What do I do???

[JMassens]

Hey someone please help me bought an anemone from the store was perfectly fine in the store and now put him in my tank and it is shrinking fast. My tank is about 9 months old what do I do? His mouth seems to be open and he hasn't moved at all? Also do not know why the picture came out like that

 

[Who me?]

Can you turn on the white lights with blue off and post a new picture... Can't really tell from this pic.

Also, anemone's will shrink when stressed by changes in light, water chemistry, etc... If it's only been in your tank for a day it's somewhat normal. Give it some time to acclimate to it's new environment.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey someone please help me bought an anemone from the store was perfectly fine in the store and now put him in my tank and it is shrinking fast. My tank is about 9 months old what do I do? His mouth seems to be open and he hasn't moved at all? Also do not know why the picture came out like that

How did you acclimate it and for how long? Also is this a newer tank ? If so, generally a period of 6 months or more is best for introduction of anemone which requires stable conditions in which a newer tank goes through a series of soikes and changes in chemistry often requiring water changes which they do not favor.
Additionally, when you first introduce the anemone to the tank, turn down any pumps. The flow should be minimal until the anemone gets settled in. Chances are, your new Bubble Tip Anemone will move around the tank until it finds a suitable spot to call home.

• Water temp: 77°F - 80°F (stay close to the middle of this range)
• pH level: 8.1 to 8.3
• Alk: 8 to 11 dKH
• Salinity: 1.024 to 1.025
• Nitrate < 5 - 10
• Phosphate < .04 - .06

 

[JMassens]

How did you acclimate it and for how long? Also is this a newer tank ? If so, generally a period of 6 months or more is best for introduction of anemone which requires stable conditions in which a newer tank goes through a series of soikes and changes in chemistry often requiring water changes which they do not favor.
Additionally, when you first introduce the anemone to the tank, turn down any pumps. The flow should be minimal until the anemone gets settled in. Chances are, your new Bubble Tip Anemone will move around the tank until it finds a suitable spot to call home.

• Water temp: 77°F - 80°F (stay close to the middle of this range)
• pH level: 8.1 to 8.3
• Alk: 8 to 11 dKH
• Salinity: 1.024 to 1.025
• Nitrate < 5 - 10
• Phosphate < .04 - .06

Thank you so much stressing a bit cause these things arent the cheapest

 

[JMassens]

Can you turn on the white lights with blue off and post a new picture... Can't really tell from this pic.

Also, anemone's will shrink when stressed by changes in light, water chemistry, etc... If it's only been in your tank for a day it's somewhat normal. Give it some time to acclimate to it's new environment.

 

[JMassens]

its opened a little but that it about 30 min ago

 

[Dburr1014]

Looks bleached but hard to tell. Was it white like that at the store?
Is the foot attached?

 

[Who me?]

Yes, looks fine. Give it time to get acclimated to your tank.

 

[JMassens]

Looks bleached but hard to tell. Was it white like that at the store?
Is the foot attached?

it looks bleached on camera but in person with the white light it still has light a light brown tone to it

 

[JMassens]

How did you acclimate it and for how long? Also is this a newer tank ? If so, generally a period of 6 months or more is best for introduction of anemone which requires stable conditions in which a newer tank goes through a series of soikes and changes in chemistry often requiring water changes which they do not favor.
Additionally, when you first introduce the anemone to the tank, turn down any pumps. The flow should be minimal until the anemone gets settled in. Chances are, your new Bubble Tip Anemone will move around the tank until it finds a suitable spot to call home.

• Water temp: 77°F - 80°F (stay close to the middle of this range)
• pH level: 8.1 to 8.3
• Alk: 8 to 11 dKH
• Salinity: 1.024 to 1.025
• Nitrate < 5 - 10
• Phosphate < .04 - .06

Hes Now Upside down do i leave him alone???

 

[JMassens]

Yes, looks fine. Give it time to get acclimated to your tank.

Its not upside down should i help it??

 

[ChrsFrssll]

The best (only) help you can give it at this point is to leave it be, let it move on its own (it may let go and tumble in the water column, or it might creep along on its foot) to find its own spot to settle. And cross your fingers it doesn’t choose to settle underneath a rock where you can’t feed it, on top of a favorite coral, or on a powerhead.

