First LTA, couple questions.

[Slickcg33]

Well i just got my first LTA about 2.5 weeks ago. to prepare for this beautiful anemone i set up the tank rockwork to make it the centerpiece of the tank. The home i tried to prepare is rock rockwork on 3 sides and the back wall of the tank on the forth side with about 4 sq inches of surface area of sand bed. I threw some extra sand back there to create a deeper sand bed. There was about 5 inches total depth.
I did all the proper acclimation procedures and placed the anemone where i was hoping it would stay. It hasnt moved since i put it in the tank, however the foot is stretching horizontally rather then vertically into the sand bed. originally it appeared to be digging its foot into the sand bed, but then changed direction.

My first question is it seems the foot of the anemone is secure on most sides by either rock or sand, but it isnt buried. Will the anemone need to have its foot in the sand or would it be happy with this setup? Should i place more sand around it, or let it be?

My second question is about the health of the anemone. It looks great expanding every day when lights are on and retracts slightly at night. It is slightly sticky. However it does appear that its mouth is slightly open. Ive checked on it every day since its been in the tank and it has appeared to stay the same, i dont have a pic tonight but ill try to attach one of the mouth tomorrow. Any suggestions on how to get it tight? or does that just take time?

anemone shot from the store...

day shot w/ flash....

night shot w/ flash....

foot shot w/ flash....

 

[clowns101]

1.The anemones may like to have its foot above the sand.I would jst let it be.
2.Its fine that it retracts some at night most do.
3.The mouth may be open due to the fact that he was newly introduced to the tank.I would keep an eye on the mouth but at this poin not to much to worried about.Just male sure that you dont get any thing like sand down in to the the mouth of the anemone
as this could mess with the digestion of the anemone.He should also get more sticky as time goes on!

 

[Toddrtrex]

Hard to tell from those shots, but it doesn't look like there is really any open spots on the sandbed for it.

All of the LTAs that I have kept over the years all hand their foot buried fully in the sandbed. The only ones that didn't were unhealthy ones.

After 2.5 weeks its mouth should be tightly closed, and I would be a bit concerned that it isn't closed yet. Add that to the fact that it hasn't buried its foot I would wonder if something is wrong with it, or the tank.

What lights do you have? And what are your current water parameters? (( with numbers ))

 

[Slickcg33]

250wtt de phoenix.
ill get updated water params tomorrow

params as of 10/20
ph 8.0- 8.1
sal .024-.025
temp 80
nitrite 0
amonia 0
nitrate 5-10
phospate .5
calc 420
kh 9-10
mag 1170

as of 2 am 10/31
ph 7.8 im assuming cuz its nighttime
sal .025
temp 78.5
nitrite 0
amonia 0
nitrate 5
phospate .5
calc 420
kh 9
mag 1170

 

[Slickcg33]

EDIT: its only been in the tank for 1.5 weeks.

little more info.. the light is about 18 inches above the water, the anemone is about another 15 inches down into the tank. 20k spectrum

where the foot was originally placed there was more sand area. like i said it stretched horizontally and wedged itself between the rock and the wall were there is maybe only 2 inches of sand area.
I was thinking of maybe pulling the rock out more to give it space, but im concerned about 2 things. First, maybe it wanted to wedge itself in there and its comfortable. second maybe its attached to the rock/wall and pulling the rock out will damage it.

 

[davocean]

How long has tank been running?
It might be able to reach it's foot to the sand from what I can see from that pic, maybe, but I also see alot of stuff around it that will sting the nem and vice versa.
I've read that rics aren't good to have close somewhere, and my clowns sure got angry when I had any close, and would move them away.
I'd try to give a little more of a buffer zone from other corals.

 

[Slickcg33]

The tank has been up over a year.
the first pic "daytime pic" and the second "nighttime pic" if you look closely there have been changes in the aquascaping. the ledge above the anemone w/ the ris and gsp is about 4 or 5 inches higher and the anemone doesnt touch it. The only thing it comes in contact with is zena and it doesnt seem to mind.

Shot with lights 1 hour into cycle, today.

tried to get the mouth, best i can do.

 

[Slickcg33]

i pulled the rock out to give it a bit more space. here is an updated pic.

 

[garygb]

From my experience with M. doreensis, they insist on having their foot and most of their column buried. I expect yours is going to go wandering. I kept one for years in a pvc pipe about 7 inches long or so that was sealed on one end and filled with fine aragonite. the pipe was about 6 inches in diameter.

 

[jevolk]

From my experience with M. doreensis, they insist on having their foot and most of their column buried. I expect yours is going to go wandering. I kept one for years in a pvc pipe about 7 inches long or so that was sealed on one end and filled with fine aragonite. the pipe was about 6 inches in diameter.

Hey garygb, so you say a pvc pipe about 6in dia and about 7in long. did you fill it with sand first then put in your nem or put him in and fill around him. then rock work around that pipe? See I have a lta also. and been following this. Mine is doing the same thing as Slickcg33. Coming out of sand well I have small crushed coral bottom.
(By the way Slickcg33 I like your nem it looks like a nice one just a bout the same size as mine.)

 

[Slickcg33]

well here is an update, i decided to add some sand to the back of the tank where the foot is, to hopefully make it feel more at home. I hope that wasnt a bad decision.

 

[Slickcg33]

Well today i woke up and looked at the foot and it appeared the same, slighty out of the sand but mostly burried. the anemones mouth is still open, however the tenticles seem a bit more full and more sticky and the anemone is expanded wide. hopefully its happy, i guess time will tell. im open to suggestions.

couple shots for the day...

 

[Slickcg33]

update

update

time for an update; if anyone's following this i could really use some input.

i was cleaning the tank yesterday and checked on the nem and realised it wasn't really held down much. once again its foot is kinda on top of the sand rather then buried. i pulled the rocks out more to give it space and hoped that it would stick its foot in the sand over night which it hasn't. its about a half inch into the sand, just sitting on top with a bit of its foot attached to the back of the tank (pic below). There aren't any noticeable rips or tears in the foot. the anemones stickiness seems to be improving and it HASNT decided to walk or float around the tank since its been in there. it has stayed in the same spot since i put it in the tank, it just wont make any commitments to the sand bed... what do?

 

[syrinx]

One of my LTAs was bought unseen as a BTA- the tank it was to go into was BB. I put it in the tank,and went out to get some pipe and sand to set it up in. By the time I got back to it- it had put its foot down under the liverock,and hasnt moved in months. I, like you, tried to kick a little sand around it- but don`t think it was enough to help it out. If and when it comes out I will do the pvc sand box- but until then I am not worried about it any more than the animal is.