Need fast advice on Anemone w/ Corals in Same Tank!

[aelene]

Hello, I need some advice.. and hopefully fast b/c my LFS closes in an hour (I might have to take something back)
I have a 40g tank with three fish so far and an anemone, some mushrooms, baby zoos and pulsing xenia.
Yesterday I purchased the pulsing xenia and a hatian pink tip anemone... neither of them are looking so hot today and I'm not sure if it's just an adjustment period or if they are doing poorly. I called my LFS today to get advice and the guy I normally talk to said he would not suggest having an anemone in a reef tank b/c they release stinging "material" into the water which can affect the other corals.

Any thoughts on this? Is that true or does anyone have experience with having them combined? I only have VHO lighting, not MH, FYI. Any quick answers are appreciated as my only opportunity to return at full price is w/i the next hour.

 

[aelene]

no thoughts from anyone!?

 

[sundance1]

I have 3 anemones in my reef tank,6 months and no trouble yet.They are LT anemones(I think) and don't move much.If they move close to a coral,i'll just move the coral and keep my fingers crossed.If they cause too much trouble,I'll get rid of the anemones.

 

[aelene]

Okay I'm really starting to get worried. I talked to the manager at the LFS and she said that more than likely they are just getting adjusted to the tank, but it seems like they are just looking worse and worse.
Levels:
PH - 8.4
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 10
SG - 1.023
Salinity - 31 ppt
Calcium - 440
Temp - 80
Current Tenants:
2 small percula clowns (added yesterday)
1 lawnmower blenny
1 cleaner shrimp
3 scarlet hermits
2 hawaiian zebra hermits
approx 10 regular hermits
3 astrea snails
3 bumblebee snails
3 nassirus (sp?) snails
1 mexican turbo snail
1 boxer crab (aka pom pom)
Watermelon mushrooms (doing great)
Pulsing Xenia
FL Condi Anemone (I think)
I included some pics of the Pulsing Xenia and the Anemone (which I think is a Fl Condi, but I'm not sure... ruled out haitian pink tip b/c the base is not orange, it's white/beige. The anemone is in a spot where he's hard to take a pic of, I'd honestly say the pic makes him look better than he really does.
The Xenia, Anemone, boxer crab and percula clowns were added to the tank yesterday afternoon (9/10). The Xenia and Anemone were temp acclimated, the boxer was drip acc for an hour and the clowns were drip acc for two hours. I added a small capful of iodine yesterday along with a small capful of calcium. Today I added a small capful of marine snow for the corals (all three of those were about half of what the directions said to add for my size tank)
Someone help please!! Is this normal for them to look this way? Did I do something wrong? Should I be worried about the health of my tank? The next two days I have a 14-16 hour schedule so I'm kinda freaked out that they could crash my tank in that time, is that possible? I need some advice please
There are two pics of the anemone, one from each side.

 

[aelene]

/bump

I'll pay/bribe the first person that has a relevant answer for me...

 

[maurice]

I would bring your SG up to about 1.026 if you are planning a reef tank,just do it slowly not all at once!

 

[diane4]

The ph sounds a little high. It should be around 8.2.
How about current - how much flow/current do you have in the tank? And what size tank do you have?

 

[aelene]

PH fluctuates during the day, first thing this morning my test was 8.2
I don't think salinity is the problem either, 1.023 should be just fine according to a lot of sources, although I would like to raise it to 1.024.
not too mention if either of those things were the problem, then I would assume all corals in my tank would be doing badly... whereas the mushrooms are doing great.
I have one powerhead, it pumps about 270gph I believe, it's a 40g tank. Between the powerhead, the filter and the skimmer... the circulation is not too bad. It could probably be better but I don't have any apparent dead spots (the circulation behind the rocks is much slower than in the front)
No one has answered the most important question though... is it normal for corals to look like that when they are acclimating!??? Does the xenia look like he's dying, or just trying to get used to tank? The xenia looks much better after the lights being on some this morning. It is standing upright and and has pushed out it's "tentacles" but it's still not pulsing.
The anemone on the other hand, not so sure about him. He was shriveled up pretty small this morning before I left. I had to get a spoon and lodge him out of the bottom of a rock that he got himself stuck under. I thought they were suppose to move to a location in the tank that worked best for them? He seems like he has a death wish or something..
This morning...
PH - 8.2
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
I figured ammonia is the most important thing to test for.. if they start to die will it spike?
:help:

 

[dreuster]

Your lighting looks hella weak...what are you using?

