help my anemone

[jan]

this is the first salt water tank for me and it has gone through 5 weeks of cycling. i added an anemone today and it seems to have shrunk up/shriveled a bit - is that normal, do anemones go through shck when first introduced?? any suggestions??

[Jeremy1973]

Keep an eye on him, but they normally shrivel up like that, it is their way of expelling all the water in their tissue from the pet store. So, be patient...if you just added him, he may stay hunched up for a few days as he gets use to his new home.

[jan]

ok thank you for the info. i will keep an eye on annie the anemone and hope that she perks up :-)

[beach bum]

What type do you have? And what kind of lighting do you have?

[jan]

i am not sure the exact name of the anemone - it has a lot of fingers with purple tips I am new to this so i am still gathering all the proper info/termanology. I have to strip lights - one 18" reef sun and one 18" coral sun. The LFS said that i dont need strong light for the anemone. when i came home today, he fell off the rock he was on this morning and was upside down so i picked him up and placed him on the bottom rock so he could not fall again. based on that info, is there anything i should change? add? subtract??

[Mickadee]

sounds like a BTA or LTA but both need intense lighting NO lights just dont give the amount they need to live. rock anemones are a lower light one but they are pretty much flat.
one good thing is you found a knowledgeable Board that wont tell you what you want to hear or try to sell you something.
I personally dont think the tank was ready for anemone its still fairly new at 5 weeks and your lighting isnt enough for most corals. it sounds like a new LFS is in order. if you see something you like try asking on the board and people will tell you pros and cons of that coral and what is needed to keep it happy and growing.
Mike
could also be a condy how much did you pay for the anemone?
they aslo need a stronger light to live though.

[jan]

thanks for the info mike - will i lose him - (what is BTA or LTA??) should i add more light to the tank - i have just had florescent lights till today. is there anything i can do to not lose him - i only paid $15 for him - i need to look it up to give you the proper name.

[ShirleyM]

Hi Jan,

Welcome to TRT! You will find a lot of very good help here.

I am really sorry the pet store sold you an anemone without first finding out about your system, your knowledge of anemones, etc, but shops seem to do this a lot.

Anemones are extremely difficult to keep alive in captivity. Many take several months to die, so the keeper thinks it "just died", when it was really slowly dying all along. They live for decades in the wild. By the way, a clownfish does not need an anemone in order to be happy. -- just future info for you...

Most anemones require exceptional lighing, all require correct food, and correct water/current for the specific species of anemone.

My fear is that it won't make it. Or it might recover enough to make it for a couple months.

I would like to kindly invite you to ask, read, research before each new creature is added to your tank so you save yourself heartbreak in the future.

Best of luck on the anemone...

Shirley

[jan]

well very interesting info from all of you - after looking at different pictures, i am thinking it is a small torch - i am going to take a photo so you all can help. when i was at the lfs they said that these do not need a lot of light and are very hardy... everything that i have added to my tank thus far has been successful (except for the fighting damsels) any help, suggestions are well appreciated. so.. WHEN can i add reef

[jan]

ok here is a picture but its not very good - can you tell what it is

[ShirleyM]

Well, it does not look like a torch coral.
It does look like an anemone. Does it have a soft underside or a stony underside? I guess it could be a plate coral, but it looks like an anemone.

There are no hardy anemones, in my opinion. But the LFS's usually love to sell them.

I recommend they be left in the oceans.

What do you mean, "when can I add reef?" ??

Hoping this is helpfu,
Shirley

[jan]

well i guess i will have to chaulk it up to bad info and a learning experience. when i say add reef i mean add coral and anemones, etc and expect them to live...

[jan]

so what should i do - take it out, leave it in, when will i know if its goes to that great reef in the sky??

[Pineapple House]

Jan,

Take it back to the Pet Store. Anemones have horrible survival rates in captivity. Even if you do have all the proper conditions, they still die. Anemones are all very difficult to keep sucessfully, and very few actually make it past the one year mark. Your lighting is not even close enough to what it should be for keeping anemones of any sort (most likely from the discription of the bulbs given, they are probably "T-12" lights). Anemones are not even real reef inhabitants. In the wild, most are found far away from any neighboring coral. They've only been introduced into our aquariums. Anemones will move around and sting other corals, get stuck in a powerhead, etc.

Your tank is honestly way too young to be getting into such creatures. It's only 5 weeks old. From the way it acted in your aquarium, it's normal for anemones to soon do that after being placed in new surroundings. Remember that anemones will roam the tank, looking for a spot which fits its needs. Do not place the anemone in the spot in which 'you' like it. It will move away from that area, and be seriously stressed. Anemones will keep moving until they find a correct area. If they do not find such a spot, they will keep moving until it dies.

You would be best off going back to your petstore, and returning it. I hate to be nagative, but I can almost gurentee you that it will die. Even if you did have 'perfect' water conditions and 'perfect' lighting, the anemone would still probably die. They do horrible in captivity. This is one thing that does best left in the ocean where it belongs. I would also advise you to stop taking advice from your LFS. Most of them are in it for the money. They'll sell you anything to get their hands on your hard earned money, even if it means to tell you something is easy-to-keep, when in fact it's extremely difficult to keep alive. I would first come here, and ask all the questions you want regarding to anything you have/want. This site gives great information, and it's only a click away. I can only wish I found these kinds of sites when my tank was only 5 weeks old.


Remember to take advice with a grain of salt, then do what works for you. It probably won't work for anyone else, because no two systems are the same

And, FWIW;
From the picture provided of the anemone, it seems to resemble either a dyed Sebae Anemone, or a Magnificant Ritteri Anemone. Just keep in mind that these are only guesses that resemble the given coloration and shape of the anemone. Do not take these guesses as any correct or accurate statement.

Take Care,
Graham

[jan]

thank you so much for your information. I have learned my lesson...so how long do i have to wait to add new creature. i know now that i need better lights - but as far as my tank - my damsels seem pretty happy. i guess i need to enjoy them or now and be patient - but when can i add