No good :(

[Donmagic22]

I bought a bulb anemone 2 days ago, very healthy, although bleached, he contracted a lot when i grabbed him, stung me and stuck to me a lot when i handled him... took him home and he acclimated well.. the first day/night was fine.. but when i came home from work last night he was inside out... basically opened his mouth all the way and spilled his guts.... I checked all parameters.... and the only thing i could figure was either my high temperature 85 degrees... or my nitrates 5.... i lowered the temperature slowly all night and when i woke this morning nothing had changed.... now i figure the anemone is dead and i am wondering what i should do to prepare for my next anemone, and how long to wait? BTW, my LFS is a POS.... They do not help at all.. only try to push me out the door with more product.. Thanks in advance

 

[EllieSuz]

I would suggest you postpone another anemone purchase until your tank is fully mature. Don't confuse maturity with a completed cycle. Give it at least six months and then concentrate on a very hardy variety. You don't say how large your sw tank is. Please update your current tank profile and include as much saltwater information as possible. You might even remove the reference to freshwater experience as that is irrelevant here. Try some soft corals first; a couple of nice Zoas, for instance.

 

[Donmagic22]

Thank you for the input.. Do you think it would be wise to add some more live rock and get some more life in the tank?

 

[EllieSuz]

The rule of thumb is 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. per gallon, so you have room for at least 10 lbs. more live rock. Since you already have livestock in your tank, you will want to add it one piece at a time to prevent starting another cycle. You haven't mentioned how long your system has been set up. I would add rock before adding any more fish. You want your biological filtration running at full capacity before you put that final fish in there. Gives you lots of time to plan that last addition and research the various fish that catch your fancy.

 

[Donmagic22]

My 28 Gallon has been up since August 26th, so around 5-6 weeks... I guess i got another 5-6 weeks of adding live rock to the system thanks for the help

 

[Haddonisreef]

You shouldnt add a anemone to a system till atleast 6 to 8 mths old to be sure that its stable enough to handle youe critters! Just my .o2

 

[Donmagic22]

No, it's definitely appreciated. if im doing something idiotic tell me.. My LFS just basically told me that with all the bacteria i put in there and the 5-6 weeks with nemo's and 1 week with snails and hermits that an anemone would work.. but clearly not so...

 

[Jillyfish]

Bubble tip anemones like much cooler water than 85, beside the points everyone else made. Did you drip acclimate it?

 

[dc]

People do it and sometimes they do survive, but it just doesn't hurt to wait. Even in a mature tank their can be failures, but your chances are much higher. Good luck.

 

[Donmagic22]

Yes I drip acclimated for over an hour.. My LFS recommended about 45 minutes. Basically i'm just going to wait for a couple more months and try again later. making sure my temp and all other paramaters are set.... my LFS told me that my nitrAtes 5, were the problem but i did not believe this to be true... any input? Thanks.

 

[MrManz1691]

lol if your nitraes are reading 5 then no thats not the issue. What is your ammonia and PO4(phosphates). The ammonia is more of a killer than the PO4. You should always ask yoru LFS how long they have had the anemone, and ask them to feed it before you buy it.

 

[Donmagic22]

Thats what I said! NitrAtes at 5 arent a problem. he sounded stupid. my phosphates read 0.... I figure i just dont have enough live rock or somethin... I watched the anemone at the lfs for over a week and saw them feed it. it was healthy. my temp was also too high