Anenome Turning White

Keith Russell · Nov 27, 2018

My anemone has been slowly losing its color and spends more and more time in it's self I guess? It used to be big and colorful. It dug itself in the front middle of the tank and was thriving. Every since I moved to a new larger tank, he will not attach to anything and is losing all its color. I know the image is not the greatest but it gets the point across. It folds itself in and there are black pieces of I don't know what that comes out of it.

What the heck? Any one ... please help. At what point do you pull it out before it trashes the tank. My Pars are perfect. It has good flow. Lights are 165 watt LED and 59 watt LED strip. 75 gallon long tank.

Keith Russell · Nov 27, 2018

It was a green and purple LTA

HotRocks · Nov 27, 2018

Moved to Anemone forum to get you in front of the right people.

@Amoo
@AcroNem
@OrionN

Keith Russell · Nov 27, 2018

Thank you!!

reef lover · Nov 27, 2018

Was it an established tank u moved him to? Or new? Might be starving from lack of nitrates.

NY_Caveman · Nov 27, 2018

How long was the new tank set up for? Have you tested for Ammonia? What are the rest of your parameters? You say your PAR is perfect, what is the level? Is it the same lighting as the old tank?

davocean · Nov 27, 2018

Hopefully the foot was not torn when you removed it from it's previous tank.
In that pic it appears to be extending for light, are they same lights it was under before, and is new tank same depth?
Depth of sand bed, and time running of new tank?

Keith Russell · Nov 28, 2018

reef lover said:
Was it an established tank u moved him to? Or new? Might be starving from lack of nitrates.

It was a new tank, but I used almost all of the water from the 45 gallon. It's strange that in the 45 gallon when I bought the LTA it hunkered down right in front middle. Where the lights were strongest. When I put him in the 75 gallon, it was like he was trying to get away from the light. Because of the change to the shallower tank, could he have been trying to get away from the light? Could there be too much light for an anemone?

NY_Caveman · Nov 28, 2018

Keith Russell said:
It was a new tank, but I used almost all of the water from the 45 gallon. It's strange that in the 45 gallon when I bought the LTA it hunkered down right in front middle. Where the lights were strongest. When I put him in the 75 gallon, it was like he was trying to get away from the light. Because of the change to the shallower tank, could he have been trying to get away from the light? Could there be too much light for an anemone?

If it was a different light or the settings or depth changed, consider lowering them, and acclimating him slowly to the higher level. Any sudden change will bother an anemone. Even the move itself.

Keith Russell · Nov 28, 2018

NY_Caveman said:
How long was the new tank set up for? Have you tested for Ammonia? What are the rest of your parameters? You say your PAR is perfect, what is the level? Is it the same lighting as the old tank?

I transferred the LTA into the new tank with everything else. I used almost all the water from the 45 gallon. Ammonia 0, Nitrates untraceable, Phosphates .25, Specific Gravity 1.024, Cal 525, not sure on the Alk. When I said PAR. I meant Perimeters. Sorry. The lighting is different. I have a 165 Watt black box. In the 45 gallon, the light was 10 inches above the water line and the tank was 23 1/4 tall. The 75 gallon tank, I used the black box. It didn't cover the whole tank so I added a 59watt LED strip. The black box is 4 inches from the water surface. Do you think he lighting is what did it?

NY_Caveman · Nov 28, 2018

Keith Russell said:
I transferred the LTA into the new tank with everything else. I used almost all the water from the 45 gallon. Ammonia 0, Nitrates untraceable, Phosphates .25, Specific Gravity 1.024, Cal 525, not sure on the Alk. When I said PAR. I meant Perimeters. Sorry. The lighting is different. I have a 165 Watt black box. In the 45 gallon, the light was 10 inches above the water line and the tank was 23 1/4 tall. The 75 gallon tank, I used the black box. It didn't cover the whole tank so I added a 59watt LED strip. The black box is 4 inches from the water surface. Do you think he lighting is what did it?

Hard to say for certain. Seems there is more light and it is closer to the water. LEDs can be very focused too. If he moved away from it my first thought would be lights. Second would be flow. Again, just speculating. If he suddenly got more light though, my first thought would be to lower it some.

For me, I added my current anemone around 130 PAR and slowly brought it up to about 225 over a few weeks.

EDIT: for a BTA.

Keith Russell · Nov 28, 2018

Sadly, this morning black crap started pouring out of it. What does that mean?

Danh Ngo · Nov 28, 2018

Stress, when a nem is stressed, it will release zoox. I wonder the tank maybe to new. Also 0.25 phosphate is really high, I want it to ben<0.04 IMO.
Another question: how old is this tank?

davocean · Nov 28, 2018

Could be a number of things, LTA are a little more sensitive, not so light needy, that change could have been an issue, but also this is a new tank.
Water holds very little if any helpful bacteria, relying on using the water from previous tank does not make it established.
Most of your beneficial life is on the rock, and sand.

Danh Ngo · Nov 28, 2018

davocean said:
Could be a number of things, LTA are a little more sensitive, not so light needy, that change could have been an issue, but also this is a new tank.
Water holds very little if any helpful bacteria, relying on using the water from previous tank does not make it established.
Most of your beneficial life is on the rock, and sand.

Agree, the tank could be still in the cycle.

Captain Quint · Nov 28, 2018

Keith Russell said:
Sadly, this morning black crap started pouring out of it. What does that mean?

Two things. Purging waste and losing zooxanthellae.

Have you noted any tearing of base or foot?

Danh Ngo · Nov 28, 2018

Captain Quint said:
Two things. Purging waste and losing zooxanthellae.

Have you noted any tearing of base or foot?

With the shape of the nem, I believe it is more likely losing zoox than releasing waste

Captain Quint · Nov 28, 2018

Danh Ngo said:
With the shape of the nem, I believe it is more likely losing zoox than releasing waste

I agree.

I was simply saying dark stuff will be one of two things which comes from the mouth. Perhaps I should have written my comment with that being the case on this one.