Question about bubble tip anemone

[Henrique1]

I recently bought this anemone and I need advise on it. I don't have any experience with anemones but decided to give a shot. The tank overall quality and parameters of the water are near perfect. Take a look at this photo and let me know what you think. How often should I feed her or will she eat the left overs from what ever the fish doesnt eat? Thank you and any tip would help.

 

[chichimom79]

The main thing anemones need is a mature, stable tank and good lighting. What are your parameters and lighting? They will accept pieces of meaty food like mysis.

 

[Henrique1]

Metal halide and T5, not bad for a small tank. Water ph 8.4 salinity within range 0 amonia etc. Thanks for the Q response. What do you think about the anemone on the pic?

 

[Bifferwine]

The anemone looks very white (bleached). A bleached anemone is very unhealthy. They can come back, but it's really difficult to bring a sick anemone back to health. There's no such thing as a white anemone in nature.

The good news is that it looks attached to the rock and inflated. Those are good signs. With proper lighting it can regain its health.

 

[Henrique1]

That sucks cause where I bought it, they told me that it was healthy. That it was supposed to be white. They fooled me. Thanks, now I will take action.

 

[Bifferwine]

Bleached Anemone:
The lost of color or “bleaching” is a result of the loss of an anemone’s zooxanthellae. This can happen for a number of reasons such as excessive temperature changes, excessive lighting, insufficient lightning, physical stress, excessive salinity, etc.
Just like corals, anemones use their zooxanthellae to feed on light. The other part of their nutrition comes from meat. Unfortunately, they cannot survive solely on captured prey as their primary source of energy. An anemone without zooxanthellae is usually on the brink of death so:
1) Don’t buy a bleached anemone
2) If your anemone start to bleach, find the cause and fix it quick.

Bleaching can be reversed, but it takes commitment and time. First thing to do is to is to provide excellent water quality and optimal lighting. If you fear your light is too strong, you can simply reduce the photo period and increase the time slowly over a couple of weeks. This will allow the anemone to adapt. When the light is too strong, the anemone will usually hide from it. The anemone should also be fed in small quantities on a regular basis (3-4 times a week) until its color recovers. This will keep it from starving since it dosn’t have it’s symbiotic algae to help out.

Common Problem When Keeping Bubble Tip Anemone | Aquariums Life

 

[Henrique1]

:frustrat: shoulda done my research.

 

[salt_for_brains]

Bifferwine has provided you some very useful information. It doesn't seem to be hiding from the light in the pic which is a good sign. Don't try to force feed it and remember a small pieces of food multiple times a week are much more effective than bigger pieces of food b/c the smaller pieces uses less energy to digest.

 

[Henrique1]

Thanks for the info.

 

[FishyReef]

Try to keep your parameters as stable as possible (pH, temp, salinity), and make sure your nitrate and phosphate are 0. Other than providing it with the environment it needs there is not much more you can do other than hope it comes back. If it detaches itself from the rock and doesn't reattach somewhere else, then I'd remove it from your tank as it is a pretty good sign that its about to die - and when they die they release toxins that can wipe out the rest of your tank (especially in a smaller tank like yours where you don't have the water volume to dilute the toxin). Good luck and I hope it pulls through for you!

 

[salt_for_brains]

when they die they release toxins that can wipe out the rest of your tank

Nematocysts are scattered, intact, by being torn out by a powerhead or overflow and are released in the water column then this could cause harmful but to say they release toxins when they die is a misconception.

There can be a big ammonia spike that could be detrimental if it isn't removed in time.

 

[Henrique1]

Now I got another problem.. As you can see on the picture. He steals the poor anemone's food. Even though I feed him first.

 

[Bifferwine]

About how big around is the anemone? You can try cutting off the base of a soda bottle, then placing the soda bottle on top of the anemone, and squirt the food in the top of the bottle.

 

[Henrique1]

Not big I would say 3 1/2inches all around. I feed her with a syringe. The shrimp is the funniest character in my tank. He is nosy as hell.

 

[Henrique1]

Thats a great idea. I will do that.

 

[chichimom79]

I have to shoo away my skunk cleaner shrimp when I am feeding corals. I have sat there for an hour at times with my long tongs and scare him away every few minutes. I have seriously debated taking the shrimp out of my system for this reason.

 

[Henrique1]

Well update in my situation. I called the pet shop and asked them if they were aware that they sold me a sick anemone. So the answer from them was that as a buyer I'm responsible for doing the research before buying anything and that they don't guarantee anything with the salt water tanks. What ever!! My bad I guess, anyways here is how she looks today.. Water chemistry is perfect. The only thing that worries me is that she moved to the side of the rock versus from being on top. What do you guys think. Keep or get rid of her, before anything bad happens? Thanks

 

[Bifferwine]

I say keep it. It still looks good (minus the color). It's attached to the rock, it's inflated, its mouth looks healthy... In my opinion, I think you have a good shot at bringing it back (and it hasn't died yet -- that says a lot!)

 

[Neno reefs]

I say keep it. It still looks good (minus the color). It's attached to the rock, it's inflated, its mouth looks healthy... In my opinion, I think you have a good shot at bringing it back (and it hasn't died yet -- that says a lot!)

+1

It also looks like it might be getting back some of its color back.

 

[salt_for_brains]

It looks to be a fighter. Staying in the light, staying attached, mouth not gaping are all great signs. It will be a slow process so keep doing what you are doing.