Anemone color

[NaH2O]

You need to check the salinity of your tank water, asap. By replacing the 10% of water you used with freshwater during your acclimation process, you are lowering your salinity. This is not a water change, which would be replacing the removed water with freshly made salt water. Do you have a refractometer or hydrometer you can use to check your salinity?

 

[joker577]

I did check it, I replaced it with salty RO water

 

[MAGDRL Mom]

Joker - with perfect lighting (which we cannot even begin to achieve) a nem gets 90% of it's nutrition, the other 10% comes from organic matter. In captivity, maybe 20-30% (off the top my head, no resource to back it up) comes from organic matter if you have optimal lighting.

1. Your lighting is inadequate for an anemone.
2. Your tank is not mature enough for an anemone. (Unless you used 100% LR, water, and LS from an existing system to create this one)
3. We have all killed things, not listened, or didn't know where to find answers
4. We have all felt like a heel and an idiot for having slowly tortured something to death.

Your nem needs immediate attention - Coral Frenzy and Cyclopseeze has small enough particles and are high in nutrition. Target feed the nem everyday. Upgrade your lighting. A good source of natural light will help in the short term if possible.

Maintain pristine water conditions. Target feeding the nem every day will cause you to need larger and more frequent water changes.

Otherwise, your nem WILL die a slow death - starving.

Ideally, take the nem back to the LFS and trade it for something that your tank is able to sustain.

 

[joker577]

At the moment all I have is mysis and cyclopeeze is 12$ but i'll pick some up ASAP

Thank you NaH20 and yes if you advise a plan for me I will do it, but returning the anemone is simply out of the question. I had my levels checked last night when I ran to the pet store and the guy said they were perfect but i'm going again today.

returning isn't an option.

 

[joker577]

Maxx, my guy at the really good coral place around here that I go to his name is Scott, actually he's gonna join this forum after work today but I went in and talked to him and explained about my anemone and he said anemones have been kept under less lighting than mine and (like you said) it's probably the nitrates that are causing it to shed its zooxanthelae. I showed him the post at the store and he agreed with you the most so I'm thinking about getting a skimmer because I can't seem to keep my nitrates below 20

 

[JoshF]

There's a lot of info out there on RBTA's being kept under less lighting. However, all of the systems I've read about having long term success did the following:

1) Fed cyclopeeze or Golden Pearls 1-2 times daily. That's right, daily. If they aren't getting the nutrients from light they need significant nutrient supplementation. Go with a light target feeding at LEAST 1X per day.

2) Kept water parameters stable. That means weekly water changes, around 20-30% weekly. Also, running a bag of carbon which gets changed weekly will help significantly. Your target for nitrates is 0-3. Get a good accurate test kit. You'll want it in the long run anyway!

3) Since your anemone is stressed, remove fish that will stress it further. I didn't look at your fish list, but a glance showed that you have clownfish. Clownfish are notorious for stressing out small unhappy nems to death. A minimum in your tank of 4 months being happy and coloring up nicely before you get any clownfish.


Okay, so like others have said, you are going too fast. Relax, let the tank mature. Once it's doing well for a year, corals and fish that you add will do MUCH better. Build up a year of good habits and enjoy watching the tank mature! It really is more fun than scrambing around trying to fix all the forest fires that pop up in new tanks!

Josh

 

[joker577]

Well...luckily so far these clownfish are more fascinated with the glass reflections than an anemone...and if I was target feeding now wouldn't that raise the nitrates? My only fish are 2 clowns and 1 pearly jawfish.

 

[Maxx]

Wow...lots of stuff going on here...

This isnt a flame fest, and it wont turn into one.
Dont increase your lighting intensity....the anemone is bleached. You are correct in thinking if the anemone needed more light it would move higher or stretch out to where the light is better for it. Right now, for your anemone, more light is not a good thing.

Did you read the links in the resource library?

Yes, feeding more is going to increase your nitrate levels. You need to do water changes regularly. Maintain salinity at 1.025. Fluctuations of any kind are bad to a stressed out anemone. Temp, light, salinity...need to be stable. Nitrates need to be as close to zero as possible. Find out what is causing your high nitrates, and remove it. Look into a DIY coil denitrator. Look it up...

