I can’t keep anemones

[pixelhustler]

I can keep almost anything long term (we all have livestock deaths here and there) but I can’t keep anemones for longer than 2 weeks before they go downhill.

It always goes like this:
-I buy a colorful, healthy nem
-It starts losing color and suction at the foot
-It either hides under a rock to never emerge again or it starts gaping it’s mouth until it eventually dies
-I tried 3 in tank, 1 in a nem box. All wild but healthy. I’m not sure I want to try aquacultured ($$$) given my mortality rates

I put them under 100-150 PAR, which I’m told is on the lower end but multiple people I know keep them alive and healthy at those numbers.

Parameters
Ph 8.1-8.4
Alk 9.5-10 (very stable)
Calcium 450-550
Magnesium 1400-1500
Nitrate 5-12
Phosphate .02-.05 (very stable)

It seems to be bacterial and in the past it spread from a BTA to 3 RFAs that died showing similar symptoms. In the past 6 months, I moved (new sand bed), treated the tank with cipro and chemiclean (not while I had a nem).

 

[j.falk]

What is the tank size?

 

[pixelhustler]

What is the tank size?

75 gallon mixed reef. PAR is good enough at the top to keep montipora and low enough at the bottom to keep mushrooms/blastomussa/acans.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

I would think you need higher par than that.
Are you picking them out of the ocean? Maybe try and purchase one

 

[jayman19]

I give my anemones between 250-400 par. Flow just depends on them and what they are willing to tolerate. They also like stability in parameters, especially nitrate. High or low isn’t the biggest deal, but large fluctuations I always see my nems ticked

 

[Sleeping Giant]

mine hate water change day, get grumpy everytime.

 

[twelvefive]

See if you can find a local reefer selling one of their splits for cheap.

 

[Nick Steele]

If you’re thinking it’s bacterial and the are wild nems them you should try treating them before adding into your system.

 

[D-Nak]

Definitely look for a cheap or free BTA from another reefer and see how that goes. If you fail, then yes, anemones aren't your thing.

 

[roggy23]

Do you feed them?

 

[jayman19]

mine hate water change day, get grumpy everytime.

Same here lol. My BTAs will deflate. When I get a new one I notice they inflate and deflate often as they acclimate to your tank and lights. Have some in my larger tank that doesn’t get water changes for months and they have been stable for a long time now.

 

[pennied]

I can keep almost anything long term (we all have livestock deaths here and there) but I can’t keep anemones for longer than 2 weeks before they go downhill.

It always goes like this:
-I buy a colorful, healthy nem
-It starts losing color and suction at the foot
-It either hides under a rock to never emerge again or it starts gaping it’s mouth until it eventually dies
-I tried 3 in tank, 1 in a nem box. All wild but healthy. I’m not sure I want to try aquacultured ($$$) given my mortality rates

I put them under 100-150 PAR, which I’m told is on the lower end but multiple people I know keep them alive and healthy at those numbers.

Parameters
Ph 8.1-8.4
Alk 9.5-10 (very stable)
Calcium 450-550
Magnesium 1400-1500
Nitrate 5-12
Phosphate .02-.05 (very stable)

It seems to be bacterial and in the past it spread from a BTA to 3 RFAs that died showing similar symptoms. In the past 6 months, I moved (new sand bed), treated the tank with cipro and chemiclean (not while I had a nem).

Well here’s mostly your problem….

100-150 PAR

 

[pennied]

Do you feed them?

No need to feed nems

 

[Eddielg]

what is your salinity?

 

[pixelhustler]

I give my anemones between 250-400 par. Flow just depends on them and what they are willing to tolerate. They also like stability in parameters, especially nitrate. High or low isn’t the biggest deal, but large fluctuations I always see my nems ticked

What would you consider large? My nitrate will do as low as 5 and as high as 15 but typically it sits between 7-12

 

[pixelhustler]

what is your salinity?

1.025-1.026

 

[pixelhustler]

See if you can find a local reefer selling one of their splits for cheap.

Yeah that’s what I’m thinking. Usually I see them selling high end types, which I have been avoiding since they don’t fare well. But once in a while I see no name BTAs for $75 ish, so I will try that next.

 

[pixelhustler]

No need to feed nems

 

[twelvefive]

I understand the hesitation. I bought 3 nems from my LFS, as soon as I'd get them home, they'd turn to crap and waste away. I got another from a hobbyist who had started selling his splits and it's been amazing since day 1.

 

[pixelhustler]

Well here’s mostly your problem….

100-150 PAR

At this point this is my guess too. What would you say is the minimum? I know at least one reefer keeping a BTA at 75 PAR but I understand the way it acclimated might be different. What confuses me is they move away from the light rather than trying to stretch for light like corals do