Is my Anemone dying??

Pnpasi78 · May 17, 2012

I am a beginner to marine tanks i got my tank about a month ago and i NOW know that it is way too soon to get an anemone but no one told me i asked the pet shop owners that now i know they are .... Umm idk a nice way to say it.. But lets just say they dont help you they just care about the sale. Well i got it and it doesnt look good, well i wouldnt know how "GOOD" looks but it doesnt look like the ones in the video's i see online but i am going to post a video link so you guys can see it and please tell me if it is dying. I didnt even know that you had to Feed these special shrimp and also Silver sides, so i started feeding it today but i didnt really eat, well i dont think it ate but i might be wrong cause i still see some of the shrimp outside on his Tentacles but regardless i was putting Phytoplankton every other day in the tank. If someone can please help me ... PLEASEEE!!!! i dont want it to die. and also i have 1 of my clown fish i believe hosting my CORAL not the anemone is this normal? and i think its causing the coral stress

Anemone Video:
Is my Anemone dying? - YouTube I can see its Mouth, is that normal?

Clown Clown acting like coral is Anemone? - YouTube

Sorry for the wrong angled videos lol

danielsreefs · May 18, 2012

it looks good

it looks good to me and it might take a few weeks tell it finds it a spot and feeding both of what you have should work mix it up i never do the same food back to back mine likes a good mix of food. if you can see the mouth on it showed me closed if not keep checking it if it dosnt after a fed day its not a good sign

danielsreefs · May 18, 2012

sorry i for got to add the clown fish might not take to it right away give it some time it will come around to it

BarbH · May 18, 2012

Hello and welcome to r2r, I don't have any experience in nems myself so hopefully some of the members that keep them will be able to give you some advice. It is not all that uncommon for clowns to host different type of corals, give them time they may eventually start hosting the nem. As many of us have learned you can not always trust the info given to you at the pet shop or lfs. Not to say that there are not good ones out there, but there are ones looking for a sale or have employees that have little knowledge in our hobby. One thing I would recommend for anyone starting in the hobby is to always do your research before adding anything to your tank. This is also a great place to ask for the thoughts or advice of other hobbyist.

k2parkstar · May 18, 2012

First, about the clown. Its quite common for them to host other corals. Mine took some time to get the nem. That's a nice looking goniopora though.

Secondly, about the nem, it looks ok to me. Its a condy anemone. Here's a link from live aquaria with some info on the condy. Saltwater Aquarium Invertebrates for Marine Reef Aquariums: Condy Anemone I hope that helps. I also, hope you don't have any red leg hermits as they are a natural predator of these nems. Also, clowns don't typically host these kinds of anemone's. Keep us posted on how the anemone does over the next couple days. Also, welcome to reef2reef, i hope you enjoy it and learn lots!

Trex · May 18, 2012

It isn't a "condy"

What you have is a bleached H. crispa (( common name of "seabe" )) -- unfortunately bleached H. crispas are more common than healthy ones. It has already started to consume itself for energy, the tentacles should be at least 4 inches long, ideally longer (( A healthy one will have a tentacle length similar to M. doreensis )).

They can be brought back from this state, but it won't be an easy task -- need some more info before saying more;
What size tank?
What lights do you have?
What are your current water parameters -- with numbers please.
What all is in the tank?

BTW -- in the second video it appears to be a goniopora -- which can be difficult to keep, especially the wild caught ones.
Your clown is already irritating it, the tentacles should be fully extended, ignore the color and look at the tentacle length,

Trex · May 18, 2012

Is this your video too?
Is my Anemone dying? - YouTube

If so, I would take the anemone out -- the bottom of the foot is starting to disintegrate, a death sentence for an H. crispa.

REEFKEEPER10 · May 18, 2012

Sorry for your loss but that nem is dying. Even if you could bring it back to health your tank is not stable yet. You could try feeding it Mysis and brine shrimp to keep it alive. It is hard to find a healthy sebea nem anymore. A lot of us made the same mistake of trusting LFS's.

mallorieGgator · May 18, 2012

Unfortunately, the tank is really new and the nem looks bad. You should really have waited quite some time before adding an anemone to the tank. The sand has no color to it yet and the rocks have little coraline. The wall of the tank are also very clean. I would take the nem out before it dies and releases toxins. Then give your tank some time to go through a cycle and then you can start adding stuff.

k2parkstar · May 18, 2012

My mistake that is indeed as others have said a seabe, that's what makes this forum great, you'll get a good bit of input. I'll agree with the second video trex posted, that thing is dying, and with a new tank its probably not coming back. As others have said your better off taking it out now and cutting your losses, if it dies in your tank it can release toxins that could kill off your other livestock.

Pnpasi78 · May 19, 2012

Yes that Anemone is mine i took that video about 3 days ago and ive fed it Mysis shrimp Yesterday and it looks like it ate a bit but i didnt stay there and look at it but i came back a while later and i didnt see any of the shrimp left and i had posted another video of the anemone which is in the original post which looks a bit better and also today it has been moving a bit it moved from one side of the tank to the other side and it does not look that bad any more i do not know what to do it looks better but i dont want it to die and then kill all my other things..

