Is my Clown Bad or My Anemone Unhappy?

[coco1963]

I have 2 cinnamon clowns & I got a bubble tip anemone. Once I put it in the tank the Little clown took to it right away. Later that day the Bigger Clown took it over and wouldn't let the smaller one near it, would nip it's tail, so we got another one for the little one which he's using. The Big Bubble Tip wedged itself between a live rock and a Ship Decoration & was a beautiful dark green. Once the Bigger clown took over it keeps shrinking down and going under the ship, then sometime later it will come back out. I read that some clowns can be mean to the Anemone making it shrivel up and die. Any suggestions what it's doing? Or what I should do to keep the Anemone happy? Tank 29 gal.
PH 8.4, Nitrites & Ammonia 0 and Nitrates down to .5. double penquin c cartridge filter system and 1 powersweep. 1 Power-glo Lightbulb 20W.

 

[lexluethar]

You are EXTREMELY UNDER PAR for your lights - which would be one issue. You should have around 120 watts of light, which doesn't even take into account the type of lights you are using. You should be using T5's or MH, which would product around 150 watts of light for your tank. I've heard Bubble tips don't require as much light, but i still think that is grossly under lit for your tank. Without proper lighting your anemone will die within a few months.
The second issue is Nitrates, for anemones to survive you should be close to 0 on your nitrates, at .50 your anemone will probably die - i would do at least a 20% water change right away and continue to try and get those Nitrates down to 0. If you are using a canister filter w/ some sort of filter media change that out once a week.
Third issue is, well its not an issue

, but clowns can be very rough on anemones when they are first introduced - but i think that the reason your anemone is acting how it is acting is because of its environment (not the fish, lighting, nitrates).
Without these two key components, you are just asking for your anemone to die.

 

[coco1963]

thanks, I just got the Anemone Friday and we're going to get better lighting asap. We're doing the waterchange tonight. If it needs light why would it hide under something? What about adding anything to the water I read something about Iodine? I don't have a test kit for calcium & carbonate hardness are they something to watch for?

 

[lexluethar]

As you stated yourself, the clown keeps poking at the anemone, and with all of the other variables that are off right now, you can't say "if it needs lights why whould it hide under something," you could attribute that "hiding" to the clown itself, the water parameters, the light, there are a host of other possibilities. I'm just giving you one reason why it is not happy, upgrade the lights and get your nitrates down to zero. Once that is done and your anemone still looks like crap and is hiding, then we can start looking at other possibilities.
Note: That BTA's usually hide under rocks, and only extend their arms when they are reaching for sunlight.
I would do a TON more research and reading on anemones before going any further, not only in this forum but at your local book store and other research sources.

 

[coco1963]

Will Do, Thanks

 

[coco1963]

ok now i've been looking for the better lights & having a hard time finding them. I'd like to have them in a hood to fit my other hood area if possible. where is the best, cheapest place to get the T5 or T8 or MH Lights?

 

[coco1963]

Would this work OR would it have to be brighter?? Nova Extreme HO Light Fixture - 2 x 24W - T5 - 10,000k/460nm - 24 in.

 

[coco1963]

This one looks good but almost $200. Orbit Aquarium Light Fixture 2 x 65W SunPaq Lamps, 2 Lunar Lights Fan - 24 in. ???

 

[perfectdark]

130 watts of T-5's might work for you. If you could get about 160 watts or better of t-5's thats what I would recomend. Or a 150 watt MH set up IMO would be ideal.

 

[lexluethar]

All in all, no matter what you get, buying adequate lighting for an anemone will run you at least 200 dollars. Listen to Dark, he knows what he is talking about.

 

[petjunkie]

Another thing to consider is how mature is your tank? Anemones are very difficult even for people who have been doing this for years, your best bet would be to return it, without proper lighting it will die and even if it lives it will outgrow your tank. Also using fake decorations can be bad as saltwater will eat the paint off, most aren't meant for sw.

 

[dawman]

What size tank do you have and how long has it been set up ?
I have a few BTAs I keep with power compact lighting for over four years now . The big census on this forum is MH for everything , which for BTAs has been proven other wise by many reefers . BTAs will actually shy away from intense light such as mh and hide under or in rock work . I have a few tanks with mh lighting and experimented for a few years so I can speak not only from what I`ve read and told but experienced as well . IMO unless you get a good T-5 fixture with either adding individual reflectors or one with built in , they don`t penetrate the water that good .

 

[coco1963]

OK Thanks for all the help. 29G tank 4 wks old. This is actually my 2nd set up I had a terrible accident with a tank that was running over a year I think it was a bio overload & everything died even the worms.. The fake ship was in the first SW tank set up for over a year and it does great. I like it and they like to swim through it. UPDATE: The Anemone went the whole way under the Ship and came out the other side but now it's in a darker area. Very confusing Anemone.

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by Dawman
What size tank do you have and how long has it been set up ?
I have a few BTAs I keep with power compact lighting for over four years now . The big census on this forum is MH for everything , which for BTAs has been proven other wise by many reefers . BTAs will actually shy away from intense light such as mh and hide under or in rock work . I have a few tanks with mh lighting and experimented for a few years so I can speak not only from what I`ve read and told but experienced as well . IMO unless you get a good T-5 fixture with either adding individual reflectors or one with built in , they don`t penetrate the water that good .

I def agree, my only concern is the downplay of wattage with PC's and tank size. While I agree a BTA can be kept under PC lighting IMO they have to have a high wattage set up. Which is why I recomend t-5's with indivdual reflectors and or VHO's if you have the means.

 

[nycbob]

wow 4 week-old tank w a bta? u might get lucky and hv it live for 2-3 months at most. they really need good lighting and water quality. its not fair when hobbyists buy marine species without providing them w an ideal habitant to live under. unfortunately, many hobbyists do including myself when i 1st started this hobby. try to buy the right lighting for it asap, that way, at least gv it a chance to survive.

 

[donald]

I have a nova extream 4 X 54w 48" on my 55 and I love it. I think it is a great light. I do not have anything but fish under it for now but, I bought it so I could put a BTA and some soft corals under it. Mine is under a canopy but, I built it so it was easy for me to modify.