Condalactys Anemone sucked all his tentacles inside

saltyfishgal

saltyfishgal

New Member
I got a new anemone. He is a condalactys with purple tipped. He positioned himself just below the tip of my air blowing volcano... something i thought was pretty odd. My scarlet skunk shrimp has been hanging out on and next to him since i put him in the tank. I have only had him for 2 days. I turned the light off last night at 11pm and turned it back on at 7am, my anemone's tentacles looked slightly less full and there were alot less of them. Within an hour of turning the light back on he had sucked all his tentacles inside himself... he has let some of them back out now but he does not look as full and his tentacles do not look as long as they did. I am worried about my lil buddy. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am a total Noob.
DAY 1
DAY 2 (Morning)
DAY 2 (Afternoon)
I have a 3 month old 45 gallon tank
60lbs of live rock
1 blue damsel
2 bumble bee snails
2 blue hermits
3 turbo snails
Hr ph - 8.4
Amm - 0
No2- 0
No3 - 0
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
OK...a few issues right off the bat.....lighting....What type do you have? if it is the standard fluorescent..that is not enough
TANK is TOO NEW!!!....anemones need mature tanks to survive
Get rid of the volcano air bubbler.....they are NOT for SW tanks.....and get rid of the plastic fake plants...they will only harbor nutrients and create algae issues
It might be a good idea to give the anemone back for now.....
 
saltyfishgal

saltyfishgal

New Member
I have the ocean sun light 10,000k
Can you explain to me why the volcano is not good?
I did a lot of research before putting it in and it is made from real rock that was at one time live. it is literally a piece of rock that has a hole in it and is painted in Krylon paint.
Looks matter less than the lives of my aquarium inhabitants of course, but unless the issue with the volcano is that it has air coming out of it, im confused.
The plants will be coming out soon if they are going to cause a problem, however i am still concerned over why my new anemone sucked himself up. Is this normal behavior? I cannot return him.. he came from a tank that was being sold and they were going to just "throw out" all the inhabitants, so i tried to rescue him from the trash can. At this point i just want to keep him alive.
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
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The anemone: It is bleached and in order for him to thrive you need to upgrade your lighting.
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The volcano itself is not the issue. It is the air bubbles. The air bubbles popping at the surface can cause salt creep, which in turn can lower your salinity.
The plants ehh if you want them in there you can keep them in there. They will eventually get covered in algae.
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meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Is Krylon Paint safe for Saltwater Gemmy? That was another of my concerns I was going to bring up after it was posted about it being painted??
 
saltyfishgal

saltyfishgal

New Member
Ok so I put a few brine fish in the tank hoping my anemone would get some sustenance along with the rest of my tank inhabitants... (which now has my two oscellaris clowns that i was drip acclimating) So a few pieces of shrimp floated down to the anemone, stuck to his fingers, i walked out of the room to wash my hands and came back and the anemone was inside out.. when i say inside out if you look at the pics of the anemone sucking in his tentacles it would be the exact opposite, i could not see any of his orange foot at all, i could see everything inside him, then a few minutes later he started popping back up, slowly... I didnt get a chance to take a picture of the inside-out-ness because I was busy looking up anything i could online to see what was going on and testing the nitrates in the water around the anemone looking for toxin increases... after a bit of research i removed (very gently with a glove removed by massaging foot lightly with covered thumb until he released his hold on the volcano, he was then placed in a bag while still under water and then put in bowl that has the same water as the tank) my anemone to watch him closely without jeopardizing the rest of his tank mates.. any input guys?
 
