long tentacle anemone / is it dying?

theyluvcari · Feb 8, 2022

Hi everyone , so i’m new to this with having any type of aquarium my mother in law wanted a saltwater tank so we decided to get that. So we just had our water cycled and tested and got the okay to start putting stuff in the tank so we started off with a long tentacle anemone then added two clown fishes 2 days after. I’m a bit concerned for my anemone. sometimes it shrinks up and the tentacles deflate but when I switch some of the lights around it comes back to being full and not flimsy. Sorry if im using the wrong terms im new to this. Is it dying? it has some small shrunken tentacles should I be worried ?

Jekyl · Feb 9, 2022

The clown may actually cause more stress.

SlugSnorter · Feb 9, 2022

theyluvcari said:
Hi everyone , so i’m new to this with having any type of aquarium my mother in law wanted a saltwater tank so we decided to get that. So we just had our water cycled and tested and got the okay to start putting stuff in the tank so we started off with a long tentacle anemone then added two clown fishes 2 days after. I’m a bit concerned for my anemone. sometimes it shrinks up and the tentacles deflate but when I switch some of the lights around it comes back to being full and not flimsy. Sorry if im using the wrong terms im new to this. Is it dying? it has some small shrunken tentacles should I be worried ?

nems are hard to keep in a freshly cycled tank, everything in your tank is still bare. It might not make it. What are your parameters?

SlugSnorter · Feb 9, 2022

CanuckReefer said:
As per a potential return to store....

Did they know you have a 13.5 EVO? And also did they know it was a month setup? If either or both show them this
https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/626/?pcatid=626
Followed by this
https://www.aquariumdomain.com/SpeciesProfiles/MarineInverts/LongTentacleAnemone.shtml
And then this
https://www.whogivesafish.com/long-tentacle-anemone/

The bare minimum listed is 30 gallon, and a more mature tank. If they knew and sold it to you, demand a refund. I am all for purchasers doing their research, but I'm also sick and tired of the LFS that wants a quick sale, essentially killing livestock as they go.....

+ 1

Lost in the Sauce · Feb 9, 2022

Personally, I would advise a friend with a Fresh setup like yours, in that size to try to return the LTA to the store.

I would also say to start compiling a list of researched corals they wanted in the tank.

This hobby can be hard enough already. Doing everything right and potentially watching that LTA suffer will be tougher on both of you than it needs to be.

I've got a good friend with an LTA in an Evo. It's beautiful and takes up half of the tank. It can be done, but I wouldn't advise it up front in the steep end of the learning curve.