Anemone troubles

[vixen]

Hi all..
I browse these forums quite regularly, but just decided to register today
but.. its not good news.. its rather disturbing and I'm stumped. Heres my details first..
Its a 55 long.. 2 powerheads, skimmer, and mechanical filter. VHO bulbs, 80 deg temp, 8.4 pH, 0 ammonia, 5 nitrate (think I put that right). Its been running very well for the past 2 months.
So far I have a Volitan Lionfish, Maroon, Pink Skunk, and Clarkii Clowns, Feather duster, Blue Tang, (some brown tang I forget the name of), tube anemone, blue tip anemone, a red anemone (forget the name), a bubble coral, urchin, starfish and a red gordonia (?).
Heres my problem.
Yesterday we went to our lovely LOCAL saltwater fish store about 2 hours away to pick up our ordered Blue tang and I saw this tube anemone that I thought would look really nice in the tank.
All was fine and dandy until this morning when we turned on the lights and boom. My blue tip and the red anemones were all closed up. The red one eventually opened up, but the blue tip is still shut. I dont know if this was coincidence, but I thought I noticed a puff of 'smoke' coming off of his body.
Called the shop, they said that its nothing to worry about. Its worrying me though. I dont want my tank to crash.
Heres a before and after of the blue tip anemone.
Any ideas??

 

[vixen]

heres him today

 

[vixen]

and heres the culprit tube anemone (i moved him after I saw my other anemones all closed up).

 

[vixen]

What does that supposed to mean?? Im asking a serious question in seek of help.

 

[j21kickster]

how did you acclimate it - lighting- i.e what bulbs and size- it looks pretty pale to start out with in the firstplace

 

[vixen]

I got the bulbs (the ones w/ the 2 lights) according to the owner of the shop.
The camera made him look really pale this time.. hes not that dull in person. Hes just took this dive overnight.
I'm just hoping hes not releasing toxins into my water.. Dont want to lose my entire tank to whatever is going on with him.
I called a friend who has had a 300 gal for over 5 years and he told me to remove him and put him in a quarantine tank, but that conflicts with the guy from the shop??

 

[j21kickster]

if you have a tank to put it in w/ a heater and a filter sure, go for it- remember most people at petstores dont know what they think they do-(even though i used to work at one) sometimes anemones shrivel to expel waste- however i dont think this is the case with yours- if yuo can i would advise a seperation

 

[vixen]

Great.. thanks for your help I'll try the quarantine and see how he does. Any other precautions I should take with the rest of my tank? Everyone else in the tank is doing just fine, so I think I might have caught this before it turned bad.

 

[j21kickster]

also is there any rockwork for the anemones to hold on to?- so you only have 2 vho bulbs over the tank then right?- if so that is still pretty low lighting- are they truly VHO or just bulbs that say high pover or the like? do you know the wattage?

 

[m.rogers]

put it in the Q tank what is the most that can happen you lose it and every thing in your tank live because you moved it to the q tank. good luck
welcome to the board
mike

 

[vixen]

VHO. Dont know the wattage though. Electricity isnt my specialty Lights are off in the tank right now or I'd check the bulbs. Yes, theres a bunch of LV on the left side of the tank. I put him on there and he just rolled right off of it and wouldnt stay there. Heres a pic of the left side (best pic I could find in my folder). Its all LV from about the middle to the left.

 

[spsfreak100]

So far I have a Volitan Lionfish, Maroon, Pink Skunk, and Clarkii Clowns, Feather duster, Blue Tang, (some brown tang I forget the name of)
You need to do much more reaserch before you buy anything else. Your tank is extremely stocked with fish. One tang alone is pushing it for a 55 gallon (depending on the tank dementions). You have an extremely high biological load; these fish are cramped and prone to many types of diseases and stress related issues.
Now, both your anemones look extremely unhealthy, which is most likely becuase of lack of reaserch. The anemone that you showed, that was in in the second picture looks like it's dealing with some extreme stress issues. The tears in its foot are usually caused by high amounts of stress, such as poor water quality, poor lighting, poor handling, etc.
I noticed a puff of 'smoke' coming off of his body.
The anemone was definitaly not releasing sperm. The puff of smoke is usually a type of mucus that often comes out when the anemone has died.
Now,
Your anemones look like they aren't placed in the correct locations. Your "Blue" and "Red Tip" anemones are both Long Tentacled Anemones (Macrodactyla doreensis). Macrodactyla doreensis (The Long tentacle Anemone) is natually found in the rockwork. It isn't found in the sandbed. This could be one factor regarding to high amounts of stress.
tube anemone
Tube Anemones are not true anemones, they're actually a type of worm. They are not able to move around and harm other inhabitants. I doubt the tube anemone did anything to your other two anemones, unless you happened to place the tube anemone within a few inches from where your anemones were located.
I'll try the quarantine and see how he does.
Quarantine will just add more stress to the anemone. Even if it did somehow recover in quarantine, where would it go from there? Back into the tank that caused it?
ont know the wattage though.
You should always take the time to find out the wattage of the bulbs. If you don't, you're going in blindly about what you're buying. What ballast, spectrum, and length are these bulbs? Most likely these 2 bulbs (which are most likely 48" long, meaning they would each be 110wts) will not be enough for housing your anemones.
Yes, theres a bunch of LV on the left side of the tank. I put him on there and he just rolled right off of it and wouldnt stay there.
It's because it's unhappy with your overall environment. The anemone most likely won't attach anywhere you put it, becuase your tank isn't disigned for housing extremely delicate creatures.
I recommend doing much more reaserch before buying anything else. Your anemones should not be placed in an environment without be reaserched. Anemones are not hardy and they do best in the ocean, which is where they belong.
Take Care,
Graham
Edited by SPSfreak100 on Sat. August 23, 2003

