anemone wont foot

happytobehere · Oct 11, 2013

I'm sure you guys have heard this before!

Got a green bubble tip anemone little over a week ago. When i bought it from the fish store the anemone was not footed to anything either, they said they just got him in and he hadnt footed yet. (i also did not trust the person there to remove a footed anemone because she on numerous occasions said she was new... she would have torn the foot!)

Water quality is great, flow is not too strong, light is the same as the store... I put him in and he went to the back of the tank. Over two days he moved to a side, but is still hiding behind a rock. Not very much light! I waited a full week then went to turn the rock around that i assumed he footed too... NOPE! Still not footed.

The anemone is still a nice green, healthy looking, but just wont foot or come out... im worried if it doesnt foot it will die. does he just need more time or something?

Trex · Oct 11, 2013

What are the actual water parameters? (( "great" can mean different things to different people, numbers don't lie ))
What size tank?
What lights?
How long has your tank been set up?

happytobehere · Oct 11, 2013

Sure theing Trex, here they are!
ph 8.2
temp 78
nitrate and phosphates and ammonia 0

the tank is a 120 gallon

apollo led lights

The tank is only two weeks old. I transfered all my live rock, sand, water from my 60 gallon cube tank into the 120 and added a new bag of sand and half new water (kinda like a big water change...) and i have another 60 pounds of rock cycled and ready to go separately. I check water quality daily in case the tank went through a re-cycle despite my efforts to precycle and prepare everything! And the tank never did, which is exactly what i expected since really the only new things added where one bag of sand and 60 gallons fresh salt to already 60 gallons cycled older water. I also does stability for a week.

i do two part dosing and fuel dosing in my tank as well

I feel like i did things wrong
1. brought an unfooted anemone... maybe something is just wrong with him....
2. got one maybe too soon. even with half old and half new. But my clowns are hosting in my big green welsi and are damaging it at this point. Also all my sponges and 'expert' level corals are doing really well! So i guess i stupidly assumed an anemone would be ok too
3. and i just have no patience to wait for it to come back out if it ever does

i did feed it two days ago, he got puffy and happy and ate it... but still hasnt footed? first anemone ive owned so im confused! Thanks for the help!

happytobehere · Oct 11, 2013

oh my 60 gallon previous the 120 that everything came from (all the rock, sand, reactors, water etc) was little over a year old

Trex · Oct 11, 2013

What is your salinity/SG? How do you measure it?
Are you using RO/DI water? If so, what is the TDS.
Could you, please, possibly post a picture of the anemone?
I would try to either dim the lights (( if they have the feature )), or put some layers of window screening b/t the tank and the lights -- can support the screening with egg crate.

I, personally, would have waited a bit after the transfer, but now we need to figure out we is bothering it, and do what we can to change that.

pickupman66 · Oct 11, 2013

my best advice on them from my experience is to sort of wedge the thing in some rubble in a very low flow area.

happytobehere · Oct 11, 2013

1.024
I use a green machine like thing that I use a dropper to read. Hanna machine? Can never remember the name of it.

I could dim the lights and try that.

happytobehere · Oct 11, 2013

To do RO/DI machine with 4 filters and I also filter my salt after its salted

happytobehere · Oct 11, 2013

Oh... Sorry scattered brain right now! When I'm home I'll get a picture for you

bct15 · Oct 11, 2013

You definitely added stuff to the tank to early, it will undergo a small cycle hopefully not a big one since your rock was already cycled. Just to be clear, it is the liverock, tank sides, and everything with surface area that cycles and then the water chemistry that maintains it in its current state. The bigger issue is whether you big three parameters are staying stable at that new of a tank transfer.

What are your alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium levels? If you are dosing two part you need to know what those are to be sure you are not overdosing or underdosing. Swings in alk could be causing it to not settle in, so make sure you are dosing the amount you need spread out in small doses throughout the day and night.

It will take the anemone a couple weeks to actually grab hold of where it wants to be. If your constantly poking at it, spinning the rocks around, and putting your hands in the tank then it won't ever settle in. You need to just leave it alone for at least two weeks, don't bother it no matter what. Unless it starts shriveling up really small and seems to be dieing, then you need to pull it out.

I believe it was the recommendation from pickupman that helped me get my anemone out by tickling it's foot. This anemone had a 10 inch foot on a whole bunch of rocks. He seems to know a thing or two about nems.

happytobehere · Oct 11, 2013

I'm actually not sure on the calcium dkh or magnesium... I will take that in to test for sure what they are just to make sure the dosing isn't too little or too much.

I'll keep and eye on the poor thing! Offer it food if it wants it... Thanks everyone

happytobehere · Oct 12, 2013

It footed but now looks like this....

pickupman66 · Oct 12, 2013

Not a good sign.

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happytobehere · Oct 12, 2013

When do I remove it?

happytobehere · Oct 12, 2013

Improving???

happytobehere · Oct 12, 2013

Anyone know why it looks like this? Now she looks stretched?

happytobehere · Oct 12, 2013

WatercolorsGuy · Oct 12, 2013

I would watch it. It looks a little bleached due to being in the dark so long. If it is receiving light and not trying to move away from it then I would leave it there. I wouldn't put it closer to the lights at this point either. Doesn't look terrible, but definitely is having some struggles. I would wait to feed it also.