Bubble tip anenome not doing well

[BettyJ]

I added a green bubble tip anenome to my aquarium yesterday. It looked healthy when I added it. I acclimated it properly and set it on a nice rock. Within a few hours it had moved 8 inches to another spot, which is fine with me. However, when I checked on it this morning it looked like it barfed out a massive poop. It has spent the rest of the day folded in half. I have been watching to see if it will perk up and take hold of a rock. Should I assist it by unfolding it and placing it on a rock again? Should I try to feed it? Is it dying?

 

[Sniperhank]

It is upset for sure, but lets see what all is going on first.
What are your current parameters?
When these sensitive inverts adjust to our systems, it doesn't always go so well. They will move around until they find a spot that suits their needs, of flow, lighting, so on. They will inflate, deflate, throw up, hide under rocks...and since they don't have a brain sometimes it becomes a self defeating behavior.
When it comes to anemeone, the solution is always pretty easy. Pristine water quality and intense lighting. The rest comes out in the wash. So since we already asked of parameters, what kind of lighting is over the system? You said you acclimated it, did you do so to the light as well?

 

[BettyJ]

I did not acclimate it to the lighting. However, when I saw it was struggling I covered the lighting so it was shaded. Today half of the anemone rotted away, but it looks like it’s other half is trying to live. It is sticking to a rock and the tentacles are full looking, yet very short. It’s foot looks healthy. The poor little critter is fighting for survival.

 

[Sniperhank]

Well, I can't see anything with it being lit under all blues...but it doesn't look like it is melting away. It is just deflated because it is upset. Has it set its foot at all or is it being blown around by the flow in the tank?

 

[BettyJ]

Part of it did rot (dissolve) away. I gently pulled the rotting stuff off of it. It’s foot has been set, but last night it crawled off and is hiding this morning. I guess that is a good sign of life. I will get a better picture when I can. With it having crawled off I have a glimmer of hope for him. One thing I have been concerned about is the temperature of my aquarium. It snuck up to 80 degrees after I enclosed my lights. I am working on lowering that. I read that anemones like 75 degrees.

 

[BettyJ]

It is looking like about 1/5th of my anemone is going to survive. It’s hanging in there. I think you were right about my needing to acclimate it to my lighting. I should have shaded it until it adjusted. It looks pretty pitiful right now, but I am hopeful.

 

[BettyJ]

This is my anemone now. Kinda sad looking, but it has a little spark of life.

 

[bribo12]

What kind of lights do you have? Did it ever look good at the store? I’d say 0 nitrate is bad but I see some algae so that’s probably a false 0. Nems require intense lights and stable tanks to thrive.

 

[BettyJ]

I think my anemone will not survive. I want to try again. I am preparing to buy a new test kit in case mine is too old to be accurate. I attached a picture of my lighting stats and the way my 2 lights are hung above my 60 gallon aquarium. I do have a lot of algae. I have a sea hare who has been eating it, but he hasn’t caught up yet after a month of chowing. I am a little thankful for the algae for the hare’s sake. After I am sure my tests are accurate and my tank temperature is perfect, I plan to buy another anemone. I will acclimate it more carefully including to the lighting. Maybe I will do better.

 

[bribo12]

Make sure you buy a healthy one and that they don’t damage the foot when removing it from their tank. Sometimes you are doomed to fail before you even have a chance due to things you can’t control. That’s possibly what happened here as that nem never really looked good. Good luck!

 

[Sniperhank]

This is from parameter issues. Large water changes with ro/di water at 0 TDS. Manual removal of the algae from the rocks. It will take some time to get to where the system will need to be to successfully keep an anemone. They want pristine water.

 

[BettyJ]

I am happy to report that my anemone lives! Albeit, it is only a 10th of it’s original size. I fed it last night and it ate indeed. Today what is left of him looks alert and happy. I live too far away from a fish store, so I purchase online. I must admit, I have lost several corals I purchased at my online store.

I saw my anemone riding on a hermit crab last night, so I thought, Surely, he is alive. After I watched the crab ditch the anemone on a rock I fed the anemone. Today he looks good.

 

[BettyJ]

Here are my pictures:
1. Hermit crab ride
2. Digesting food
3. Enjoying a fresh new day!

 

[Sniperhank]

This is not a healthy looking anemone. It should not be moving around. Large water changes with ro/di water is needed to start getting the parameters in check if the anemone is going to recover and thrive.

 

[BettyJ]

I know it isn’t healthy yet, but I am surprised it is even alive! I did take your advice and scrub some rocks and have researched how to get my algae under control. I did a 10% water change. I ordered a new test kit to be sure my testing numbers are correct. I reduced my blue lights a little. Hopefully I will get the algae under control and the water quality improve. Them maybe possibly my bubble tip will start to grow. I feel an emotional attachment to that sickly anemone because of it’s near death experience. Amazingly, it is still alive.