bubble anemone

[phk361]

Hey guys
I have a bubble anemone. It's been in my tank for about three weeks. It's about three inches around at the stalk. I feed it every other day; one or two silver sides. It has grown a bit since I put it in the tank but the last three days it has not looked so well. Tonight it has shriveled up. I also have a maroon gold band clown fish that has been in the tank for 1 1/2 years. I think the anemone is dying. Should I just remove it so it doesn't release any toxins into the water? - Thanks, Pete

 

[Anonymous]

What kind of lighting do you have? What are your water parameters? Tank size? I think feeding it that often is a bit much but need some more experienced people to clarify that.

 

[phk361]

92 corner reef ready oceanic number one sump 50 lbs live rock csl power compact 96 watt attinic 96 watt day a few button polyp and a mushroom

 

[fishfanatic2]

First off your going to need more light in the tank for the anemone, about twice as much more. I agree that it doesnt need to be fed that often, but thats OK. Are you sure its not just expelling waste? Anemones have only 1 opening, and what goes in must come out. If not then I think it is going from lack of light. Where is it in the tank? If you can, CAREFULLY, with a credit card, pick the anemone up and place him at the top of the tank. Try putting his foot in a crevice; they seem to like it that way. However, be aware that if you damage the foot the anemone is not very likely to survive.

 

[ChrisRD]

I agree that it doesn't need such frequent feedings and needs more light. Anemones can be tough enough to care for even in ideal conditions, but with that lighting I don't think he'll make it.

 

[phk361]

thanks funny thing is when i got him i put him on top a rock and he went under it and he hangs upside down it will be hard to get him out . I have been told that they go where ever they want and ancor where they feel is the best place . Why do you think he went under the rock? He has looked beter today but at 5:00 he looks as he did last night very limp. If he dies will he let toxic wast in to my water???????? thanks pete

 

[Juck]

I think he's probably going to be fine. 190w of PC is ample for most BTA's in a tank that deep. If you have good water quality then I think he'll likely pull-through.

DO NOT try to move it,,, it doesn't have a brain or anything but it knows where it wants to be,,,, you don't,,,, so if it stops wandering and stays in one place,,, leave it be.


BTA's shrink/purge now and again,, they can get really tiny and it is kinda freaky if you haven't seen it before (just wait 'til it splits,, then you'll really freak out).

I think you're feeding it too much,,,, cut back to one silverside, once a week.

 

[ChrisRD]

Have you checked water parameters?

 

[Anonymous]

My RBTA that Ive had for two weeks seems to do this shrinking thing...It looks like it is dead, but in the evening and the morning (before the lights are on) it is fine, fully expanded..However i cant get it to eat but that doesnt mean its a bad thing I think..Mine is in a well established tank (over 2yrs) and good water conditions (pristine) a salinity of 1.024 (refractometer reading)...It has been doing this the last few days..didnt do it when i got it though... :?:

 

[phk361]

water sallnity 1.024 ph 8.0 nitrite 0.1 nitrate 10 ammonia 0.1 calcium 420 phosphate 1

 

[ChrisRD]

Seeing an ammonia or nitrite reading in a tank that's over a year old is not a good sign and could be your problem. The detectable levels of nitrate and phosphate (at least on hobby kits) aren't a great thing either, but definitely less of an issue.

What sort of source water do you use in this tank (ie. RO, RO/DI, etc.)? Can you describe the system a bit more, for example do you have a skimmer on the tank?

