Anemone Help?!

[TheMillennialReefer]

hey all!

I’ve had this anemone in my tank a little over 2 months and for the past month it closes up everyday during midday, then opens with its mouth gaping, by night it looks perfect. It’s worrying me because it does it like clockwork.
I’ve tested the water and the only issue is seeing is nitrates about 5 PPM. Phosphates are 0. I’m actually going fallow right now and since I’ve removed the fish it’s done this. Wasn’t closing up when I first got it. I’ll post a picture tomorrow when it looks dead at it’s normal time around 530 PM.

I’m just curious, what causes it to open/close the same time?

 

[potatocouch]

still look fine, man. still attaching to rock work right? I understand it's been 2 months but I can't see it's dying .. seems like still trying to acclimate.

 

[reef lover]

Lights might be too bright if he' closing during peak light hours.

 

[vegamedic]

Lights might be too bright if he' closing during peak light hours.

Agree. Unless something else changes at mid-day (which I assume to be the peak hours of your light cycle), it would be an awfully strange coincidence for it NOT to be the light, yeah?

 

[Coral Hygiene]

Do you have any fish or cleaner shrimp that could be possibly bothering it? Same thing happened to my anemone where it only opened up during the day, turned out my cleaner shrimp nipped at it after feedings to try to get food from it.

 

[TheMillennialReefer]

I thought it was lighting but I know the lights I own are the most powerful. Current USA Loop model is what I think they are called. This is what it looks like in the mornings. Doesn’t look happy and perky to me like I’ve seen most nems.

I could try moving the anemone down? It’s got its foot so far lodged into a rock it’s not going anywhere. I have the lights at 80%white and like 50% blues is what I set the max at. It has reds and greens but I don’t have those on.

 

[LUIS86]

I thought it was lighting but I know the lights I own are the most powerful. Current USA Loop model is what I think they are called. This is what it looks like in the mornings. Doesn’t look happy and perky to me like I’ve seen most nems.

I could try moving the anemone down? It’s got its foot so far lodged into a rock it’s not going anywhere. I have the lights at 80%white and like 50% blues is what I set the max at. It has reds and greens but I don’t have those on.

what kind of anemone is that ?

 

[TheMillennialReefer]

what kind of anemone is that ?

Rose bubble tip?

 

[reef lover]

I' not 100 % familiar with those lights but generally I run more blue and less white...like my hydra run 35 % white and 80% blues and 10% red and green. Do u have access to a lux meter??

 

[moulton1853]

Are you feeding it anything? You mentioned you took out fish. The nem needs food along with the lights. I am running the current loop pro with 60% white, 80% blue and red and green at 10%.

 

[mahindra.dev]

My anemone does that when there is a change in lighting, but opposite. When my main light switches off, it closes up and takes time to adjust. See if u can lower the intensity a little bit and more importantly feed it. Feed it once or twice initially as it gets used to your tank and you will see a difference. They are happier when you feed them.

 

[NanoCrazed]

Nem will move by itself if it's not happy with light or flow. If it's mid tank now, then there is room for it to move. I wouldn't move it...let it do it's own thing.

Are you feeding around that time that it closes?

Nems will close when eating, and during dark periods, particularly during light transitions.

The mouth gaping can be that it's popping but can also be signs of stress if your water parameters are off.

They tolerate dirty water but too much nitrate is bad for them. Tank raise fare better in high nitrates but wild caught I've noticed so not handle it well at all

 

[potatocouch]

cleaner shrimp that could be possibly bothering it?

Is this facts? Are we saying the likes of Peppermint Shrimps would bother Anemones? Never heard of such thing, hence the question.

 

[TheMillennialReefer]

Are you feeding it anything? You mentioned you took out fish. The nem needs food along with the lights. I am running the current loop pro with 60% white, 80% blue and red and green at 10%.

I actually just changed it to that. I was incorrect earlier. I was running it at 50% blue and 20% white. I liked how it looked. Could be it is hungry for light? I just ramped it up the 80% blue and 60% white. I have red and green at 0 but could ramp them up. I am taking a marine bio class right now and I know green and red don't penetrate as far (correct me if I am wrong). Actually my nitrates are less than 5. I've been ghost feeding my tank to keep the bacteria healthy. Still doing bi weekly water changes. Testing Phosphates at 0. Using Salferit (or how ever you spell it haha).

 

[moulton1853]

You are correct, red and green arent necessary. It could be not enough light but nems tend to move or stretch upward if they need more. Depending on the model light you have it may have not been enough. On Current USA website it has a chart to tell you if the light is strong enough for things. Many say you dont need to spot feed nems but at this point because your tank is fallow and nutrients are low I would feed your nem a small chunk of shrimp or something. Worst case is it will spit it out.

 

[Synnergy]

I have two nems that are exactly like this. Both will look like this at night and in the morning, they open up and look gorgeous. I feed mine a thawed frozen piece of mysis 1-2 times per week and sometimes a small piece of frozen (always thawed) frozen shrimp cut very small. When they deflate like that it is generally due to defecating and will sometimes have their mouth (which is also its butt) open a tiny bit while it is going but not gaping and it doesn’t stay open for long periods of time.


Things to watch for that is not a good sign:

· When they do not return to a fully opened up position for more than a day.

· If their mouth stays GAPing open for long periods of time (this can mean they are very hungry or even starving

· if they are losing color

· their tentacles are shrinking


The main thing like most people have said, leave them be, don’t try to move them, if flow or light is the issue, they will move on their own. As long as they are regularly taking food and opening up fully they should be fine.


Main parameters to watch for, temp and PH. Everything else is important for sure, but they cannot handle big swings in temperature or PH. try to keep all your parameters as stable as possible without major changes.


Hope this helps, they are by far my absolute favorite things in the sea



If you haven't visited this page: it is a great one on Anemone’s: http://www.karensroseanemones.net/