Anemone question...

[CMonroe]

I have a 58gal aquarium (36"x18"x18"), 1.5" of live sand, about 25lbs of live rock, a fluval 304 canister filter with nitrate absorbing media, and two different course filter media levels (no charcoal), and a CPR backpack protein skimmer (not producing foam, yet). For lighting I have a 36" daylight tube, and a 18" 'marine' bulb.

The inmates: One tomato clown, one blue damsel, lawnmower blenny, sand-sifter goby, 1' long Sargasso shrimp (from seaweed that washed into Gulf of Mexico), 1 red leg hermit, three black hermits, 6 turbo snails, small piece of colt coral, small patch of polyps (don't remember the type), and a variety of small feather dusters, starfish, and some clams of some sort that hitchhiked in on the live rock.

The tank has been running for about six months, with the addition of the protein skimmer three days ago.

I haven't lost any animals, and everything seems to be thriving, except for the anemone. I believe it is a pink tipped anemone (but the tips appear purple at times, depending on the light), and it was doing great about 8 months ago, when I had it in a much smaller 20gal hex, but it moved around the tank a lot, and got caught in the filter, twice! I put a protective foam sleeve on the intake, and stopped it from getting inhaled again, but it never seemed to recover from the second incident. I moved them all to a larger 58gal tank after it cycled, and that was about 6 months ago. My nitrate level has been going up, and I admit that I wasn't doing the correct number of water changes, and now I have a algae bloom that is just terrible (1' of green algae on more than half of the open sandy bottom)

I'm trying to get that under control, but I don't know if it has any ties to the anemone's problem. It is just wasting away. Hardly ever comes out of it's base/foot, and when it does, the tentacles are very short. It's only about 1 cubic inch now, and that is only about 1/4 of it's original size. I've tried to get it to eat, but it's just listless. It used to have much longer tentacles (at least 2"), but now they are all short. I don't know if it just isn't 'inflating' them to their normal length, or if they are pinched off, and very slowly growing back. Is it possible the Sargasso shrimp is pinching off the tentacles? I haven't seen that happen, but it could happen at night I suppose. Has anybody ever heard of a shrimp injuring an anemone?

I'm probably going to improve the lighting to one of the compact fluorescent kits (w/ moonlights) after the first of the year, but is there anything I can do immediately to help the anemone?

Advice is always appreciated...

[Reefneck]

Your Anenome is dying! The reason is your lighting! Anemones need strong lighting from at the very least, PC's (Power Compacts). T5, VHO or even MH lighting is better. Also, I am surprised that any coral has lived under that lighting. I would be finding a new home for the Anemone and Corals if you can't get proper lighting immediately.

Sorry, I know it's not what you want to hear.

[Electric Monk]

Where are you from mate?

If you are in the UK then you can pick up a Twin 55w Power compact starter and 2 bulbs for about £50 inc shipping.

Surry pet supplies

[flamingo]

Yes it's the same thing happening to mine.

Mine was somewhat an impulse buy and I was planning on getting stronger lighting but never got the chance.

It used to take up like half of my tank but now it's the size of my fist and it moves around the tank all the time and lays upside down. It also has changed colors so im probably just going to give it to my lfs.

Increase that lighting and it may get better.

[TheOldSalt]

Anemones are difficult critters to keep alive in a tank not built with them in mind from the start. Virtually immortal in nature, living hundreds of years, most of them won't last a year in captivity. One of the reasons is that, despite their size, anemones are still only 3 cells thick. Big cells, yess, but still only three. ( a whole Caulerpa plant is only one cell. A big Ostrich egg is only one cell. Cells can be huge ) Anyway, having literally 2/3 of it's entire body exposed to the water directly and shielded by only a cell membrane and a bit of slime, the anemone is perilously vulnerable to everything that can go wrong in an aquarium, and of course, things always go wrong in an aquarium. The problem is that while other creatures have a comparatively huge tolerance for such things, anemones don't.
Only bona-fide experts with topnotch tanks should even try to keep anemones. There's just no room for error. They have lighting requirements ranging from coral-supporting daylight to near darkness. Their zooxanthellae give them as many problems as benefits, and while in the sea they can constantly flush away their troubles, they can't in a tank.
You can help with that problem a bit by feeding your anemones only at night, but that will only go so far if you have nitrates or other problems.

