Seabae Question

[easyian]

I got my first seabae anemone last weekend. I observed it at the lfs and had it put on hold for a bit. It looked healthy in the store and was about 3 1/2" across in the stores tank. I got him home and acclimated it and placed it on a piece of LR thinking he would move if he didn't like it there. He didn't he stayed right there and under my lights opened right up to about 5" across. On friday I fed him a small piece of shrimp and he gobbled it right up. My problem now is (if it is even a problem) that at 9:00 tonight when I looked in on the tank he was opened right up. Twenty min later he was shriveled up to nothing all his tentacles were sucked in and dark grey. He also had a long line of brown mucus looking stuff coming from his mouth which I guessed to be excrement and also what looked to me his innards had followed the excrement out. Now at ten o'clock he seems to be recovering nicely. His tentacles are fattening up and he is starting to open back up. Is this just a normal procedure for a seabae when they expel waste or should I be worried?

Thanks
Ian

[JG]

Perfectly normal. It's amazing how fast they can inflate and deflate. And yest - you were seeing excrement.

JG

[cmor1701d]

Yep, you'llsee that behavior over and over.

[easyian]

Ok great. Little scary to watch for the first time.

While you guys are on the topic of anemones, I had a question, how do you move them or pick them up when they sting? Do they really sting or is it just for fish?

[angnak]

LEISURE SUIT LARRY!!!! Nice!!!!

They sting you also. most stings can not be felt but if your hand touches the anenome long enough you could get sick. IME carpets have the worst sting. Never touch your anenome. if you have to move it pick it up gently by the base. never pull it off rock. if it is attatched at the LFS buy the rock also.