Help ASAP!! Anemone- trying to save a life!!

[acpants]

I just got home from a long day of work, and my anemone is so tiny! It has been in my tank for only a week, and until yesterday when it started acting funny[poofing water in weird places, small to large, open to closed], it was looking and acting very good! From the research I have been able to find, it seems like yesterday it expelled the brown zeo goo?... the stuff that makes the clowns like anemones-- so it must be under stress??
When I just got home, it is so small-- less than half as big as normal, and completely closed! It is long tentacle, pink base with white/purple tips-- maybe i have too much light on it? HELP!!! I hope it's not too late to save its life! What should I do??

thanks in advance to all your knowledgeable lifesavers!!!

 

[spiderwoman]

What type of lighting do you have, what are your water params? Most likely it's a question of having too weak lighting than too much. I'm sure others will chime in on that

 

[amyandbrandon2]

I doubt you have to much light on the little guy. What type of anemone? Tank size? how long has the tank been set-up? Parameters?

 

[acpants]

I have to T5 HO on my tank-- one power-glo, one marine-glo, both 24W.
Tank:
Ammonia- .25 [too high-- ..?]
PH- 7.4 [too low-- how to fix?]
Nitrate-20
Nitrite-0
Salinity-1.027
-- it just looks like it may already even be dead

 

[acpants]

oh, and 20 gallon tall tank, set up for 3 months.

 

[acpants]

sorry to all if these seem like beginner questions -- they are! I am new at all of this and trying to save the anemone! It seems as if the other fish and the starfish are all doing well-- but at what point do I take it out?

 

[spiderwoman]

You need to get ammonia to zero and nitrate should be 10 or below for giving your anemone a fighting chance. I think your lights are OK. Anemones need near perfect water conditions.

 

[perfectdark]

Your lighting is borderline IMO. However your water perameters are so far out of whack its difficult to say if its just expelling waste or severly stressed and expelling zooxanthellea. I am thinking the later of the 2, having amonia in your tank is an absolute no no. How new is this tank and what else is in it? Live rock, fish, inverts etc etc?

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by acpants
http:///forum/post/2490620
I have to T5 HO on my tank-- one power-glo, one marine-glo, both 24W.
Tank:
Ammonia- .25 [too high-- ..?]YES anything above 0 is too high
PH- 7.4 [too low-- how to fix?]YES But to help you more info is needed on your maintanence. Water changes, how often and how much. What type of salt do you use and how do you prepare your sw mix before a change?
Nitrate-20 OK nothing too alarming here.
Nitrite-0 Good
Salinity-1.027 Good
-- it just looks like it may already even be dead

Answers in red....

 

[lexluethar]

I'm also willing to bet you are using a hydrometer to test SG, in which case your SG may be off as well (high or low, who knows). I think you should return the anemone before it dies and fowls up your tank. You need to get ammonia down to 0 (water changes), and you need to work on your PH.
Overall you need A TON MORE tank stability before i would even introduce fish into this environment, much less a fragile anemone.

 

[rcreations]

If I were in your place, the first thing I'd do is try to find another home for the anemone. You can always take it to your local fish store and get credit for it. It won't survive in your water conditions.
Once that's done, figure out why your ammonia is high and your pH so low. Ammonia that high would mean your tank didn't cycle properly, something died in there or your filtration isn't good. How much live rock do you have? As for the pH, not sure why it's so low. Check the pH of your stock salt water that you use for water changes. If that is ok, then do a bunch of water changes to bring it up.