Anemone dying?

[Bountyhuntrss]

I have a bubble tip (flesh colored with white tips) and it has been doing great. It finally found a place that it is happy with, good lighting, target feeding, all was well. It usually stays upright and open, but then I noticed it was shrinking down to nothing. I know this is common, but it also started to hang upside down and the base was actually peeling away from the rock. It also has this brown ooze coming out. After a few hours that way, it eventually comes back to normal. The problem is, this has now become a common occurrence and does this every day. It never used to do this...What could the problem be?

 

[melosu58]

How long has your tank been up and what type lighting do you have? Also what is your water test results?

 

[Bountyhuntrss]

It's a 36 gallon, compact lighting, water is perfect. All fish and corals are happy and healthy.

 

[Bountyhuntrss]

Oh, and the tank has been up for about 6 months

 

[melosu58]

OK let`s see where to start. Really need to see water test numbers. What`s considered good might not really be good. I`m thinking your lighting does not have enough intensity. PC`s are on the bottom when it comes to high intensity lighting that anenome`s need. Also anenome`s need a mature tank of about a year old. You might be able to get away with the 6 months provided your tank parameters are stable.

 

[Bountyhuntrss]

Okay, ammonia and nitrite are at 0 and nitrate is less then 10. PH is 8.2, temp. is stable at 78. When I got home last night, he was perfect...standing up tall looking good. I'm wondering if he's not liking the omnivore tablets. He swallows them up and seems to like it, but then the brown ooze. The tank has lots of rock and he is probably sitting mid tank so hopefully he's getting sufficient light.

 

[ccCapt]

Stop feeding it...and what are omnivore tablets? Whatever they are, I can be pretty sure it's not a natural food for anemones.
As Mike mentioned, your tank is very young to be housing an anemone and your lighting may not be sufficient.

 

[thincat]

What an anemone eats and does not digest comes back out through the same openning, What Larry and Mike said makes good sense. Stop feeding that food it sounds like it's more than the anemone needs at one feeding and it's just getting rid of the undigested waste.

 

[Be2lose]

I have two anemones one does deflate every now and then, but comes back fine. Are you feeding the tablet to it dry?
I let mine catch whatever they can and the every other week spot feed them. They seem very happy.

BTW, I added the when the tank was about 6 months old. I had never heard you shoud wait a year. I'm glad I got lucky on this one!

 

[dannyb]

Ok, Ive had a lot of anemones, From BTA's to Carpets.

Tablets are not what you should be feeding him, If so how often? Should be only once a week at most. You should feed him some cut up squid. Thats what i feed mine, or mussel. No bigger then the mouth on him or it could get stuck somewhere, Or he'll throw it back up.

Anemones can just look dead one day, The next they're fine. They can be strange at times.