problem with anemone

[iansnakebite]

i brought an anemone last sunday can't remember what it was called so if someone can identify it for me would be great it looks ok but resterday and today i found it at the bottom of the tank upside down like it had fallen off the live rock i've had my 50 gallon tank set up about 2 months and have never had a problem got 5 turbo snails, 2 red leged hemits, 1 regal tang, 2 clowns, 1 goby, and 1 algie blemie.
My levals are:
PH. 8.5 Temp 80.5F Salinity 1.023 Ammonia 0.0 Nitrite 0.0 Nitrate 0.0 Alkalinity 9kh Phosphate 0.5
thanks Ian

 

[Pandora]

We're gonna need a pic to ID it.... or at least a description???

If it's fallen over and upside down, it's in trouble. Most times anemones tightly adhere to surfaces and would not easily detach like that if healthy.

 

[z_rivers]

well its kind of hard to ID something without a picture or atleast a description. also your salinity is a bit low. raise it up to around 1.026. if you can get a pic that would be the best way for a positive ID.

 

[iansnakebite]

 

[iansnakebite]

i forgot that bit lol

 

[z_rivers]

that is H. magnifica aka ritteri anemone. they are one of the hardest anemones to keep alive in home aquaria. they require strong halide light (250w) and strong turbulent flow. water has to be perfect for these things to live. what kind of lighting, flow, and tank size do you have? .5 photphate for this anemone will mean death.

 

[iansnakebite]

its a 50 gal tank i have 2 marine glo and two marine blue bulbs what anemone do you sugest and what should i do

 

[iansnakebite]

about 1200L an hour but will go up to obout 800g an hour in a few weeks as adding sump/ fuge

 

[dugg]

First of all Your tank is much too young for an anemone. Second your lighting will not support an anemone. Your tank needs to be atleast 1 year old to allow everything to be very stable. As stated above, the anemone you have is one of the hardest ones to keep, and will require very intense lighting and almost 100% stability in your water conditions to be healthy.

 

[bertoni]

A 250 W metal halide bulb would be a good choice for lighting, IMO, if that's Heteractis magnifica. I am not capable of id'ing anemones, personally.

This anemone grows to a meter in diameter or so in nature.

This article is worth reading, IMO:

http://www.carlosreef.com/AnemoneFAQ.pdf

 

[dugg]

I second third and forth the advise of reading the above article.

 

[iansnakebite]

read that and some usefull info. that anemone was sugested to me by the shop what do you guys sugest i do?
those metal halide are too expensive was wondering how good 2 of thease would be 36" ?
http://www.swelluk.com/marine/11-146-180

 

[bertoni]

I'd say take the anemone back to the shop, if you're sure it's H. magnifica. A bubble-tip anemone might work in your tank once it's stable, if you got some of the T5s.

 

[z_rivers]

i agree with bertoni, take it back to the shop. MH is really the only light that will keep this anemone alive and healthy. you can use t-'s but by the time you purchase enough bulbs to sustain the anemone it wouldve been cheaper to go with the MH fixture. next time you purchase from that pet store research your investment before you impulse buy. they dont really sound like they know what theyre doing if they recommended this anemone to you for your setup.

 

[dchao]

hmmm - I don't think T5's are bright enough.

Have a look at what others have done (large tank, MH, water flow), you picked up one of the most difficult anemones to keep in captivity:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=6465219#post6465219

 

[iansnakebite]

the is not realy a problem to be honest cause i'm taking it back tomorrow if they like it or not lol but would 4 t5s be suitable for the easyer anemones?

 

[dchao]

"Taking it back"

That's great, your clowns won't be very happy, but they usually find a new home very quickly.

I only have 2 T5's (AquaBlue/Blue+) for BTA. No problem.

Don't forget to get the parabolic reflectors as well, that's what make the T5's so special.

 

[dugg]

Some people are keeping anemones just fine under T-5, but personally i think they all need MH. Even without the lighting issue though, your tank is way to young for an anemone. Wait until it has been up and running for atleat 1 year before you get another one. By that time your tank will be stable, and you will have a lot more experience with keeping your water stable and clean. An anemone is ranked right up there with SPS corals for difficulty.

Your clowns don't need an anemone to be happy, they will host anything. My clowns actually preffer to host a clump of mushrooms. When things go bad for an anemone, they usually go bad very fast, and can poison your tank faster then you realize they are in trouble. They just sort of disentigrate in your water.

 

[bertoni]

I agree that anemones are hard to keep, and a stable tank is a good prerequisite. After the tank's been up for 6-12 months, a BTA might do quite well under T5 lighting. Some of them actually can't tolerate MH. The invertebrate forum has more information on this. Also, this booklet would be a good investment, IMO:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966454952/reeflink/102-3323252-4476960

 

[BLANKENSHIP76]

I have 250W double ended haildes and my magnifica is up at the tiop of tank almost sticking out now if that tells you how much they need and love light.