Anemone not looking good at all......

[timmy_boy188]

Here is a pic of him, I bought him silversides today from my LFS and fed him one, dont know if that wa the problem though

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/100891anemone.JPG

[timmy_boy188]

anyone?

[Blown 346]

How long have you had it? water conditions? Temp? Waterflow ? Lighting? Was it under halides when you bought, if so is it under halides now? How old is your tank? All of these questions need to be answered to give you a right answer on what might be wrong.

[reefwick]

how long have you had it?
how long has the tank been up?
What kind of lights do you have?
What are your parameters?

Then we can help better.

[reefwick]

wow blown346 we must've been replying at the same time. Don't mean to step on your toes or anything but damn we think alike. haha

[timmy_boy188]

water is stable, had it checked at LFS when I got the BTA, up for 2 months, 260w aqua light 48", had it for 3 days, has been looking good untill now, water temp is 78 degrees, filter 2 power heads, power filter for water circultaion, prizm skimmer

Tim

[reefwick]

2 months is way to young of a tank for an anemone. What is "water is stable"?? Give us some exact numbers please. Chances are he's a gonner (not to rain on your parade). That LFS should never have sold you an anemone with such a young tank. No offense but a little more research would've told you that.

[timmy_boy188]

he is getting bigger now, (looking better) right now I can only test the PH and salinity, (I have the water checked at my LFS) PH is at 8.0 and salinity is at .022,

Tim

[timmy_boy188]

I know I should ahve done more research but I get told one thing at my LFS and then another on the net, I have read a lot on the internet too,

Tim

[jedimike]

He might be just adjusting to the new lights. Just let him be for a bit. Do not try to move him or feed him. It will stress him too much. How does his mouth look?... I can't tell from the pic.

[timmy_boy188]

Looking better

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/100891anemone_2.JPG

[reefwick]

salinity should be more like 1.023-1.026 I keep mine at 1.026.
You should buy a good test kit you really need one. That should be your next purchase.
I know it might get better then turn worse. I make this mistake as a newbie. I got an anemone around two months and it looked good for a day and sh*tty for two and finally just died. Hopefully you'll have a miracle success story but brace yourself for a loss.

[jedimike]

Required BTA reading! All the rose stuff applies equally to any BTA

http://www.freewebs.com/karenssaltwater/

[timmy_boy188]

well he looks much better now, he hasnt moved from where I set him so I know he is happy where he is, he ate the silverside so he is eating, I think he will be fine, thanks for the help guys :)

Tim

[timmy_boy188]

I wish my Perc would hand with my anemone, that was kinda the reason I got it, oh well

[dugg]

First off, like everyone else has already said, a 2 month old tank is not even close to ready for an anemone. Second, you don't have proper lighting to keep him either. Have you read the thread about host anemones?
http://www.carlosreef.com/AnemoneFAQ.pdf
You should take him back to the LFS and demand full credit. They should be more responsible then to sell an anemone to you when you obviously can't keep it alive with that young of a system, which i assume they probably sold to you also, and with lighting that isn't even close to enough to support it. Even if they don't give you credit, take it back, so it can die in thier tank and pollute thier system instead of yours.

An anemone is the same as keeping sps corals, as far as light and water quality goes. They should be kept under metal halide, or VHO at the very least, and your tank should be atleast a year old before trying to keep one, even with the proper lighting.

I don't mean to sound harsh here, but i see this way too often on this board, that a LFS sells an anemone to someone who can't possibly keep it alive, just to make a buck. Listen to the advise you recieve here before any LFS. They are out to make a buck off of you. We are all just here to try and help.

[reefwick]

Amen

[timmy_boy188]

how is it that my power compacts cant support an anemone? its a 300 dollar light setup, 260 watts, thats 5 watts a gallon, its more than enough light,

Tim

[dugg]

The anemone doesn't care how much your light cost you. 260 watts of pc light is equivalent to about 50 watts of metal halide at best. You DO NOT have enough light to keep him alive. Anemones are shallow water animals and require VERY intense lighting, as the live off of the algae that they grow inside for the most part. I'm not speculating here. This has been studied and is fact. You could double the amount of light you have using pc lights and still not keep him alive. Watts per gallon means nothing. It is light intensity and par that matters not watts.

