Long Tentacle Anemone

[duster]

Dr. Ron,
I am wondering if you can help me some. I have a 60 gallon cube aquarium. The ph is at 8.2 very constant, the temperature is at 80 constant, the kh at 10, the specific gravity is 1.021, the nitrites are at 0, the ammonia is 0. It has been up and running since october 15, 2000. It has 4 inches of live sand and crushed coral mixed about half and half. I have in it 70 lbs of live rock, one feather duster, a mated pair of Maroon Clowns, 3 Green Chromis. One month ago I purchased a Long Tentacle Anemone, it is about 6 inches across when the disc is fully extended, and it has a pinkish tinge to its color. My question is regaurding the anemone. It is very restless and cannot seem to plant its foot anywhere. I have tried leaving it alone for a week and it ends up sticking its tentacles up against a rock, I am guessing in an attempt to take a break from the clowns. I have buried its foot in the sand several times and it will stay for several hours and then make a big push to raise itself out and go hide again. I have only power compact lighting so I am sure that it is not hiding from too much light. I have been thinking of adding some mh lighting but have been unsure because of the anemone's behavior whether it would help or make it worse. My Maroon feeds it when i give her too big of food. I feed her mysis shrimp and formula one soaked in either Zoe or selcon 2 times a day and spirulina flake and mysis by itself once a day. She seems to usually feed it the formula one and it tends to eat it most of the time. Is there anything that will make my anemone happy? Is there hope or should I let it be the way it is?
Kristen Matterson

[rshimek]

Hi Kristen,

Originally posted by duster
I am wondering if you can help me some.... the specific gravity is 1.021.

This is WAY too low for this animal. They need full strength sea water: sp. g. = 1.025 or 1.026.

The temperature should be no lower than 80 deg. F., and 82 deg. F. is better.

It has 4 inches of live sand and crushed coral mixed about half and half.

It is very restless and cannot seem to plant its foot anywhere.

.... Is there anything that will make my anemone happy? Is there hope or should I let it be the way it is?

"Restless" isn't the word I would use, I am afraid. "Desperate" is more appropriate. Anemones move to find better conditions. You need to provide better conditions for the animal or it will die. And given the amount of time it has been moving around, you don't have any time to waste.

The light in your tank is fine, they really aren't too particular about light.

Substrate, on the other hand....

The substrate is inappropriate; the crushed coral in the sediment has particles that are too large and abrasive. I suspect this is the root of the problems. These animals normally live buried in the sediment with the oral disk more-or-less at the sediment-water interface. If the sediment is inappropriate, the animal will not excavate down into it, and will try to find a better home.

I would suggest the following. Get a short (say 3-4 inch long piece of PVC pipe a bit bigger in diameter than the anemone. Purchase some real sand, you'll only need a couple of pounds. Try to get sand with the smallest particle size you can get. Have on hand one of the rigid mesh plastic containers that strawberries come in. Get the largest you can. (Check out a local supermarket - the strawberries are a bonus. :D). Wash the plastic container well (don't use soap, but rinse it well with hot water until all the strawberry residue is gone).

Find a place where you want the anemone to be and dig down to the bottom of your tank. Put the PVC pipe in the hole. Make sure there is none of your crushed coral-sand mix in the hole. Put about an inch of sand in the hole. "Hassle" (gently...gently...) the anemone until it retracts fully. Move it to the hole, and put it on top of the sand, next to the pipe with the foot touching the pipe. Pour some of the remaining sand over the animal so that it partially covered. Then turn out the lights, and turn any power heads so the animal is in "calm" - not moving - water. Invert the plastic stawberry container over the anemone to protect it (temporarily) from the clowns.

Then let the animal be. Hopefully, it will attach to the pipe and move its foot down into the sand. If it does attach, bury and inflate, keep the plastic container over it for a couple of days. Let it get well attached and feed it. Try feeding diced fish, something like silversides or lancefish.

If it eats, wait a day and then remove the plastic.

If it then starts to move again, it will be best to return it to your LFS as it is unlikely that it will ever attach.

The bottom line: If it doesn't attach it will die.

Here are a couple of URL's with some information about anemones, you

http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1997/jul/wb/default.asp

http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1997/aug/wb/default.asp

Please read the above articles for information about the biology of anemones in general as well as specific information about your beastie.

Good luck.

[duster]

Thank You very much Ron!
Hopefully I have gotten this information in time to help him out. I have already started to raise the specific gravity a little at a time. My question is about the sand? Should I get some more live sand for him? You said to use "real" sand
by this do you mean like the play sand that you would buy at a hardware store? I want to do this right the first time so I want to be sure. I will try the other foods and see if he will eat. He did eat yesterday some of the formula one and selcon and appears to be regurgitating right now so i will wait to try and feed him again till tommorow. Please if you could let me know about the sand I would appreciate it.
Thank You so much
Kristen Matterson

[rshimek]

Hi Kristen,

Originally posted by duster
My question is about the sand? Should I get some more live sand for him? You said to use "real" sand
by this do you mean like the play sand that you would buy at a hardware store?

