Sabea Anemone

[lexluethar]

So i think i screwed up on this one. I went to the LFS to purchase an anemone and was pretty set on getting a BTA. After looking around at the store i saw a small yellow sabea anemone. I thought it was pretty neat looking, it looked healthy (no torn foot) so I bought it.
After reading around i'm not so sure there is such a thing as a yellow sabea. I've read (obviously after purchase) that people dye the anemone to give it a more appealing color (how do they do that?). Is there any hope for my new addition? I have a MH bulb, my tank is almost a year old and for about 2 months my parameters have been perfect across the board.
Any CONSTRUCTIVE input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike

 

[lexluethar]

Well hell, i see that SWF.com sells them, but i can't find anything else on them. ALl the articles (not just on this site) speak of only white sebea.

 

[dogstar]

Google useing their latin name Heteractis crispa They are found in several colors, even a yellow but not naturaly white unless bleached. Many are dyed by the wholesellers though.

 

[lexluethar]

Okay sweet deal, i was getting worried. It looks similar to the pictures i've seen online - a little darker yellow but that could be because of the lighting conditions in its previous tank.
Since it is naturally yellow, will it still turn a brownish tint when the zooantha start growing? It may already have some, but the lighting conditions in the tank that I got it from weren't MH.
Thanks again.

 

[dogstar]

Yes, the disk should be/get brown and the tenticals should be colored whatever and most have a purple tip. If the disk is vibrantly coloed the same as the tenticals then most likely dyed.....still can survive under good conditions but will turn back to its natural color over time....if the disk is/turning whitesh, then bleaching. Also can still recover. They are somewhat hardier than many other hosting anemone species IMO, with the BTA being the hardiest. Got pics ???

 

[lexluethar]

I don't have any right now. I will give it a shot tomorrow when my lights are back on. The cameras I have take decent pictures from far away, but from close detail my cell phone does the best job (its not a good job at that). The anemone is only about the size of a golf ball, so detailed picture will be hard. Check this post tomorrow and I will post some.
The foot is yellow too, but not as yellow, kinda like a milky yellow, parts dark yellow like the tenticles, other places not as yellow, more white-yellow. The tenticles have purple/blue tips. I don't think its super healthy because i've tried feeding it brine shrimp and it attached to it, but not very strong and didn't eat it. Again i don't think it was in great condition when i bought it yesterday and i'm sure it will take a few days to get used to its environment.

 

[hurleykid69]

they usually bleach them white for apeal

 

[lexluethar]

Well it looks like it is a goner. It didn't look too healthy when i brought it home. I drip aclimated for 2 hours and it was moving around to find a better spot. Then the other night it looked deflated and never recovered. It hasn't totally turned to mush yet but it looks like it is heading in that direction.
I feel bad for one because i feel responsible for killing it, and two i don't know what i did wrong. I called the LFS and he of course said if it was dead it was my fault.
Any way to "make sure" it is dead?
I may purchase one from SWF.com and get some more snails / hermits to bump the price up to the minimum. Anyone had luck with the yellow sabea from this site?
Thanks

 

[lexluethar]

No one huh?

 

[perfectdark]

is its mouth gaping open? Tenticles sticky or not? Expelling anything out of its mouth? Free floating or just tumbling around the tank, or is it still footed?
All are indicators of a failing anemone... IME.

 

[lexluethar]

Ya it fit all of those, I let it go for a an extra day. But when i got home last night it was pretty much starting to disinigrate. When i first put it in the tank it moved around for about a day, found a spot in the back, deflated tenitcles down in to the sand, then the next day it was pretty much gone.

 

[perfectdark]

If its starting to disintigrate then IMO take it out now. Anemones can foul a tank quickly, they decompose rapidly and nothing in your tank eats them.

 

[lexluethar]

2000 posts - congrats

I took it out last night b/c it looked like crap and was starting to fall apart. I guess i'm just confused as to why it died. I have a few other corals in the tank and they've been doing great now for over a month, and have even grown. Just a bad purchase?
I'm thinking about purchasing an anemone from this site, along with some snails and hermits, would a 4 inch anemone be too large for a 30 gallon tank? I realize they grow and would eventually dominate my tank, but at what rate do they grow? In August i'm moving and plan on purchasing a 55 gallon corner tank.
Thanks again dark.

 

[perfectdark]

Im guessing it was doomed from the purchase. When Anemones fail they fail quickly but there would be other signs that something was wrong in your tank if it was the cause. Stressed, bleached and or just not properly cared for specimines dont often do well. Thats why its recomended that you be careful when selecting one and know what signs to look out for of an unhealthy animal.
I do think a 4" anem would be too big for your tank. It's base maybe 4" but when it filly inflates I would bet it gets about 6 or 7" across. JMO.
Depending on health, tank set up and supplemental feedings they can grow quickly.

 

[lexluethar]

Ya i figured it was just doomed, it didn't have much life at purchase. My fault...

I don't think its my tank b/c everything else has been doing great, my flowerpot coral has grown and has that brown (zoantha) color. Maybe I will just hold off on an anemone until i get a larger thank... I don't want to, but i also don't want to go through the process of prematurly purchasing a large tank b/c the anemone outgrew it.
Thanks again

 

[perfectdark]

If you can find a small BTA IMO you can keep it for a while. I have had mine for almost 8 months now and its in a 29 gal cube tank. Key is to get them small and healthy. Good Luck.