Plz help I don't want my pink tip haitian anemone to die

[cajenile]

Hi,
My name is Carmen. Just recently I was able to afford to become a salt water hobbiest. I had contemplated it since the movie "Finding Nemo" came out and the young kids in my family fell in love with it, not to under mind myself for I'm a kid @ heart as well.
Anyway I followed the instructions from the place where I bought my supplies. Waited a few weeks like 4, and went back got my starter fish which it had been recommended I got three at the time, two of the started fish died within days, I then waited maybe like three months before I went back and got my first clown fish (2). I went back the next day and bought a 'pink tip haitian anemone' @ the request of my daughter.
They sold me the frozen food and told me to feed it like every other day. After two days or so my amenome showed signs I did not like. The tenticles had shrivelled. I got scared put some more food in the tank to my surprise the clown fish went after it like crazy. Well, the next morning my anemone was looking like the first day I brought it home.
Every night I sit by my tank and enjoy its beautiful movements I love to see the grace it has. It's so amazing, for first time in my life, I have found something so beautiful, something so relaxing, enjoyed and felt so proud to own. But then this evening it did the same thing once again. The tenticles are all shrivelled up and I don't know why.
That's how I found the site for saltwaterfish. I decided I'd get on the computer type in the site and to my amazement, there it was a site for salt water fish. I have read up on the anemonies, thier care, water quality and so forth.
I tested the water which is great. I checked the salt level, and that's a tid bit high but not by much. Either way my anemone has been in the tank for at least 5 days now. Can you tell me if it is normal for the anomone to do that to shrivel its tentacles or do you think something else is wrong? Please share with me any helpful infomation, for I will be grateful. I don't want to lose my anemone nor want it to die.
Plz, Plz help me
Thanks! and GOD Bless

 

[michaeltx]

what are your parameters for the tank?
My first guess since its been healthy for a while would be that its going through a cleansing phase expelling everything out and re-enflat after wards.
not completely sure though. so if you can post your tank parameters, lighitng , and filtration it would be a great help.
on a side note the pink tips are suitable hosts for clowns you might want to reaf up on BTA anemones they are a little harder to take care of though.
Mike

 

[xdave]

IMO, it's not a good idea to have a pink tip in with clown fish.

 

[durgeonman]

a clown will not host a pink tip. if the clowns tried to go into the anemone it would eat them. if you want something to host the clowns get a bubble tip anemone or a seabe anemone. and as far as takeing care of the anemone you have, posting your parameters and size of the tank, lighting ect would really help.

 

[michaeltx]

yeah i forgot the NOT in my post thanks for the catch on that one
mike

 

[grubsnaek]

i have three different types of anemones and they all do the same thing. all at different times and everything my LFS and others that i've spoken to say that this is completely normal. that they might be just hidding in there sense. i thought the same thing always thinking of the worst, hope for the best and just relize sh*t happens.

 

[durgeonman]

Originally Posted by MichaelTX
yeah i forgot the NOT in my post thanks for the catch on that one
mike
lol yea, you might want to go edit it just incase he think hes getting conflickting information

 

[hatessushi]

Every night my Pink tip shrivels up and then in the day time he is full and colorfull. Mine did cartwheels (hence the other na,e for these is tumbleweed anenome) all over the tank when I got him and he finally found a place right in the middle of the tank on the side of a rock.

 

[katieb]

My pink tip and others do the same, it is normal.

 

[hot883]

Carmen, make sure if you have power heads in the tank that you cover the intakes with sponges because they will get sucked up.
What is your lighting like? Standard lighting is NOT acceptable. You need t-5's, MH's etc.

 

[cajenile]

Hi
I am so amazed to the many responses I got back when I requested help from everyone interested. My anemone has not died. I am so pleased with you all, once I read all postings I feel confident that my anenome will not die on me.
The size of my tank is approximately 30 gals. The filtration systems I bought for it are a super skimmer 33,000 (65G), a cascade canister filter 1000 and for lighting a 20w super glo, which were recommended by a sales rep.
Because I am a new saltwater hobbiest I am not sure of the right things I'll need to continue with my new hobby. So, all information you can share with me, will be grately appreciated.
I did not understand certain terms which are totally new to me, for example: a) T-5's MH's (b)LFS
I have more more question: currently I have two clown fish, a pink tip anemone and a starter fish. Why is it that the tank dirties so much? I tested the water a few days ago and everything was ok for the exception that the amonia level was @ .25%, after three days I decided to test the water once again because of how the equipment inside looked (dirty) and to my surprise the anomonia level read .50% and the nitrate .50% as well. I could not believe that in three days the nitrate was @ shouch a level, can anyone tell me what is the probable cause for this issue? Today I will be going to the fish place to buy some Bio Spira for my tank.
For now, once again thank you to all who took time out to give me some good advise and information.
Til Later
Yours truely
C armen
P.S. God Bless!!!!
P.S.S. As for the clown fish using the pink tip anemone for a home has not happened, but what has happened is that I bought, when I first got the equipment for my salt water tank two of my younger nieces (8 & 5 y/o) ask me to buy some decorative plastic anemonies and so I did. I could not believe, one evening, I noticed that the clown fish had each picked a lifeless plastic anemone as a home. Yes, that is where you find them when they are resting. Now, isn't that odd!!!!

