Anenome-Please Help!

[clschaefer23]

I recently purchased an Anenome from LFS. To be honest, I am not sure what type it is/was. From the start it didn't look happy. By this I mean it shrank itself into a ball. For the first couple of days it stayed like this attached to a rock. Now it has dissappeared and I can't find it anywhere. My question is two-fold:what type of lighting do I need to keep Anenomes happy and if this Anenome is dead and in my tank, can it harm my fish and various inverts? Your info is much appreciated.

 

[joerdie]

it is funny that you ask this question because about a year ago i was at my lfs and bought a Haitan, (not sure on the spelling) it had a red body with really long tenticals and little blue tips. Anyway I was duped into buying this thing after the sales guy told me that my perculas would bond with it. THIS IS A LIE!!! This particular beast has been known to EAT clowns!! It also comes from a different part of the world. They are cheap and die easly. My advice to you is to check the intake to your filter as sometimes they get stuck and yes they can kill your fish!! If you find the carcas remove it with care and try not to touch it as it will disolve, further poisoning your water. Hope my long story helps Good luck!

 

[bentrue]

please take this as a lesson to research your purchases BEFORE you buy. this board is a great place to ask questions and gain knowledge about what you are thinking of purchasing. this is especially true with anemones as they are very hard to care for properly. with that being said...
i have a carpet anemone in my 29g under 110w power compacts and it is doing great, but i would not go any less than PCs. if the anemone is dead you need to get it out of your tank. i have heard horror stories about anemones dying and floating in the water only to be sucked through a powerhead and then you've really got a mess.
please research before you buy

 

[clschaefer23]

You are so right about doing research about something before you buy it! I have only been looking at this website for a couple of days now and already I feel like I know a lot more(which wasn't much!)about saltwater setups. I only hope my anenome hasn't caused me more grief than the 10 spot it costed me. Thanks guys.

 

[lnarobbins]

how long has your tank been up what lighting do you have do you have any power heads flowing water?
and do you know what kind of anenome you have?
if it is dead be careful removing it. it might fall apart in your hands creating more trouble
Alan

 

[jester]

The best way to remove it (if is is dead), is to suck it out with a gravel cleaner syphon tube. Get the syphon going, then suck it up. Be carefull to get all the slime with it (it's poisonous). It will smell real bad. It will look like it's melting when it's dead.
My clarkii loce it. It was a hatian and he loved it to death. Literally.

 

[bob the builder]

Originally posted by joerdie:
<strong>it is funny that you ask this question because about a year ago i was at my lfs and bought a Haitan, (not sure on the spelling) it had a red body with really long tenticals and little blue tips. Anyway I was duped into buying this thing after the sales guy told me that my perculas would bond with it. THIS IS A LIE!!! This particular beast has been known to EAT clowns!! It also comes from a different part of the world. They are cheap and die easly. My advice to you is to check the intake to your filter as sometimes they get stuck and yes they can kill your fish!! If you find the carcas remove it with care and try not to touch it as it will disolve, further poisoning your water. Hope my long story helps Good luck!</strong><hr></blockquote>
Not all of this is true...
Anemones seem to be very hard to care for and should not be bought by a newbie. Anemones depend a lot about there symbiotic algea(zooxenthese(sp)) and for that reason, need very good lighting. PC's, VHO, and better yet MH are the best for keeping anemones. Also, regular feeding are needed to make up for some lighting needs. If you have PC's or VHO's, you will have to feed it. If you have MH, it is optional too. Anemones also, are invertibrates(means no bones...) and inverts need very exelent water quality. Anemones also, just are not the hardyest things aound. The avergae life of a anemone is about 100 years, in captivity-10-20 years depending on lights, how long your tank has been up, what you feed, etc, etc etc..
Also, the haiten anemone will not KILL the clowns, nor sting them. All clowns are immung to anemones, plates, and Hammers stings, and an anemone will not kill it.Although those anemones arnt the best for hosting clowns. I just dont know why you never did reaserch, or dont know what kind it is. Can you tell me what it looks like? Look at SWF.com live fish site to your left. Look at anemones, and tryto see what kind it is. The anemone looks like it is dead from the thoughts of it. If you have a powerhead in the tank, that would be the first place to look. Try to get it out very gentely. There are alot of threads stating how people anemones got stuck in the power head. Also, it might be behind some rocks in the back. When anemones die, they do give off a lot of ammonia(nitrote, nitrate..) to the tank, so it is best if you get it out. The syphon idea os pretty good, also, try ti net it out if the syphon doesnt work. I have some questions for you:
1) how big is the tank?
2) how old is the tank?
3) what lights do you have?
4) what are your levels?
5) do you have any power head in the tank?
6) How much LR do you have?
If i could know these, it would really help. I hope this helped!

 

[ckkihei]

Hey Bob.......before you make statements and offer advice please make sure it's correct! Some anemones require NO feeding. They are filter feeders. My purple tip seabae is just fine thank you and has never been "fed" by me.

 

[fishymissy]

Okay, first off everyone should know that the average life span of an anemone in captivity is MONTHS not years. Very, very few make it past the 1yr mark, even fewer past 5yrs. Considering they can live for 100yrs or better in the wild, even 5yrs is a rather dismal rate.
Here are 2 good articles about anemones....
<a href="http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen8.html" target="_blank">www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen8.html</a>
<a href="http://www.athiel.com/lib/questions/anemone.htm" target="_blank">www.athiel.com/lib/questions/anemone.htm</a>
Anemones have mouths and a gut, therefore, they should be fed. If you read the articles above you will see that the few that manage to survive or even split have all been fed. Very important. Lighting like MH is also recommended.
These animals are being rapidly depleted in the wild. If it concerns you that most every single anemone you see for sale at the LFS or that is in someone's tank is going to die in the next couple of months, then it should scare the heck out of you to realise that for every one anemone that makes it alive to the LFS, ten to twenty more have died on route.
BTW, clownfish can indeed be eaten by anemones. The fish must build an immunity to the anemone, they are not born with it.

 

[katherine]

Just to let you know, Clownfish often require a "settling-in" period whereby they adapt to a new anemone. In the process they may get stung, or even consumed by the anemone. Anemones require excellent water conditions and intense lighting of the correct quality. It is best for beginners to gain experience with less sensitive marines, preferably fish-alone, before advancing to more delicate invertebrates such as anemonies. Poor water conditions, insufficient lighting, or both, are the primary reasons an anemone "wanders" about the aquarium. It will search for a more favourable spot, where all its requirements will be met. In the absence of correct conditions, the anemone will continue to "wander".