Acquired a 2 to 3 inch diameter bleached anemone (supposedly a green BTA but tentacles were totally white) a couple weeks ago from another aquarist who neglected it after the Viper Metal Halide light broke (150kw?). Not sure how long it was in the dark. Tentacle extension was about half an inch. It attached to a rock in the refugium without a problem, but when I moved that rock into the main tank the next day, it started walking to get away from the light.
Current status is that it avoids my light (150kw metal halide) and if its rock is turned over to put it in the light, it scrunches its body down within a crevice with no tentacle extension at all. After the light is turned off, it typically inflates but maybe not fully. Seems smaller now than when I first received it, but tentacle extension currently is almost an inch. Have not seen any disturbing black or white stringy secretions from its mouth or tentacles recently, which is a good thing.
I've tried a couple different ways to feed it. First, small food such as vitamin soaked daphnia and shrimp eggs squirted into its tentacles. Not sure if it really gets any of it, but this was somebody's recommendation. I've also placed small pieces of silverside, krill, and fresh shrimp into its tentacles near its mouth. It usually holds them a few moments then drops them into the current, but it may have successfully cleared at least a few bites of food.
Parameters are zero nitrates, pH=8.4 to 8.5, temp=80 to 81, phosphates are 2.0, I think, which is not perfect but not extremely high, I believe. Sponges and aiptasia are absolutely thriving in my tank, as well as a few small mussels in the rocks, pom pom xenia, GSP colonies, and some leathers. The clumps of zoas are doing well but not reproducing as much as other soft corals.
Maybe a key problem is light acclimation? Didn't know it was necessary until reading another thread. How do I accomplish this light acclimation?
What other things could be going wrong here?
Finally, what is best way for me to feed it until it can some day gets its symbiotic buddies back? I am concerned that it is dropping its food. Maybe I need to feed it smaller pieces of silverside, placed as close to mouth as possible? Then watch to make sure it actually takes it in.
Any help appreciated.
Current status is that it avoids my light (150kw metal halide) and if its rock is turned over to put it in the light, it scrunches its body down within a crevice with no tentacle extension at all. After the light is turned off, it typically inflates but maybe not fully. Seems smaller now than when I first received it, but tentacle extension currently is almost an inch. Have not seen any disturbing black or white stringy secretions from its mouth or tentacles recently, which is a good thing.
I've tried a couple different ways to feed it. First, small food such as vitamin soaked daphnia and shrimp eggs squirted into its tentacles. Not sure if it really gets any of it, but this was somebody's recommendation. I've also placed small pieces of silverside, krill, and fresh shrimp into its tentacles near its mouth. It usually holds them a few moments then drops them into the current, but it may have successfully cleared at least a few bites of food.
Parameters are zero nitrates, pH=8.4 to 8.5, temp=80 to 81, phosphates are 2.0, I think, which is not perfect but not extremely high, I believe. Sponges and aiptasia are absolutely thriving in my tank, as well as a few small mussels in the rocks, pom pom xenia, GSP colonies, and some leathers. The clumps of zoas are doing well but not reproducing as much as other soft corals.
Maybe a key problem is light acclimation? Didn't know it was necessary until reading another thread. How do I accomplish this light acclimation?
What other things could be going wrong here?
Finally, what is best way for me to feed it until it can some day gets its symbiotic buddies back? I am concerned that it is dropping its food. Maybe I need to feed it smaller pieces of silverside, placed as close to mouth as possible? Then watch to make sure it actually takes it in.
Any help appreciated.