 

[phk361]

Hey Chris
Thanks.
92 gallon reef ready corner tank
96 watt day light
96 attinic power compact light
Oceananic number 1 sump
9 watt UV
CPR in-sump protein skimmer
SEIO 420 GPH powerhead (running 24 hrs on the same side as my sump return)
Maxi Jet 1200 on opposite side (turns on for 4 hrs/day)
Change 5 gallons of water every week
Marc Weiss coral vital every day
Kent calcium when needed
Bio Balls
Drip tray
50 lbs figi live rock (w/ pink, white and blank sponge)
2 yellow tangs
2 purple tangs
3 green cromis
1 fiji puffer (haven't had a problem with him eating anything)
1 bird wrasse (haven't had a problem with her eating anything)
1 maroon gold band clown
1 cleaner wrasse
3 dwarf hermit crabs
1 green mushroom
1 yellow zoo
2 different kinds of button pollops
1 aneomone
1 orange center zoo
All test kits are hobby kits
5 stage RO/DI water unit
Currently using instant ocean salt (until it runs out)

 

[ChrisRD]

That's a hefty fishload. With 4 tangs in there you're probably feeding a lot. That's a lot of waste to deal with. I'd prefer to have more live rock and possibly some live sand in that setup along with a very good skimmer. I would also lose the bioballs (one I had more live rock and/or sand in the system). What model CPR are you using?

 

[ChrisRD]

Also, a bit off-topic, but with that mix of tangs in that size tank, IMO it's inevitable that you're going to run into aggression problems (if it hasn't happened already).

 

[Juck]

Wow,, 4 tangs in a 92. That's gonna end in tears.

A better skimmer, more sand and LR is always a good idea,, but a better idea here is to remove 2 or 3 of those tangs.

 

[phk361]

thanks guys the skimmer is only rated for 60 gal tank. It was sold to me with the tank set up i have wanted to upgrade but my sump ares is only 6 by 11. I also look at all the skimmers on the market and i am not sure what is the best skimmer for the money as i would like to keep my cost down if i can . My return pump is a quiet one 4000 so if i buy a skimmer that needs to run of the return pump i also need to go bigger with that. The tangs are my favorite the two purple never fight and the barbs were clipped of when they were sent to me. The yellow tangs only fight with the purple when its time to find a place to sleep at night . They each have there own place to sleep with the purple side by side in the middle and the yellow at each end. Feeding is never a problem . The aneomome is looking better i have not fed it since 2-8 do you think i should wait till 2-15 or try today? If i add live rock can i add like 10 lbs a week? If i add live sand what is agood way to do it without making a cloud that you cant see the fish for days? thanks pete

 

[ChrisRD]

I agree about giving up a couple of tangs...

Anyway, just make sure before you add any live rock/sand to the main display it's well cured first or it may add to the ammonia problem initially. If you can't get well cured stuff locally, a trash can or other water tight container works fine for curing.

Adding sand by pouring it through a PVC pipe will help keep the cloudiness down. Some people also put it in a clean plastic bag, set the bag on the bottom and then slowly dump it out.

As for skimmers, if there's room in your sump something like an ASM or a Euro-Reef would work well and don't require the use of your return pump. They're very easy to use and low maintenance too.

HTH

 

[phk361]

thanks chris the pvc pipe is a good idea how do you feel about the live sand sold in lfs that comes in a closed bag ? is it ok to use ? example carib sea live sand. As for the skimmer the asm is one that i liked thanks pete

 

[ChrisRD]

I've never tried it myself, but the Nature's Ocean stuff is supposedly similar to live sand (ideal grain sizes, etc). The CaribSea Aragalive product is the same idea (although I've heard the Nature's Ocean stuff is nicer). IMO either one would make a nice substrate, but they're not real live sand. Real live sand is collected on the reef IMO.

If you put a similar dry product in your tank it's going to get seeded with bacteria from the live rocks and IMO you'll end-up with the same thing as the wet, bagged product for less money. The only issue with a dry product is if you put it in a tank with good Ca/Alk levels you have to watch-out for clumping initially. Once the grains are coated with bacteria/slime/etc. that should no longer be a problem.

IMO it's worth getting real live sand if you can find it, but it's not critical by any means. Even if you can only get a little bit, it would be good to use it to seed whatever else you're using (ie. wet, bagged stuff, a dry product, etc.). Another option is to try getting a cup or two of live sand from some local reefers or your LFS.

HTH