Anemone problems

Charlesbentley · Oct 28, 2019

My anemone is hosted by a pair of clowns, it’s been in my tank for 2 weeks now. The tanks been running only 5 weeks but it’s fully cycled. It keeps looking like this for the last couple of evenings until the next day.

I’m quite worried about it as it just doesn’t look healthy like it did for the first two weeks. I have fed it half a lancfish about 4 days ago but when I tried the last two days the clown fish keep removing the lancfish from it. Any help would be great. Thank you

Tank is a Red Sea reefer 350

Charlesbentley · Oct 28, 2019

That is how it looked for the first two weeks.

AllSignsPointToFish · Oct 28, 2019

Is that a Long Tentacle anemone? I can't quite tell from the picture.

What are your water parameters? How stable are your parameters?

Five weeks is pretty early for an anemone, but tank stability is one of the most important parts.

Charlesbentley · Oct 28, 2019

AllSignsPointToFish said:
Is that a Long Tentacle anemone? I can't quite tell from the picture.

What are your water parameters? How stable are your parameters?

Five weeks is pretty early for an anemone, but tank stability is one of the most important parts.

Salinity 1.026
Nitrate between 5-10ppm
Phosphate 0ppm
Temp 25c

Running clarisea sk3000
Deltec skimmer
Two power heads
Return pump 8000lph

Thank you

AllSignsPointToFish · Oct 28, 2019

No nitrites or ammonia?

Looks like a long tentacle. Have you tried squirting some mysis or brine shrimp directly on the tentacles? The smaller pieces make it more difficult for the clownfish to remove.

Are the tentacles sticky? They should be very sticky to the touch.

Mical · Oct 28, 2019

As mentioned 5 weeks is pretty new for anemone keeping. Secondly from your pics & info you have a pair of clowns and what appears to be a large foxface, that's alot of bioload for a fairly new tank. How large is this tank? and your params of DKH, Cal MAG?

MERKEY · Oct 28, 2019

Ok so just to recap...

Tank is 5 weeks old
Nem has been in 2 weeks
How long have all the fish been in?
What fish do you have?

So that would tell me the nem could have been in the tank at the end of the tank cycle.

This is early for a nem so watch your parameters and keep the water changes regular.

What lights do you have?

Dom · Oct 28, 2019

It doesn't look that bad in the pic. I wouldn't mind seeing a picture of it with the blue light off.

Your tank is young and unstable. You need to let the tank mature.

From what I can see in the pictures, you have a lot going on in such a young tank... beyond the Nem I mean...

I would refrain from anything to the tank for a minimum of 6 months, longer if you can muster the patience, so that things stabilize and mature.

Dom · Oct 28, 2019

Are you relying on the local fish store for guidance?

Charlesbentley · Oct 28, 2019

AllSignsPointToFish said:
No nitrites or ammonia?

Looks like a long tentacle. Have you tried squirting some mysis or brine shrimp directly on the tentacles? The smaller pieces make it more difficult for the clownfish to remove.

Are the tentacles sticky? They should be very sticky to the touch.

The tenticles are sticky when I feed it the lancfish stick to it easy enough. And it take a decent pull from the clown to take it off.

Charlesbentley · Oct 28, 2019

Dom said:
Are you relying on the local fish store for guidance?

Yes all the advice has been from them. They said it should all be ok. I know there probably wrong now

Charlesbentley · Oct 28, 2019

Mical said:
As mentioned 5 weeks is pretty new for anemone keeping. Secondly from your pics & info you have a pair of clowns and what appears to be a large foxface, that's alot of bioload for a fairly new tank. How large is this tank? and your params of DKH, Cal MAG?

Checking the calcium now and it’s a Red Sea reefer 350 set up

MERKEY · Oct 28, 2019

Testing calcium and mag and alk are good but in reality you dont want to chase those numbers, especially in a tank only a month old. You will end up doing more harm then good.

Do 20% water changes twice a week and dont over feed.

Dont add any other fish or corals if you can be patient as they will mess with the water you are trying to get stable.

