What is this large mass on my anemone

[RJT]

I tried to get a good pic of it but this is as good as I can get it.

Its a purple anemone that got this "bubble" a few months ago. He stayed under a rock for months and I fed him shrimp when his tentacles came out a little. I think the clown pair may have stressed him. He just came out of hiding a few days ago and has stayed out eating shrimp every couple of days. His color is coming back but the bubble is staying the same. He has been in my tank for 10 months, the entire time with a rbta that is a few feet away with no issues.

Has anyone experienced this before?

 

[RJT]

Update-I have been feeding her shrimp every few days twice in that day. She has grown some but nowhere near what she was. In the pic in Feb 2014 she was maybe an inch.

The below pic is as of May 2014. She is around 3in across now. Some of the purple coloration has returned. She is bothered less because I have bought some euphyllias which have the clowns attention. The "mass" is the same size but the rest of the anemone has grown.

Hopefully later this year or maybe next year the anemone will back to its original deep purple colors and size.

Just wanted to update in case anyone ever had the same experience and could not find any information.

 

[OrionN]

I am not sure what that mass is. Can you tell where it is on the anemone? Next to the mouth, deep in the column? I would love to see a clear focus picture of the anemone and the mass. Please update every few days or weekly.

 

[HVAC Guy]

The mass is likely all the undigested food. If you are feeding it every few days twice you are way overfeeding. I feed mine once a week to 10 days. They have been fine and healthy for years.

 

[RJT]

Here is a better pic of the problem.

Also, the "mass" started several months ago when it was under a rock ledge for a few months. It wasn't fed or getting light. I do feed it a lot but it doesn't spit it out indicating that it doesn't want to eat. After 2-3 days it accepts another piece of shrimp.

To put it in perspective the shrimp is 1/2in by 1/2in when I feed her twice a day and 3/4" by 1/3" when I feed her once a day. She is around 3in across. Prior to me feeding this much she was very pale and only one ring of tentacles. Now she has 3 rings of tentacles and some coloration.

 

[rale2001]

that looks disturbing

 

[SwampyBill]

Anemone's need nowhere near that many feedings. Not sure what you should do other than stop feeding it completely & see if it goes down. & when it is fed, no more than a pea-sized piece of shrimp or whatever you use, every other week or so. What's your LED lighting? That should be enough sustenance for it.

 

[RJT]

Prior to this anemone going from 8in with an excellent purple coloration to a 1in white anemone that stayed under a rock for months I would feed an anemone maybe once a month. It wasn't until I turned the rock over and fed her a small piece of shrimp did she move to get some lights. If I didn't feed her again within a few days she would go back under the rock again. Then weeks later she would still be under there. I would turn the rock over again, feed her and if I continue to feed her she will stay out.

I am assuming that the anemone lost its zooxanthelle and it's not able to photosynthesize because of her actions and loss of all of her color.

 

[RJT]

The LEDs I have are the maxspects 160w. The rbta I have seems happy for the past year plus.

 

[OrionN]

I thinh he has cancer.
I don't really know but what ever it is it does not seem good. Going from 8 inches to 1 inches is horrible. That thing seem to suck all the biomass from him. If that is not a cancer I don't know what is.
Is it a fairly solid mass or just like the rest of the anemone (mostly water)?

 

[RJT]

It's definitely mostly water. Nothing is solid in there. I can squeeze it with thongs and there is no resistance.

 

[justinky]

Yeah that mass looks crazy, I hope it lives but just from the photos it looks pretty bad off.

 

[OrionN]

The mass seem like it is getting bigger. If your anemone looks like he is doing better, I would leave him alone. However, with feeding and the anemone just get worst, I would attempt to cut it off of him with a sharp pair of scissors.

 

[ReeferBill]

Looks like an Inverted stomach!

 

[OrionN]

I have had anemone with guts hanging out before, and it does not look like that IMO. Whe you feed him does he suck it back in or is it always out like that?

 

[RJT]

I thought about cutting it off but I am not sure if that would make its condition better or worse. The mouth may actually be part of it since when I feed her the food goes directly beside the mass when she swallows the food. I do check the mass to see if possibly that the food goes in there but its the same empty mass before and after the feeding.

She doesn't suck it in but after I feed her the mass gets longer. That's how I was able to get the last pic with the mass swaying in the current. I think that's her happy dance.

A lot of her purple color has come back and the green tips are on a lot of the tentacles. Since I have leds, only an iphone for pics and no edits or adjusting skills you cannot tell in the pics I have.

I am hoping that she splits and the mass will go away or will be on only one of the anemones.

I will keep updating and thank you for the feedback.

 

[HVAC Guy]

Could it be air somehow trapped inside the nem? can you tell if its a bubble.

 

[RJT]

It really could be air not sure how though. Didn't think about that one. Not sure how but there is no resistance when I squeeze the mass or any reaction from the anemone. I do get a response from messing with a tentacle.

The length of it does change, depending on when I feed her. No idea why feeding causes a change in the mass.

 

[RJT]

Here is an update. Half the color is back, mass is getting smaller in comparison to rest of the body. Still feed every 2-3 days. Once he gets close to his original color I will cut down on the feedings. But he looks a lot better.

 

[RJT]

Mass is gone and color is 2/3 back you just cannot tell with an iphone pic and leds. Since he looks tan and not light purple with green tips.