Do Condy Anemones Fade?

lkgrenegade22

lkgrenegade22

Member
The reason I ask is I had one for awhile and even when I bought it the anemone was a faded dull white and it remained like that for the time I had it. I saw a few in a LFS's tank the other day that were BRIGHT white with purple tips on the tentacles. They were about half the size of the one I had. They were also being kept under a Coralife PC light, not T5's or MH's and were still that bright.
Is it because they were smaller and will they fade as they get bigger?
 
fragglerock

fragglerock

New Member
My condy didn't fade, but instead turned brown from the zooxanthelae (spelling?) which it is collecting under my lighting.
In captivity they do change color.
White being a sign of sure starvation.
 
patriot54

patriot54

Member
Originally Posted by LKGRenegade22
http:///forum/post/2888355
So the bright white is a bad sign? Mine turned brownish and stayed that way when I had it. Is that a good sign?
White in condy anemones is bad. You want them to be a tanish or light brownish color.
 
stonehammer75

stonehammer75

Member
My Long Tentacle Anemone Shown in my Avatar used to be White. Now however it is very brown. I have a bubble coral that is the exact same color. It used to be White as well. This is normal?
 
premilove

premilove

Active Member
i have the same nem as u stone. i had it for almost a year and he still is that greenish color. body is reddish brown..i hope he is ok!
 
stonehammer75

stonehammer75

Member
I was told that it is common for filter feeders to be stained. Being I am in an older house and the water I use being well water might have a bit of rust to it. Even though the water is purified it still must let some get through. The color is very much like rust. The LTA has been in my tank for about a year now getting the same water.
 
lkgrenegade22

lkgrenegade22

Member
Hmmm...Well I was asking because I had my Condy under PC lighting when I had it and I figured the lighting would not sustain it (after I had bought it and done the research) and that was why mine has turned a brownish color. So you guys are saying the brownish color mean it was healthy? It did double in size in the period of a month and never walked over the tank. It found a spot and stayed there the entire time.
I just thought the Condys I saw were much more attractive being that super bright white with purple tips...
 
fragglerock

fragglerock

New Member
Your condy should be tan, your LTA should also have color and not be white and a BTA should also not be white.
You can tell if it's having a hard time, a lot of times, by the shrunken tentacles...if your anemone is not eating properly it will have short tentacles and its mouth will pooch out as if saying, "feed me".
This is my anemone after a few weeks, 3 or 4 months ago.

This is last week.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f4...i/december.jpg
Notice the consistent color and the enlargement of the anemone? This is consistent with good feeding, water quality and lighting. I only feed once a week and this anemone has gone (in almost 4 months) from approximately 3" to approximately 10" across.
The BTA color should be something dark as this is, when in full health.
This is a Rose BTA anemone.

A healthy Condy (I turned the flow on him by accident and that is now corrected...by no means should they ever have this much flow), with proper coloration...they can even go darker than this and it is fine.
 
lkgrenegade22

lkgrenegade22

Member
Awesome info and thanks for the pics. My condy looked just like yours. It was tan and was huge. It would stretch out more when the lights were on but according to the info in here it was in great health.
 
shrimpi

shrimpi

Active Member
most condys sold at LFs are bleached, and they look 'bright white' which attracts buyers.
My LTA I bought the owner told me it was healthy, and normal for that location it came from (africa or something). I knew the nem was bleached but bought it anyway. It was SOO bright it even glowed under actinics.. it was SOO bright my husband actually noticed it in the tank and was like 'what the heck is that thing'
heres what it looked like then (taken 7/5/2008)


here it started gaining zooanthelae (spelling?)

and heres it now, much happier, bigger (outgrowing tank) and much more colorful. It has a nice purple/pink base with the same blue-green tints it had when it was smaller and sicker. I was like 4" when I got it, and now its 11" or larger in my 24g nano!

It takes time, but you can easily fatten up your sick anemone with some good lights and frequent feedings. I like to start the nem with very small meaty foods like mysis at first. They seem to respond better to small feedings when they are sick.
Good Luck
Jess
 
lkgrenegade22

lkgrenegade22

Member
Thanks for info and pics. I looked at all the LFS's yesterday looking for a big anemone but everybody was all out of pretty much everything!
 
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