Shy anemone

[Jcat2k]

I added an anemone to my 'too young' biocube 32. He moved behind and below the rock formation to hide. I knew it would take him a while to feel at home. (my understanding is that this rose bta was tank raised)

He hid for about a week, and now over the recent 2 weeks he moves around from place to place like he may be on the lamb from a bank heist or something. If anemone need light and flow - mine seems to be hiding from both!

See the attached pictures. One gives you a sense of where he is on my rock today, and the other is a little closer to get a view of the scaredy cat. This is the MOST exposed he has been, and today he has returned further into hiding. He hides, comes out a little once the lights kick in, and then goes back into hiding when the lights start to dim at the end of the day. Lights are stock LED running about 9 hours counting ramp up and down, some additional water flow via a MP-10 across mid tank (set about 4 inches below the water line)

He looks 'healthy' to me - but the behavior seems weird to hide from light and flow. My corals are in the front of the tank in the sand bed hoping the nem finds a home before I place them all.

He is probably waiting for me to set the coral and THEN he will spring into action messing them all up lol.

Am I crazy or is the anemone?

I only have water info for the tests I run:
Ph 8.2
Dkh 9
Calcium 420
NO3 +/- 5 ppm
PO4 somewhere greater than 0 but less than 0.25 (hard to read API kit)

(Crap collects on the sand in this corner - don't judge! lol)

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

he’s just playing a game with you. waiting to pounce on your coral once you have them put just in the right places. what will follow will be a path of destruction. a very costly one.

 

[TerraCaelus]

They like to move around like Goldilocks looking for that just perfect place, once you like the placement of a coral, that will sudden become to perfect spot! Be sure to spot feed him!

 

[ihavecrabs]

Normal for a newly added anemone. Nothing to worry about!

 

[redpine42]

Mine is camera shy. Was the nicest looking bubble tip I've seen and the day after I put in the tank it went behind a rock facing away from the front. Been happy there for over a month.

 

[Super Fly]

typical new anemone behavior. Mine moved for months until finally settling at a bottom corner of tank and never moved afterwards.

 

[Oscaror]

I added an anemone to my 'too young' biocube 32. He moved behind and below the rock formation to hide. I knew it would take him a while to feel at home. (my understanding is that this rose bta was tank raised)

He hid for about a week, and now over the recent 2 weeks he moves around from place to place like he may be on the lamb from a bank heist or something. If anemone need light and flow - mine seems to be hiding from both!

See the attached pictures. One gives you a sense of where he is on my rock today, and the other is a little closer to get a view of the scaredy cat. This is the MOST exposed he has been, and today he has returned further into hiding. He hides, comes out a little once the lights kick in, and then goes back into hiding when the lights start to dim at the end of the day. Lights are stock LED running about 9 hours counting ramp up and down, some additional water flow via a MP-10 across mid tank (set about 4 inches below the water line)

He looks 'healthy' to me - but the behavior seems weird to hide from light and flow. My corals are in the front of the tank in the sand bed hoping the nem finds a home before I place them all.

He is probably waiting for me to set the coral and THEN he will spring into action messing them all up lol.

Am I crazy or is the anemone?

I only have water info for the tests I run:
Ph 8.2
Dkh 9
Calcium 420
NO3 +/- 5 ppm
PO4 somewhere greater than 0 but less than 0.25 (hard to read API kit)

(Crap collects on the sand in this corner - don't judge! lol)

Nothing out of the ordinary

 

[Jcat2k]

Mine is camera shy. Was the nicest looking bubble tip I've seen and the day after I put in the tank it went behind a rock facing away from the front. Been happy there for over a month.

Good to know that yours is living well in the shadows too. I guess I'll assume he knows what he's doing and move on with tank plans!

 

[redpine42]

Good to know that yours is living well in the shadows too. I guess I'll assume he knows what he's doing and move on with tank plans!

My wife keeps asking me to move it. No way they just seem to be too delicate to force .

 

[davocean]

Looking at that nem it seems fine, has color, not like it's bleached and running from light because it can't handle it, but maybe your lights are stronger than what it was previously under and still acclimating to that new light as well as tank params

 

[Jcat2k]

Looking at that nem it seems fine, has color, not like it's bleached and running from light because it can't handle it, but maybe your lights are stronger than what it was previously under and still acclimating to that new light as well as tank params

That's what I thought potentially - usually the biocube LEDs get such bad comments that I figured it was more of the tank parameters vs too much light. I have slowed my water changes from 15% every week to 15% every two weeks and he seems happier.