 

[grouperhead]

Bubbles, we all know you've never done anything wrong, or killed an anemone....
Vixen, are there any other fish stores in your area? I'd find a good one, and get to know them pretty well. Also, research is one of the most important things in this hobby. May I suggest you picking up the book The Conscientious Marine Aquariast by Fenner? It is a great book that covers a variety of topics. Do you have liverock/and or livesand in your tank? Both are very beneficial to a reef aquarium. Take back the lion and two of the clowns (I'd suggest the maroon and clarkii, both can be quite territorial as they mature.) If you have anymore questions, by all means, ask. Bo

 

[reefnut]

This is why I dislike anemones. Around here it is hard to find healthy ones and if you do they are hard to keep. Ive had two and both have died within the first 6-mo.

 

[grouperhead]

Waterfaller, what are you talking about? I looked at that thread, and Skilos said nothing wrong.

 

[spsfreak100]

I never meant my post to be in strong or rude tone in any way. I was just trying to state what needed to be said. I do think I owe vixen an apology if my message did come out rude. I will also edit out some possible "rude" parts of my post. In my opinion, we would get back on topic before it gets out of control somehow.
Take Care,
Graham

 

[vixen]

Geesh.
All I asked about is my anemone looked like the top picture until I added the tube anemone. Everything was perfect until then. Sorry I'm just a beginner and not an expert. Just trying to learn as everyone did as they started out.
Besides, sorry I dont know the electrical system of my tank.. my husb deals with that and he was at work so I couldnt exactly call him up and ask him what are the light specs.
Sorry if I dont know the scientific names of my fish. I have more going on here than to worry about what they are of this point. 2 small kids do take up a lot of your time and demand more attention than sitting there memorizing that of this point.
I just started this tank about 2-3 months ago and still getting to learn what is going on with everything. I'm trying to learn as I go and read what I can. Sorry if I seemed stupid and asking a newbie question. As I stated, I'm new to this and trying to learn. So sue me for that.
Thank you Bo, and the people who tried to help without criticism. I appreciate it!
As for any more local stores? The next most local store is about 5 hours away from me. Not many places around here. My friend orders through a supplier over the phone.
If my tank is overstocked, then fine.. I can do something about that. They're all healthy, my levels are perfect, and they're not showing signs of stress. I've seen more tanks that were more overstocked and was diseased.
The blue tang is not huge by any means.. Hes a small little guy, probably the size of my clarkii clown.
Since everyone has such strong feelings about anemones, I'll take them back then. He was thriving really well and very non stressed until I added that tube. Thats all I wanted to know. Didnt want to start a flame war because I asked a question.

 

[reefnut]

vixen don't take these type of threads personally They are not meant to be a personal attack its just different personalities clash sometimes
I don't know what is wrong with your anemone but I do know they are difficult to care for and should be left to the experienced hobbyist
From this point forward I would read and research the animals before you purchase It will save you grief
Stick around and ask question and learn with the rest of us

 

[j21kickster]

Vixen- no worries-
When people give advise or yell- (not saying anyone was) don't take it personally, even though the attack is often personal. Instead take what they said into consideration and try to fix it- About 99% of people who join the hobby make a mistake somewhere and once they consider themselves an expert often criticize people for the same mistakes they once made. (what I'm saying isn't aimed at any one here) Don't get discouraged or quit the hobby because you don't like what somebody said-
The single best piece of advice I can give isDo NOT buy any animal unless you can correctly tell yourself everything about it and its care requirements (size, food, compatibility, water requirements, light and flow requirements), furthermore make sure you tank will provide those requirements If you can do that before you buy an animal - most of the time everything will work- This is definitely not a hobby of instant gratification, it is more like a class or trade that must be self tought.
Good Luck - and keep your head up

 

[cb]

I have a Condi anemone and have done alot of research on anemones and the few things that i have learned is that they should not be added to a new tank it should be at least 6 months old. But since they are already there then let's see if we can save it. The "smoke" coming out of the anemone was it brown stringy looking stuff. If so it may just be waste. My anemone will ball up at night and then reopen during the day I have also read that certain anemones do not get along and even though they are not near each other they can sense that the other one is in the tank and maybe this is what happened. I would leave the new anemone in a different tank for awhile and see if the old anemone reacts differently. I don't know alot about them but mine is happy and healthy and I hope some of these suggestions help you figure out what is wrong they are beautiful creatures and we love ours. Oh by the way do you spot feed them at all?