[timmy_boy188]

every site that sells anemone's say that they need moderate lighting, I have never seen one site that has said anemone's need intense lighting, nor heard anyone say that but you, do you have any resources for your statement, im not trying to be smart but that doesnt sound right at all,

Tim

[dugg]

http://www.carlosreef.com/AnemoneFAQ.pdf

All you ever wanted to know about anemones.

I'm not trying to discourage you here at all, but if you try and keep him, he will die, and more than likely everything else in your tank will die soon after, from the pollution he will cause when he melts down into your water. Trust me, i went through this just like 80% of everyone else here did. I'm just trying to save you some grief.

For that same $300 you spent, you could have had metal halide, and been able to keep anything you want when your tank matures.
http://www.roesmarineworld.com/xlighting.htm

[dugg]

also 260watts of pc light wouldn't be considered moderate. That is the low end of acceptable for most corals. You can keep most soft corals. Mushrooms, soanthids, leathers, and some LPS corals but no sps corals, or anemones.

[saurus]

Let me chime in and say that I had those same questions when I first started. LFS are in it for the money hands down. They will tell you what you want to hear or what will make them money. I too thought I could try an anemone when I thought my system was ready. Anemones are very sensitive and require a established system of atleast a year and decent water quality. Some anemones can live with less light but may not flourish. I too did not listen the first time but I can now look back and see the mistakes I made. Just take a second timmy_boy188
and try to realize we (reefcentral) are here to help and give guidance. We can't tell you what to do but we can try to guide you. Just try to understand that maybe we can help. Just take some time and read about reefkeeping, don't rush into things, and certainly do not listen to your LFS. I wish you well and do not get discouraged. Try to take what happens and learn from it. Even if you lose the anemone it will teach you something.

Ciao,
Clint

[timmy_boy188]

so what am I suppost to do with my lighting??? damnet im ****ed

[saurus]

I hope it does not die. Also, most LFS try to keep what they sell for least amount of time. So, it does not matter what lights they have, as long as they make the "item" look nice or attractive. Dude, we are here to help and save you a few headaches.

Clint

[timmy_boy188]

yea I know

[dugg]

Your LFS keeps them under low lighting for a week or two until they sell it, and the corals all expand real nice because they are stretching out grasping for the light that keeps them alive. I wish you all the luck in the world, but i give the anemone about a negative 10% chance of survival for more than a few weeks to a month, probably less.

[saurus]

Ahh, a fellow Realtor.. Right on. Think of LFS as a lender or mortgage broker. They are full of Chit and tell you what you want to hear to get the loan. Sorry but the truth sucks. Or, you can even compare them to a title guy who wants your business.

Now I know you understand. hehe


Clint

[timmy_boy188]

Originally posted by saurus
Ahh, a fellow Realtor.. Right on. Think of LFS as a lender or mortgage broker. They are full of Chit and tell you what you want to hear to get the loan. Sorry but the truth sucks. Or, you can even compare them to a title guy who wants your business.

Now I know you understand. hehe


Clint

you are making things very clear now :)

[timmy_boy188]

what about wha tthis guy has to say, this is what I see when I search on bubble tip anemones

http://fins.actwin.com/species/anemone.html

[saurus]

I wish you well. This hobby is by far the best. I hope you stick with it and enjoy it. I started with a 18 gallon and now have a tank I will be satisfied with. Don't get discouraged and get used to spending money. Once you don't think twice about dropping $1200 on a chiller, you know you are hooked. Good luck and have fun.

[saurus]

Great article but it does not specify that your tank should be atleast established. It also states that some anemones will last a year or less. So just be aware, thats all and keep on reefin.