The anemone has its own decision-making process for what spot in your tank is best for its own survival. and actively interfering with it at this stressed stage only piles on more stress.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Its not upside down should i help it??

Allow it to set its foot. You can temporarily shut off pumps and then help it in place. Do note if its flipping itself and moving. . . . . If it starts to move towards any coral, simply direct your water jets to the coral. This will discourage the anemone from anchoring near it. It will move to another area to attach.
Bubble Tip Anemone lighting is a very important aspect of their care. These creatures need a lot of light to thrive because they’re photosynthetic which means that they absorb light to produce food and growth. The anemone has zooxanthellae in its body, which are symbiotic microorganisms that they feed on. Without proper lighting, the anemone will expel the zooxanthellae and turn white. This process is called bleaching and often leads to death.
A moderate amount of flow is recommended. Many aquarists soon find out that too much flow will cause the anemone to stretch out and look stringy. Keeping things moderate will help avoid this from happening. Avoid directing your flow directly at the anemone. These anemones enjoy subtle movement at all times but too much direct flow hitting the anemone will force it to move.

 

[Rtaylor]

That looks like a sebae (heteractis crispa), which I have found to be one of the most challenging anemones. They are typically classified as an expert level species. You probably need to remove it and put it in a hospital tank for treatment with cipro. Or possibly rehome it to someone with experience keeping sebae anemones. They can go from looking great to mush in under 48 hours even in established tanks with seemingly good water parameters. When you start to see cottony like patches near the mouth or on the foot you need to act immediately to have a chance at saving it.

 

[Rtaylor]

Allow it to set its foot. You can temporarily shut off pumps and then help it in place. Do note if its flipping itself and moving. . . . . If it starts to move towards any coral, simply direct your water jets to the coral. This will discourage the anemone from anchoring near it. It will move to another area to attach.
Bubble Tip Anemone lighting is a very important aspect of their care. These creatures need a lot of light to thrive because they’re photosynthetic which means that they absorb light to produce food and growth. The anemone has zooxanthellae in its body, which are symbiotic microorganisms that they feed on. Without proper lighting, the anemone will expel the zooxanthellae and turn white. This process is called bleaching and often leads to death.
A moderate amount of flow is recommended. Many aquarists soon find out that too much flow will cause the anemone to stretch out and look stringy. Keeping things moderate will help avoid this from happening. Avoid directing your flow directly at the anemone. These anemones enjoy subtle movement at all times but too much direct flow hitting the anemone will force it to move.

It’s a sebae

 

[Who me?]

Its not upside down should i help it??

No. Let it move freely as it's trying to find a comfortable spot in your tank.
If it moves somewhere out of sight or somewhere you don't like and it seems like it's going to stay there, you can adjust your powerheads to encourage it to move elsewhere.

 

[Dburr1014]

You can put a rock in a Tupperware bowl and put the nem in it. Open top, it's just to protect it from being blown around. It should attach to the rock.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Looks like a h. crispa. They typically reside in the sand and usually where a rock meets the sand. These nems require quite a bit of light and stability to thrive. This is usually not accomplished in a normal reef tank, as most tanks do not put out the par needed at the sand bed.

@JMassens can you please take a pic of the nem with 100% white light. If your lights will not do that, use a flashlight to shine on the nem with your tank lights turned off. This will help with a positive ID of the nem, which is needed to give you correct advise, as if not a h. crispa, then the above does not apply.

 

[Who me?]

You can put a rock in a Tupperware bowl and put the nem in it. Open top, it's just to protect it from being blown around. It should attach to the rock.

But then you're going to put that rock in the tank in a non-ideal location which is only going to stress the anemone further. And it will probably detach and move anyway.

 

[Dburr1014]

But then you're going to put that rock in the tank in a non-ideal location which is only going to stress the anemone further. And it will probably detach and move anyway.

But it will be attached. He can put it in a lower flow spot and let it walk. And as eagle Steve said, need an ID. Maybe this would be the time to return it.