Newbie help~reef feeding, powerheads & anemone sick

[contrarymary]

The amount of info here is overwhelming! Just when I thought things were doing OK. My anemone has a lot of gunk on his base. I posted a pic at diseases & treatments (really need help here). While reading posts I feel that I need to add some feeding programs to my tank mates. The inhabitants of my 55 gal tank are as follows:
50 lbs live rock
1 foxface
2 percula clowns
4 mixed damsels
1 long tentacle anemone
1 bubble tip anemone
1 feather duster
1 lettuce nudi
1 large star polyp rock
1 medium button coral rock
1 large hairy mushroom rock
1 chocolate mushroom rock (6 shrooms)
1 purple urchin
2 brittle stars
10 nassarius snails
15 hermit crabs
Any advise? So far I am feeding spectrum marine pellets, green marine algae & frozen krill.
I have powerheads all Maxi, 1200, 900 & 400 (powers uv sterilzer). There doesn't seem to be enough movement when I angle 1 to the top to keep the scum down. Any advise here?

 

[floatingfish]

first can you post a pic in this thread as well to help us help you. Also i have to say 1 urchin and 2 stars in a 55 gal, that is going to be a real big problem when those stars get full grow and the urchin damages you coral. you probably should not even have one fo those, much less all three. ......I am confused are you just asking about the anemone and you water flow inside the tank. I think three powerhead should be fine. do you have a skimmer? that should help keep the "scum?" down.

 

[contrarymary]

Thanks for the reply...I was getting worried no one would respond.
So far, so good on the urchin & brittle stars. When I ordered the stars the info said 3-6". They arrived at a good 10-12" ea. The urchin is doing good....poops like a chain smoker! I will definitely keep an eye on the coral for losses. My little spiney friend will have to go to the local(if you call an hour away local!) swf store if we have problems.
My main concern today is the anemone. I thought perhaps he wasn't getting enough of something (food (thawed frozen krill 2X week), light (compact flour. 65w, 4 lamp, dual light/actinic) or water movement.
No protein skimmer here yet. Any favorites?
Thanks in advance!

 

[ocellaris_keeper]

anemones although not stated on most stores are extremely hard to care for.
What type of anemone is it? Remember that some are actually not from the reef, they are from colder parts of both the Atlantic and Pacific.

 

[floatingfish]

that anemone looks like a long tentacle anemone. from what i can see from the pic there seems to be some sort of loose skin or something, no idea what that is. do you tend to move it alot or just leave it alone? .....you really cant support two 12" stars in a 55 gal. what are you planning to do to prevent starvation?

 

[chinpokomon]

No Skimmer = No Anemone you need to get one as soon as possible! Protein skimming is not an option in saltwater setups it does something no other filter can, it removes a huge volume of waste before it starts the Ammonia cycle The protein load in you tank is overwhelming your Anemone with waste products that water changes alone won’t fix. As for skimmer suggestions I would recommend a venturi style skimmer over an air stone airlift version. The airlift version will only work with limewood air blocks that must be replaced monthly while the venturi models only need cleaning once a month. A cheap passable version would be a Seaclone 100 (-$100) a top of the line Berlin can run $300+ *Link Removed* has a variety of brands and prices if this sites selection doesn’t grab you.

 

[shrimpi]

How did you get your anemone to fold up like that? did you detach him? was he never anchored to the substrate? his foot is not very pronounced. It looks like a LTA but he should have a reddish foot. Does the gunk come off his foot or is it coming out of his foot like an ulcer? Its hard to tell from the pic. You def. need a skimmer to clean that water, you shouldnt have nasty topwater issues like you are describing.

 

[walmart]

How old is this tank?
im hoping you are using RO/Di water
and i would return the stars and anemones. they probably wont work well together. and the anemones will not survive with out perfect water.

 

[walmart]

CHINPOKAMON.
delete the website you have in your post.

 

[contrarymary]

The anemone had been attached & let himself loose. Bad news though...last night he free floated & got caught in the Maxi 1200 jet. Found him this morning in pretty bad shape;( I do have the guard on the intake. I saw a post that said to use a waffle ball on intakes to help stop this. I turned the pump off & he is slowly pulling his tentacles free. He not looking too good. As far as the "gunk" it is more like slime, not ulcers although I saw a few bubbles under his skin on him the other day that could be ulcers.
I am disheartened about fish store guy advice. My guy seems sincere but he obviously just wants to make $$$. I have spoken to him 2X about the anemone & has told me that it is probably nothing to worry about. I asked about how many inverts can be in my tank & he said the is no limit on them as they don't count when it comes to burdening the system.
The first contact I had with him was when I had a new 47 gal. column freshwater setup. I had only a single flouro tube but I did have a good filter (Rena canister)I had a salt tank 20 years ago & I inquired what it would take to convert to salt. He said all I needed was food, crushed coral, salt, hydrometer & a power head. HAH! By the way I use well water & red sea salt.
Just a note though...I don't regret the conversion. I am passionate & really love all it has to offer. I spend hours looking at all that is going on. I like the fish but I love the other sea life.
OK, a protein skimmer...going to get one. I have been looking & learning (hopefully)! Any thoughts on hang on vs. not? I am looking at either a hang on Red Sea Prizm Pro Deluxe Protein($180) or the Berlin Turbo($184). If I go with the Berlin, is the Rio pump OK? Are there any options?
Thank you in advance. Other than the fish store guy I don't have anyone to discuss these things with.