Good news is you are cycled and now you just have to be stable until the bacteria catches up to your bio load.

Charlesbentley · Oct 28, 2019

MERKEY said:
Testing calcium and mag and alk are good but in reality you dont want to chase those numbers, especially in a tank only a month old. You will end up doing more harm then good.

Do 20% water changes twice a week and dont over feed.

Dont add any other fish or corals if you can be patient as they will mess with the water you are trying to get stable.

Good news is you are cycled and now you just have to be stable until the bacteria catches up to your bio load.

Thank you for the help, one question, there’s brown algae on the rocks shall I leave that or is it ok to clean off as I have read mixed messages online. Thank you

And that’s it I will leave buying anything new alone and just do 2 x weekly water changes. The local shop told me that that with live sand I added at the start it’s fine to put stuff in straight away.

Charlesbentley · Oct 28, 2019

Dom said:
It doesn't look that bad in the pic. I wouldn't mind seeing a picture of it with the blue light off.

Your tank is young and unstable. You need to let the tank mature.

From what I can see in the pictures, you have a lot going on in such a young tank... beyond the Nem I mean...

I would refrain from anything to the tank for a minimum of 6 months, longer if you can muster the patience, so that things stabilize and mature.

Ok that’s exactly what I will do with the water changes 2 x a week. And to top up the evaperated water with ro. Any other recommendations you can make would be great. The lights are the kessil tuna blue. Il turn the blue off now and add a picture

Charlesbentley · Oct 28, 2019

MERKEY said:
Testing calcium and mag and alk are good but in reality you dont want to chase those numbers, especially in a tank only a month old. You will end up doing more harm then good.

Do 20% water changes twice a week and dont over feed.

Dont add any other fish or corals if you can be patient as they will mess with the water you are trying to get stable.

Good news is you are cycled and now you just have to be stable until the bacteria catches up to your bio load.

How long would you recommend the lights been on in the tank for the anemone? Thank you for all the help

NewGoby · Oct 28, 2019

Don't OVER feed it either, get anemone pellets (I feed my BTA's 2 Vitalis Anemone Pellets a week, 1 on wednesday & 1 on thursday, pictures for proof how well they do on it are on my IG)

The ocellaris could be bugging the anemone, keep a close eye on the anemone, if she lets go off any rock and seems to get worse, do a 'smell' check occassionally, if its a horrendous & decaying kind of smell. Remove the anemone ASAP, do a 50% WC & run carbon in a bag in your sump.

Also brown algae is fine.

NewGoby · Oct 28, 2019

Charlesbentley said:
How long would you recommend the lights been on in the tank for the anemone? Thank you for all the help

10-12 hours is fine, some people run closer to 8, I run mine for 12, and they seem to love it.

I have a 1hour ramp up, where it's basically just blues in the morning, a 1hour ramp down in the evening & after that 1 hour night-lights, if the anemone moves down it'll move because of either: 1. water current, or 2. lighting intensity.

Charlesbentley · Oct 28, 2019

NewGoby said:
Don't OVER feed it either, get anemone pellets (I feed my BTA's 2 Vitalis Anemone Pellets a week, 1 on wednesday & 1 on thursday, pictures for proof how well they do on it are on my IG)

The ocellaris could be bugging the anemone, keep a close eye on the anemone, if she lets go off any rock and seems to get worse, do a 'smell' check occassionally, if its a horrendous & decaying kind of smell. Remove the anemone ASAP, do a 50% WC & run carbon in a bag in your sump.

Also brown algae is fine.

I did purchase the two ocellaris with the anemone already paired and hosting it. It’s stuck good to where it is no and no smell at all. I did a partial change today and will do it again in a few days then keep up with it 2 times a week

NewGoby · Oct 28, 2019

Charlesbentley said:
I did purchase the two ocellaris with the anemone already paired and hosting it. It’s stuck good to where it is no and no smell at all. I did a partial change today and will do it again in a few days then keep up with it 2 times a week

Alright that definetly rules out the ocellaris, do you have more pictures, perhaps from another angle?