Okay. thank you all for your input. I think I'm going to take him out as he seems to be deteriorating further. I'm going to focus on getting my parameters in check before attempting another anemone.
I truly am sorry to read of this.
Never give up.
As part of my studies in marine biology, I learned much and still make mistakes. Just not as often as I use to combined with experience in the hobby for ~45 years. There are several areas a BTA (of any kind) need with some important requirements I would like to share for your next BTA.
Water Quality
Anemones need high levels of dissolved O2, a salinity at 1.024 to 1.026, a stable pH between 8.1 and 8.3, temperatures between 76 and 78 F, calcium between 400 and 450, dKH at 8.0 to 12.0, magnesium between 1,250 and 1,350 ppm, nitrate at <20 ppm or less, stable phosphate at 0.002 ppm or less (0 is always best), and finally 0 ppm of ammonia and nitrite. Just as with most aquatic life, constant, stable parameters at or near the desired levels is key to a successful keeping a healthy and happy tank for the anemone(s) to thrive.
Aquarium Conditions/Factors and the maturity of the aquarium
Keeping anemones is very important to people who are newer to the hobby as compared to seasoned veterans. The reason being is that tanks that have been set up and running for less than 6 months can be prone to swings in water parameters. Most anemones cannot handle swings in water parameters very well at all.
Water and Flow Movement
Anemones need at least [/b]some water flow around them[/b]. They 'breathe' by absorbing oxygen directly from the water. In the ocean, anemones also need water flow to bring food to them and for carrying away waste. An anemone will need moderate to low water flow. One major common causes for an anemone not to be happy in the tank is that they do not like the water flow around them. This is one aspect which sometimes causes them to move until they find a spot they like. Some type of anemones are more tolerant of flows and water movement as compared to others
Lighting Requirements
Anemones as we already know need good lighting to survive, equally level for SPS corals which sounds like your lighting is great because your corals are thriving. As stated in another post the anemone does get a lot of their required nutrients through
photosynthetic processes. They contain zooxanthellae as you're well aware and the algae within their tissues that will allow them to use light for nutrients. LED, Metal halides or T5 HO fixtures have been the best choices for light fixtures. If our lighting is just a little less than ideal for your anemone, we can somewhat compensate for that with some feedings.
Oxygen levels
Again, anemones do best when there is a good level of oxygen in the water which is not much different from other requirements of marine life. It is achieved by having good water movement at the surface of the water in the tank.
Feeding Anemones
Here's the debate of all debates IMO on feedings. Ask 100 people and get 100 different answers. ARG. Some people never feed their anemone anything and they remain healthy and grow in their tank(s) for years provided the lighting remains at the proper level for their anemone. IME I have kept my BTA's healthy and growing and splitting by feeding them about 2 or 3 times per month.
Foods often used tend to be meaty foods that are high in proteins such as shrimp scallops, clams.
Please stay away from silversides as many problems have come up over several years now regarding quality issues with silversides as compared to other, safer choices.
It is my hope this will help others interested in keeping BTA's and a few other anemones. The pic shown started ~2 years ago as a single BTA which has split umpteen times now.
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[/IMG] nder a rock with no light. I put him in the light, he attaches them blows up again and starts moving under a rock again. Hes done this 3 days in a row and now he polls like this. Any tips? Thank you
