Please look at my pictures, am I doing something wrong?

[nina&noah]

These anemones were originally one Rose anem that split a week after I bought it. They are about 6 months old in a 90 gallon aquarium that is about a year and half old. I have metal hallides. I have tested the water quality and everything seems to be checking out fine. I've read that nitrates are bad for anems so I tested them and they are testing at 0. Is there anything I'm missing? These just don't look healthy to me. One of them is wondering around the tank and is now sitting on my GSP. What am I doing wrong?

 

[dmv]

Did it just split or 6 months ago it split if it just split it may be recovering if not what is your tank temp , do you feed them and how old is you mh bulb I would say a little to much flow but I would think they would move out of it if it was well you have had them did they ever look better or always stringy mine does not bulb but its not as stringy as these two ,

 

[nina&noah]

Thanks for your reply! The tank temp is 80 degrees, and the metal hallides are the original ones that were purchased with the tank, so they are 1 year and a half old. I actually originally put them a little lower out of the flow and they both moved up towards the flow. I do not feed them often (about once a month) because I read that it was not necessary. The original one that I purchased was beautiful. Once it split 6 months ago, the center got larger on one and they both got very stringy. Thanks again for your help.

 

[huggie]

I would try to feed them an see what they do, try some small pices of silversides?

 

[freeworld71]

They need to be fed once a week IMHO

 

[oceanlover]

The anemones seem to be fairly pH sensitive so I have to test bi-weekly to be sure I stay above 8.0 I feed my three anemones krill and silversides (little pieces) a couple of time a week.
This is the website of an anemone hobbyist that has an amazing amount of info on creating happy anemones.
http://www.karensroseanemones.com/
Also, your halides are too old and you should change them.

 

[dmv]

All of the above

 

[shrimpi]

I would lower the temp a little bit, get new bulbs, and keep your ph in check.. whats your salinity running? they prefer a higher level 1.024-1.026ish.
They dont look like they are dying but, they also look REALLY weird? I would say they are unhappy just by the look of those stragling tentacles but hey who knows. did the mother look better than that at the LFS? or wherever you got it?
Jess

 

[nina&noah]

Originally Posted by Shrimpi
http:///forum/post/2839174
I would lower the temp a little bit, get new bulbs, and keep your ph in check.. whats your salinity running? they prefer a higher level 1.024-1.026ish.
They dont look like they are dying but, they also look REALLY weird? I would say they are unhappy just by the look of those stragling tentacles but hey who knows. did the mother look better than that at the LFS? or wherever you got it?
Jess
Yes, the mother looked way better at the LFS. I was so excited because I got the anemone with a little percula clown. They were so cute together. Then my anem started stretching out and getting stringy. My clown still goes back and forth between the two, but there is nothing to swim in! I agree that they look really weird. I will try feeding them and will look into getting new bulbs. How do you know when it is time to replace the bulbs?

 

[nina&noah]

Originally Posted by OceanLover
http:///forum/post/2838724
The anemones seem to be fairly pH sensitive so I have to test bi-weekly to be sure I stay above 8.0 I feed my three anemones krill and silversides (little pieces) a couple of time a week.
This is the website of an anemone hobbyist that has an amazing amount of info on creating happy anemones.
http://www.karensroseanemones.com/
Also, your halides are too old and you should change them.
Thanks for the great link! After reading it, I decided that the poor things are probably starving. I'm going to try feeding them.

 

[perfectdark]

What lights were they under at the LFS? Anything less than metal halides? If yes then my guess is light shock, BTA's are able to survive under different types of lighting, so if they were taken from a less intense light to a more intense light, they need to be acclimated to it. This could be why they are looking like they are.

 

[lmecher]

He's had them for more than 6 months.
Either they're starving or something in your tank chemestry off

 

[perfectdark]

I disagree 150% unless they are under PC lights or less this is not the reason. An anemone gets 90% of its food from the light and trace elements in your water. Supplemental feedings will not hurt, but neither will not feeding them either. There is something else off, and its not starvation unless as I mentioned your lighting is lacking.
I have had my anemone under my halides for over 8 months, I have never fed it and it is triple the size it was 8 months ago.