An anemone that moves around all over the place is an anemone in trouble, desperately seeking some place where it can get the right combination of proper lighting and water movement. When they change color, it's due to either an increase or decrease in UV protecting pigments, or an increase or decrease in zooxanthellae colonization. These changes aren't always bad in themselves, but whatever's causing these changes might well be very bad indeed. It pays to really look at your system to figure out what the problem may be.

Anemones that shrink & waste away are doing so because for some reason they can't utilize their food, and are as a result digesting themselves in an effort to survive until conditions improve. They're supposed to do that, but YOU'RE supposed to find the problem and fix it.

Anyway, there are a number or crabs and shrimp that love to munch on anemones. I don't know if sargasso shrimp fall into that category, though.

The new skimmer you added should likely help quite a bit, along with some water changes and improved lighting.

[CMonroe]

I bought the 2x96k Coralife lights I said I would. I kept the old lights in place too, to make sure I'm over the 4 watts / gal recommendation. The anemone moved up closer to the top of the rock yesterday, and opened up more than I've seen in open in weeks. I'll take that as a good sign, but I don't think I'm out of the woods yet.

I'm still dealing with the algae problem. I talked to the LFS folks, and they said to uproot as much of the hair algae as possible. If I don't, the problem will grow faster than the lawnmower blennie, crabs, snails, and shrimp can eat it. I pulled out 90% of what was in there, and I'm hoping they cleanup crew can take over from here. I hate to think about how many brittlestars I lost when I took out the algae (and sand it was attached to)

The protein skimmer is still not foaming; it's been running about a week. I have it set on the highest setting (as far as bubbles go), and checked how the exact model is set at the LFS. Theirs produces foam, mine doesn't. I suppose it's possible that the light fish load I have in that tank is not producing a lot of DOS, and maybe the algae is absorbing what little there is?

I was too tired to test the water last night, but I'll run through a complete range of test when I get home to check the Nitrate level. I was having a problem with that in the small tank, maybe it is happening in the larger tank too.

[Fishnewb1]

I just got my anemone about a week ago... It was doing fine but know it has suddenly almost completely shriveled up and it wont eat. I think most of that problem is caused by the huge mouth almost like literaly ten times the size it was when i bought it. I've read what you have said about the light. I have a Double Florecent one blue atanic and one daylight. I was wondering if blue legged hermit crabs and cleaner shrimp which does always hang around the anemone.

Is this a problem??

[Reefneck]

Originally Posted by Fishnewb1

I just got my anemone about a week ago... It was doing fine but know it has suddenly almost completely shriveled up and it wont eat. I think most of that problem is caused by the huge mouth almost like literaly ten times the size it was when i bought it. I've read what you have said about the light. I have a Double Florecent one blue atanic and one daylight. I was wondering if blue legged hermit crabs and cleaner shrimp which does always hang around the anemone.

Is this a problem??

If it's mouth is hanging wide open, It is dying! Anemones should always have a tightly closed mouth when healthy.

Again, Same as the previous person....You do not have the proper lighting to keep an anemone! Florecsent lighting is not good enough for corals or Anemones! Power compacts are better but still not adequate!

T5 HO's, VHO or Metal Halides are the way to go.

I speak from experience and when my anemone was still not "thriving" under 260W of Power Compact lighting I stepped up to the plate. I now have an $800 HQI Metal Halide system with T5 actinics and the anemone is in excellent health. probably 7-8" across and mouth tightly closed. Does not roam.

Please people, Research the needs of these animals before you buy them. I know they look great at the LFS and you want that in your tanks but if you can't provide for their needs you have thrown your money away AND are slowly killing a living animal.

[Osiris]

i just saw this double post, you tell'em reefneck! i just reread it, he doesnt even have PC's, man i can't believe LFS even sold you the anemone. Anemone's are also very sensitive to water parimeter's they need to remain constantly in-check.