What is my anemone doing?

[beckywaller108]

I got this anemone yesterday at a well known local fish store, the tank we put it is was established about 2 1/2 years ago. Last night we put him in the tank and he found a spot he liked and was looking good (the side by side pic) and this morning I wake up and he looked upside down and not normal? I went to petco (don't judge me) and just asked them if they knew if it was normal and the guy said to turn it back right side up, so we did. I've since been at work patiently waiting to go home to check on him, but is it normal to look shriveled up like that? This is our first attempt at anything like this, normally we stick to fish and they do great. I put 1 drop of the iodine the fish store sold us in the tank last night (75 gallon tank) and they said to put 2 drops in every night. Does that sound about right too?

 

[beckywaller108]

Ok, came home and it looked like this. I am assuming this is a good thing? Any answers would be greatly appreciated! Also, I paid $50 for this. Is that too much or about average?

 

[geckoejon]

imo, that anemone looks bleached and not in very good shape. i would give it a week or so and then try feeding it very small meals maybe once or twice a week. hopefully it will get some color back.

what kind of lighting do you have on the tank? nems need a good source of light.

using iodine is a personal preference between reefers. personally, i don't see the need to add it. if you are using good salt when performing water changes, then you don't need to. if you are dosing anything including iodine, you should be testing for it. if you don't test, you are liable to have it build up and cause a lot more harm then good. i would recommend you stop adding that. your call though....

as for price, it's whatever you are willing to pay and what you think something is worth. i see people paying very high amounts of cash for nems that i wouldn't give half that for and vice versa. i kind of measure price by hitting up google. i see what it sells for on live aquaria, and then compare. most of the time it should be considerably less locally than on la. you can also come up with healthy pick of livestock doing that.

i recommend always double checking what the person at the local fish shop tells you. they are there to make a living, and sometimes not all that knowledgeable.

 

[beckywaller108]

Day 3

Day 3

Ok, day 3. Better? I think it has finally settled down and found its happy place. I was wondering if it was bleached from what I have been reading. If color doesn't come back is that ok too? Its mouth is nice and tight and it is puffed out now. I have 2 small clown fish who won't go near it, but I am hoping they do. If they don't I was debating on going and getting a Clarkey that was IN LOVE with this anemone when I bought it (so much in love with it that I felt bad even buying this particular anemone b/c he ahd made it his home). Do you think it will get along with my other 2 clown fish though? For feeding it I was going to get a syringe and thaw out some Mysis shrimp and gently squirt it into the anemone. Does that sound good? As far as lighting I think its called day time? Maybe? I only have a light on top that will hold 1 bulb. But I have read that they make a 50/50 bulb (half day light and hald blue light). Would that work ok? And thank you Geckoejon!!!

 

[Aquarist007]

The Clarke probably will not get along with the other clowns
Stop the iodine.. Allow the anenome to adjust to your water conditions without changing them on him.
Anenomes will move. However they do like spots were they are surrounded on three sides by rock . If you can create this situation it might stay put.
Sometimes we introduce them to the tank in a margarine cup and bury the cup to the rim in the substrate.

 

[beckywaller108]

The margarine cup idea is genius! If it keeps moving and getting itself stuck upside down I may just try that. I have an engineer goby as well though, and he likes to rearrange the tank every single day, so I may have to give him away first before I do that because he will just dig the cup up. I love my Goby, but he has already killed several snails, hermit crabs and a peppermint shrimp. So I think its time to rehome him.

 

[Aquarist007]

The margarine cup idea is genius! If it keeps moving and getting itself stuck upside down I may just try that. I have an engineer goby as well though, and he likes to rearrange the tank every single day, so I may have to give him away first before I do that because he will just dig the cup up. I love my Goby, but he has already killed several snails, hermit crabs and a peppermint shrimp. So I think its time to rehome him.

Put some substrate in the cup also.
Sooner or later the engineers dig up a bad area in the substrate full of nitrates ect so it's good to get rid of them

 

[beckywaller108]

I hate to see him go because he has finally gotten used to me and my dogs and is always swimming around now and looks so pretty, but he makes my tank look a hot mess. And when he ate my peppermint shrimp I had pretty much had it.

 

[beckywaller108]

Update!

Update!

Came home today to this! So excited! One of my cinnamon clown fish has taken up residency in the anemone. He has turned into a slight butt head to his partner now and won't let them anywhere close to it now, but hopefully that will change? Either way, I am happy!!!! ... side note... don't mind the sand everywhere, my husband moved the power head and it shot sand EVERY WHERE. lol

 

[ento-reefer]

You need to upgrade your lighting if you want to keep this anemone successfully long term. I would purchase a fixture that holds a minimum of 4 ho t5 bulbs.

 

[beckywaller108]

That will be my next purchase. Everyone I am seeing though is around $230+ and that seems high. Any suggestions?

 

[cnreef]

There are plenty of LEDs which can take care of anemones for below that price.

 

[beckywaller108]

Alrighty. I will do some searching. TY!!