 

[lmecher]

Originally Posted by PerfectDark
http:///forum/post/2846806
I disagree 150% unless they are under PC lights or less this is not the reason. An anemone gets 90% of its food from the light and trace elements in your water. Supplemental feedings will not hurt, but neither will not feeding them either. There is something else off, and its not starvation unless as I mentioned your lighting is lacking.
I have had my anemone under my halides for over 8 months, I have never fed it and it is triple the size it was 8 months ago.
Just FYI
The experts do recomend feeding.
wetwebmedia.com is Bob Fenner's website, he is a an expert aquarist and author, Academic experience includes fifteen years of college, a couple of life science degrees and a teaching credential for chemistry, physics and biology. This is coppied from Entacmaea quadricolor. Bubble Tip (BTA), Rose Anemones in Captive Systems
Feeding
Iodine, alkalinity, biomineral content... are as important to Anemones as they are to stony, soft corals and other Cnidarians. Again, "Reef" circumstances are required to keep a BTA.
Both foods derived from photosynthesis and augmented physical feeding with meaty foods are necessary for this species. If your animal is or becomes bleached to a degree, ancillary feeding will become even more important. I suggest meaty foods, no bigger than the anemones mouth 2 – 3 times a week, less if the food items are large. The best are fish based (Silversides of appropriate size are excellent, as are various kinds of shrimps, defrosted/frozen cube-foods, planktonic organisms that can be gently directly baster-placed...), and always of marine origin. Tongs can be used to place food items directly onto the open anemone's tentacles.
Some folks endorse the occasional to regular use/soaking of such foods in a vitamin and HUFA prep. like Selcon. This is not a bad idea.
And a note re post feeding behavior. It is not unusual for a just-fed, digesting BTA to "hunker down", shrink in size, pull it's tentacular disk inward and stay this way sometimes for a few days... Do be on the lookout for egested waste packets... and remove these with a net or siphon.
Karensroseanemones:
http://www.karensroseanemones.com/feedingyourbta.htm

 

[perfectdark]

Yes I am quite familiar with who Bob Fenner is. I actually have spoken to him a couple of times.
So are you saying this is an unhealthy anemone...

FYI it hasent been fed in over 8 months. It hasent split in almost 2 years.
When anemones feed they inflate, this is most likely because it increases their surface area for maximum absorbsion of light. Also to be able to snag what particles of food it can. Which by the way when studied in the wild the stomach contents of nearly every specimine found contained pods and other micro fauna and not fish or other large particles of food. This further substantiates the fact that these animals are filter feeders.
No I stand by my opinion they do not NEED to be spot fed on a regular basis especially if you feed your reef on a schedule where it can pick up small particulates of food here and there.

 

[m0nk]

Originally Posted by Lmecher
http:///forum/post/2847046
Just FYI
The experts do recomend feeding.
wetwebmedia.com is Bob Fenner's website, he is a an expert aquarist and author, Academic experience includes fifteen years of college, a couple of life science degrees and a teaching credential for chemistry, physics and biology. This is coppied from Entacmaea quadricolor. Bubble Tip (BTA), Rose Anemones in Captive Systems
Feeding
Iodine, alkalinity, biomineral content... are as important to Anemones as they are to stony, soft corals and other Cnidarians. Again, "Reef" circumstances are required to keep a BTA.
Both foods derived from photosynthesis and augmented physical feeding with meaty foods are necessary for this species. If your animal is or becomes bleached to a degree, ancillary feeding will become even more important. I suggest meaty foods, no bigger than the anemones mouth 2 – 3 times a week, less if the food items are large. The best are fish based (Silversides of appropriate size are excellent, as are various kinds of shrimps, defrosted/frozen cube-foods, planktonic organisms that can be gently directly baster-placed...), and always of marine origin. Tongs can be used to place food items directly onto the open anemone's tentacles.
Some folks endorse the occasional to regular use/soaking of such foods in a vitamin and HUFA prep. like Selcon. This is not a bad idea.
And a note re post feeding behavior. It is not unusual for a just-fed, digesting BTA to "hunker down", shrink in size, pull it's tentacular disk inward and stay this way sometimes for a few days... Do be on the lookout for egested waste packets... and remove these with a net or siphon.
Karensroseanemones:
http://www.karensroseanemones.com/feedingyourbta.htm
When I click on that link and see the following comment:
"When I see someone post that statement I no longer trust anything they have to say"
it basically says to me that this person doesn't like to entertain new ideas, therefore is against what science truly offers. I wouldn't trust anything on that website after seeing their opinion on other people's research and opinions.
Besides, even Bob Fenner has changed his mind on some things after better science/solutions come along. I know I don't have the same opinions on certain things 10 years after I formed that opinion, no matter how much I knew on the subject back then. Why don't you post on his website and see what his current opinion is on the subject, specifically whether silverside feeding is REQUIRED for all rose anemones.

