White Carpet Turning Brown???

[Coral C's]

Hey can anyone out there tell me if it is normal for an anemone to turn from white to brown? My friend has a purple tip sabae that is now brown, still looks very healthy. It turned brown about 8 mos ago or so. She thought it was from her Gold Bar Maroon that it hosted. Now my white carpet is also turning brown but I have no clowns that go into it. It still looks healthy enough it is just turning brown. Any ideas?

 

[kimsie]

That is actually great news! Sebae anemones are comonly sold white - but that is actually a very unhealthy state for an anemone. They bleach white when they expelled their zooanthelle (an algae that lives inside them which has photosynthisis and feeds them with the nutrients). Some never recover from bleaching and becoming white and die within a few months. Brown or a dark greyish green is the natural color for these anemones and it means they are getting healthy!

 

[kimsie]

Do you know what kind of carpet it is?

 

[Toddrtrex]

Kim is right about this being a good thing.

This is an LTA that I had.

When it was shipped to me,

About 6 weeks later,

About a year later, right before I sold it. (( ignore the purple, that was another LTA ))

 

[Coral C's]

Well that is good to know, I will let my friend know she has done good. As for my carpet, I am not sure what type it is. When I get home tonight I will take and then post a picture of it so maybe that will help identify it as well as letting me know if all is ok with it.

 

[kimsie]

i think that's a very good idea! A picture can help the carpet experts identify it for you and make sure it's on the road to a very healthy life. How long have you had it? Do you feed it at all?

 

[Coral C's]

I have had it for about 5 months, I purchased it form a LFS and it was white when I bought it. I don't know all that much about anemones and am just finding out about this bleaching. I happened to buy a BTRA that was also bleached but didn't know it until I saw pictures posted saying how unhealtly they were. It has atleast doubled in size. I feed it silver sides, krill, mysis and it also catches some of the formula one that I feed the fish. Honeslty none of my clowns have ever went into it until last night. My littlest clown went it and the carpet kind of closed in around it. I think it made it happy if that is possible.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Is the carpet on the sandbed, or up on the rocks? It would give an idea of what type it is, but pictures are the best.

 

[Coral C's]

It is up on rock towards the top of the tank. It sometimes kind of moves under the rock when the lights are off but back out when the halides come on.

 

[Slakker]

Would be interested in seeing pictures...sounds a bit like a Gigantea.

 

[Coral C's]

I am on my way home soon from work, will post as soon as I get home.

 

[Coral C's]

Ok here is the picture of the anemone in question. What is it and is it ok by turning from white to brown. any help is appreciated

 

[taylor t]

Nice gigantea. White to brown is good, health wise.

 

[Coral C's]

Thank you very much, I'm glad to know it is ok.

 

[Coral C's]

Ok, another quick question... Now that the carpet nem is turning brown my two smaller clowns are going into it. Do fish know if an anemone is sick or not? Could that be why in the 5 months that I have owned it that none of my clowns would inhabit it? Just curious.

 

[Toddrtrex]

I would say that it is just odd timing.

I have seen clowns "love" an anemone to death, so I don't think that they know.

 

[Coral C's]

I was just wondering... My two smaller percula's were booted from their RBTA by my larger Black saddle clowns. They have not gone in anything since until last night. The larger of the two saddle clowns tried chasing them out of the carpet nem and I am hear to tell you I just saw them stand their ground. They were not going to lose another home even though I doubt the Saddle clown would go into the carpet nem. Kind of proud of them.

 

[Slakker]

...you have ocellaris and polymnus together in a 120g tank?! Bad idea.

 

[Coral C's]

They have been in together now for about 3 months and I have had no problems with them.

 

[Slakker]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12790262#post12790262 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Coral C's
My two smaller percula's were booted from their RBTA by my larger Black saddle clowns. They have not gone in anything since until last night. The larger of the two saddle clowns tried chasing them out of the carpet nem...

Sounds like you've had problems to me.