[timmy_boy188]

oh ill keep on reefin for sure, thanks

Tim

[mcox33]

I have a green BTA under 440 watts of pc for about 6 months now and it has split and become 2. The guy I got it from got MH lights and said it prefered pc so when my new mh go on my 90 I guess they will have to move to the other tanks. but it is looking better in that last picture and you said it is eating so it will probably be okay. although I never had even the condi anemones to survive in a tank less than a year old.

But it is yours, it is your call but do find it a new home as soon as it starts to look as if something is not right again.

Maybe someone close to you could take it until your tank gets older.

[timmy_boy188]

I will definitly take it back if it starts to look really bad, I dont want it to die, but it is looking really good now and I just read that it looks like that because it is expelling waste and discarding of its water to get new water in it, now I need to get another clown and see if he will live in it because my perc dousnt look like he wants anything to do with it, damn,

Tim

[snulma1]

Timmy,

If you are interested in upgrading. You can buy a MH ballast for cheap on e-bay and do a DIY hood to upgrade your lighting. I am upgrading my PC lights to 2 175w MH and 2 96w PC actinics. And after materials and all it will probably only cost me about 200 all together.

[MartinH]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by timmy_boy188
[B] now I need to get another clown and see if he will live in it because my perc dousnt look like he wants anything to do with it

In the sticky thread at the top of this forum, it details which clowns tend to host with what anenome. Find you anenome, and it will tell which clown will "most likely" host in it. I've read there are no gaurantees though.

Good luck with your anenome.

[Wryknow]

Tim - I just want to mention that there is some record of success keeping bubble tip anemones under non-MH lights. Heck, there was a Reef Central tank of the month in May 2005 that was a dedicated Rose Bubble Tip Anemone (RBTA) tank that was lit only by VHO lights. I wouldn't try using PC lighting for any other species but your BTA may be OK with that level of lighting as long as it can get close to the top of the tank (and near the lights.) I am more concerned with monitoring your water quality - especially nitrate levels, and water circulation. How much flow do you have in your tank? Also, I would put buying a nitrate test kit at the top of your list for purchases as nitrates are likely to change in a new tank and may get too high for your BTA very quickly. Also, you should check out the Anemone forum on this site for more good info on anemones. Until then, frequent 10% water changes will probably be good for your tank and will certainly do no harm.

[vessxpress1]

Not to extremely get your hopes up but I've kept my BTA under 2 96 watt PCs for over a month now and seems to be doing ok. A 55 is a little bigger, maybe requiring more light than you have. Like I said, mine's doing ok and definately has grown, but I couldn't go as far as saying it is ' flourishing'. It has moved a couple times recently, but not in the last 2 weeks. I've fed it a freeze dried shrimp every 3 days to a week and I believe it has grown from that. But I do think it has lost some of it's zooxanthellae. and some of the bulbs are white on the bottom of them. I've since taken the glass top off of my tank to get as much light down there as possible. The condensation on my glass was EXTREMELY cutting down on the amount of light getting down there. good luck

[vessxpress1]

By the way, it is at the bottom of my tank also. Not at the top and I have roughly 1500 gph of flow. I check the water very often. I had nitrate problems for a while (stuck at 20 ppm) and this was an established tank. Even after a 20% water change with RO water they stayed at 20 ppm. Then I got some Kent nitrate sponge (it's a lot like kitty litter), put 2 bags of that in my filters, and after a few weeks, the trates are down to 0 and have stayed there. Since I don't have a fuge, that was my best bet for getting them down but it took about 4 weeks to start working and at first I didn't have enough in the system. The stuff will last a long time for you also, 3-6 months before you need to change half. It works. I'd get some of that in your system asap.

[timmy_boy188]

well my BTA hasnt moved form where I put him, and he can go higher if he is not getting enough light and has not done that so I think he is getting enough light for sure, I just bought these lights so im not upgrading for a while,

Tim