few questions...please help!

dieseldaisy

New member
hi everyone, I have three questions for you....
1. what type of anemone is this?
2.how do you know if a orange tree sponge is dying? look at my picture
3. I have a gorgonia and the polyps won't open anymore , tried moving it around to different parts of the tank and still nothing, actually maybe two or three polyps open but thats it. what do you think?
 
The anemone looks to me like Macrodactyla doreensis aka the Long Tentacle Anemone but one of the experts will probably be along shortly to identify.

The sponge and gorgonian are likely not photosynthetic. They will need supplemental feeding to survive longterm and aren't for the fainthearted. I'd suggest you post some photos of them in the nonphotosynthetic forum on here and ask for advice.
 
I agree that the anemone is a LTA, but am not 100% sure. Can you get a picture of the column? Is the foot attached through the sand in a rock, or just on a rock?
 
no its foot is not attached to a rock it is attached to the bottom of my tank through the sand bed! it has to be like 4 inches in diameter and orangeish color! he is huge will they ever split?
 
Looking at these pictures one of my main concerns is the anemone touching the sponge. Has it always been in this spot? I think this may be a reason why you are getting tissue loss on the sponge. Sponges like moderate flow with different types of phytoplankton-zooplankton.

Does the Orange Gorgonian get fed with phyto/zoo plankton? They have a tendancy to be a pain in the butt but if you find that right spot. Low-medium flow, Lower light and a good food source should help get that back into gear.

HTH!
 
thank for the reply. the anemone keeps moving back to that spot I have tried to keep the anemone from touching but didn't think it was a big deal. I will move the sponge now and hope it survives! i haven't foun that spot for the gorgonia but yes I do feed plankton but if the polyps are not open is it doing any good to feed?
 
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I second the anemone ID: Macrodactyla doreensis

this species doesn't "split".

The Gorg is Diodigorgia (spelling?) spp. and it's not an easy to keep Gorgonian despite what some authors might write about it. It's non photo meaning it must be fed.

I don't know anybody keeping orange tree sponge alive for long. Your best bet is to remove it from the aquarium. All sponges are toxic to some degree. There's a good reason that orange tree sponge and that gorgonian are sold dirt cheap ;)
 
Well, of the 3 organisms you have questions about for this thread, the anemone looks to be in good shape, and (with continued care) will probably be the only one to do well. Sorry if this comes off as negative, but these types of sponges almost always fail to survive more than a few weeks in an aquarium. They simply require too much particulate/suspended organic material to survive (usually lacking in almost all captive systems), being constant filter feeders. As it begins its decline it will release toxins as well as organics to the surrounding water of your system, so as has been mentioned, it is probably best to remove it before this happens.

The gorgonian is indeed non-photosynthetic (Diodogorgia nodulifera), and they also have a very poor record of survival in captivity. they come from deeper waters where there is little light, and therefore are overgrown easily with algae in our usually brightly-lit tanks. They need to be fed frequently with "planktonic" food, and in my experience, when they begin to "degenerate" there is little that can be done to reverse it. Yours already appears quite thin, so it may already be too late, and it is probably best to also remove it if possible.

Sorry for the bad news, but non-photosynthetic inverts really need a dedicated system to survive very long (i.e. more than a few weeks) in captivity, and even then they can be difficult. Good luck with the anemone though, it appears quite healthy at this point, and LTA's are one of my favorites - I just do not have a tank big enough at this time to keep one!

Also, I do not believe Condylactis anemones split...
 
yup, i have a Hugh LTA with blue tips. It is the size of a dinner plate! My clown love it!! It will sting corals near by. It does not seem to bother my gorganian though(garys gorg). It will retract when the LTA is fully open and touching it then when its not it will be open fine again, never bother it. But it did sting my blastos, and some polyps, and my hydnophora. It just seems to grow and grow. I feed mine silversides, chunks of shrimp, chunks of clam.
 
thanks everyone for the info so far! I actually have had the sponge almost a year now! soni guess I am lucky! it's gonna be sad to see it go though!
 
good skimmer!

good skimmer!

what's your water change schedule like? what do you feed your aquarium and how often do you feed? what feeding type supplements do you use (if any)?
 
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