What size tank is this again? Describe your lighting set up to me...in detail. You say you have 108 watts of lighting...what bulb wattages do you have and what spectrum are the bulbs? (IE...do you have two 54 watt PC's that are 10k in spectrum?) How old are the bulbs?

You really need to SLOW DOWN with this tank. I'm not just talking out of the side of my mouth here...I've been keeping anemone's for quite awhile, and have had good luck with a few of the more difficult species of anemone's....so I know what I'm talking about here...

You have a slim chance at nursing this anemone back to health in its current environment, (IE your tank). Its not a slam on you, or you tank, but rather a reflection of its lack of maturity, (only 2 months old), and your inexperiance in this hobby.
You can find someone to house this anemone if you looked....unless you're posting from the Antarctic somewhere....
You state that Scott is knowledgable, but that the store has horrible lighting. Are they two different stores?
I'm not telling you to get rid of the anemone, I'm strongly suggesting that you find someone else to house it until your tank matures...Ask Scott if he knows anyone in the area....if the store where Scott works is as good as you say it is, he will definately know someone who can help you...

Anemone's are not easy to keep. Most die in captivity. the hostility/frustration you are seeing in some of these posts are because this hobby will be regulated...heavily... in the coming future. With that in mind, preservation is the goal with ALL animals kept in our tanks.

Nick

 

[joker577]

Yes it's two different stores. Ok my lighting setup is 3x36 PC's 1 actinic 1 50/50 1 10000k daylight. Scott suggested looking into the Sapphire skimmers as a way to lower my levels and it fits in the back compartment of the cube. My tank is a 29 gallon biocube

 

[returnofsid]

Just because anemones have been kept under less lighting doesn't mean it's healthy for them. Your lighting isn't near adequate for any anemone. I do understand why others are getting frustrated. Since starting your tank, you've asked advice, gone against the majority of advice that was given to you and made excuses for doing so. It all started with putting an anemone in a tank that wasn't even done cycling yet. Then you replaced that anemone and it's not doing well. You've continuously ignored good advice that people have given you.

If you're unable to return the anemone to the LFS, maybe try giving or selling it to someone who has a tank with adequate lighting. I wish you the best of luck with your tank but you do need to slow down and do a lot more research BEFORE adding anything to your tank. This is a great forum with a lot of great people in it. We're here to help whenever we're able to. Take advantage of all the knowledge available here...but you've gotta listen to the advice you're given or your fish and other life will suffer.

 

[plack]

Why not get a 175 watt metal halide ?
It's defenitely not a BAD IDEA !!

 

[joker577]

Not enough money and i like the closed top of the biocube = less evap

 

[MAGDRL Mom]

This is not a poor man's hobby. I am definitely an advocate of being frugal, but not at the expense of the organisms that are in our care.

I missed that you did not have a skimmer. I wouldn't dream of having corals without one.

Joker, I think it is time that you re-evaluated what you want to do vs, what you can afford to do.

I would also suggest that you listen to what the people tell you here instead of at a LFS where they just want to sell you stuff. If it dies, you just come back and buy something else.

We have nothing to gain.

Only about 10% of the people that get into this hobby stay in the hobby because of the patience and money required.

 

[joker577]

I've been looking at the Fission nanoskimmer for the 29 gal biocube, but I've heard it's crap by Scott (he looks all of them up online) and said the sapphire was better...they don't even sell them in his store so he's just trying to help not sell me useless junk. I haven't bought any fish from him just corals, all of which are doing great and I get my calc and Kh tested there twice a week.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I am definitely an advocate of being frugal, but not at the expense of the organisms that are in our care...Only about 10% of the people that get into this hobby stay in the hobby because of the patience and money required.

MMom, I enjoy your many contributions on RF.

One problem, is this hobby has a high "cool" factor and a lot of salesmen in the LFS that promote it as "anyone can do it."

Similar to all the bunnies that get abandoned a few weeks after easter or the kittens and puppies dumped when the going gets tough, Marine aquarium buyers will hear what they want until it is too late. Then the systems end up on Craig's list after all the life has died.

This might be a cool hobby, but it is a very difficult and/or a very expensive one. It can be done affordably, I have done so for decades before going all out. But it can't be done impatiently. James taught me a great lesson here: (although he probably passed it along from another) "NOTHING GOOD EVER HAPPENS FAST IN THIS HOBBY."

This new marine aquarium keeper has been told to slow down on each and every one of his threads. He doesn't listen and that is his right. Yes this is sad, and we can hear of his poor luck and feel badly, but he has been given very specific directions and answers to each and every question. Did he follow directions? Not a chance. I hope he reads and learns as one can never expect to get lucky, only educated. "You can't fool mother nature."

Regards and sorry for the sermon,
Mike
Marine aquarium keeper since the 70s who has killed scores of creatures...

 

[joker577]

Ok....i've had my anemone since before i've suscribed to this forum and you still nag on and on and on about my nonpatience. I kept my clownfish in quarantine for 4 weeks 2 days and he is fine in my display. The other had fin rot due to the other clownfish in the LFS not MY TANK. I have only had two fish die in my posession..or should I say two creatures in total. One was a lawnmower blenny who's death was unexpected and the other was the one of two clowns in QT 5 weeks ago. And yes fishyfish I happen to listen to only certain people on this forum because 1. they give good advice 2. they give good clear instructions and 3. they don't act rudely or "well don't take this personally" or "don't take this in a mean way" they simply are nice and give good advice aka NaH20 and Maxx are my 2 fav guys on here that i listen to. My options are this. A)Setup a fuge in the back and use Chaeto to keep levels undetectable B) Get a fission nanoskimmer for 27.99$ or C) Save up and get a Sapphire nanoskimmer for 130$

 

[Herefishyfishy]

A refugium of the size you would have room for wouldn't perceptively lower your nitrates. Any skimmer will help, get the best you can comfortably afford. Used skimmers will save you a bundle. You were told from day one, that your tank wasn't ready for corals yet alone an anemone.

Nobody said that 4 weeks was sufficient for hypo. Lee told you that 6 weeks at a minimum, and since you had complications to go for 8 week minimum. Your display was to remain fallow for 8 weeks minimum. Neither occurred and now there is no way of positively determining if the replacement clown has Brooknella or still have the ich that it already was being treated for and reintroduced into a tank that had been infected.

Most of us here are very passionate and supportive about this hobby. Strange that you perceive threat from many experienced and trained contributers offering sound advise. I am glad you enjoy Nicky and Max, both are real pros. If you follow all their advise, you should be fine. But if you continue to listen to only that which you want to hear, you are heading toward more losses. Since you prefer to NOT receive my advise, I will no longer be offering it.

Mike

 

[joker577]

Because I'm tired of being the only one on this forum who gets crap for doing two things wrong. And no it was NOT ich that the new fish had it was either brook or fin rot which when i checked the other LFS clownfish had it.

 

[joker577]

And yes I like advice, not hearing "bla bla bla impatience bla bla bla" because when I hear advice like Maxx and Leebca and NaH20 have supplied then I can research my solutions up and do something about it.

 

[NaH2O]

*sigh* - I haven't dug into these posts yet, but have skimmed over the top (don't you love when you say something that reminds you of reeftanks...like the word skimmed ). joker - I do have issues with your fish going back to the display too soon, and introducing new fish without proper QT after you went through the trouble of hyposalinity....BUT its your tank, your choice. You have all the information given to you in your thread, and you can always use it as reference for later. If the new partner fish did indeed have brook, then that's a whole other can of worms: Diseases in Fish Part 7.

ANYWAY...enough of my blabbering on the fish....we're here to discuss the anemone! From what I recall, the Fission nano protein skimmer isn't worth a darn, so you might as well save your money for a better skimmer. Work on getting the nitrates down and follow Maxx's advice (and others!).

We are all very passionate about the hobby, as Mike stated. We wouldn't be on these forums helping out as much as we do, if we weren't this passionate. It sounds so cliche', but don't take stern posts personally. We want you to be successful in this hobby, and take our advice to heart....so you can achieve success! If you decide to go against that advice, its fine ! Just really try to understand the information provided to you: what could happen if you don't follow the advice, what you would gain (or lose) by following the advice, and make an informed decision. One last thing....don't think I'm only being hard on you....you can compare notes with trillyen....I've given him a bunch of homework recently! You guys can chat about my reading assignments .

Now...I need to go back and get deep into the posts.