saltyfishgal

saltyfishgal

New Member
Krylon paint is ideal for saltwater.
I didnt know about the air bubbles... what is salt creep? I have noticed my salinity gets a tiny bit lower weekly.
What am I supposed to do for air circulation, or rather, what is ideal then?
What kind of lighting do I need? I thought the ocean sun 10,000k was ideal for invertebrates.
wouldnt he have moved to a higher point in the tank if it was a lighting problem?
How do you know he is bleached? is that why he rolled in a ball?
:( so worried about this guy!
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
en
Quote:
Originally Posted by SaltyFishGal http:///t/391734/condalactys-anemone-sucked-all-his-tentacles-inside#post_3475788
Krylon paint is ideal for saltwater.
I didnt know about the air bubbles... what is salt creep? I have noticed my salinity gets a tiny bit lower weekly. When water splashes it evaporates and leaves the salt behind in crystal form. The crystals are referred to as salt creep.
What am I supposed to do for air circulation, or rather, what is ideal then? Powerheads are perfect for circulating water in the tank. You want the surface of the water to look like boiling water. This agitation (providing you do not have a glass top) provides good oxygen exchange.
What kind of lighting do I need? I thought the ocean sun 10,000k was ideal for invertebrates. I would recommend T-5 lighting. A good 4 bulb fixture with good reflectors.
wouldnt he have moved to a higher point in the tank if it was a lighting problem? Anemones are dumb.
How do you know he is bleached? is that why he rolled in a ball? The tentacles should not be white. White tentacles mean that the anemone has expelled all of its zooxanthallae. The zooxanthallae is responsible for provide the anemone with vital nutrients. Zooxanthallae can be expelled for a variety of reasons. Good lighting is key in regaining the zooxanthallae and ultimately the life of the anemone.
:( so worried about this guy!
 
saltyfishgal

saltyfishgal

New Member
that anemone is the same exact breed as mine and it is white and perfectly healthy... are you sure the white coloration is not the breed? or species? or whatever its called?
My lighting is T5 HO. Ideal for promotion of zooxanthellae algae.
I can move my air rock or whatever its called closer to the surface of the tank and away from the volcano without an issue..
what is the difference between my air pump and a powerhead?
so anemone's do not normally roll up inside themselves?
Please do not post links to competitor sites
 
saltyfishgal

saltyfishgal

New Member
This is him starting to turn himself back after being 'inside out'
This is him now after being removed from the tank for a little while after i thought he was just about dead...
hes all puffed back up and huge again and looks full and bright... what in the world is going on with this guy.. or am i just observing normal behavior and getting worked up over it?
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SaltyFishGal http:///t/391734/condalactys-anemone-sucked-all-his-tentacles-inside#post_3475793
that anemone is the same exact breed as mine and it is white and perfectly healthy... are you sure the white coloration is not the breed? or species? or whatever its called?
That anemone is bleached. The white coloration is what the consumer likes to see. However, it is not the sign of a healthy anemone. They should be more of a cream or off white.
My lighting is T5 HO. Ideal for promotion of zooxanthellae algae.
First, do not post links to competitor sites. SWF.com is a retail site. Second, a single bulb fixture is not going to provide enough lighting for your tank. You need at least a 4 bulb fixture with good reflectors.
I can move my air rock or whatever its called closer to the surface of the tank and away from the volcano without an issue..
what is the difference between my air pump and a powerhead?
Air pumps make bubbles that cause salt creep which causes fluctuations in the salinity level. Power heads move the water, circulating the water.
so anemone's do not normally roll up inside themselves? NO!!!!!!!!!
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SaltyFishGal http:///t/391734/condalactys-anemone-sucked-all-his-tentacles-inside#post_3475795
This is him starting to turn himself back after being 'inside out'
This is him now after being removed from the tank for a little while after i thought he was just about dead...
hes all puffed back up and huge again and looks full and bright... what in the world is going on with this guy.. or am i just observing normal behavior and getting worked up over it?
STOP MESSING WITH THE ANEMONE!!! It is only going to stress it out.
 
