Sick Anemone?

[sdellin]

I noticed my anemone was really bubbled up on one side like a big water balloon, it was shriveled and green on the other side. I was told that it should close up when you touch it if it's still alive, so I just touched it once and it closed up. Now it looks as in the pic.

The lfs said it could have been stung. You can see from the second pic how close the anemone and anchor coral are, there's a big pile of rock between them. Could it have been stung by the coral?

Please advise, should I move the coral, the anemone or wait it out, or what?

 

[Fluff]

Do you see any physical damage on the anemone? Any tears, burns or scars? It does look stressed. I really don't know what to offer except to give it more time and to be sure the water is prestine. It may have had problems with the hammer coral, though mine lives beside my hammer without issue. Are you running carbon?

 

[sdellin]

I have carbon in my canister filter. I can take it out if need be. Does it look like it's dying? Here's another pic. Should I move it to my QT? I just don't want it to die and have all my fish die.

It doesn't look like it has a tear or anything obvious, except that it's gaping and there is a string of dark red stuff coming out of it. I can wait it out, no problem, but please advise if it will be dangerous to other tank inhabitants.

 

[sdellin]

FYI, water testing done earlier today.
ammonia - 0
nitrates - 0
nitrites - 20
ph 8.2
sg - 1.024
kh - 130
phosphates were at .5

 

[Fluff]

Your nitrites being at 20 is toxic or do you have that flip flopped? Even nitrates that high isn't good for inverts so I'd do a pwc. The dark stingy stuff coming out sounds like the anemone expelling waste. That would cause the anemone to shrink up but only temporarily. Once it's done it should expand again.

 

[sdellin]

I have it reversed. Usually the nitrates are between 10 and 20. Nitrites are always at zero. My nitrates usually stay at like 15 (it's between the two colors on the waterproof color-calibrated test color card. What should my nitrates be at? I read below 20 in my book, but advise always welcome.

So doesn't look dead? Did you check out the recent pic above? If he gets worse, I'll post anotehr pic. I wish I knew what a dead anemone looked like so I'd be able to tell. Maybe he's just pooping!

BTW... nice new avitar.

I would like to personally, here in the forum, for the world to see, thank the person who invented the digital camera!

 

[Fluff]

Yeah, you don't want your nitrates to go much higher than that. I figured you had it backwards. I did see the new picture. The brown in the center does look like it's pooping. When they do that, they look shunken and half dead but it should bounce right back if that's the case.

 

[brndfrb]

Looks like in the third picture the mouth is gaping which usually is not a good sign. DO you ahve the anenome on the sand? Anenomes like to be on a rock so they can attach there foot. Try that.

 

[sdellin]

I did put it on the sand when I first got it. It traveled up over the rock and stayed behind the rock, with it's tentacles kind of reaching up and over. It seemed happy for the last week or so that I've had it.

It was today that I came home and noticed that it was bubbled up on one side. It has not attached itself to a rock yet, just climbed over a few, I assume in a attempt to find a good spot. It's mouth was gaping earlier, but it seems to be close up now and when I checked again, it had plopped over on it's side like it did when I first got it.

I feel better now, it's been moving. I'm a mother, can you tell?