Long tipped anemone help

Kaylieann9 · Jul 31, 2020

Hey all, I have a long tipped anemone ( I keep calling it a she) I got on Wednesday. It was doing good except not wanting to mount anywhere. Currently looks like it’s trying to spit it’s guts out salinity is between 1.025 and 1.026, ammonia, nitrite and nitrates are at 0. I have 2 clowns that leave it alone. It’s up closer to the lights ( it’s a plant freshwater led light) since my reef lights broke and I’m waiting for my new ones. It quite literally had so much white out of its mouth but I missed taking a picture. I’ve included what she looks like now, this morning and a video of her sucking her insides back in. Also, I tried placing her in the sand to bury herself and she didn’t so I dug a hole to let her try and attach and she did partially and then once I slowly put sand around her she got mostly out and her foot looked like this. She’s in a transport cup so I could watch her foot and to get her closer to the lights. When I got her she didn’t have any tears or anything that I could see. And her mouth was closed up tight. On the way home it started to open and since then it opens and closes but today has been the worse. Tank is a 60 gallon with 10 gallon sump (not on currently since the return pump shorted and shocked me waiting for the replacement) it has live rock that came from a well established reef set up (was told it’s been set up for over a year). I added dr Tim’s to boost the cycle and then added another bottle when I added the clownfish, LTA, zoas, blasto, and crab. Everyone else is doing good though. What can I do to help her?? It won’t let me upload the video or picture where there’s a TON of white and looks like turning inside out.

D-Nak · Jul 31, 2020

Looks like the foot might be injured. Does the stuff coming up look stringy (Google "mesenterial filaments")? If so, unfortunately, there's not much you can do but hope for the best.

Question -- how old is your tank? I know that you have live rock from an established tank, but how long has it been set up? Based on the description it sounds like it's a new-ish set up. If so, the cycle the tank will go through -- even with established live rock and bottled bacteria -- may be too much for the anemone to cope with given that it might be injured.

Kaylieann9 · Jul 31, 2020

I thought the foot looked funny, but as soon as I put it back on top of a thin layer of sand in a specimen cup (idk why she likes it but ‍

Makes it easier to keep her under the light) it’s gone back to normal. I’ve been keeping an eye on it. there was a little bit of mysis shrimp I feed the clowns but that was it. Nothing else was coming up.
I had cycled some rock and sand in a 35 with dr Tim’s one and only for about a month and then upgraded to the 60 with live rock from an established tank, the filter media is from an established tank and the 35 i was cycling. After upgrading it ran for about 2 days (I put a second bottle of dr Tim’s and double the prime dose) before the nem got to my house. I realize now that even with all the stuff from the established tanks it was to soon. We thought it would be okay since nothing was new new, just the 35 stuff (I used the 35s water and the rest from an established tank no new water). It opened it mouth and looked like It was spilling two more times since I posted then closed up for about 30 min. Now it’s open again but not spilling yet. I know the lights aren’t helping but amazon lost the package. They were supposed to be here before the nem.

F i s h y · Jul 31, 2020

I say be patient, it's going to stay unhappy until you get your lights. Also in my opinion when a new nem does this sometimes it is cleaning waste out of itself. It needs good water conditions and stability. Wait to mess with it to much until you get your lights