Bubble Tip Anemone Scare! Care info appreciated...

buzz

buzz

Active Member
2 Days ago, I brought home a bubble tip anemone. It found a nice spot for itself, and later opened up into a beautiful creature (Must be about 8 inches or more in diameter when fully extended. It's huge. I am trying to get a hold of a digital camera to take a picture of it.). My tomato clown took to it right away, and hasn't left it since. I was told that squid pieces would be fine to feed it. I fed it once it settled in, and it ate the squid, no problem.
I did a water change yesterday during the day, and all was fine. I made sure all levels were the same or better than the tank when I did the change. Last night (about 4 hours after the change), it gave me quite a scare. While I was watching it, it began to pull itself in, and didn't look like it was going to make it. I had a friend over at the time who had lost an anemone, and it acted just like his did before it died. I gave it a piece of squid, and it took it, despite looking like it was dying. My clown kept pushing it open, and wouldn't let it close (all night). It started looking a little better, and this morning, to my surprise it was open fully again, and seems fine!
So I am looking for some care information. Is there something better to feed it than squid? If so, how much and how often? Do anemone's usually stay opened or is what happened with mine a typical thing?
I am doing what my LFS told me to do with it, but I'd like to get some feedback from those that have been there. Anything is appreciated.
Thanks!
 
jacksonpt

jacksonpt

Active Member
OK, 2 separate things going on here... 1) what to feed, 2) scary behavior.
I feed mine fresh sea scalop primarily... that's what he seems to like best. I've also had good luck with frozen shrimp and fresh clam, but scalops seem to be his fav. Mine will not take squid.
As for the behavior, this is normal. Anemones only have 1 opening... so they take in food and expel waste through the same opening. To expel wastes, they will fill themselves up with water, then completely expel all the water along with the wastes. When doing so, they will shrivel up into what appears to be a dead or dying pile of goo. It's normal, don't worry about it. If you anemone looks like that for more than 24 hours, then you might (MIGHT) have a problem. Longer than 48 hours and there is a problem (though it might not be death... the anemone could just be protesting poor water conditions, or some other factor it's not happy with). Longer than 96 and you might want to get it out of your tank before it really gets nasty.
HTH
 
buzz

buzz

Active Member
Thank you very much! I feel better. I sat there watching the thing for hours last night.
 
elizreininger

elizreininger

Member
this is what i think whent wronge when you changed the water is why the bubble tip closed the water corals and things like that get irrated when new water is introduced that is why it shrivled up. plus anominies are hard to keep all kinds are accuatily but it will only do good if it sets its feet by its self becacuse they tend to move around alot to get best spot for water flow and food from the water dont let it drift around to back of the tank where no light and water flow will be. but when set should do fine if you have the right lights but someone told me and i tried it on bubbles that you feed them earthworms after you rise them in the water real quick. but remember they can die out of no where. but the water is what made is shrivel up. im shure its fine now .
 
buzz

buzz

Active Member
It didn't shrivel until about 4 hours or so after the water change. It was wide open and happy until then. I was thinking that might be a factor, and maybe it was...I know they are unpredictable as far as dying, which is why I want to make sure I am doing everything right.
It did anchor itself where it is. I put it somewhere completely different. It moved over night. It has been in it's current location now for over a day, and seems to like that spot.
But while on the topic of lighting, what is the best lighting for them?
 
jacksonpt

jacksonpt

Active Member
I've tried to keep a handful of anemones over the last couple of years. With the exception of my current anemone, all have died withing 6 weeks of purchase. I'm 95% sure it's because they were not healthy when I purchased them. I didn't realized it until I got the one I currently have. It has a decent sting... enough to make me jump if I'm not expecting it, but not enough to hurt. None of my previous anemones had any sting to them at all. My current anemone took hold in my rock work right away... not of my previous ones did... I had to put them in a very low current place to keep them from drifting around the tank. My current anemone loves to eat, especially fresh sea scalops... none of my other anemones were crazy about direct feedings.
If yours is anchored well and eating... it's probably in decent (or good) health. If that's the case, you're 75% home as getting a healthy anemone into you tank is the hardest part of keeping an anemone. Mine has withstood some pretty significant fluctations in temp and salinity, and did just fine with trates between 5 and 10ppm for about a year. They are pretty hardy if you can get them healthy (from my experience).
 
buzz

buzz

Active Member
Thanks...yeah, the death rate is what worries me, but it is anchored well and eating (at least for now), so maybe there's a chance for it. We'll see...I'll try the scallops.
 
guppie

guppie

Member
I bought a bubble tip about a week ago, it settled in to the tank right away, the maroon clown loves it. 2 days ago it moved to a spot behind my rock work, it seem to really like it there, from what it can see it is opened up and doing well. The question I have is do I move it or let it move itself? It is going to be a real pain to move. I am going to have a hard time feeding it were it sit now, and it does not get much light there. The lights just came on in my tank and I now have 2 bubble tips, must have split last night, both are in different places in the tank and up under rocks, might it be that the lighting in my tank is stronger then in the lfs? Thanks
 
buzz

buzz

Active Member
Thanks for the article. It was informative, although it didn't address specific care requirements. It seemed to be more of a caution on which anemone to pick, whether to get one at all, and if so, a warning that they usually don't live to their potential life spans.
Mine is the one they recommend if any (bubble tip), so I have 1 point there.
I also do not currently have any corals in my tank (yet), so that isn't a danger at this point. The anemone hasn't moved from it's current location, which it chose itself a few days ago. It has been eating regularly, although I must say, it didn't particularly like the fresh sea scallop I bought it yesterday. It likes the squid better.
The article only mentioned that each had specific food and lighting requirements, but didn't expand on those. The anemone is in my tank, and so far, seems happy. I'd like to keep it that way to the best of my ability.
I really appreciate everyone's assistance. jacksonpt I think has hit it right on so far, and has really helped me out. Yesterday I went home and it was looking kind of sluggish, but again, within an hour after that, it was up and extended again. It was fully open when I left the house this morning too. So far so good, but any other care advice is appreciated.
 
buzz

buzz

Active Member
Guppie,
That's cool that it split. But I would imagine that if you can't feed it, and it isn't getting much light where it is, that would be a problem, but I am an anemone novice....that's why I started this thread to get some info.
-Buzz ;)
 
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