Bubble Tip Anemone Emergency!

I got a green bubble tip anemone (about 4" diameter) yesterday from Petco. It seemed fine until this morning when I found it shrivled and sagging hanging from the side of my live rock.

I can barely see some of its 'tentacles.' I know for a fact it was fed yesterday morning at Peco.. plenty of mysis shrimp.

Any suggestions? I don't want him to die and take my 3 fish with it. How can I identify if it is dying?

 

Don't panic! Anemones sometimes do this when they are..let's say cleaning out their system. They shrivel up and then after a little while fill back up with water. But this should only happen once in a while. Since he is new maybe he is trying to get used to your tank. How old is your tank and what are the exact parameters and we can tell you if that's what is affecting it.

 

Tank is only around 3.5 months old. 10 gallon. All my parameters should be good for the BTA. I have checked everything but chlorine levels really. I did use some tap water for a top off yesterday, but used chemical to dechlorinize.

I hope you're right!

 

Can we get actual numbers instead of "good"?
What lights are you running?
What else do you have in the tank (corals and fish)?

Anemones aren't recommended for young tanks, generally.

 

Anemones are some of the most difficult animals in the hobby to keep alive. They shouldn't be kept in tanks that have been set up for less than a year, and they require pristine water conditions and very high lighting (higher than most corals). I'm just guessing that your tank doesn't have what the anemone needs to thrive. If they die in your tank, they could wipe out everything else with it. And with 3 fish in a 10 gallon tank, you are already overstocked, fish-wise.

 

Yes we need actual numbers. A 10g is not stable enough for a Anemone. It can go thru too many changed too quickly.

 

I know that anemone's need a salt level of .025. Is your salt gravity at this level?

 

Specific gravity is far less important than stability. Or lighting. Or the presence of toxins (ammonia, etc) in the water.

 

I was told by a customer and sales rep of Petco that I should be alright given my setup.

My test strips don't have very precise number values, but all tests show up as OK/good on the color chart.

The lighting is a Reef Sun 50/50 18" 15 watt with 4 blue LED's for accent/night light.

I have a pulsing xenia (thriving), mushroom coral (in full bloom - looks good) and a few small zoa frags (doing well)

My salt is at 1.025
Water temp is high... at 79-80F - I just unplugged my water heater to try to bring it down a bit.

 

+1 Everyone!! We need exact numbers, and like Bee said this tank is too small and too you g for a nem!!

 

I have live rock situated to where if the nem wanted more light it could climb to the top (where it would be just 4-5" from the light bulb - close to the water surface).

 

Update: over the past few minutes, it seems to have opened back up slightly, the polyps definitely have more perk to them.

 

I'm glad to hear it is looking better!

However... the light you have really isn't enough to support it long-term. You should research anything thoroughly before adding it to your tank. Oftentimes, the people working at LFS (either corporate or privately-owned) are trying to make a sale... or they could not know what they are talking about.

I would also recommend that you get a drip test kit (like API) instead of the strips, which are not very accurate.

 

Alright... Thanks guys. I will post an update tonight. As of now the 'nem certainly looks better.

 

+1 Erin. I don't want you to thInk we are all ganging up on you about this matter. We r all here to help you. We just have either been through or experienced someone going through the same thing you are. We have seen the outcomes and many are Not to great. We are trying to inform you before this happens to you.

Many times fish stores will sell you fish/corals just to make a dollar. Expecting you will Be back to fix what went wrong. So thats why we all here research before buying anything, and follow all rules along with that purchase!
Hope we haven't discouraged you but informed you the way we think is best.

Good luck!!

 

+1 Justin. No ganging up. Just want what's best for you and your tank.

 

Yep, you definitely need different lights if you want to keep corals and anemones. The lighting you have is okay for fish only tanks or freshwater, but not nearly strong enough to keep photosynthetic animals.

 

Update: The BTA is now fully opened again.

Thanks for everyone's input. I know everyone is only trying to help. I trust this forum more than my LFS people!

Question: Is there an 18" bulb that would be better than the Reef Sun 15 Watt T8?

I know I'm limited with a single bulb hood.

 

Not really... you're going to need a whole new fixture. Check out the ten gallon contest thread to get some ideas. A PAR38 LED bulb would do well for you.

 

+1 everyone. You need a new light fixture. A drip test kit so you know exactally how your water parameters are and that temp isn't too high. As long as the temp stays at a stable rate then it will be fine. I would say no higher than 80 though. My 29g is at a constant 79 and everything is great. The Anemone will puff back up but I won't be surprised to see it shrivled up again soon. Like I said they should only do that maybe once a month to clean themselves out. If they do it more often then that's a sign they are unhappy.