Anemone Question / Revamp

[asharp13]

Hey SWF!!
I am looking into getting a RBTA from my LFS that is a little bleached out. I'll try to get a pic of it up soon but my guy at the store told me it was becasue the anemone has lost some of the algae growing in it. Is this why the species looks so white? Also, is there any way to get the algae back into it so I can get him to stay alive in my tank?
Another note: I am looking at getting an anemone to host my clowns and I am probably going to purchase the RBTA either way becasue I absolutely love the look of it and my LFS is going to give me a steal of a deal. But, does anyone have any experience with getting clowns to jump in it? Would they enjoy a long tentacle anemone better? Sebae?
At my LFS they have long tentacle anemones but aren't sure what kind they are. They have brown feet with brown tentacles...some have brown and green tentacles? Is one in better shape than the other? Does anyone know what kind I am referring to so I can do some more research on the species? They also have one with a white foot, brown tentacles, and white tips? I have the same questions about this one.
Thanks in advance for helping the anemone newb!!!!

 

[btldreef]

Firstly, if your fish store can't tell you what they're selling you, you shouldn't be buying from them. Just my honest opinion.
I highly recommend a regular bubble tip if you're going to try an anemone in your set up. They're by far the easiest to care for and the easiest to get a clownfish to host.
There's numerous different methods to try to get them to host, here's what I've seen/heard has worked:
1) Chase them into the nem (I did this, used a fish net and chased them in, they never left it after that)
2) Turn all the lights off, shine a flashlight on the nem for 10-15 mins, the fish should follow the light and find the nem
3) Place a pic of a fish hosting an anemone outside the tank close to where the nem is
If you look through the threads in the Clownfish/Anemone section, you'll find tons of methods people have used.
Good luck

 

[asharp13]

Thx BTLD. i understand your concerns with my LFS and i agree completely but i love the size, look, color, bulbs everything about this RBTA and he is going to give it to me for like $15..i dont feel as if i can pass up the chance. is there anything you know of that i could do to promote the algae to come back into him and bring it back and make him healthy?

 

[chaseter]

If it's unhealthy, chances are more than likely that it will die. You also realize that once it is healthy, it will look a lot different than it does now. Most LFS have haitian anemones. They look beautiful white with their pink or purple tips. However, those are unhealthy nems. Healthy ones are tan or brown, but that isn't as appealing as a snow white one. They essentially starve the nems in the tank to save money and because they look better bleached out...which is unhealthy.
I bought an unhealthy gbta because it was cheap too. Put it in my tank, died the next day. I don't risk it anymore. You can gamble with it, your choice. But, I would just use that $15 and put it towards a healthy nem. You can buy vitamins and add them to krill or silver sides. I feed my nem silver sides and it is doing great.
Look at it this way: rbta fetch high prices when healthy and beautiful. I would say your LFS doesn't want to mess with trying to bring back up the health of this anem so he is selling it for cheap to get rid of it before it dies. If he wanted, he could nurse it back to perfect health and sell the thing for $50+ But, that takes time and money.

 

[asharp13]

good advice chaseter thank you. the haitain in my tank currently was purchased about a month ago and was completely white. now, the top half of the tentacles are turning brown. since this species is getting healthier in my tank is this a good sign that the RBTA will make a good recovery also? or are the species too different to be able to tell for sure?
what kind of vitamins/supplements are you talking about specifically?
oh and you have a very valid point about putting the money towards a good specimen but i only have a couple LFS' and i could get one online but that would inherently increase the price drastically so im thinking i might as well give it a shot

 

[chaseter]

I feed my nems silver sides. They have all the nutrients that an anem could need because they are frozen and not processed or dried. There are some trace elements that also need to be added to the tank like iodine. But, if you have a reef tank with corals, chances are you add trace elements in to keep them healthy and growing as well. I would stay away from dehydrated foods as when foods are processed, they loose some of their valuable nutrients.
note: I have only been in this hobby for a few months. This isn't from long term experience, this is from research.

 

[asharp13]

thx chase, i think ur right on the mark!!!
alright well i told the guy at my LFS that i wanted the nem, i told him to start feeding it also to help him build up some strength for the move. the only problem is that this RBTA is anchored to a rock that is as big as my tank, so its not really feasable for me to take the whole unit, otherwise i would. he cant figure out how to get him off haha so now i have to wait for him to get that sucker out of there and home to me.
any sugestions for getting him out of there safely without damaging the foot?