need help

[maryjane66979]

got two anemones about 2 weeks ago they were doing great until about 4 days ago. one is a white sebae witch my clown loves, the other is a condi. the sebae is not as big and not so white anymore, the condi is almost dead looking and about 1/3 of the size it was last week.

 

[lexluethar]

What do you need help with? Why the condi looks dead?
Need some information like:
Tank size?
Lighting?
Length you've had tank up?
What all is in the tank?
What do you use as a filter?
Answer those for us. As for my first guess it could either be because it was just a bad purchase (anemone was already doing poorly) or because you have too small of a tank for two anemones and they are attacking eachother (usually through chemical's in the tank, doesn't necessarily have to be touching eachother to harm eachother).

 

[invertcrazy]

Well first WELCOME to the boards
Imo the sebae is one of the hardest anemones to keep alive and the condy 9 times out of 10 won't host any clowns. Once in a while you'll hear someone say their condy is hosting a clown, but this is rare. Also anemones should not be white at least have a tint of color. A bright white anemone is usually bleached(not enough light or wrong lights). Anemones require T5ho or medal halide lighting and a well established and stable tank of at least 6 months or longer. Anemones get 90% of their food from the lights so the correct lighting is a must. Anemones deflate and inflate to flush their systems out once a day or once every 2 days. They look kinda scary when they deflate but 5 or 6 hours later they should be inflated again. Just keep an eye on the nems , if they look like they are melting and falling apart get them out of the tank asap, they're dead and they will nuke your tank if left in there too long after they die. They release toxins into the water when they die. The smell of a dead nem will knock you out so you'll know when it's dead when you get it out of the water. They are beautiful animals but can be a headache if not cared for properly. I hope I didn't discourage you in any way but I just wanted to give you a little heads-up about this animal. Hope this helped a little. Oh one more thing, if the star you have is a chocolate chip, it will try to eat anything it can climb up on.

 

[lmecher]

Two very good replys but want to add that when anemones die they don't release toxins. They will create an amonia spike that could possiby kill everything in the tank as they decompose, very important to watch and remove at first signs of death. One very conclusive test if you re not sure is the smell test. Anemones have a distinctive smell when dead or dying, putrid.
Without more specific information there's no way to advise you. I have several guesses but the others have already covered them.
If you are not already you should have been actively running activated carbon.

 

[maryjane66979]

my tank has been up and running for 9 mo. not sure the brand of lights but they are bright and i was told those were the ones to get to do anemones and corals, i have a hang on skimmer, canister filter (not sure but think its called rena filstar) power heads, my tank is 90 gal. i have 2 clowns, 2 damsels, 2 gobies, 1 tang, 1 dottyback, 2 stars, 1 shrimp, about 35 hermits, and about 25 snails and my 2 anemones, my condi looks a little better today about half the size he was last week, and my sebae has moved under the rock overhang. i do know that they deflate, but they just dont seem to get back to the size they were. just did a water check and change yesterday, water was good. ive only had 2 problems with my tank, the first 2 months i had alot of ick and lost a few fish, the last 3 months ive had and algea problem first it was the red slime now its the green hair.

 

[rod buehle]

Originally Posted by Lmecher
http:///forum/post/2990075
Two very good replys but want to add that when anemones die they don't release toxins. They will create an amonia spike that could possiby kill everything in the tank as they decompose, very important to watch and remove at first signs of death. One very conclusive test if you re not sure is the smell test. Anemones have a distinctive smell when dead or dying, putrid.
Without more specific information there's no way to advise you. I have several guesses but the others have already covered them.
If you are not already you should have been actively running activated carbon.

For the most part you are correct here. The biggest concerns are from the fouling anemone creating an ammonia spike just like anything else that dies in our tanks. Most things are small enough in mass that the spike can go unnoticed, but anemone mass is usually larger therefore a larger mess.

Certain anemones CAN EASILY cause issues other than the decomposing flesh. H. magnifica can and will release nematocyst that can create havoc with every fish in the tank. I dont think its all that common, but I do know personally of a few situations where it has happened.