 

[aelene]

that pic is with actinic lighting only, it was last night before the tank lights went out.
I have a power compact, 24" 65W Dual Lamp...

 

[fmelindy]

all your parameters look fine to me. Xenia does transfer poorly in some cases and I agree it does look terrible. But it may bounce back, it's 50/50. The anenome loks fine and will take some time to acclimate and find his right spot. No prob with these organisms together, IMO.

 

[ezee]

Aelene,
From what I have read I think your lighting is too weak to keep those species for very long. Not sure but I think it is a strong possibility.
E

 

[annanymous]

as far as i know xenias d not need much light. they can even be placed on the bottom of the tank and still do well. once they are established they grow like weed, but in order for that to happen you need to have excelent water quality.
how were they acclimated and did the temperature or salinity fall at least 2 pnts?
i've seen many hardier corals so awry if the salinity was unstable even though everything else was perfect.
from your post earlier: mushrooms would be the last[ along with xzoos] to show any sign of trouble as they are the hardiest corals available. xenia, on the other hand, is very vulnerable by even slight fluctuations.
if, as you say, it is standing upright and sticking its polyps out, then its much better then what the picture shows from before. it will start pulsing once it get used to your tank. right now its still acclimating.
it likes medium flow, but first wait till it looks better.
anemones bring more problems with them. if its really florida condi, they dont require MH, though they do better with them. VHO should sufficiant, but you only have few watts per gallon. its really shouldn't be the main problem, but try to bring him closer to the top if possible. its true they tend to move [especialy condies, so keep the intake of your powerhead covered at all times] but they have to adjust first. leave him be for few days, then if he is still closer to the bottom try to bring him up. oh and dont feed him anything right now. wait for a little bit. that will only add to ammonia rise b/c the anemone is still too stressed to eat.
i hope i covered all your questions

 

[vi3tb0i]

yea i think its ur ligthing

 

[aelene]

ty ty ty for the responses.. I've been worried so it helps to have opinions of others.
Both the anemone and xenia were temp acclimated (both my LFS and this site say that is all they needed) Neither my salinity nor my temp have fluctuated enough for concern imo. Salinity has been the same for quite awhile now and the temp will sometimes go between 80-81 but has never strayed from that range.
Here are some pics I just took after the lights have been on all day. The xenia seems like he has a shot of coming back... but I dunno about the anemone. He just seems to look worse and worse. Any thoughts on him? Does he look like he is "dying" or could it just be adjustment still? Should I take him out of the tank or should I let him be still? How will I know for sure when he is dying?

 

[dreuster]

Your tank seems new...judging from the rocks...how old is it? I'm asking because water parameters do not necessarily indicate the age of the tank (the bacteria level etc).
I think you xenia will have a good shot at surviving and proliferating.

 

[aelene]

My tank has been setup since July, so yes it is pretty new. These bad boys are only my second addition of corals, which is why I'm so edgy. I am not familiar with doing this kind of stuff at all. New mom syndrome

 

[dreuster]

haha I was like, dang those rocks look new...yea anemones should be introduced to a reef that has been established for...I believe the standard is 6 months...but I personally wouldn't do it until 8-10 months...for now, I'd stick with leathers, zoos, and mushrooms...eeeeeasy. Xenias are good indicators of water quality, almost like a organic parameter reader...keep an eye on it!

 

[roguetang]

mine would look like that some times when it was about to pooooooo! and there was nothing fast about that either.

 

[aelene]

Well, I removed Mr. Anemone

He was completely deflated, had almost no movement in his tentacles, was upside down and looked like he was close to puking out his guts (out of his bottom anyway)
I put him in a sealed plastic bag with some water and he's floating in the tank until I can take him back to the LFS which won't be until Wednesday. Hopefully the rest of the guys in the tank will perk up... :notsure: