Anemone question...

[Picasso]

My daughter now has two baby clownfish and one bubble tip anemone in her 14 gallon tank. She's had the clowns for a couple weeks and added the anemone in a week ago. Yesterday, we fed the anemone (Kahn) half a fish that the LFS guy said to give Kahn once a week. Today, Kahn looks like crap. Didn't I read somewhere that anemones look poopy for a while after they've eaten? If not, any suggestions? Dip strip water test says the water levels are fine but I'll do a complete check later tonight with the real tester.

The anemone was purchased against my suggestion, btw. I told her everything you guys said about anemones and she doesn't want a lot of coral and the LFS guy kept saying, "he'll be fine in that tank, he'll be fine..." She sided with the LFS and got him anyway.

Thanks for any advice....
Catherine

 

[cthegame]

If the tank is less than a year old, i would tell her to give it back or else when it dies it will take everything in the tank with it.

Also make sure you have proper lighting if she wont take it back. Anemones need a lot of light to survive even if you feed them manually.

 

[dustin_P74]

i agree with game

 

[Picasso]

Yeah, I agree, but the LFS guy told her it was ok and she's got good lighting on her tank. If the LFS guy says it's ok and everyone in the world says otherwise, she's going with the LFS guy because she told him what she wanted to hear. She made the purchase. Is this thing dying already or do they really look bad after they eat?

thanks, Catherine

 

[dustin_P74]

it would be too soon to see it starting to die, most likely processing the food. but you should probably tell her that in that small of a tank, if the nem goes, her clown fish are going with it

 

[cthegame]

can you post a pic?

Have her read this: https://www.livingreefs.com/forums/newbies-to-reefing/17325-pro-newbies.html

 

[yote]

Anemones tend to look like crap when their,,well,,taking a crap.
Exactly what kind of fish is she feeding the anemone and is she thawing it completely?
Any time an anemone is fed frozen foods,the food should be thawed to the point of actually being warm to the touch.

 

[JAG107]

The nem is probably fine, just taking a dump I'm sure. If the mouth was gaping and the nem looked especially bad, that would be the indication that its heading south. They don't need to be fed more than once a week IMO unless you want them growing like crazy and splitting.

 

[Bifferwine]

Bad choice on the nem, but you know that already :( They are difficult to keep in thanks that are less than a year old, and they are damn near impossible to keep in nano tanks like hers.

Warning signs to look for that indicate it's dying:
- gaping, open mouth
- foot detached, not staying stuck to the rock
- turning lighter in color
- staying shriveled up
- staying hidden inside the rock
- the tank has a rotten stinking smell like nothing you've ever smelled before in your life

 

[cthegame]

ill also add - if the anemones tentacles are no longer sticky

 

[messiah023]

:-) "like nothing you've ever smelled before in your life"!

I don't know....I've smelled some bad stuff in my life! :pooh:

 

[yote]

:-) "like nothing you've ever smelled before in your life"!

I don't know....I've smelled some bad stuff in my life! :pooh:

Me to :D But a dead anemone if by far the worst.Dirty diapers smell like roses compared to a dead anemone.

 

[d2mini]

Ya, a dead nem smells like a rotting corpse in a hot car on a mid summer's day in texas. :death:

 

[Bifferwine]

Ooooh they smell soooooo bad!!! When my old bubble tip kicked the bucket, I even got it out of the tank before it was dead. And it still smelled like the worst thing I've ever smelled! I couldn't imagine what it'd have been like if I had waited til it died to remove it!

 

[Reefrookie]

Ya, a dead nem smells like a rotting corpse in a hot car on a mid summer's day in texas. :death:

I'm not gonna ask!:D

 

[knothole]

I'm not gonna ask!:D

it is best not to question the texans:shock:

 

[Picasso]

When you say "take everything in the tank out with it" does that mean, sand ecosystem, crabs, live rock ecosystem? or just fish and corals? We are pretty sure this anemone is dying and I want to move it to my 10 gallon where I've got better light and lots of rock, lots of sand and some crabs and snails but nothing else. Would I have to start over in my 10 gallon?

thanks, Catherine

 

[Bifferwine]

It would definitely kill any inverts in the tank. So the potential to lose your fish, cleaner crew and corals is very much there. Live rock and sand would survive, as bacteria can usually survive anything.

 

[dustin_P74]

+1 biff, also if the anemone is dieing your chances of reviving it are pretty low

 

[Bifferwine]

Yeah be prepared for total gross out if you end up trying to move it to a different tank, you reach in to pick it up, and it completely falls apart and disintegrates in your hands!