 

[lexluethar]

"Bright" lights won't cut it, you really really really need to do your research and let us know what type of lighting you have. T5, PC, Metal Halide, etc. Google search the name and model number on the unit and / or bulbs.
90 gallon should be fine IMO. Just ensure they are both staying away from eachother and that you are running some type of carbon filter incase they are using chemicals or if one dies. If your levels (nitrates) are at zero or near it you should be okay.
With this information I really think the anemone should be okay in the short-run. If it ends up dying it is more than likely because it was already in poor shape and not beause of the tank at this point.
At this point you just need to ensure you have adequate lighting for the long-term health of the anemones.

 

[maryjane66979]

36" odyssea 96w pc actinic & 12000k daylight
30" coralife t-5
the condi looks alot better, the sebae was upside down under the rock overhang then when i came back to look at him he was in the front of the tank sucked into my powerhead, my clown was not happy about this, i got him out and i think he will be ok.

he still looks sick/sad.

 

[invertcrazy]

I don't think your lights are going to cut it for that size tank.
Sorry to hear about the anemone and the powerhead. Zip tie a piece nylon mesh around the powerhead so the anemones don't get sucked in again. Just my .02

 

[lexluethar]

Very good advice Invert! Seriously you need to have small mesh filters on all powerheads. Take it from a guy that had an anemone for over a year before it got chopped up into millions of pieces in my tank...
Ya PC won't do squat for anemone's in your tank. The T-5's are minimal IMO, how many T-5 bulbs do you have?

 

[maryjane66979]

i only have 2 t-5. this is really making me upset cause im starting to feel that my lfs are lying to me about so much stuff just to make a $ its bs! thank you guys for the help. what type of lights should i get to help these guys live? like i said earlier the condi look great now i moved it to the highest rock. the sebae looks so bad my clown keeps trying to perk him up.

 

[lexluethar]

Ya that anemone looks a little bleached. The tenticles are good color at the tips, but the entire anemone should have that color. YOu can see the base of the tenticles doesn't have a brownish tint? It's becoming bleached - meaning it also came from a store that either doesn't have adequate lighting or wasn't there long enough to recover.
2 T-5 bulbs won't really cut it, especially in a 90 gallon. Google Nova Extreme T-5. That is what you need, they will be high quality bulbs AND they will each have individual reflectors. So you can either do that or get a Metal Hallide system.

 

[maryjane66979]

what should my SG be at? i was told no higher than 1.024 but its best to stay at 1.022 is this true or is that too low?

 

[lexluethar]

Sound be 34 to 36 ppm(or is it ppt?) salinity... i don't know what that comes out to be with SG. Are you using a hydrometer or refractometer?

 

[lmecher]

SG for an anemone tank should be 1.025.

 

[rod buehle]

Originally Posted by maryjane66979
http:///forum/post/2991803
what should my SG be at? i was told no higher than 1.024 but its best to stay at 1.022 is this true or is that too low?
natural sea water is 35PPT or 1.0267. If your using a refractometer, its usually best to read in PPT. you will find it easier and more accurate over time.

 

[maryjane66979]

my sg is at 1.022 so what is the best way to raise it to 1.025? also the 36" dual PC's are not adequet lighting? thanks

 

[rod buehle]

instead of topping off with fresh(RO) water when your tank evaporates, top off with saltwater instead until you get it up to 35ppt (1.026) or close). Your animals will not die at 1.022 but they would be more comfortable at 1.o26
the dual PC Can work, but not optimally and not even likely with the crispa. They may wander more searching for more light.. They may do better if fed more often (small/tiny pieces) but feeding more means more waste, means a need for a better protein skimmer and more water changes.
Thousand of variables in this hobby, and no perfect answer can ever be given in a short internet post.. Too many ways to do things and too many ways of things being done.. Most all of them can work

 

[small triggers]

It is more cost effective to just add another fixture to the one you have if there is enough room at the tanktop. Thats what i chose to do instead of getting MH's. You can find a 36" odyssea t5HO 156 watts or a power compact 192watts for like $90. If you have the space to add it infront or behind your existing lights you should have enough watts to keep the anemones happy.