Sebae Anemone Question

[reeftank28]

I recently purchased a sebae anemone a few weeks ago and he still hasn't really found a place to grab onto yet. He was attached to a rock for a few days but when I got home today, he was just out in front on the bottom substrate. Anyway of getting them to like a particular place or should I just let him go where he wants? I have a clarkii clown that loves to dive in him. I hope he isn't bothering him to much. Any suggestions on what to do or a specific place in the tank they like better?

 

[hifi]

Sebea's like the substrate they like to wedge there foot under a rock in the substrate. Mine moved many times then stuffed his foot under a rock & has been there ever since, about 1 year. Mine only took about 1 week to get comfy!!! What kind of lighting do you have? Sebae's need good strong lighing & perfect water quality to be happy. MH is in my opinion the only way to go, if lighting is strong then you dont need to feed as much. I feed mine about twice a month but everyone is diffrent. Mine has grown from about 3" across to 12" when hes fully open. Let us know what lighting your running & how deep your tank is. I should also ask what color was the sebae when you got him? & was his mouth closed tightly?

 

[reeftank28]

I have a 55 gal with 440 watts total of VHO. The sebae is white with purple tips and I am not positive if its mouth was completely closed when I purchased it but I don't remember anything abnormal looking about it. Right now mine has also found a spot on the substrate and has sort of tucked itself under a rock in a back corner of my tank. Although it is somewhat under a ledge, it is still receiving some light. I was hoping it would get comfy there and eventually grow up towards the light. As for feeding it, I actually haven't had to yet because my clarkii clown has fed it on a daily basis.

 

[hifi]

I had a clarkii clown & they are the best at taking care of them. It worries me when you say white if its white like a sheet of paper then its bleached & will need good lights & feeding. Im not so sure if VHO will work (just my opinion) Ive heard some people do it but in the long run I just think Mh is the only way for this typ of anemone. Thomas712 is the expert on anemones & I learned everything I know from him

. Heres a link to a guide of his Choosing a healthy Anemone & this is helpfull as well Feeding you anemone Hows your water quality, alk, ph, calc etc?

 

[reeftank28]

Thanks Ifor the response. I am not sure if you would consider it "paper white". I am attaching a picture to see what you think if you can even tell. My water quality is perfect as far as I can tell from when I do my tests. If my sebae was bleached, is there anything I should do to try a keep it healthy?

 

[hifi]

Yep its bleached. It also looks like the mouth is open real wide. Can you see how much the mouth is open? If stringy stuff starts to come out of its mouth then get it out fast!!!! The only way to help it is good watar & just as important good lighting!!!! Feeding will help as well. I can only hope that VHO will do. 440watts is good in a 55g. If Thomas712 reads this Im sure he'll help more!!!!!

 

[reeftank28]

Thanks for your help. I will keep an eye on its mouth. Hopefully it will regain its zooxanthellae and become its more natural color. It is a beautiful anemone and I will be sad if I have to remove it. It is amazing how much information there is to learn in this hobby. I have only been doing this for about 2 1/2 years, but I do a lot of research on things. I still had never heard of bleaching. I should have done more research on anemone before I bought him. Thanks again for your help.

 

[scubaguy]

Yeah, mine looked that way too when I first bought it. One thing I would suggest is to spot feed it. With a syringe feed it phytoplankton(sp?) or Invertabrate Grourmet. I did this every other day for about a month. Now look at it, browning up nicely.
Picture 9 and post 14 has a good pic. I bought it forom the LFS thinking it looked great all white with purple tips.
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=251653
Found out on here that was a bad thing.

 

[thomas712]

Originally Posted by reeftank28
Thanks Ifor the response. I am not sure if you would consider it "paper white".
If my sebae was bleached, is there anything I should do to try a keep it healthy?
Yep unfortunately that is very typical of a bleached sebae anemone, it happens very often when they are collected. It can take a few months for them to recoup from this. A former fellow Mod here (broomer5) had one pretty much like yours. He started with 440 watts of VHO I believe and then upgraded to 440VHO and 500MH combo. It returned to health with stunning results.
Almost every time I have found that MH lighting should be used with the sebae anemone. They are simply light hungry animals.
I recommend feeding it meaty foods 2 or 3 times per week, mysis shrimp, or other chopped meaty foods. Stay away from frozen brine.
Sebea's are delicate and tricky, give it a few months to see if it improves. If there is any way to add MH lighting I'd seriously consider it.
Thomas

 

[thomas712]

Here is a pic of broomer5's sebea when he first got it.

 

[thomas712]

And same sebae after a few months under 940 watts of VHO/MH combo.

 

[ma]

is the stringly stuff that comes out brown, i have a seabae and it isn't bleached, i think it looks pretty good, and i feed it?