Rock Flower help

[CaliCajun]

Looking for some help with my rock flower anemone, it seems ever since doing a tank transfer its mouth has been gaping. It's been like this for a few months now and I'm not sure what to try.

Parameters
Salinity: 1.025
Alk: 7.5
Cal: 400
Mag:1300
I dont currently test nitrate or phosphate.

Lights are black box viparspectras with lenses removed and are the same lights from the old tank at the same settings. I do not target feed but the tank gets frozen mysis daily.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[ahiggins]

Couple questions:
1. You should test nitrates at the very least-do you have any idea what they could be? These guys don’t need sps quality salt/dosing (“reef salt”). I’ve never monitored their mag cal or alk. What they do need is semi dirty ish water. I keep nitrates 5-15.
2. does it eat when fed? You said it’s been like that for months-but does it eat if offered food? I have a rainbow ultra who was super sensitive and only flourished under low flow. It’s mouth would get puffy for weeks on end like that, almost gaping.
3. Is its mouth actually open? Can you see inside it? Sometimes I have some that’s mouth gets so puffy it takes up the whole disk but it never opens it’s mouth, just swells.

 

[CaliCajun]

Couple questions:
1. You should test nitrates at the very least-do you have any idea what they could be? These guys don’t need sps quality salt/dosing (“reef salt”). I’ve never monitored their mag cal or alk. What they do need is semi dirty ish water. I keep nitrates 5-15.
2. does it eat when fed? You said it’s been like that for months-but does it eat if offered food? I have a rainbow ultra who was super sensitive and only flourished under low flow. It’s mouth would get puffy for weeks on end like that, almost gaping.
3. Is its mouth actually open? Can you see inside it? Sometimes I have some that’s mouth gets so puffy it takes up the whole disk but it never opens it’s mouth, just swells.

Thanks for the response.

I stopped checking nitrates a while back, I was using an API kit and it always showed zero, I need to get a test that is better at low range but I would guess I am somewhere in the 5-10 range. I can try to target feed to see if it will eat but I have not witnessed it actually eat in some time. Looking closer the mouth is not open, the oral disk is just extremely puffy. I've had this guy for around three or four years now and I'm leaning towards flow being the issue. Current tank set up is a mixed reef 125 and all other SPS and LPS are doing well and growing.

 

[ahiggins]

That would be my guess too. Mine really dislike flow higher than almost a softie tank. I’ve got a 10 gallon with a 100 gph return and that keeps them happy. I also notice they get puffy lips when there’s zero flow (maintenance).
I wouldn’t be super worried unless it’s actual mouth was gaping. I’ve even had some come back from that stage.
I had one that once shriveled you the size of a dime (from a good 4”) I thought it was dead but bounced back the next day with no issues. Prettiest one in the tank now lol to think I almost pulled it out to save the “nuked tank” makes me shudder

 

[CaliCajun]

Thought I would come in and do a follow up, here we are nearly a year later healthy and happy. I'm still not sure what caused the prolapsed mouth but overall the tank is more stable now. I moved it for a while to a corner with low light and flow where is slowly started to recover, about a month or so ago I moved it back to its original location and now it seems happier then ever.