 

[fats71]

Originally Posted by Lmecher
http:///forum/post/2847046
Just FYI
The experts do recomend feeding.
wetwebmedia.com is Bob Fenner's website, he is a an expert aquarist and author, Academic experience includes fifteen years of college, a couple of life science degrees and a teaching credential for chemistry, physics and biology. This is coppied from Entacmaea quadricolor. Bubble Tip (BTA), Rose Anemones in Captive Systems
Feeding
Iodine, alkalinity, biomineral content... are as important to Anemones as they are to stony, soft corals and other Cnidarians. Again, "Reef" circumstances are required to keep a BTA.
Both foods derived from photosynthesis and augmented physical feeding with meaty foods are necessary for this species. If your animal is or becomes bleached to a degree, ancillary feeding will become even more important. I suggest meaty foods, no bigger than the anemones mouth 2 – 3 times a week, less if the food items are large. The best are fish based (Silversides of appropriate size are excellent, as are various kinds of shrimps, defrosted/frozen cube-foods, planktonic organisms that can be gently directly baster-placed...), and always of marine origin. Tongs can be used to place food items directly onto the open anemone's tentacles.
Some folks endorse the occasional to regular use/soaking of such foods in a vitamin and HUFA prep. like Selcon. This is not a bad idea.
And a note re post feeding behavior. It is not unusual for a just-fed, digesting BTA to "hunker down", shrink in size, pull it's tentacular disk inward and stay this way sometimes for a few days... Do be on the lookout for egested waste packets... and remove these with a net or siphon.
Karensroseanemones:
http://www.karensroseanemones.com/feedingyourbta.htm
I am te fella with the hat and fenner has the red on. I am certain I know him
I will also say that perfect dark is 100% correct. (not that i am anyone)

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by m0nk
http:///forum/post/2847402
When I click on that link and see the following comment:
"When I see someone post that statement I no longer trust anything they have to say"
it basically says to me that this person doesn't like to entertain new ideas, therefore is against what science truly offers. I wouldn't trust anything on that website after seeing their opinion on other people's research and opinions.
Besides, even Bob Fenner has changed his mind on some things after better science/solutions come along. I know I don't have the same opinions on certain things 10 years after I formed that opinion, no matter how much I knew on the subject back then. Why don't you post on his website and see what his current opinion is on the subject, specifically whether silverside feeding is REQUIRED for all rose anemones.

I also have to add to this...
Quotes from the above mentioned site
"Take what these people have to say with a grain of salt (pun intended).
My response: Backatcha... no advice should be taken as law, or an or else scenario. Every thing you read especially things read on a site based strictly on someones experience should be taken with a grain of salt, even my advice.
The simple fact any other advice or proof is considered ballony... (actually bologna)...This statement is enough to turn me off from an obviously narrow minded opinion. I have shown substantial proof to the contrary of what is stated on that site. Do what you want with the information.
The other disturbing statement is this.
"There are no organisms on earth that can survive without food of some sort"
Obviously the process of photosynthesis, how it occurs and how it benefits our inhabitants is a mystery to this person.
And no im not looking to increase my post count... what ever relevance that has to giving advice.

 

[bang guy]

I always thought we were doing OK with this Anemone:

 

[cdangel0]

As much as I love a good anemone argument - I am going to try to help the original poster a little.
MH bulbs should be changed much more frequently then every year and a half. change the bulbs but be sure to "light acclimate" the tank again afterwards, the spectrum the lights are giving off now is considerably different then what it will be when you replace them.
Go ahead and spot feed occasionally - it doesn't hurt anything.
I have found that the elongated tenticles are a result of too much flow - they won't always move due to flow.
Constant moving is a result of not being happy - it's trying to find more light or more food.
Keep an eye on PH levels, anemones are very very picky about their water quality.