Shoulder Devil
New member
Hi all!
I recently (about two weeks ago) added a long tentacle anemone to my tank and he has been displaying some rather odd behavior the past couple of days that has me concerned. Before I get into the specific behavior, let me describe my setup.
I have a 150 gallon all glass aquarium. It's dimensions are 48" wide X 24" deep X 30" tall. My water parameters are as follows:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0
Alkalinity: 160 - 180
Phosphates: 0 - 0.025
Specific Gravity: 1.025
Temperature: 77.5 - 78.7
Tank has been cycled for 1 year
Here is my equipment list:
AquaEuro Cone 200 Protein Skimmer
EShopps ADV-200 Sump
AquaEuro Max Chill 1/4 hp Chiller
Aquatop 450 Watt Heater
1200 GPH Return Pump (forgot the brand)
4 x Fluval CP-3 Circulation Pumps
Neptune Systems Apex Reef Controller
-Temp probe
-Specific gravity probe
-Ph probe
-Breakout box
Livestock:
2 percula clowns (tank raised dumbasses...they don't even know the anemone exists let alone get close enough to form a relationship with it)
1 domino damsel (has taken to the anemone and rubs all over it but I have never seen him feed it)
2 Fiji Devil Damsels (too busy picking on each other to mess with anything else. They are the oldest inhabitants having been around for about a year now)
1 blue mandarin dragonette
1 small Scopas Tang
Mixture of turbo/margarita/bumble bee/trochus/conch snails
Mixture of small hermit crab
1 banded coral shrimp
1 long tentacle anemone
1 small red serpent star fish
1 large chocolate chip star fish
After considerable discussion with my LFS, I purchased the AquaticLife XS-UV 48 inch 3 watt LED fixture. It is a very nice fixture that can be connected to a PC via sub cable to program the lighting cycle from day to night. The reason I settled on this fixture was because it features 3 watt LEDs. I was told by my LFS that 1watt LEDs would not give me sufficient light penetration at the bottom of my tank because of the 30" height of the tank. I plan to keep some coral in the future and wanted to make sure that my LED fixture would be able to provide sufficient lighting for most types of coral.
After placing the LTA in the tank a couple of weeks ago, he spent several days laying on the sand bed. He then moved around a bit to find a good spot. While he was moving, I was adjusting my circulation pumps to try to stop him from settling in the back of the tank or somewhere where he couldn't be seen or easily accessed.
After several days of this, he finally settled underneath a rock bridge in my tank. It was the same area he initially moved to after I introduced him to the tank. The reason it stood out to me was because the area is partially to mostly shaded and I thought that LTAs were supposed to be light lovers.
About 5 days ago he finally attached his foot to the bottom of a rock at the base of the bridge and has since buried his foot in the sand completely. After burying his foot several days ago, he was wide open with a fully closed mouth and all tentacles were fully expanded. Then about two days ago he began to close up. He opens for a little while though not as much as before or for as long and then he retracts back into a ball. His foot is still planted and he seems healthy otherwise. No signs of bleaching. I can't find anything in my water parameters that would seem to be cause for alarm.
I am wondering if the 3 watt lights may be too intense for him? Could that be why he chose a shaded space over a well let space? Is he balling up to get further out of the light?
I look forward to hearing what some of the anemone experts on here have to say! I find these creatures fascinating and I want to make sure that I am providing a good home. If any of you happen to have any knowledge of optimal lighting intensity or color temp for LTAs I'd like to hear that as well.
Thanks
James
I recently (about two weeks ago) added a long tentacle anemone to my tank and he has been displaying some rather odd behavior the past couple of days that has me concerned. Before I get into the specific behavior, let me describe my setup.
I have a 150 gallon all glass aquarium. It's dimensions are 48" wide X 24" deep X 30" tall. My water parameters are as follows:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0
Alkalinity: 160 - 180
Phosphates: 0 - 0.025
Specific Gravity: 1.025
Temperature: 77.5 - 78.7
Tank has been cycled for 1 year
Here is my equipment list:
AquaEuro Cone 200 Protein Skimmer
EShopps ADV-200 Sump
AquaEuro Max Chill 1/4 hp Chiller
Aquatop 450 Watt Heater
1200 GPH Return Pump (forgot the brand)
4 x Fluval CP-3 Circulation Pumps
Neptune Systems Apex Reef Controller
-Temp probe
-Specific gravity probe
-Ph probe
-Breakout box
Livestock:
2 percula clowns (tank raised dumbasses...they don't even know the anemone exists let alone get close enough to form a relationship with it)
1 domino damsel (has taken to the anemone and rubs all over it but I have never seen him feed it)
2 Fiji Devil Damsels (too busy picking on each other to mess with anything else. They are the oldest inhabitants having been around for about a year now)
1 blue mandarin dragonette
1 small Scopas Tang
Mixture of turbo/margarita/bumble bee/trochus/conch snails
Mixture of small hermit crab
1 banded coral shrimp
1 long tentacle anemone
1 small red serpent star fish
1 large chocolate chip star fish
After considerable discussion with my LFS, I purchased the AquaticLife XS-UV 48 inch 3 watt LED fixture. It is a very nice fixture that can be connected to a PC via sub cable to program the lighting cycle from day to night. The reason I settled on this fixture was because it features 3 watt LEDs. I was told by my LFS that 1watt LEDs would not give me sufficient light penetration at the bottom of my tank because of the 30" height of the tank. I plan to keep some coral in the future and wanted to make sure that my LED fixture would be able to provide sufficient lighting for most types of coral.
After placing the LTA in the tank a couple of weeks ago, he spent several days laying on the sand bed. He then moved around a bit to find a good spot. While he was moving, I was adjusting my circulation pumps to try to stop him from settling in the back of the tank or somewhere where he couldn't be seen or easily accessed.
After several days of this, he finally settled underneath a rock bridge in my tank. It was the same area he initially moved to after I introduced him to the tank. The reason it stood out to me was because the area is partially to mostly shaded and I thought that LTAs were supposed to be light lovers.
About 5 days ago he finally attached his foot to the bottom of a rock at the base of the bridge and has since buried his foot in the sand completely. After burying his foot several days ago, he was wide open with a fully closed mouth and all tentacles were fully expanded. Then about two days ago he began to close up. He opens for a little while though not as much as before or for as long and then he retracts back into a ball. His foot is still planted and he seems healthy otherwise. No signs of bleaching. I can't find anything in my water parameters that would seem to be cause for alarm.
I am wondering if the 3 watt lights may be too intense for him? Could that be why he chose a shaded space over a well let space? Is he balling up to get further out of the light?
I look forward to hearing what some of the anemone experts on here have to say! I find these creatures fascinating and I want to make sure that I am providing a good home. If any of you happen to have any knowledge of optimal lighting intensity or color temp for LTAs I'd like to hear that as well.
Thanks
James