The anemone probably would do "okay" in any sand where the grains average less than 0.5 mm in diameter. However, the best sand will be calcareous, and most of sand grains should be between granulated and powdered sugar in size (basically between 0.125 and 0.063 mm). Personally, I would try to get some oolitic sand from any source - LFS or mail order. But as you indicate, there is some urgency. So... do what you need to do to get the proper grain size, but any sand is better than crushed coral.

[duster]

Well Ron,
So far so good, it's been about an hour now since i placed the anemone in the pvc. I used 1" under him of live sand and put his foot against the pvc side and filled around the rest with live sand (quite small grains). He seems to be doing good so far with very little movement on his part. Looks like maybe a big huge relief. I have the water as of now up to 1.023 and will keep going over the next 24 hours to get it up to at least 1.025 for him. I have the current down very low and that seems to be helping tons!
Thank You so much for your advice and wonderful help, Also for the url's which I will put to good use. I want to tell you that most of my problem up untill now with the anemone up untill now has been conflicting advice. But I am new and this I find is only the beginning *S*.
I will let you know the outcome on this end!
Thank You again
Kristen Matterson
and "bob" the anemone!

[rshimek]

Hi Kristen,

For a lot of aquarists, anemones are amongst the hardest of animals to keep. This is particularly true for beginners.

Keep me posted, and we will hope that this one does well. :)

[duster]

Well Ron,
As of right now ...7 am...The Anemone is still in the pipe and seems to be attached..wow I never knew that he could be so big and beautiful. He and I thank you ever so much!!
Yes, Ron untill very recently I was dependent on my local fish store for alot of answers. They have told me somethings that are unbelievable..One being that Anemone's never need feeding...Well luckily I didnt beleieve them on that one..also that my tank perameters were perfect. So all along I have been making absolutely sure not to allow anything to go up or change..Now with the salinity up He is awesome..also with the temp up to 82 He looks wonderful !!!
Yeah...I will keep you posted if any changes.. One thing my husband just pointed out is that even though up untill now the clown has been feeding or storing her food in his mouth *S*. He had never really regurgitated anything. But now all of the sudden since he is looking great. He is...Is this ok?
Gosh I hope so...He just looks so great!
Thanks again!!!
Kristen Matterson
and Bob!

[rshimek]

Well Kristen,

So far, so good. Now, the story goes that this was heard 29 times uttered by the guy who jumped off a 30 story building. Once as he passed each floor on the way down....

So far, so good..... :)

Regurgitation is the animals way of expelling uneaten or unacceptable food. If you find a really good food, virtually nothing may come out.

Glad to hear it is looking good. I would consider you to be out of the woods if/when it still looks good in 6 months.

Try a variety of foods, keep me posted, and good luck...

[duster]

You had mentioned silversides and lancefish..do these tend to be the best foods for him? is there any extras that you would suggest giving him in addition to those 2 foods? Like I had said before I have been soaking his food in the zoe and selcon just like the fish is this ok? I want so badly to do the right things for him but have not had the best of luck so far as you know...I will pick up those 2 today if you could give me any other things to try I will get them too.
Oh also I just ordered your book! It's on the way!
*S*
thank you
Kristen Matterson

[Mark]

Hey Duster,

You had mentioned receiving poor advice from your local fish store. This is too often the case. Where are you located in Texas? They reason I ask is because there is a Dallas/Fort Worth Reef club and a Houston Reef club. Reef clubs are a great avenues for knowledge. With people like Larry Jackson and Brad Ward in the area, you've got a lot of great experts on hand in Texas. Hope the anemone recovers for you.

[duster]

Well Mark,
I live in Fredericksburg which the closest lfs is about 1 and half hours away. I have searched the area pretty heavily and have had no great luck in finding a reef or saltwater club..Maybe you know of one in my area? If so please let me know the extra knowledge would be wonderful!
Thanks tons
Mark

[rshimek]

Originally posted by duster
You had mentioned silversides and lancefish..do these tend to be the best foods for him? is there any extras that you would suggest giving him in addition to those 2 foods?[b]

I think whole fish, guts, bones and all to be the best food. These two foods are pretty good sources of nutrition but they not identical. Lancefish packs more protein, and I think the anemones need that.

[b] Like I had said before I have been soaking his food in the zoe and selcon just like the fish is this ok?

Sure

I will pick up those 2 today if you could give me any other things to try I will get them too.

Do some trials with various foods. See what sticks to the tentacles (acceptable foods) and what doesn't (unacceptable). Acceptability may vary with time as well.

Good luck.

[rshimek]

[Originally posted by duster
You had mentioned silversides and lancefish..do these tend to be the best foods for him? is there any extras that you would suggest giving him in addition to those 2 foods?

I think whole fish, guts, bones and all to be the best food. These two foods are pretty good sources of nutrition but they not identical. Lancefish packs more protein, and I think the anemones need that.

Like I had said before I have been soaking his food in the zoe and selcon just like the fish is this ok?

Sure

I will pick up those 2 today if you could give me any other things to try I will get them too.

Do some trials with various foods. See what sticks to the tentacles (acceptable foods) and what doesn't (unacceptable). Acceptability may vary with time as well.

Good luck.