Anemone seems very sick...have pics! Help...

[Mikk]

I purchased this anemone one week ago at the LFS. It was advertised as a green bubble tip...although it doesn't seem very bubbly to me...no matter. Not sure about if it was tank raised or not. Not a whole lot in the tank right now...just a six line wrasse and a maroon clown thats maybe 1.5'' long...oh and that nuisance flame scallop that knocks everything over when it decides to move. The lighting should be fine...I have a 24 gal Aquapod with the 64w PC set up. Much better than the LFS...it had been under crap light for 3 weeks and was stretching as close to the surface as it could get when I found it. I've got 25lbs of live rock and a solid 1.5-2" bed of live sand. My levels are as follows:

Temp: 77
PH: 8.1
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20
Salinity: 1.0225
(tested with the 34 dollar "saltwater master liquid test kit") Nothing fancy

To acclimated it I floated it for a half hour then started adding a half of a cup of my water at 5 min intervals until I had doubled the water volume then released the anemone into my tank. Over night it found a dark secluded spot and hung there getting almost no light for the first four days...then it shriveled up and half hung there...so I moved it into the light in the corner of my tank and noticed it seem to be puking up what must have been the bits of mysis shrimp that my clown must have taken it. The pictures will tell the story...

It then slowly seem to fill back up and return to normal...

Back to its normal size...I was happy...my maroon clown was happy...

Everyones happy...

Then slowly but surely it climbs back behind another rock into the dark...but looks great for the next 40ish hours. Then I find it hanging on barely, all shriveled again. I may just be new but I figure they need light to survive so I pluck him gently down...doesn't take much and put him back in the light...doesn't look to good...

Back to the puking...or so it seems

Clowns not to pleased I'm sure

Looks like it may be trying to gather its innards so to speak...this is the most recent pic

and just in case it helps...a picture of my set up

Thanks for your time...hope I can save this guy. Any thoughts/comments are greatly appreciated!

 

[stevefromga2000]

i personally don't think that your lighting set up is enough for the anemone to survive. they need tons of light. it almost seems to me, which i'm no expert, that they need lighting that is almost, if not all the way, strong enough for a good reef tank. what i've seen recommended for something like this would be at least 200w. i've even seen it suggested a little over that. now, i think that something a little less expensive would suffice in an emergency, but i really don't think that your lighting is enough. just my opinion though, hopefully everything gets figured out. good luck and welcome to aquarium advice.

 

[roka64]

WELCOME TO AA!!!

(tested with the 34 dollar "saltwater master liquid test kit") Nothing fancy

look at this price:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4452&N=2004+113074

Nice tank! How long have you had your tank up and running. Plus you might want to try and get those Nitrates down. Hopefully some one with more experience on those critters will be along to give you solid advice. I just wanted to say welcom and nice tank!

 

[melosu58]

I dont think you have enough light either. He looks like he is dying with all that innerds coming out . Be careful because if they do die in your tank it can foul it up. Your tank looks pretty new as these animals need a well established tank usually at least a year old. I`m hoping but It`s not good.

 

[seaham358]

Agree on the lighting.. And it being at the LFS for weeks with bad lighting probably did not help much. You acclimation process IMO needs to be worked on, Way too fast for an anemone..
What kind of water do you use? Tap, ro/di ??
How old is the tank? Anemones require a mature tank to survive.. Some folks get lucky with their attempt at keeping them when new to the hobby, others end up with a dead critter.
All you can do is keep a close eye on it and hope it pulls through.. Upgrading the lighting may help but IMO it does not look good..

 

[Mikk]

Possibly the lighting I suppose...but what gets me is the darn thing hides from the light altogether...so in that aspect I would agree its not getting enough becuase its not getting any. The tank has been up for five months...its a bit naked due to my 'beer budget nano' technique...lol. I'm new to the nano side of the house...its proven a bit trickier than the 125 I have in storage (just moved...a lot less room now) I use RO water so that shouldn't be a problem...I still dont get what it is puking up though. It went through the process once again today...it looks like old food...but I'm not feeding it. I dont know...I'm working on getting my nitrates down, but I can only go one water change at a time you know?! How would I go about upgrading the lighting on an Aquapod 24? Is there kits? Thanks for your time...

 

[seaham358]

Ro or RO/Di water? RO water can contain impurities in the water that could effect the anemone. I also tell people that they should wait till there tank is at leats a year old before getting an anemone. They are delicate critters..
I'm still thinking the main issue was the acclimation.. this should be done slowly over a few hours.
An anemone will expel waste once in a while but not on a daily basis like your saying. There is defiantly something wrong with the anemone and there is nothing you can do but wait and see how it turns out.
How high are your nitrates? This can effect them also.

 

[Mikk]

Damn the LFS guy...I asked him if I should drip aclimate it...he said...naw we just float ours and release them into the systems. Oh well...unfortionately RO water is the best I can do right now...not sure where I'd go to get DI and I'm not about to get a home system to do it as I live in a dorm type setting these days. My nitrates are hovering at 20ppm...I'm attempting to get them down via waterchanges but its a slow process. What can I do to upgrade a Aquapod 24's lighting...I think I'm out of luck...Thanks

 

[it512]

Unfortunately your anemone looks like my did. My anemone did the same thing, it looked really healthy on the 2 and 3 day. Then he started deflating and then would reinflate and look good again for about 12 hours and deflate. He did that for about 4 days. Then after a week and a half, only half of his body would be inflated and his mouth started to inflate, like a big bubble. Then the last couple of days it looked as if he was trying to turn himself inside out. He died last night, I did notice right before he died he crawled under a rock were there was no light.
My tank has been setup for about 2 1/2 months now, how long has your tank been setup for? I'm wandering if that has something to do with it.

BTW: I acclimated mine over 2 hours, so I don't know if that would have much to do with it. But who knows.

Sorry I cant be of much help, just thought I would share my story with you.
Good luck.

 

[it512]

Hows your anemone?
Did it make it?

 

[Mikk]

So far the anemone is still alive...he seems to deflate once every three days ish. But here is a pic as of today. I'm about to head to Cali for work and am spending a month over there. Hate leaving my tank in the hands of someone else. But if all is well when I get back I was planning on purchasing these lights...any comments? I've been doing water changes of about 5 gallons a week and have got my nitrates down to 5...much better than 20. Well see how it goes...

My anemone now...

The lights I was planning on getting...is it really worth the extra 50 bucks for 14 or 20k?

http://nanotuners.nanocustoms.com/nanotuners/product_info.php?cPath=30&products_id=311

 

[JG]

The "puking" periodically is rather normal behavior as they use the same opening for feeding and for excreting. It is a bit horrifying the first time that you see it.

Don't be surprised if it appears to be doing fine and begins slowing getting smaller until one day it's gone. Anemones do not so well in captivity as a general rule without specialized lighting.

Watch it closely - I lost an entire 90 gallon to the death of an anemone fouling the water. I have since sworn of anemones.

Good luck - hope it works out for you.

 

[seaham358]

Thats one tough anemone.. what a rebound.
Good Job on lowering nitrates, I'm sure that helped the anemone out.

JG, that was a little more then normal expelling waste in those pics.

 

[JG]

Thats one tough anemone.. what a rebound.
Good Job on lowering nitrates, I'm sure that helped the anemone out.

JG, that was a little more then normal expelling waste in those pics.

Agreed