got an anemone now what?

[douggiestyle]

picked up a long tentacled anemone. where should i place it? on the sand or on a rock?
it doesnt seem to want to stick to anything. i also keep finding it on its side. one last question, what should i feed it? it spit a piece of shrimp out.

im all ears.

i had anemone nightmares the night before i bought it.

 

[cj10488]

The anemone will choose where it wants to go.. If it doesnt want to attach to anything it does not like something in your tank.. You can feed them any meaty foods.. It it does not want to accept foods it doesnt seem healthy... You are going to want it to attach to something before trying to get it to feed.. What are you levels in your tank and lighting as well as how long has the tank been setup..


HTH<
James

 

[Anemoneman]

My LT never ate shrimp.

picked up a long tentacled anemone. where should i place it? on the sand or on a rock? what should i feed it?

These are questions one should research BEFORE getting an anemone.

Many wild caught anemones are not healthy in the LFS. Few survive. If you have intense lighting and a mature tank then give it time. It may attach and survive, might not.

 

[douggiestyle]

These are questions one should research BEFORE getting an anemone.

trust me i did research. (possibly to much, i suffer from a mild form of OCD)

the results i am getting do not match the research that ive done.

Many wild caught anemones are not healthy in the LFS.

that is a concern for me i thought i had a nice healthy one but maybe not

 

[Anemoneman]

My LT was buried in the sand with it's foot attached to the bottom glass. It was under a ledge and inflated out into the open in front of the ledge. It needs rocks surrounding it to feel secure I guess. That was my experience. It thrived in a 75 under 8 40W NO tubes for a couple years and spent the last several years under 175W MH. Had it for around 12 years. It survived 3 tank moves.
In the last year it slowly shrank from a max inflated disk diameter of around 12" to nothing. Interesting but perplexing. It was incredibly healthy until then. Even as it shrank it appeared healthy. I think it may be a case of the tank's environmental dynamic changing. It seems like some things thrive while others fade away. Then a few years later, that which thrived begins to fade and something else thrives. I've noticed this in other tanks as well, especially mature tanks. The closed environment we attempt to keep seems to be in flux as we add things, change things, move things, etc.
I haven't been tempted to replace it for the reasons I preach here. Also if one anemone died, why wouldn't future specimens? All the corals I have come from cuttings & frags. Fragged corals don't impact the environment. I'm not a tree hugger but I've seen some pretty ravaged coral reefs and this hobby, for the most part, ain't helping. blah, blah, blah, preach, preach (falls off soapbox)

Mark

 

[michealprater]

where should i place it? on the sand or on a rock?
it doesnt seem to want to stick to anything.

trust me i did research. (possibly to much, i suffer from a mild form of OCD)

the results i am getting do not match the research that ive done.

All we can do is help you now try to keep this anemone alive. Not to scold you, but on a site like this, these questions would have been answered in the early stages of research. The only reason I am commenting is because I think people should be very aware how much extensive research they should do before purchasing a anemone.

How old is you tank? What kind of lighting do you have? How many powerheads do you have and what sizes? How big is your tank?

 

[douggiestyle]

in sand is where they are supposed to be found in the wild so that is where i put it. but it kept falling over. so i tried a rock and it knocked itself off in a mere 30 min.

It needs rocks surrounding it to feel secure I guess.

thats interesting because i thought of that myself so i penned it in with a couple of rocks.
it is beautifully inflated.
my concern is that it was not harvested from the wild or maybe from the holding tank properly. and that maybe its base may have been torn. i noticed what maybe a lesion on the base last night but am unsure exactly what im looking for.

is it true that if the base is torn (even a little bit) by removing the anemone that it will die?

 

[douggiestyle]

How many powerheads do you have and what sizes?

none.
do you think this should have alot of water flow?

 

[michealprater]

Water flow is key to having success with a anemone. That is probably the main reason he has not attached anywhere. What lighting do you have?

 

[douggiestyle]

Water flow is key to having success with a anemone

how much?
what ive read on LT anemones says moderate water flow. so i placed it in a very diffused flow area. apx 450 gph flow around it but causing little agitation. do you think it needs agitation?

 

[michealprater]

It should move to the area with the right amount of flow on its own. How are you accomplishing 450 gph of flow with no powrheads????

 

[douggiestyle]

950 gph pump with bulk head fittings.

 

[michealprater]

Well flow should not be a problem.

 

[douggiestyle]

i dug a small well in the sand and placed the anemone in it. it is staying in an upright posistion. i hope all will be well. only time will tell.

by the way i was mistaken, its not OCD my wife says its ADD and that its not mild.

 

[Mermaid]

is it true that if the base is torn (even a little bit) by removing the anemone that it will die?

we tried removing a condi from our tank, and during the removal process the foot tore and only a small section of the foot remained in the tank. it has been a few months and the condi has competely regrown itself. go figure.

on another note, a friend of mine did not have the best of luck with anemones and in the learning process went through a few of them. the ones that didnt survive unfortunately had similar symptoms of yours, i.e not attaching and spitting out food. however you never know so keep researching and good luck!
mermaid

 

[douggiestyle]

sent it to the garbage disposer. ouch fifty bucks down the tube. i was hesitant, i even had nightmares before buying it. next time ill go with my gut instinct.