[Sruthan]

Hello, I'm new here... nice to meet you all!
I am running a 75 gallon reef aquarium with 10k and actinic bulbs, quite a bit of live rock, a blue damsel, clakii clown, turbos, blue legged crabs, and a few kinds of polyps, and a shrinking (dying) purple-tip anemone (host for the clarkii). The tank is about 4 years old, but I transplated it last October (8 months ago). Water parameters (nitrite/nitrate, pH, salinity, calcium) seem good by tests.
My questions are... what can I do to try to save the anemone (it is now only about an inch-and-a-half in diameter, and its tentacles are smaller than half-an-inch)... I have been trying to get it into stronger light, and feed it with Kent Microvert, and small pieces of silver-sides(bait). Any more suggestions?
I have lost several anemones in a similar way in the past, and never successfully kept one alive for more than a few months. Any suggestions for the future to keep anemones?
Thanks and Peace!

Update: specs: http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19872

Michael

 

[Geoff]

anemone's are very difficult to keep. no body really know what is needed to keep them health and happy. that is most anemone's besides aiptasia.

i am really sorry to hear about the anemone. hopefully some more will give some better insight.

G~

 

[seamonkey]

I have had a purple tipped anemone now for about 2 months. I have very poor lighting but I keep it fed well and try to make sure that its happy. Mine has closed up twice now but has always reopened. All I feed my anemone is along with everything else first All corals and anemones get marine snow twice a week, Every third day I feed pellets and flake and my clowns take it to the anemone, and on a daily basis I feed my fish formula one frozen cubes that the anemone also seems to enjoy. I don't know if any of this will help but I figured I would let you know how I take care of mine.

 

[Geoff]

seamonkey-do you have a skimmer? what kind of skimmer? do you have refugium? i am wondering if the problem could be that the water is to "clean" and the anemone is not getting the nutrients it wants. do supplement with calcium or anything else.

sorry for all of the questions-i did not see your tank specs on the tank specs page.

G~

 

[Jeremy1973]

I would suggest trying something other then the silversides. I have had great success with anenomes....well...except for when they wander in to a powerhead...*sniff* but, when they dont' move, I do well. I have had one bubble tip for almost 2 years now. I occasionally feed it some frozen brine, or frozen mysis. It seems to enjoy that better then the silversides. I put a silverside in, and it..."eh..ok..I guess" I put in some frozen brine, and it acts like "hey..now this is food" So, I would suggest offering it something else to eat. IMO, marine snow isn't enough for it. As for lighting and current...they will usually move where they are happiest...

The other thing you may want to look for is to see if there might be something disturbing it, and keeping it from opening. A worm, hermit..something that might pick at it's sides or something. Just something to think on.

If you do suspect a critter, trying putting the anenome in a small plastic cup in the tank, with maybe a fishnet over it. Something to keep critters out, but to allow water flow through the cup. Put in some food, and see how it responds. Hope this helps some.

 

[Jeremy1973]

btw.... Welcome to TRT! Glad you are aboard!

 

[StellaMN]

It almost sounds like it is suffer from lack of lighting. I know you said that you are running 10000K and actinics----but what type? NO, PC, VHO, MH supplemented with VHO/actinic.

It sounds like you have a sebae, which can be one of the more difficult anenomes to keep and they definitely need good lighting. A healthly sebae is brown with purple tips.

Good luck to you and the anenome.

Jodi

 

[MontanaRocknReefer]

I have a BTA now for about 3 months and it is doing quite well! I have it high in the tank under 250ww MH's and 96ww PC's lighting! I feed it home made mush and is hosted by a tomato clownfish! I believe the key to keeping one of these beautiful creatures is a very well established reef aquarium! Having everything stable in your aquarium goes along ways in keeping "hard to keep" critters! Also "WELCOME TO TRT" and glad you are here! Here is a pic of my BTA with it's host!

 

[Sruthan]

Thanks everyone for both your ideas and welcomes! I'll definitely try them out. I am seriously suspecting lighting being too low now that I'm learning more about it. I'm running 2 40 watt florescents (NO?) (for a total of 80 watts for 75 gallons) -- probably too low. I'm thinking of going the PC route... and trying to at least double the wattage.

Specs: http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19872

Thanks!
Michael

 

[dermp]

Your don't have enough lights. I am running a 65 watt PC light and a 15 watt actinic on a 25 gallon and I still don't think its enough!! My anemones are doing pretty good though and I feed mind brine shrimp put in garlic!! They love it as do the fish!!

 

[Sruthan]

It sounds like light is a biggie... the least $ I've heard a LFS's so far to get started with PC's is $300. A little more than I have in the immediate future... anyone know ways to do PC's cheaper? I saw a post about MH's for under $100... How low can you go with PC's???

Specs: http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19872

Thanks!!!
Michael

 

[Reefer Addict]

I'd go metal halide if you're going to upgrade, with PC actinic supplementation.

A good link to start out with is
HelloLights

You can get everything you need for cheap if you're a Do-It-Yourselfer.

HTH.

 

[hooked]

I am not sure what to say. You have come to the right place to get experienced information. I see lots of post saying more light. I have had a purple tipped anemone that I have in a 90g with only 80w of NO bulbs running only 6 hours, yes you are reading correctly. I have had him for over 6 months and he looks as good as the day I brought him home. I have a marron clown that host with him and he feeds it good. I feed bloodworms, flake food, and beefheart. My anemone when opened is probably about 4-6 inches around. I think I break every rule in the book on keeping an anemone. I have it about middle of the tank. I have a standard 90 so the tank is deep if that helps you out at all.

 

[MontanaRocknReefer]

Hey Jim! Just remember with anenomes they can look great one day and the very next day be doomed! I hope it doesn't happen to either one of us but I am prepared if it does!