 

[saltn00b]

Originally Posted by cajenile
for lighting a 20w super glo, which were recommended by a sales rep.
....
I did not understand certain terms which are totally new to me, for example: a) T-5's MH's (b)LFS
currently I have two clown fish, a pink tip anemone and a starter fish. Why is it that the tank dirties so much?
... can anyone tell me what is the probable cause for this issue? Today I will be going to the fish place to buy some Bio Spira for my tank.
ok carmen you need to slow down. slooooooww waaaaay doooown.
you asked LFS - means Local Fish Store, and unfortunately as you will read on here that a huge -percent of them (not all) are staffed with young or uneducated people, or ill-willed people who are trying to make the sale and get you out of the door. So you need to research EVERYTHING you are considering is wrong with your tank, everything in your tank and it's needs, and everything you may want to put into it. You can not simply go window shopping for that pretty thing that your daughter wants, as that is a recipe for disaster.
a) your sales rep recommended to you pretty much the most basic lighting for your tank that you can get from what i gather. there are different grades and types of lighting, only the highest -end and most expensive which will be able to provide enough light to sustain Anenomes and Corals. So in effect, your Anenome, although an animal, gets 90% of it's food from photosynthesizing bacteria in their bodies, and yours will slowly bleach white and starve to death if it is not afforded suitable light.
b)T -5s are a type of flourescent bulb
c) MH stands for Metal Halide, which is arguable the best type of bulb / ballast set up you can get for your tank. either of these systems will be what you will need for what you want in your tank.
d) you most likely (it sounds like) did not perform a water change after your cycle period which would explain why your "starter" (Damsel i gather) fish died. waiting does not always solve problems, as Nitrates have no where to "go", and just build up. that is why you need to perform weekly / biweekly water changes to keep the nitrates in check. When you add new fish, especially to a small system, your biological filtration reacts and re-stabilizes to your new bio-load. your Ammo and nitrites should re-cycle back to zero, but your trates, again, will continue to build.
i dont know what Bio Spira is , but the answer is not to keep throwing money at your problems, but to read an understand what is going on. you want to avoid at all costs putting additives to your tank that you dont know anything about or cant test for.

 

[cajenile]

Yes, I'm sad because as you stated, I did jump into buying things like equipment and an anemone for my salt water tank, and I was not ready nor informed correctly. unfortunately my pink tip haitian amenome did die yesterday morning. I am disappointed for the mishap, but lesson leraned I will research and get properly informed before throwing money away or investing into this new marvelous hobby. You know, I bought that anemone because yes, my daughter suggested we needed to buy a home for our clown fish but the truth was when I ask the sales person about the anemone he really didn't say much about it. I thought that just buy the food it needed, follow the instructions about how to release it into the tank and that was all there was to it. The surprise came later when the anemone started to act kind of funny, I decided to try the net and that was when I first found out this link.
I don't regret buying the anemone for if it was not for it, I would have never found this site, nor you guys whom are so great.
Thank you for clarifying some of the terminaology for me as well as explaining about the different lighting there are for the different salt water life. I will be buying some addtional anemonies in the future but not before I'm completely informed as to the 'how to care and the needs' for them. I'm new @ this hobby but it is one I will continue to educate on. It is really, really something I guess I will enjoy for years to come.
The Bio-Spira I mentioned on my last post before this one, is a marine nitrifying bacteria, which was recommended to me by the LFS sales rep. In the beginning when I first got started I had problems keeping the water balanced. What I did, I changed the water waited a few days and with before i knew it, ammonia and nitrite were high again. After about two weeks of changing water with no avail, I called the LFS that's when I was informed I was going about it all wrong. I was told that water changing was a very big mistake on mybehalf. So, they told me about this pack called BIO-Spira. What it does it removes the ammonia and nitrite, levels the water and prevents ammonia/nitrite toxicity.
Anyway once again thanks! I will come back to this site to learn and research about anything I may be interested.
I have to go and will be back later.
THANKS AND GOD BLESS!!!!!!!!! :cheer:

 

[f14peter]

Originally Posted by cajenile
: In the beginning when I first got started I had problems keeping the water balanced. What I did, I changed the water waited a few days and with before i knew it, ammonia and nitrite were high again. After about two weeks of changing water with no avail, I called the LFS that's when I was informed I was going about it all wrong. I was told that water changing was a very big mistake on mybehalf. So, they told me about this pack called BIO-Spira. What it does it removes the ammonia and nitrite, levels the water and prevents ammonia/nitrite toxicity.
:
I'd wager that most folks here would advise against the BioSpira. There's innumerable ways to naturally instigate a cycle, and I'm not sure if BioSpira actually completes a cycle, or merely eliminates ammonia . . . which you'll actually need to promote the growth of nitrites to consume it, which in turn leads to nitrates which consume the nitrites.
Although I'm far from an expert, sounds as if your tank hasn't gone through a complete cycle . . . or something is causing ammonia to remain high (Overfeeding, something dead/decaying in the tank). I'm not absolutely certain, but two weeks sounds too short for a cycle. Almost everything I've seen/read/heard states it may take up to four or more weeks. Not sure on the theory of water changes during the cycle, but most of what I've learned is that a water change should be done immediately after the cycle is done, but not during.

 

[nigerbang]

The cycle on my 92 took almost 6 weeks to complete...Biospera and the other quick cycle products are a waste of money..(Some) LFS will get you to buy this stuff just so they can turn a profit..(When I am in my LFS they dont even mention things like that when I am around anymore..Called them out on it more than once)..Just be patient and read as much as you possibly can and then print the rest to read later..Impulse buying is one of the most expensive lesson you will learn to break..