I just purchased a purple long tentacle anemone from LiveAquaria about a week ago. When I first put him in the tank he settled on the rock and stayed there for a couple of days and they he disappeared. I found him on the back of the rock work and moved him to the sand bed in front of the rock work. he attached himself to a small piece of rock and looks healthy but his color is not purple anymore but a brownish red. Is this normal for anemones to change color. This is my first anemone so I do not know that much about habits.
My anemone changed color
- Thread starter mchammer
- Start date
An anemone's color is determined by the presence of zooxanthellae - the photosynthetic dinflagellate that lives in it's tissue and is often brownish in color - and some pigmentation that the anemone uses to protect its tissue from harmful effects of the sun (kind of like sunscreen). These other pigments are often the "pretty" colors we like.
What we end up with in our aquariums is often based upon strength of lighting and presence (or absence) of elevated nutrient loads. The "browning" of your anemone sounds normal, and may well be due to either a lower-than-necessary level of lighting (hence, more zooxanthellae) or a higher-than-necessary level of lighting, combined with excess nutrients. High lighting, low nutrient tanks seem to be optimum for anemone coloration - but keep in mind, a healthy anemone is often brown.
So, what size tank, what type of lighting, and what are your nitrate and phosphate readings?
FWIW,
Kevin
What we end up with in our aquariums is often based upon strength of lighting and presence (or absence) of elevated nutrient loads. The "browning" of your anemone sounds normal, and may well be due to either a lower-than-necessary level of lighting (hence, more zooxanthellae) or a higher-than-necessary level of lighting, combined with excess nutrients. High lighting, low nutrient tanks seem to be optimum for anemone coloration - but keep in mind, a healthy anemone is often brown.
So, what size tank, what type of lighting, and what are your nitrate and phosphate readings?
FWIW,
Kevin
The tank is 8 months old 120 gallons with 40 gallon sump lighting is two 54W actinic two 250 15,000K MH. My readings are pH 8.00-8.20 SG 1.025 Phosphate 0.00. My lighting period is set for seasonal via my controller but my MH have been going on and off during the day due to tank temp. Every time the tank hits 82 degrees my controller turns off the MH so during the day my lights my go off several times as the tank heats up. Yesterday I did notice the anemone color was a little more purple. Also should I be spot feeding the anemone or just let it catch the food when I feed the fish?
It will get plenty of food from the water column. In nature until something drops on it's plate it gets all the nutrients from the column.
Spot feeding it food, the size of a pencil eraser, can help it some, but most people just let mysis or squid float and let it snag a few as the fish miss it.
Personally I feed, my three, scallops shrimp or fish (all raw) once a week.
Have you taken any pictures? A video would be better to see it move and to compensate for any focus problems.
How about the flow? Power head?
Spot feeding it food, the size of a pencil eraser, can help it some, but most people just let mysis or squid float and let it snag a few as the fish miss it.
Personally I feed, my three, scallops shrimp or fish (all raw) once a week.
Have you taken any pictures? A video would be better to see it move and to compensate for any focus problems.
How about the flow? Power head?
I'm not sure how to post videos so I uploaded my video to Photobucket and will link it to this post. If there is a better way please let me know. http://s475.photobucket.com/user/mchammer46/media/Aquarium/DSCN1042_zps06bebc99.mp4.html
I have two 1400 Koralia power heads and my return pump is 1200 gallons per hour. I moved the anemone from the rock to the substrate because it was getting blasted by the power head. Also at the time of the video the power heads were off. I have them cycle 5 minutes off 25 minutes on.
I have two 1400 Koralia power heads and my return pump is 1200 gallons per hour. I moved the anemone from the rock to the substrate because it was getting blasted by the power head. Also at the time of the video the power heads were off. I have them cycle 5 minutes off 25 minutes on.
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I feed the tank Rods Frozen food and it caught a large piece of shrimp and ate it just fine. This is the first time I notice it eat so I wasn't sure if I should be spot feeding it. Do you create a video on Youtube and then link it to your post or do you do something else to post videos?
