Help! Is my sea anemone dying?

[pierceit]

Is my sea anemone sick and dying? What can I do to help it?

I got a new sea anemone last week - it has been doing fine, but I've been concerned that it has attached itself to the side and underside of a live rock rather than being out in the open or on top of a rock or sand patch where it would get the most light.

I've left it alone, and it seems to have been doing fine until I woke up this morning and saw that it was all shriveled up and had a brown hairy round spot in the middle.

I am attaching a picture in case any of you are experts or experinced with this and can help a new guy out.

Much appreciated,
Ron


p.s.
it is in a 72 gallon bow front tank with an internal overflow that runs down to a 20 gallon refugium that has several different compartments. The water flows down through a sock, the main area has live sand, live rock, and lots of plants/algae for filtering. The other compartment has those little blue balls for diffusing the bubbles, it has a 1200 gallon per hour submersible pond pump with filter that pushes the water back up to the tank. It also has a carbon filter compartment, a protien skimmer, and I have a denitrator hooked-up as well.

 

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

looks to me like its getting rid of alot of waste and should turn back to normal in maybe a couple of hours or it may take a whole day. They eat through their mouth and they get rid of waste through the same hole. Just make sure it has current twards it to blow off the waste.

 

[MIKE ALERS]

it looks like it might be going to the bathroom,but also the mouth looks kind of gapped wich is not a good sign and it's pretty bleached...keep an eye on it.good luck.

 

[MIKE ALERS]

btw the way how old is your tank and what are water levels and light?this might help.

 

[pierceit]

I think you are all correct -- it went to the bathroom out of it's mouth... (gross!)
I have learned today that they eat and poop with same hole. It's about 4:00pm and it apears to be all done with it's bowl movement and is looking normal again.

I also took the picture into my local fish store and he confirmed the same. He also said that it may be getting big enough now that it is preparing to "split" as it is about 8 inches in radius right now and they usually split at this size. He also tested my water and said everything was perfect.

thank you so much for the help.

Regards,
Ron

 

[pierceit]

one last question however - is my anemone in danger of not getting enough light since it attached itself to the side of a rock that has a slight over hang above it (see picture above) ?

When I asked my local fish store, the two guys started arguing over the right answer:

One said absolutly do not move it that the anemone will go where it needs to go if it needs more or less light. He explained that they can sense the light and will move to an area with the amount of light and current that they need. He said it is more dangerous to try and move the thing -- even with using the ice cube trick.

The other guy said that they aren't smart enough to know to move to an area that has better or more direct lighting and that it *could* die if it attached itself to an area that didn't get enough light because it wouldn't know to move to a better lighted area in the tank. He suggested that I use the ice cube trick to move it out from the over hang and to a spot in the tank with more direct lighing.

(my lighting is a really nice compact flouresent unit with separate blue and white tubes and built in moonlights, but it doesn't have the more expensive super bright bulb lights)

do any of you care to weigh in on this?

 

[E.J. Coral]

What type of anemone? Depending on the species it may have a chance of surviving.... some regularly and normally deflate and some only do it when they are sick..... some will also move themselves towards light ... some might be less apt to move

 

[Anemone]

I'd like to see an inflated picture of this anemone. It looks badly bleached to me.

Oh, and don't try and move it yourself. The anemone WILL move to a spot that provides both the best lighting and water movement. However, yours may not do well in heavy-duty lighting, since it is bleached. What is your lighting, BTW?

Kevin

 

[WDLV]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11105784#post11105784 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Anemone
I'd like to see an inflated picture of this anemone. It looks badly bleached to me.

Oh, and don't try and move it yourself. The anemone WILL move to a spot that provides both the best lighting and water movement. However, yours may not do well in heavy-duty lighting, since it is bleached. What is your lighting, BTW?

Kevin

I concur. Don't even try to move things around it. That will change the flow and the lighting. It's a waiting game. If tentacles start falling off, pull it and flush it immediately.

 

[pierceit]

thank you for all the tips. It does seem to be back to normal now.

btw - what does "bleached" mean?

 

[WDLV]

Lacking zoanthellae... Due to stress.

 

[Anemone]

Can we get a picture of your anemone when it is looking normal?

Kevin