water temperature for striped anemones

[LORI]

I just started with a 29 gal.tank and when transferred my anemone from another tank -it has curled up into a ball like shape and won't open up.What do I do? And yes am feeding daily.

[Hara]

How did you transfer it? What kind of acclimation procedure did you use? How long has your tank been set up and could you give us more information about the tank.

Welcome to AquariumAdvice.com

Most anemones will adapt to reef tempuratures but unless an Atlantic species like a Condylactis sp., they do not tolerate cooler temps well. A striped anemone sounds like either an LTA (Macrodactyla doreensis) or a Beaded anemone (Heteractis aurora) both of which will do best in a 78-80° environment. If your temp is on the lower side slowly increase the temp a degree a day until it's where it should be. Posting a pic if it opens up would help ID it.

When transfering the anemone from one tank to the other I would hope it was <<acclimated>> properly via drip method. Sensitive inverts must be slowly conditioned between the varying chemistries of one tank to another.

What kind of lighting do you have over the 29 and how old is the tank? Stable water parameters are very very important when keeping anemones and will not tolerate new tanks well nor will they tolerate less than perfect water parameters. I hope the 29 gal will not be a permanent home for the anemone if an LTA. They get quite large as a rule and will not remain healthy if cramped.

Cheers
Steve

[LORI]

Tank set up last Sunday on Nov. 14th added NUTRI-SEA water and sea water from another tank. Orignally had tank set at 77-78 degres but was reading an aquarium book about new tank setups and it said 72-74 degrees so slowly turned down. Also tank is brand new.The anenome is a zebra.The bulb that came with tank set up is a 20 watt. Your help is appreciated thank-you Lori

[Hara]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your tank is really not ready for any livestock yet, let alone the anemone. It has not cycled yet. The temperature should be up around 78. The last thing is that you do not have lighting suitable for an anemone. If at all possible, you should return it to your local fish store so it has a minimal chance of survival.

[LORI]

Transferred zebra back to tank with 80 watts for lighting and 55 gal.tank.Hopefully he will be ok. What tpye of light should I get for my tank?It has an eclipse daylight bulb in it now. And water temp. has been brought back up. How long for tank to cycle? Thank-you !

A tank can take upto 6-8 weeks to <<cycle properly>>. Transfering water from an established system or the use of "bio starters" will not shorten that time. Water unto itself does not hold nitrifying bacteria only hard surface materials from an established system. The bio starters are a complete waste of money and offer false hope.

As for the lighting, most hosting species would require quite a bit more than what you have. For a 29 gal I would suggest at minimum 2x65 w PC's and for the 55 gal 4x65w PC or more.

The term Zebra anemone is actually quite general but if the one I suspect, it's not a hosting species. If possible please post a pic of your anemone. You might also have a look <<here>> (requires Java) and see if you find a match.

Cheers
Steve