saltyfishgal

saltyfishgal

New Member
s
Quote:
STOP MESSING WITH THE ANEMONE!!! It is only going to stress it out.
you act as though i was doing a whole bunch of stuff.. all im doing is trying to ensure the safety of my other creatures, and all i did was remove him. thats one thing. and since no one was telling me why he was inside out or why he sucked all his tentacles in i had to assume he was dying.
how could you possibly know if i have enough light if you dont even know the size or number or bulbs I have?
as a matter of fact is just talked to our local fish expert (whom i did not know existed till 20 minutes ago) and he assured me that i have MORE than enough lighting in this tank.
also, after he reviewed the photos and info i provided him with (same as you) he said that the color of my anemone is right, anemones vary in color and as long as his foot is vibrant orange and his tips are vibrant pink there is no need for concern colorwise. also..
when you type to someone in all caps IT SEEMS LIKE YOU ARE YELLING... learn netiquette... i am leaving this forum because you are rude and ignorant... why i bothered wasting my time with your input i will never know, nor forgive myself for...
goodbye and i hope the people who run this site are aware that i, nor anyone i know or some in contact with will visit this site... thanks to you and your blatant rudeness and ignorace... have a nice day
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Well Saltygal....I am sorry that you have taken the advice given as rudeness......actually everything that you have been told is true....and I am sorry to say that your expert is incorrect.....You may want to go somewhere else for info for now on
google anemone care if you do not believe us, and you will see that they require much higher lighting...also ...look at some images and you will see the difference between a healthy anemone and yours
I hope after you do so, you can see that we only meant to guide you.......and the caps were only meant to stress the point.....not to admonish you
so many people come here.....and ask for help....and do the opposite...so we kinda get use to that..
I hope you decide to stay with us, as it seems you are not getting good advice from your "expert" If not, I wish you the best of luck....this is a great (altho expensive) hobby
 
rickross23

rickross23

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///t/391734/condalactys-anemone-sucked-all-his-tentacles-inside#post_3475818
Well Saltygal....I am sorry that you have taken the advice given as rudeness......actually everything that you have been told is true....and I am sorry to say that your expert is incorrect.....You may want to go somewhere else for info for now on
google anemone care if you do not believe us, and you will see that they require much higher lighting...also ...look at some images and you will see the difference between a healthy anemone and yours
I hope after you do so, you can see that we only meant to guide you.......and the caps were only meant to stress the point.....not to admonish you
so many people come here.....and ask for help....and do the opposite...so we kinda get use to that..
I hope you decide to stay with us, as it seems you are not getting good advice from your "expert" If not, I wish you the best of luck....this is a great (altho expensive) hobby
haha. it seems on the last post she was telling US how to keep anemones........ weird......
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Hello. You do need to listen to the advice given, do some research and then develop a group of people you trust to give you answers that you can use. Your condy is bleached. What this means is that the animal has expelled it's symbiotic zooxanthellae algae. This is normal in an animal that has gone through the stress of capture, shipping and being moved from the fist store to its home tank.. It can recover with the proper care which means feeding and lighting appropriate to its needs.
Here is an article on symbiosis.
http://ag.arizona.edu/azaqua/algaeclass/symbios.htm
Condy Anemones require very strong lighting and will not do well unless strong lighting is provided.
Here is a picture of a slightly healthy specimen. Notice the color all through the tentacles. That is the symbiotic algae.

And here a very healthy specimen.
 
M

malemotives

New Member
One thing I notice, on the Forums I frequent, is that there are a multitude of DIFFERENT responses to everything and anything. Those who ask questions should not be surprised at getting conflicting answers, and you should not let it bother you. There are some "purists" who will tell you not to have air stones in your saltwater or not to have faux decor of any kind, and there are those who have had both for years. Over time, I have simply learned to smile at the differences. Each has their own experiences. My experience with my anemone is, you are experiencing its normal behavior and should not be concerned. Probably not a good idea to mess with it or move it, or otherwise stress it out, but just enjoy its uniqueness. I initially moved mine a few times, to where I had a better view. But it has its own mind so to speak and wanders off to where it feels most comfortable.
 
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