Why are my anemones so small?

[Midasblen]

One of my anemones closed up after being open all day. This is the smallest I have ever seen it. I also got a turbo and 4 astraea to try and help with the algae.

 

[Dolphins18]

I urge you not to take any chemical approaches to this, i've spent over 10 years with several thousand of these animals, there is no species that I am more comfortable giving advice on. It does not need to be difficult, raise phosphates and nitrates and if that does not help, we will consider other options. patience is key.
A large clean up crew will outcompete the algae stripping the system of key nutrients - this would be the first step, followed by focusing on raising po4 and nitrates. Often dosing them directly will give a more immediate effect, but through heavy feeding to the tank (and cleaners on algae) you will receive the same effect.

 

[mindme]

Mine change sizes during the day and usually shrink up a bit at night when the lights start lowering intensity. They don't shrink up to the point where they don't have anything sticking out, although I have seen that before. By morning, they are about mid size and late in the evening they'll usually reach about 10 inches depending on where they decided to get in the flow that day.

Do you have a pic of how big they get at times? If they are getting big during the day and just closing up in the evening, I wouldn't worry about it terribly.

I'm not sure if it's nitrates and phosphates. I could see how that might slow down growth or something like that, but I think something else is making them unhappy to close up that much - depending on how they look in the middle of the day.

I think it's your alk. Is there any reason why you have your alk so high? Also your calcium and mag is high as well. I mean in addition to alk being high, you get diminishing returns on it. Meaning the higher alk you go, the more dosing it takes to get there.

If you are dosing alk, calcium and mag, stop immediately. I'm not sure what salt you use, but I would suggest doing a 20% water change a few times, like every other day. I would drop that alk down to about 8.0-8.5. I aim for 8.3ish which lets me stay within that range pretty easily. I don't know of any coral/organisms that struggle in that 8.0-8.5 alk range. Once your levels return to normal, then you can start dosing again. Although from the pics, it doesn't seem like you need to dose. The anemones don't need or benefit from high alk and cal. Mine are both generally low in my anemone tank. Some coraline algae crops up and uses up alk and cal, then stops growing. I won't do a water change for a few months and it doesn't at all matter to them.

 

[Midasblen]

I urge you not to take any chemical approaches to this, i've spent over 10 years with several thousand of these animals, there is no species that I am more comfortable giving advice on. It does not need to be difficult, raise phosphates and nitrates and if that does not help, we will consider other options. patience is key.
A large clean up crew will outcompete the algae stripping the system of key nutrients - this would be the first step, followed by focusing on raising po4 and nitrates. Often dosing them directly will give a more immediate effect, but through heavy feeding to the tank (and cleaners on algae) you will receive the same effect.

Any recommendations for clean up crew? I want to get cerith snails but my fish store did not have them.

 

[Jekyl]

Any recommendations for clean up crew? I want to get cerith snails but my fish store did not have them.

Check out reefcleaners.org and get the package for 1/2 your tank size

 

[Midasblen]

Mine change sizes during the day and usually shrink up a bit at night when the lights start lowering intensity. They don't shrink up to the point where they don't have anything sticking out, although I have seen that before. By morning, they are about mid size and late in the evening they'll usually reach about 10 inches depending on where they decided to get in the flow that day.

Do you have a pic of how big they get at times? If they are getting big during the day and just closing up in the evening, I wouldn't worry about it terribly.

I'm not sure if it's nitrates and phosphates. I could see how that might slow down growth or something like that, but I think something else is making them unhappy to close up that much - depending on how they look in the middle of the day.

I think it's your alk. Is there any reason why you have your alk so high? Also your calcium and mag is high as well. I mean in addition to alk being high, you get diminishing returns on it. Meaning the higher alk you go, the more dosing it takes to get there.

If you are dosing alk, calcium and mag, stop immediately. I'm not sure what salt you use, but I would suggest doing a 20% water change a few times, like every other day. I would drop that alk down to about 8.0-8.5. I aim for 8.3ish which lets me stay within that range pretty easily. I don't know of any coral/organisms that struggle in that 8.0-8.5 alk range. Once your levels return to normal, then you can start dosing again. Although from the pics, it doesn't seem like you need to dose. The anemones don't need or benefit from high alk and cal. Mine are both generally low in my anemone tank. Some coraline algae crops up and uses up alk and cal, then stops growing. I won't do a water change for a few months and it doesn't at all matter to them.

I have not dosed anything ever and my salt is aquaforest.

 

[Midasblen]

Check out reefcleaners.org and get the package for 1/2 your tank size

Ok thanks I will check it.

