I think my anemone is dying

Keen4 · Mar 26, 2020

Does this little guy look hopeless? I put him in that corner there. He wouldn't attach anywhere.

20 gal tank:
3/24/20 perams
77 F
Salinity: 1.026
Ph:8.2
Ca: 400ppm per Red Sea test
api test Ca:300
dkh: 12.3 Meq:4.4
Ammonia: 0
Nitrates: .25ppm
Mg: 1600ppm per Red Sea - Salifert: Mg;930ppm
P02: 25ppm

#reefsquad

Fishnut · Mar 26, 2020

Keep an eye on it and get it out if it starts to look like it is melting. When dying or not happy in a spot they can shrink up and let go and get blown around In the current. Power heads can grind them up & make a mess.

Keen4 · Mar 26, 2020

Fishnut said:
Keep an eye on it and get it out if it starts to look like it is melting. When dying or not happy in a spot they can shrink up and let go and get blown around In the current. Power heads can grind them up & make a mess.

Ok- I took it out. It had some slime coming off of it. I put it in my 5 gal pico tank. It attached to the rock.
pico tank parameters:

78 F
salinity: 1.025
Ph: 8.2
Ammonia: 0
Nitrates: .25ppm
DHK: 11.5 Meq; 4.1
Ca2+: 340
Mg: 1500ppm
PO4: 0ppm

SPR1968 · Mar 26, 2020

Anemones require very good water quality and stable conditions so generally established systems.

You show a PO2 (PO4?)reading of 25ppm. I assume your referring to phosphate here and if it is that figure its extremely high. It should be around 0.03 and this could well be your problem although your alkalinity is on the high side as well.

Try and get everything stable and in line and see if the anemone improves

A good guide to parameters is here

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/

Keen4 · Mar 26, 2020

SPR1968 said:
Anemones require very good water quality and stable conditions so generally established systems.

You show a PO2 (PO4?)reading of 25ppm. I assume your referring to phosphate here and if it is that figure its extremely high. It should be around 0.03 and this could well be your problem although your alkalinity is on the high side as well.

Try and get everything stable and in line and see if the anemone improves

A good guide to parameters is here

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/

yes my typo
I mean
po4 3-: .25ppm per the api test kit.
but he's in the pico tank now with;
0 po4

Hemmdog · Mar 26, 2020

How old are these tanks?

SPR1968 · Mar 26, 2020

Keen4 said:
yes my typo
I mean
po4 3-: .25ppm per the api test kit.
but he's in the pico tank now with;
0 po4

0.25 phosphate is still very high but see if it improves in the pico tank. The calcium is low at 340 so maybe raise that to around 430 ish

Get everything stable and to the correct levels and see how you go, with no ‘sudden changes’

Keen4 · Mar 26, 2020

Hemmdog said:
How old are these tanks?

Too young huge mistake. I know I know. The 5 gal pico tank is 5 months old. the 20 gal is 3 months old

Keen4 · Mar 26, 2020

SPR1968 said:
0.25 phosphate is still very high but see if it improves in the pico tank. The calcium is low at 340 so maybe raise that to around 430 ish

Get everything stable and to the correct levels and see how you go, with no ‘sudden changes’

Ok I did a 10-20% water change on the pico tank 3 days ago. For some reason Ca is still low. Ive been dripping kalkwasser into it. It raised from 290ppm since the water change. Should I try another water change tomorrow and make the water/cycle it now?

SPR1968 · Mar 26, 2020

Get some calcium additive and raise the level, I wouldn’t keep doing water changes other than once a week at around 10% or your constantly changing the water parameters. Stability is the key and the 10% figure is so you don’t affect the parameters to much.

Your alkalinity in the pico is at the higher end of normal so if you can let that drop to around 8-8.5dKH

With all of this, it’s not necessary the actual ‘numbers’ (provided there within normal ranges) is stability. Marine creatures don’t like changes to their environment and will tell you very quickly

Ultimately if you can’t get the system stable, maybe take the anemone back to the LFS for the time being if you can.

Keen4 · Mar 26, 2020

SPR1968 said:
Get some calcium additive and raise the level, I wouldn’t keep doing water changes other than once a week at around 10% or your constantly changing the water parameters. Stability is the key and the 10% figure is so you don’t affect the parameters to much.

Your alkalinity in the pico is at the higher end of normal so if you can let that drop to around 8-8.5dKH

With all of this, it’s not necessary the actual ‘numbers’ (provided there within normal ranges) is stability. Marine creatures don’t like changes to their environment and will tell you very quickly

Ultimately if you can’t get the system stable, maybe take the anemone back to the LFS for the time being if you can.

He was thriving since I got him 2 months ago. There was a chemical warfare in the larger tank. 4 creatures died. Im presuming that he was effected by this. How do I drop the alkaline? Is the Kalkwasser not good for this?

Cell · Mar 26, 2020

You need stability which is harder to maintain on a pico than a 20.

Katrina71 · Mar 26, 2020

Stability is key.

Uncle99 · Mar 26, 2020

Your nitrate is way low at 0.25, should be in the 2-10ppm, nem likes nitrate.
Stability is key, the pic shows an unstable tank with cyano.
That’s not going to work.

You need to manage all 8 parameters in the appropriate ranges.

Once in your DT, you should never move a nem as it really stresses them out, and usually results in foot damage which then results in death.

Keen4 · Mar 26, 2020

Uncle99 said:
Your nitrate is way low at 0.25, should be in the 2-10ppm, nem likes nitrate.
Stability is key, the pic shows an unstable tank with cyano.
That’s not going to work.

You need to manage all 8 parameters in the appropriate ranges.

Once in your DT, you should never move a nem as it really stresses them out, and usually results in foot damage which then results in death.

Whats cyan and whats DT mean?