Need Anemone help please.

[TheNomadRhodes]

Some thing is very wrong with my Anemones!
After my Anemone split they both lost their red color turned bright white and are shrinking away to nothing now.
They were both over 6'' around bright red and now they are the size of a silver dollar...
Any ideas ?? I don't know what to do.

 

[Anemone]

Anemones split both when "happy" and when stressed. It's possible that something changed in your tank (lighting, water chemistry, temp) that has caused both the split and the bleaching.

How long ago did they split? Give us your complete tank parameters - S.G, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, DKH, temp and anything else you can think of.

If it's been longer than a couple of weeks since the split, your clones should be able to eat. Chop up some krill/mysid/silversides to relatively small size and begin target feeding, a couple of times a week.

Kevin

 

[TheNomadRhodes]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14764893#post14764893 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Anemone
Anemones split both when "happy" and when stressed. It's possible that something changed in your tank (lighting, water chemistry, temp) that has caused both the split and the bleaching.

How long ago did they split? Give us your complete tank parameters - S.G, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, DKH, temp and anything else you can think of.

If it's been longer than a couple of weeks since the split, your clones should be able to eat. Chop up some krill/mysid/silversides to relatively small size and begin target feeding, a couple of times a week.

Kevin

Tank is 120g 5 years old DSB
40g sump with a Aqua Euro C400 skimmer, in sump fuge.
2 150w 15k MHs and two 96w pcs.
mixed corals
PH hovers around 8.2 to 7.9
Temp stays 76 to 79..
Alk is 300ppm
Cal in my tank has all ways been high 450 to 520+
ammonia, nitrite, nitrate Phos Copper all undetectable

Now the SG I don't know I have 3 testers and they all read different but I think its about 1.29.?

They react to food and I feed them about every other week, and day after day they just get smaller and smaller..

 

[Anemone]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14765236#post14765236 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TheNomadRhodes

They react to food and I feed them about every other week, and day after day they just get smaller and smaller..

If they have bleached, they may not be getting the bulk of their energy requirements met by photosynthesis, so you should be feeding more often. Again, I'd be feeding twice a week.

How long have you had a DSB, and how often do you feed the tank/what is the fishload? DSBs can "go bad" over time, and corals and anemones will usually show the problem first.

When did you last change your bulbs? How often do you do a partial water change, how much do you change, and have you changed salt mix lately?

If your three hydrometers are all that far apart, I'd invest in a refractometer. 1.029 is really too high, if that's your SG (as versus your salinity), and that's what you really have.

Kevin

 

[TheNomadRhodes]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14765317#post14765317 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Anemone
If they have bleached, they may not be getting the bulk of their energy requirements met by photosynthesis, so you should be feeding more often. Again, I'd be feeding twice a week.

How long have you had a DSB, and how often do you feed the tank/what is the fishload? DSBs can "go bad" over time, and corals and anemones will usually show the problem first.

When did you last change your bulbs? How often do you do a partial water change, how much do you change, and have you changed salt mix lately?

If your three hydrometers are all that far apart, I'd invest in a refractometer. 1.029 is really too high, if that's your SG (as versus your salinity), and that's what you really have.

Kevin

Well since I installed my nitrite/ nitrate reactor I haven't had to do many water changes but I do a 40 change about few months or so.. hehe I know its really bad but the tank stays so clean that I just got lax on doing it.
the bulbs are pushing 7 months old.
Fish load is 2 tangs 3 Cardinal fish one watch Goby one clown goby. then the normal cleaner crew snails crabs ect.
I don't really know how to tell if the sand bed goes bad, wouldn't some thing spike really high in the tank? I"d had the sand bed as long as i've had the tank.

 

[Anemone]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14765364#post14765364 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TheNomadRhodes
Well since I installed my nitrite/ nitrate reactor I haven't had to do many water changes but I do a 40 change about few months or so.. hehe I know its really bad but the tank stays so clean that I just got lax on doing it.
the bulbs are pushing 7 months old.
Fish load is 2 tangs 3 Cardinal fish one watch Goby one clown goby. then the normal cleaner crew snails crabs ect.
I don't really know how to tell if the sand bed goes bad, wouldn't some thing spike really high in the tank? I"d had the sand bed as long as i've had the tank.

Unfortunately, at least with me, nothing I could measure was ever "out of whack" when my DSB soured. Corals just stopped thriving, then started dying.

If you haven't done a water change lately, I'd start with that (and feeding more often, of course). "Clean" doesn't necessarily mean "chemically balanced."

Kevin

 

[TheNomadRhodes]

Ok that will be my first attack on this problem..

 

[morty696]

Few probs here i think -
1. You really have to do water changes more often than that. it may look clean, but as the guy said above, clean doesnt neccessarily mean chemically balanced. You would be losing trace elements over time etc, iodide the anemone needs as well. Plus youll gain a whole host of organic build up, dirt, and other crap.
All the filtration in the world wont replace a water change.

2. 7 month old bulbs, chances are, the spectrum is already wearing thin. I would replace those if i were you, just to be sure.
remember anemones heavily depend on light for energy.

3. Specific gravity is way too high, youre just wasting salt as well. lower ur SP to at least 1.025. Imo a SP above 1.024 is a waste of salt really.

4. You really need to start feeding your anemones more often. i know its hard, and it can be a pain if ur anemone doesnt take it, as food goes everywhere, but even just a small amount helps. If your anemone isnt taking food a good way to feed is this - Get a plastic medical syringe. Melt some brine shrimp or mysis shrimp in a plastic bag under warm water (tap), fill the syringe with melted food, then go ahead and inject it all into the anemones mouth. Not too much food though, but works fairly well.

5. A PH of 7.9 is to low IMO. Dont let it get below 8, aim for a steady PH as well. Its best to keep it higher that way you have more room to breath as far as water quality goes. 8.3 is an ideal PH.