Urgent Anemone Help!!!

[timjoemak]

Hi, Tim here,

I haven't logged in for a bit but I have an urgent question right away. Sorry to bother but I have a 10 gallon tank with a small bubble tip anemone on the bottom in a crevice that i made specially for it. Since its first introduction to the tank, it has never moved at all. It has been hosting a false clown since its introduction 6 months ago. Now the problem here is, since its introduction it was fully opened, about 5 inches max. It was so beautiful, dark purple and fully opened, but since then, slowly it started to shrink smaller and smaller and right now today, it doesn't even open to 2 inches. Although so, at night the anemone opens way bigger than when the lights are turned on.

It's color has faded till light purple. I feed it once a week with silversides. However, could this be due to the lack of lighting? Im using power compacts of two 11 watts running, totaling 22 watts. One blue and the other white. The anemone is 13 inches from the surface. Sigh it hurts seeing my anemone being so small.

So, please, please tell me what to do, I really want to see it open fully again. Really appreciate your help. Thanks,

Tim.

 

[fooseball08]

not near enough light for a nem... how long has the tank been set up? i would suggest getting a 4 bulb t-5 fixture for the tank if you want him to survive... keep and eye on him and smell your water daily... if it starts stinking get him out

 

[timjoemak]

I have had this tank for nearly one whole year, but had the anemone for probably about 6 months. The thing about it is that, it has never moved and still stays at one spot. So 4 bulb t-5's will be good? But I have one big problem, do t-5's have anything lesser than 24" in length? My tank length is lesser than 2 feet.

 

[timjoemak]

If I still stick with power compacts? How many watts would be enough? Just asking though Thanks,

Tim

 

[jmahfouz]

you need a new light fixture maybe a small halide like the viper clamp on I think thats the name

 

[timjoemak]

viper clamp sounds really good, the minimum wattage for that is 75W is it and with that how far will it be from the surface of the water?

 

[jmahfouz]

I would do it about 6 inches over the water Make sure to acclimate your tank to the new light.

 

[Mike in AZ]

Some folks claim they feel feeding silversides made their anemone sick and many switched to krill or shrimp. I never had a problem with silversides but out of paranoia I too switched to krill.

 

[Veosk]

I would get a clamp on halide, remove the clown so it doesn't beat up the nem.

 

[Slickcg33]

I would get a clamp on halide, remove the clown so it doesn't beat up the nem.

i agree, at this point the nem is probably too sick and small to be dealing with a clown.

 

[timjoemak]

How long do you think my anemone can last in this situation without adequate light? Because there's no where in Melbourne I can find the viper lamp or the t-5's... I might need to go back home to get this.

 

[Drumbee23]

current makes a 2 bulb 18" t5ho fixture. they are like 69$ i would think it would be better then what you have. i know a few people with these on thier 10 gallon tanks and doing corals, they also work good on 12 gal aquapods. but a halide clip on would be your best bet. just make shure you acclimate it to the light.

i agree with removing the clown. its just stressing it even more. i would say it wolnt last too much longer without the lighting it needs, prolly couple weeks at the most.

heres a link to currents light.
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/236409/product.web

 

[timjoemak]

I just checked the site. It looks awesome. But that's in USA isn't it! Arghh.. Where can I find that in Melbourne???!! This is not goooooood...

 

[timjoemak]

Anyway other than that, I called an LFS here, and he said I need iodine to boost its colors and growth? Would the Seachem Iodine be good for the nem?

 

[livingcorals]

As stated need more watts...Also I would get some zooplex as well. Depleting its Zooplankton. This can help.
Also are you running carbon?

http://www.karensroseanemones.com/

 

[Finsky]

I have a 120 gallon five foot high reef tank with two 322 watt compact flourescent fixtures for a total of 644 watts or approximately 5 1/3 watts per gallon.

Since September of 2008, on its arrival, I have fed my Red Rose Bubble Tip Anemone 1/4" to 1/2" size pieces of razor clam purchased whole from the grocery store which I cut into these smaller pieces and freeze in a plastic container.

I have had a breeding pair of Cinnamon clowns hosting in the RBTA since its arrival.

I have a pair of Clarkii clowns in the other end which just received there new home this past Friday, an eight inch Hereractis Magnifica, which ate the razor clam pieces with relish like the RBTA.

You need light, current, water quality, and tendor loving care for this anemone which unfortunately is in need of a change to possibly survive. I started putting anemones in my tank after about a year and a half and it is about three and a half years old now.

I suppose six months could be a minimum as it took me quite a while to add 150 pounds of live rock over a year or more, some times a few rocks at a time.

Light and test water parameters and get a little water flow although not enough to suck it into the intake. I would use zooplanton liquid food and maybe try a piece of clam, squid, fish, etc.

 

[timjoemak]

I am currently changing 10% of the water every week, the tank looks really clear and the corals around are great in health, just this anemone that makes me worried. I just fed the anemone a small piece of silversides and it did consume, but I'm not sure if it regurgitated the fish at night. By the way so zooplex would be good? How about iodine? Would it help at all?

 

[livingcorals]

Iodine maybe between water changes.
You can get a small T5 and be all good. However things to keep in mind tho about the clown when its hosting.
Make sure the anemone is 3x the size of the clown. Try and toss up a pic. If it was a lighting issue it would move around some.

 

[timjoemak]

Here is the nem 5 months ago and here is one today. Sigh. Sad ain't it? ><

 

[timjoemak]

The funny thing was during its time of shrinking, when the anemone was bigger, the lights wattage was only ONE 11 watt. And it was huge. Now having TWO 11 watts, it shrunk to this size..