And about the clown fish and the coral, is there something i can do for the clown to stop messing with the coral? Cause i really like this coral it was only 40 bucks but i dont care about the money i just like THAT coral

I know my tank is really small for the anem but i dont know if " IT IS HEALTHY " Should i take it out and give it away? or should i leave it in there, and it sucks theres no good Pet shop's down in Miami that they tell me what i can do to my tank or not so i feel bad now that i might be killing a beautiful Creature thats why i am doing everything possible to save it

My tank is 16x16x16x16 its a perfect square glass its 17 and a half gallon, i have 2 PENGUIN BIO- Wheel 100 running on it the entire time non stop for good flow i have a heater thats set at 80F which keeps the water from 76-78F got 5 snails 5 crabs 2 clowns a Goby and a Wrasse and thats it, and for the lighting i use a AcuqticLife 20" T5 HO has two bulbs 10,000L and a 420/460nm this is the Link: AquaticLife T5 HO Light Link Fixture - Marine i let the light on for 8- 8 and a half hours every day please tell me if all i have is well if i need any changed i will change i want to have a 100% healthy Marine tank and btw none of anything i have put in the tank has died i only have those few fish and not planning on putting any else for another 2 months, since i know NOW thats i rushed into things.

im posting pics with this Post please look and i cant really get a good pic or video of the anem cause it has moved closed to a rock but its moving a quite bit so maybe in a day ill be able to get another pic but here is some pics of the tank

Pnpasi78 · May 19, 2012

Yes that Anemone is mine i took that video about 3 days ago and ive fed it Mysis shrimp Yesterday and it looks like it ate a bit but i didnt stay there and look at it but i came back a while later and i didnt see any of the shrimp left and i had posted another video of the anemone which is in the original post which looks a bit better and also today it has been moving a bit it moved from one side of the tank to the other side and it does not look that bad any more i do not know what to do it looks better but i dont want it to die and then kill all my other things..

And about the clown fish and the coral, is there something i can do for the clown to stop messing with the coral? Cause i really like this coral it was only 40 bucks but i dont care about the money i just like THAT coral

I know my tank is really small for the anem but i dont know if " IT IS HEALTHY " Should i take it out and give it away? or should i leave it in there, and it sucks theres no good Pet shop's down in Miami that they tell me what i can do to my tank or not so i feel bad now that i might be killing a beautiful Creature thats why i am doing everything possible to save it

My tank is 16x16x16x16 its a perfect square glass its 17 and a half gallon, i have 2 PENGUIN BIO- Wheel 100 running on it the entire time non stop for good flow i have a heater thats set at 80F which keeps the water from 76-78F got 5 snails 5 crabs 2 clowns a Goby and a Wrasse and thats it, and for the lighting i use a AcuqticLife 20" T5 HO has two bulbs 10,000L and a 420/460nm this is the Link: AquaticLife T5 HO Light Link Fixture - Marine i let the light on for 8- 8 and a half hours every day please tell me if all i have is well if i need any changed i will change i want to have a 100% healthy Marine tank and btw none of anything i have put in the tank has died i only have those few fish and not planning on putting any else for another 2 months, since i know NOW thats i rushed into things.

im posting pics with this Post please look and i cant really get a good pic or video of the anem cause it has moved closed to a rock but its moving a quite bit so maybe in a day ill be able to get another pic but here is some pics of the tank

Pnpasi78 · May 19, 2012

sorry i posted twice big mistake

Pnpasi78 · May 19, 2012

At times the coral takes his Tentacles just like this one but when the clown comes and starts moving all on it its hides

Pnpasi78 · May 19, 2012

Some test Results
PHOSPHATE here is a picture but to my it looks like it about 1.0 but either way heres a pic

NITRATE Heres a pic
I would say its at 5.0 But either way here is a picture

Also i tested my calcium and it took about 19 drops for the water to become totally blue. Is this good? or bad? if so how can i fix it?

strange33w · May 19, 2012

If you can I would try to add a sump to give you more water volume and allow for better filtration and the addition of a skimmer if it becomes necessary. Also if an anemone is something you really want I would recommend upgrading your light to either a metal halide or some kind of LED fixture. I would also recommend a little more flow in there; something like a Tunze turbelle nanostreamÂ® should work nicely. You seem to really care about the health of you inhabitants so these things will help and the upgrades will allow you to expand what you can keep coral wise later on as you progress. Hope this helps

slapshot · May 19, 2012

Take it out, before you have to endure one of the worst things in this hobby. The smell of a dead nem will stay with you for hours. Anyway get yourself a nice Bubble Tip. They are great starter nems and your clown will host in it.

Connie · May 19, 2012

I would also add a few algae wafers a few times a week for the snails. They will starve in your tank as it is now. There is no algae.

Paul B · May 19, 2012

Your tank is much to new for both of those inverts. The gonopora is also dying and the LFS knows better to sell you a coral like that.
Gonopora's have a miserable record even in a mature tank. The anemone does not have to be fed "special" silversides, small pieces of clam could keep them living for decades, but in the last video yours doesn't look too good. I can't tell if it is just peeling or if it is rotting. In the first video it looks fine. If you take it out and it smells really rotten, remove it.
You can't mistake the smell of a dying anemone.