached anemone I would feed it once or twice a week.

ryannterror, I think the OP wrote that the Condy didn't survive the BTA being added to the tank. I actually had the same experience. Had 2 healthy Condylactis and when my RBTA was added the Condys went downhill fast and perished.

 

[DeSimone93]

I'm assuming Phosphates are at 0.25, the lowest my API test kit goes.. Maybe I should upgrade my kit for that. What should it be then? And the lights are maybe three months old, probably less. All of my corals are thriving, including my frogspawn that just grew a new head. I'm thinking of upgrading to LEDs.

and sjwitt, you are correct, my bta killed my condy soon after introduction.

 

[sjwitt]

Phosphates should be zero. They will fuel algae but your pictures don't appear to have much algae so maybe you're not really at .25 ... tests can be inaccurate.

I noticed that my corals were not as particular about the light as anemones are. I have MH supplemented by some LEDs for color. I don't know how they would do on LEDs alone but some on the forum seem to have had good success.

As I wrote earlier, if that BTA is still alive and that picture is only one week in, you still may have a good chance of it surviving. It looks to me as if it's still acclimating. It's bleached so after another week I would start target feeding it. VERY small chunks of human-grade seafood like shrimp, clam or scallop. Mine are partial to scallop and have grown very large on twice-weekly feedings. Your anemone will also capture what floats by when you feed the tank, as long as what you're feeding is carnivore food (they don't care about veggies/nori).

Keep the water parameters good and give it time.