Heteractis magnifica shrinks before sunset

[fazilosman]

Just wondering if other keepers of heteractis magnifica notice the anemone deflate before sunset and then appear inflated in the morning. I have had the anemone for 3 weeks and added two platinum clowns last night and they are hosting but the anemone has deflated significantly tonight. The mouth is closed, the foot firmly attached but it moved to a slightly higher perch. Tips all have good color and so does the anemone's body. I am thinking that the clowns may be "upsetting" it a bit and need to give it time to adapt to the new normal...

It's not the first time that I see this behavior and have noticed it before. It fairly dramatic tonight though.

Thoughts?

pH = 7.9
ORP = 276
Salinity = 1.026
Alk = 10.25
Cal = 400
N03 = 2
PO4 = 0.04

 

[CuzzA]

Clowns can't host anything except parasites.

Anenomes and many corals inflate and deflate. This is the process of equalizing the water chemisty within the animal to match the external water chemistry. It's also a way to expel waste, un-bury themselves when covered by sand and breath for lack of a better term. Keep your alk and ph as constant as possible. That's the reason why it's recomended to wait until your tank has matured before adding an anenome or more sensitive corals. The logic behind that advice is not only has the tank matured and stabilized from a biological and chemical standpoint, but also the hobbyist has likely learned how to continue to keep the closed environment stable.

Hope that helps.

 

[ca1ore]

I would suggest checking the anemone forum here on RC. Mags are very difficult anemones to acclimate, and the inflation-deflation cycles (deflation late afternoon or early evening) are usually indicative of a sick anemone and will get progressively worse until you end up with a rotting pile of goo. Antibiotic treatment is necessary.

 

[alex gonzales]

I have twone of them, and maybe he's talking about them closing down when the lights start to dim, mine do.

 

[fazilosman]

Mmmm, just read the "Antibiotic treatment for a sick H. magnifica" thread and not very encouraging. My tank has been running since 2011, so you can say its pretty well established but I recently overhauled/deep cleaned everything (2x months ago).

Great thread BTW - I always wanted a Ritteri and jumped when I saw this specimen at my LFS. He had two and both were doing well, eating and fully inflated at the store. Anyway, I have had the Ritteri for about 3x weeks and it has moved to a ledge and pretty much stayed there.

Thanks for the help guys - much appreciated and thanks for sending me in the right direction... Fingers crossed that the Ritteri pull through - my main goal now is to provide a super stable environment for this guy...

 

[joshky]

If it's balling up, that's okay, if it's actually deflating it definitely needs treatment as a healthy mag should not be deflating. Simon was dead on with his advice, early cipro treatment has a high success rate on mags. Best of luck!

 

[fazilosman]

Been about 1 month since asking for advice and thanks to all that contributed... Looks like the TLC paid off...