 

[Midasblen]

Mine change sizes during the day and usually shrink up a bit at night when the lights start lowering intensity. They don't shrink up to the point where they don't have anything sticking out, although I have seen that before. By morning, they are about mid size and late in the evening they'll usually reach about 10 inches depending on where they decided to get in the flow that day.

Do you have a pic of how big they get at times? If they are getting big during the day and just closing up in the evening, I wouldn't worry about it terribly.

I'm not sure if it's nitrates and phosphates. I could see how that might slow down growth or something like that, but I think something else is making them unhappy to close up that much - depending on how they look in the middle of the day.

I think it's your alk. Is there any reason why you have your alk so high? Also your calcium and mag is high as well. I mean in addition to alk being high, you get diminishing returns on it. Meaning the higher alk you go, the more dosing it takes to get there.

If you are dosing alk, calcium and mag, stop immediately. I'm not sure what salt you use, but I would suggest doing a 20% water change a few times, like every other day. I would drop that alk down to about 8.0-8.5. I aim for 8.3ish which lets me stay within that range pretty easily. I don't know of any coral/organisms that struggle in that 8.0-8.5 alk range. Once your levels return to normal, then you can start dosing again. Although from the pics, it doesn't seem like you need to dose. The anemones don't need or benefit from high alk and cal. Mine are both generally low in my anemone tank. Some coraline algae crops up and uses up alk and cal, then stops growing. I won't do a water change for a few months and it doesn't at all matter to them.

Mine still open a little bit during the day, but for months after I got them they were really big and nice. Then they started to move and have not been as big since.

 

[Midasblen]

Here is what they used to look like.

 

[Midasblen]

I urge you not to take any chemical approaches to this, i've spent over 10 years with several thousand of these animals, there is no species that I am more comfortable giving advice on. It does not need to be difficult, raise phosphates and nitrates and if that does not help, we will consider other options. patience is key.
A large clean up crew will outcompete the algae stripping the system of key nutrients - this would be the first step, followed by focusing on raising po4 and nitrates. Often dosing them directly will give a more immediate effect, but through heavy feeding to the tank (and cleaners on algae) you will receive the same effect.

Right now I am feeding a lot once a day do you think I should up it to two times a day?

 

[Dolphins18]

Right now I am feeding a lot once a day do you think I should up it to two times a day?

It certainly wont hurt!
As others have mentioned I think it would be wise to also work on lowering your alk/mag/calc a bit as well.
8-8.5 alk 350-400 calc 1150-1250 mg for nems

 

[Midasblen]

It certainly wont hurt!
As others have mentioned I think it would be wise to also work on lowering your alk/mag/calc a bit as well.
8-8.5 alk 350-400 calc 1150-1250 mg for nems

Thank you for the help I will update periodically.

 

[Midasblen]

I think I am going to order some clean up crew from the site mentioned earlier, this is what I was thinking about getting. Need to order before Tuesday. Any suggestions?

 

[Dolphins18]

I think I am going to order some clean up crew from the site mentioned earlier, this is what I was thinking about getting. Need to order before Tuesday. Any suggestions?

Looks good to me, although those dwarf ceriths are so small and cheap I like to get A LOT of them, maybe bump those up to 25 or 30, you will only see them at night and they are super tiny.
The Florida Ceriths are larger, and I think you are spot on with 5-7 of those. Nerites are super hardy and often lay eggs after being introduced, if you see white spots on your rocks and glass don't worry they are just snail eggs. Nutritious fish food

 

[Midasblen]

I tried spot feeding again with a syringe and both of the anemones did not grab nor eat the shrimp. When they were more open they would grab the shrimp and eat it. They also seemed to get really flat after I just tried to feed them.

 

[Midasblen]

Here a picture.

 

[Dolphins18]

I tried spot feeding again with a syringe and both of the anemones did not grab nor eat the shrimp. When they were more open they would grab the shrimp and eat it. They also seemed to get really flat after I just tried to feed them.

I strongly recommend you fight the urge to feed, especially shrimp. As crazy as it sounds, just watch it and see what happens. Foot looks strong in the recent picture, and the nem looks OK at this time.

 

[Jekyl]

I wouldn't be trying to feed them at all. At least not directly. Just broadcast feed your fish by the anemone. If they're hungry, they'll eat. If not, let em be.

 

[outhouse]

You dont need to feed them or dirty the water, they feed on light and too much makes them small. I agree with the other poster, you either have some bad water and or too much light. I have extremely clean water and never feed mine or try and dirty the water. You had green on your rocks so you have plenty of junk in your water for nems. Me? I would do a 75% water change and get what ever is in there now out. Mine love water changes. If they were hungry they would inflate, to catch more prey, if your cooking them with to much light they shrink. so its not a lack of nutrients, it is water quality or over lighting

 

[outhouse]

how big and deep is your tank, and how high are the lights off the water? I