Newbie....Anenomes Question

[Jesse19rap]

Hello everyone!

I am new to this site and am really excited about the knowledgeable forums. I am relatively new to the Hobby and may be having issues with my Green Bubble Anenomes. Here is a general overview of my setup. I have a 24g Nano Cube by JBJ and have had it for 2 months. Everything has been going pretty well and we are very attentive to the tank. The store we deal with is very good and have been in business for 30 yrs so they have helped us a lot. However, from what I've been reading I may have jumped the gun getting my Green Bubble Anenomes. The tank has:
20lbs Live rock
Live Sand
Protien Skimmer
UV Sterilizer- On 24 hrs

Fish: In order of Purchase- generally one/two fish per week
2 Chromis
Yellow Headed Diamond Goby + 3 Hermits
Six Line Wrasse + 3 Nassarius Snails
Cleaner Wrasse

I test at least once a day to maintain my Nitrites, Nitrates, PH and etc: Everything has been great but I recently noticed my bubble Anenomes has moved and pulled in all of its tentacles and have shrank down to 1/2 its size. I added ground shrimp cubes (i break them down in warm water) and used a turkey baster to target feed it. The store I deal with said it is just likely purging but it has been a while. What can i look for or change to see if it is alright or where do I go from here? The colors haven't changed at all. If you need more info, let me know. Thanks for any and all help.

 

[Ziggy953]

Yeah I have to agree that you jumped the gun a bit with the GBTA. Your tank needs to mature for at least 6 months (8+ better) before adding a delicate animal like an anemone.

With your tank being up for only 2 months and only having 20lbs of LR I think you are overstocked and under filtered. You really need more LR to help with the filtration of your tank. Feeding your anemone can do more harm then good as it takes a lot of energy to process the food. I would suggest getting more rock and stop buying fish as you are to the limit if not over what your tank can handle. I would aslo suggest doing weekly PWCs with premixed (meaning you mix the SW at least 24 hours before use) RO/DI water. Typically it takes 2 months to fully and properly cycle a tank. Adding a lot of fish and inverts to an uncycled tank is a good way of loosing everything in the tank.

I'm not really familiar with the JBJ nanos and the type of lighting on them but the BTA will need strong lighting as that is where it gets most of its food/energy from.

I'm sure others will chime in to help you out.

 

[Jesse19rap]

Okay great, I was looking into adding some new pieces of LR too! However, I am concerned that it may throw off my tank. My store recommended one additional piece a month until I reach around 25-28 lbs of rock. I've been adding the Inverts as a means of keeping everything balanced, after all that is the general goal. I test the water with my Hydrometer a lot and I fairly confident it is not overstocked. All of the fish are very small.

 

[Ziggy953]

A hydrometer only tells you if you have the proper SG. You need to be testing for Ammonia, NitrItes, NitrAtes, PH ect. The fact that the fish are small now doesn't matter they will grow.

I don't agree with what your LFS said. Adding one piece a month til you get to 25-28 pounds still isn't enough IMO. 1.5 to 2lbs per gallon is the general rule for good filtration. Which means you need at least 35lbs total in your tank to keep up with filtration.

Inverts aren't going to keep things balanced. 1" of mature fully grown fish per 5 gallons. The cleaner wrasse (I'm assuming it is black and blue) will most likely not survive in your tank or any other for that matter. It feeds almost entirely on parasites found on other fish. It is a fish best left in the ocean.

When did you put the first fish in the tank? How long had it been running before you put that fish in there? Have you tested your ammonia levels? Have you tested for anything other then SG (your hydrometer)? Have you done any water changes yet? What kind of water are you using to top off after evaporation?

Welcome to AA by the way!

 

[Jesse19rap]

I cycled for almost three weeks before I added anything, took water samples to two different stores and they both gave me the okay for wildlife. I tested for ammonia every other day for the 1st three weeks and every friday since. I do 10% water changes every friday and top off on Mondays. Initially I was using tap water but have since topped off with RO/DI and plan on doing my changes with RO/DI. I also constantly test Nitrates, Nitrites, pH etc. Approx. every other day.