how sensative are anemones to changing salinity...

[TOURKID]

how sensative anemones to salinity, and will they 'get used' to the new salinity, or should i raise it back to where it was, even though it was a bit high?

I changed my salinity lastnight to lower it. the anemone looked not at its happiest when i did it and was hoping this was the issue

I woke up in the morn and the anemone looked good, i went out for about two hours, came home and it was hmm.. well, it was pooping. so it was all deflated and shrunk. its been almost 6 hours since then and it doesent look like it ever reinflated all the way.. maybe half way

 

[MarinaP]

What sp. of anemone? What salinity before and after?

 

[TOURKID]

bta tan with pink tips

salinity before 1.027 now 1.023

i did two points last night (tested it before bed and it was 1.025) wanted it at 1.024 today, but it ended up at 1.023

i know it says salinity should 1.025.. my fish store practically demands it should be at 1.021 and im just between because I dont know who to listen to anymore

 

[TOURKID]

?

 

[ezhoops]

Closer to natural sea water is best I aim for about 1.025 in a reef tank. If you raise it raise it slowly

 

[rrome]

all inverts ave VERy sensitive to changes in salinity. From what I've read, I would not change more than 0.001 units oper day.

I would leave things alone now if I were you. No sense stressing the animals more

The salinity you keep really depends on the species you want to keep, natural sea water varies a bit. 1.023 is a good compromise.

Make sure you use an accurate meter

 

[TOURKID]

its just an instant ocean one.. cheapy. but i had it calabrated at the fish store.. its .01 off....

I added one teaspoon of salt in a cup of tank water and added that today. anemone just looks sad. but it is eatting and sticking. its just half it usual size


my lfs practically demanded that my salinity was horribly high, and i better lower it. i cant believe i trusted them agian.....

 

[rrome]

It's all a learning curve

In this hobby, it is better to do things slowly than to do things in a hurry, with few exceptions.

I think your anemone will be fine, if it has the right lighting. If you really want to change the sality slowy, make some salt water and replace the water you lose to evaporation with that. Monitor the salinity, you will see it slowly increase.

 

[TOURKID]

the bta seems so happy when i turn the light on, and within an hour it shrunken, but i guess at night it expands......

 

[Flighty]

Is there a local reef club you can turn to for advice?

Anemones are basically bags of water, so when the water outside changes salinity or other characteristics it puts a lot of strain on their tissue as those parameters try to equalise. I would not keep an anemone in less than full strength 1.025 seawater.

You really should consider getting a refractometer. They are easy and accurate and well worth the cost.

 

[richdragon32]

Right with MarinaP... depending on the species of anemone. Some anemones live near estuaries or lagoons where salinity changes daily. Examples of anemones would be S. haddoni, or M. doreensis in Check Jawa, Singapore in the mud flats.

Having that said, in the hobby world, having a stable water condition is ideal for the stress level of the animals. Because in the aquarium these animals have to deal with other stress (temperature, other "stuff" in the water, the correct lighting, etc...), not adding other "stressors" are ideal .

Rich

 

[IslandCrow]

I'd stop listening to your LFS about your salinity being too high. Natural seawater is generally between 1.024 and 1.026. All the experts I've read and talked to on this site say to shoot for that range. I have no doubt that certain animals will do better with lower or possibly even higher, but if you want to keep all of your inhabitants happy, go with what nature provides.

Anyway, like everyone is saying, don't try to change the salinity to whatever range you decide on too quickly. I also second the advice on getting a refractometer. My hydrometer was about .004 off on specific gravity, and that seems to be fairly normal.

 

[TOURKID]

whoo, just bought a skimmer gonna hafta wait on the refractometer, although i do agree and should have one... I wasent prepared to spend as much as i have since starting my tank

I am putting in a teaspoon of salt (mixed first) per day to slowwwwly raise it back up.

my bta looks better today, but still not the way it was.
it equalized its water last night
it greedly took a piece of silverslide this morning, so i think If i just go with my gut feelings everything should work out ok