traveling anemone

thrilljunky

Member
Our new tank is doing soooooo awesome! Saltwater tanks must be our thing.
To celebrate our tanks success (cycled yes) we bought a marroon with yellow stripe clown and a green anemone to be his friend. Well, after lights out the anemone got the idea to check out the tank. He wondered around and is now hiding in a cave made by the LR setup. What can I do to convince him to move back out where I can see him. He seemed very happy yesterday. He was out and wiggling and got very excited when the clown fish would come near.
 

errattiq

Member
how long has your tank been cycled? Anemones require pretty established systems, at least in the 4-5 month range... what are your water parameters? What type of lighting do you have? How big is your tank?
 

thrilljunky

Member
This tank is 75 gallon. Been up a few weeks, but everything in it came from our old tank which was 4 or 5 mths going. About 60 lbs LR 55 lbs LS. We have our own test kit and we took our water to the LFS to get it tested too just in case. They fed him at the store and he ate a little. I am wondering if the powerheads are blowing on him too much. He moved to a darker area with less movement, but he moved after I turned the lights out so I don't think it was related to the lights. He is back out and about this morning and still looks happy.
Coralife compact lights
Ph 8.0
a - 0
ni - 0
na- 0
 

a sea k

Member
Anenomes will go to the spot they are comfortable with, no matter how hard you try to to coax him where "you" want him to go. Nems in newly established tanks are not a good idea at all. Here are my suggestions, Keep your water params as stable(and at proper levels) as you can manage and leave the nem alone.
If he settles down then try feeding him some mysis, just squirt some on his tentacles and see if he takes them in. These guys are tougher than most people give credit but given your tank basics you have an uphill battle.
 

thrilljunky

Member
Well thanks for the info. I must say I am a little disappointed to hear that the tank may be a little too young. Our LFS has never steered us wrong in the past. They are very honest about what fish are good for our tank and what we should wait on. They are extreemly knowledgeable and take care of literally thousands of people's tanks in the metroplex. haha I sound like an ad for them. Just saying, I hate that we weren't give more info.
 

mch2o

Member
hey,
I understand your feeling aobut your LFS but u got to understand they are there to make money. If you lose him they hope to see you later down the road to buy another one man. Not saying that they wont ever give u good info.
But us on these forums have no reason to steer you wrong. We love this game and love to keep ppl in it and help them out along the way.
 

robdog696

Member
I have had a lot of luck with the anemones that I have kept. So, I am by no means an expert, but I feel justified in giving advice.
Though I would never "recommend" anyone to buy an anemone while their tank is as new as yours, you did mention everything was moved from a more established system.
The biggest reason for a "mature" system being needed for anemones is so that you don't have fluctuations in water quality. I have found anemones to be very tolerant in changes of salinity and temperature, but not nitrates. In fact, anemones are a great measuring stick for nitrates. Once you know your anemone is healthy and that you are feeding him what he likes and giving him plenty of light, if you ever see it slumping, a good water change will usually do the trick.
So, I would say that you'll probably be fine. Being that your lr is established and covered in good bacteria, your parameters should remain stable.
However, I hope you have researched lighting and have the resources to upgrade. I would NOT recommend keeping even a BTA under compact lighting. I have done it, but it's kind of like feeding a mandarin brine shrimp. The good thing is he's getting some nutrition, but the bad thing is it's the wrong kind. By feeding an anemone well you can maximize the energy it obtains through photosynthesis. But, like a mandarin, without the proper diet it is just starving very very very slowly.
Here is some great info on anemones. I hope this link is kosher with the mods. I apologize if it isn't. http://www.carlosreef.com/AnemoneFAQ.pdf
Most anemones prefer strong current and lighting. Usually hiding indicates that it is being damaged in some way. They will recede into the rockwork to avoid being stung, picked at, or whatever is threatening their health.
Moving around a lot usually indicates that it is not getting enough flow. Try to point a powerhead so that it is sending a current across the top of your rockwork. This is the best method for enticing an anemone to a high point where it will get lots of light.
Climbing the glass is almost always an indicator that your light is inadequate. Until you can upgrade your light, I would recommend feeding every three or four days. I didn't see if you specified the anemone type. I've found that my magnificent anemone prefers angelfish preparations, and my rose bubble tip anemone prefers raw table shrimp that I buy from the Wal-Mart seafood section.
Good luck! Anemones are my favorite part of reefkeeping!
 

thrilljunky

Member
ROBDOG - Thanks for the awesome response! I was worried that he was getting too much powerhead. He has moved back out and has stayed put at least for today. We also got some t5s today to give the tank more lighting. He a green bubble anemone (at least I think that is his name). The store recommended shrimp for feeding, but we are open to try anything he might enjoy.
And now I know who to ask for anemone advice! Thanks again.
 

thrilljunky

Member
GOOD NEWS..... I think. Our clown has discovered the anemone and has been happily rubbing around for at least 30 min. Is this a good sign?
 

rtspeed

Member
Yes hosting mught be in your future, and seeing that they found it they might let it be for awhile until they feel its time to use there new little friend.
 
No worries man, I made the mistake of putting my first anemone in my tank after three weeks under flourescent lighting! He's still here today, just a little happier with T5s! Keep him well fed, he'll be fine.
Originally Posted by thrilljunky
http:///forum/post/2782656
GOOD NEWS..... I think. Our clown has discovered the anemone and has been happily rubbing around for at least 30 min. Is this a good sign?
 

stanlalee

Active Member
If you just transferred your old stuff to your new tank its not "new" but you having a cycle has me wondering about the transfer (did you keep the rock/sand out of water for any extended period?) or if you added more rock or something cause their shouldn't be much in the way of a cycle or instability.
the first thing is what kind of anenome is it exactly? "green anenome" isn't saying much since several species can be green. If its a long tenticle anenome thats not that unusual to hide when introduced or uncomfortable and the lighting is not nearly sufficient enough. I dont know if BTA's hide but they move alot until they find a spot they like (which is why I dont and wont have one).
 

thrilljunky

Member
We did get a few more lbs of lr to add to the bigger tank and figured there might have been some sort of die-off from it even though it was cured, because we did have a very low ammonia almost .25 for one day a couple of weeks ago. But everything (na, ni, a) has been at 0 since and the tank was very stable that everything came from. The Ph is around 8.1 which I thought might be a problem.
The only name we were give when we bought it was green bubble when we got it. I only got only decent pic before he moved back down last night. Maybe someone can help ID him? He is near the top, a little left of center.
 

thrilljunky

Member
errrr ummmm yes lights. I'll have to ask the hubby. Lights are not my area of expertise. I know one is a coralife T5 with a 28 blue and 28 white? Does that sound like one? haha The other is a coralife compact but I can't remember the total amount. I'll ask when he gets home. One of my conserns was that it was lacking in lighting.....
Today he is in the back on the side of a rock in the light, but not in the direct path of the powerheads. And the clown hardly ever leaves him.
Thanks to all for the help so far!!
 

perfectdark

Active Member
Originally Posted by thrilljunky
http:///forum/post/2783582
errrr ummmm yes lights. I'll have to ask the hubby. Lights are not my area of expertise. I know one is a coralife T5 with a 28 blue and 28 white? Does that sound like one? haha The other is a coralife compact but I can't remember the total amount. I'll ask when he gets home. One of my conserns was that it was lacking in lighting.....
Today he is in the back on the side of a rock in the light, but not in the direct path of the powerheads. And the clown hardly ever leaves him.
Thanks to all for the help so far!!
You are correct. Severely I might add... for success I would look into upgrading ASAP.
 
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