 

[uberlink]

Take the anemone out because it is going to die soon, rot, and pollute your tank. Seriously. Remove it and cut your losses.
You should never have two species of anemone in a tank--especially not in something as small as a 55. They get into chemical warfare with eachother. Get the dying one out and be thankful if the other one survives.
You've heard the protein skimmer advice, and you really should get one ASAP.
Overall, I think your tank is overstocked with fish. Pull out a least two damsels (most people will say get rid of all of them, because they will eventually start terrorizing your other fish). That foxface will get quite large (mine is about 8 inches long) in time, and you'll need to upgrade to a larger tank or give him away.
On lighting, I'd say you'll probably be okay for your BTA, but keep an eye on him. They can survive with enough PC lighting (which I think you have, though others may disagree), although they really thrive with stronger lighting (T5 or metal halide).
It is a matter of time before your lettuce nudi gets sucked into one of your powerheads. It's virtually inevitable, which is too bad. They can do well in a refugium, so maybe put him in there if you have one.
One brittle star would probably be more than enough, but I don't think that will cause any particular problems if you keep them fed. (Although keeping them fed means more food and more waste into the tank...get a protein skimmer ASAP!)
Those are my quick thoughts.

 

[contrarymary]

Thanks uberlink!
My anemone has almost completely freed himself and is starting to perk up. I really hate to let him die without trying. I thought that when(if) he gets free that I might a loose rubber band around a rock to keep him grounded for a while. I don't have a refugium.
Dog gone it! Now I am worrying about the bubble tip too. I want to do the right thing...
I am still wondering about which skimmer to get. I need to order online. We are still under a winter storming warning for another day at least. We had blizzard warnings here in Northern Michigan for a couple of days and the closest store is about an hour away right into the snowbelt!

 

[contrarymary]

Just ordered a AquaC Remora Protein Skimmer
with Maxi-Jet 1200 Pump. It had 12 customer reviews all with 5 stars. Hope I made a good choice.

 

[mombostic]

That bubble tip is pretty bleached. Make sure you are giving him supplemental feedings along with the lights to help perk him up. There are some good threads in the "Clownfish and Anemones" forum to give you very specific advice on what they like and how often to feed. I have the Remora skimmer. It's pretty good--easy to install--just be patient while waiting for the bubbles to subside. It could take over a month--trust me, I know. The bubble tip is a good looking specimen though, and he seems to have a pretty firm grip on that rock. Good luck!

 

[d0 thy d3w]

Originally Posted by uberlink
Take the anemone out because it is going to die soon, rot, and pollute your tank. Seriously. Remove it and cut your losses.
You should never have two species of anemone in a tank--especially not in something as small as a 55. They get into chemical warfare with eachother. Get the dying one out and be thankful if the other one survives.
You've heard the protein skimmer advice, and you really should get one ASAP.
Overall, I think your tank is overstocked with fish. Pull out a least two damsels (most people will say get rid of all of them, because they will eventually start terrorizing your other fish). That foxface will get quite large (mine is about 8 inches long) in time, and you'll need to upgrade to a larger tank or give him away.
On lighting, I'd say you'll probably be okay for your BTA, but keep an eye on him. They can survive with enough PC lighting (which I think you have, though others may disagree), although they really thrive with stronger lighting (T5 or metal halide).
It is a matter of time before your lettuce nudi gets sucked into one of your powerheads. It's virtually inevitable, which is too bad. They can do well in a refugium, so maybe put him in there if you have one.
One brittle star would probably be more than enough, but I don't think that will cause any particular problems if you keep them fed. (Although keeping them fed means more food and more waste into the tank...get a protein skimmer ASAP!)
Those are my quick thoughts.
for an anenome he has nowhere near adequate lighting...remember he clearly stated taht he was only running 4 2*65watt pc's, that would be 160watts of pc if it was all in 1 fixture...but 55 gallon tanks use 2 seperate fixures...so its really only 130watts over each side of the tank..fine for softies..but not for sps or anenomes unless theyre really high up in the tank...plus anenomes move..so most of its life in that tank with that lighting would be bad becuase the anenome wouldnt be able to get all the light it requires to live...just something to keep in mind.

 

[puffer32]

As stated by last poster, this is not enough adaquate lighting, and your anenome is bleaching, sorry. Your choice for a skimmer is excellant though.

 

[reefkprz]

Originally Posted by chinpokomon
No Skimmer = No Anemone you need to get one as soon as possible! Protein skimming is not an option in saltwater setups it does something no other filter can.
this is completely untrue, there are many ways to run a reef without a skimmer, though skimmers are excellent and I highly recommend them, saying you cant run a successful marine tank without one is over exaggerating.

 

[reefkprz]

I agree with what has been said by several others, the lighting is not going to be sufficient in the long run, the anemones are taking the slow road to death.

 

[puffer32]

You don't absolutely have to have a skimmer, but why not if it gives you a more healthy tank? I believe the poster who said no skimmer, no anenome is just saying skimmers help for pristine water conditions, which healthy anenomes need.

 

[mombostic]

It's a total of 260 for the tank, which is exactly the same type of fixture I had. When I got my BTA, it looked a lot like the one in pictured in this thread. It did recover under the pc's and with supplemental feeding, and I've had it for a while now, close to two years. There's a picture of it now in the photography forum titled "the happy clowns at home!"
Having said all of that, I still think that although the anemone will live under the pc's, at least in my experience, they will undoubtedly thrive, grow, and possibly even split under better lighting, such as MH. In March I upgraded to MH, so time will tell!