Anemone care

zachs_reef · Oct 27, 2021

My anemone has recently been starting to look like this, should I be concerned?

blaxsun · Oct 27, 2021

You could try gently moving it onto a rock to see if it prefers being up higher. How's the flow in your tank?

zachs_reef · Oct 27, 2021

blaxsun said:
You could try gently moving it onto a rock to see if it prefers being up higher. How's the flow in your tank?

When I had first gotten it, it would go on one of the rocks but not anymore, it would also go in a corner behind another rock I could try gently moving it back to the corner. Flow is good not really focused on the bottom hits more middle too area!

zachs_reef · Oct 27, 2021

blaxsun said:
You could try gently moving it onto a rock to see if it prefers being up higher. How's the flow in your tank?

here is a full pic of the tank (this was taken a day before this pic)

lefkonj · Oct 27, 2021

People forget that Anemones require not only feeding but good lighting and some flow. If they aren't settling in you can use a plastic strainer and let it float for a bit so you can spot feed it. You can then see if it attached back to a rock.

Kyle954 · Oct 27, 2021

i wouldn’t mess with him. Anemones will move if they’re not happy. Maybe try feeding a little. I don’t spot feed mine. Started with 1 bubble top, has split 8 times within a year. Must be doing something right ‍ Lol

James M · Oct 27, 2021

lefkonj said:
People forget that Anemones require not only feeding but good lighting and some flow. If they aren't settling in you can use a plastic strainer and let it float for a bit so you can spot feed it. You can then see if it attached back to a rock.

They don’t require feedings and you should not feed a anemone until it’s settled in the tank

FLReefer101 · Oct 27, 2021

just leave it be. It will find the place it’s most comfortable in and will grab on. Once it is settled then you can feed it periodically but wouldn’t recommend very often feeding them. Once it’s settled in a spot for a month or so you should be fine.

vetteguy53081 · Oct 27, 2021

Do not move it. May be lacking light. If this is a new or newer tank, anemones in general are not good starter specimens. They are sensitive to changes in environment which a newer tank will offer not to mention importance of good lighting and moderate water flow. Often, anemones will become Unhappy when there is too much water flow lighting too low or too bright. Light is necessary for their production of zooxanthellae which gives them both color and cell production.
Having thorough knowledge about these specimens is a must. These invertebrates againare sensitive to water changes and require pristine conditions to stay in good shape. Failing to meet their needs can result in early death and damage to the tank environment as a whole. Yes, getting caught in a power head is a concern but rarely occurs.
The most important thing you’ll need to take care of before you bring your anemone home is perfecting the tank and water conditions. Again - You should never place an anemone into a tank you just set up.
Take some time to get parameters just right and let the closed environment cycle for a few months. This ensures that conditions are stable and safe. Most anemones prefer warmer temperatures. Water should be on the alkali side as well. Monitor water conditions regularly to avoid any major changes. Ammonia and nitrate levels should be undetectable at all times using a good quakity test kit and Not API either.
Here are some water parameters to follow.

Water temperature: Between 77°F and 82°F (stay close to the middle of this range)
pH level: 8.1 to 8.4
Water hardness: 8 to 12 dKH
Specific gravity: 1.024 to 1.025
Nitrate < .5

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 anemone will move around the tank until it finds a suitable spot to call home. 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. Touching more- Lighting for your nem is a very important aspect of their care. These creatures need a lot of light to truly thrive because they’re photosynthetic. Basically, that means that they absorb light to make food and grow. The anemone has zooxanthellae in its body, which are symbiotic microorganisms 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 agree 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 jets at the anemone. The creatures enjoy subtle movement at all times. But too much direct flow hitting the anemone will force it to move.

MaxTremors · Oct 27, 2021

Your tank looks pretty new and likely isn’t stable enough for an anemone. What kind of lighting do you have, what are your parameters (and are they stable, not just day to day but week to week), and how old is your tank. Did you use real live rock or dry rock?

For now, don’t touch it or move it and don’t try to feed it, you’re just going to further stress it out. Anemones don’t really need to be spot fed, its not in this state because of a lack of feeding. Give it good light (with a cave it can go into if it wants to get away from the light), make sure your water is in range and stable (do water changes if necessary, but make sure salinity and alkalinity match your tank exactly), and give it some time. Again, don’t try to move it or feed it (you can feed the tank, if it wants some food it’ll catch some). Also, just as a general rule, if and when you do spot feed it, be careful not to overfeed or give meals that are too big. You shouldn’t give them pieces of food larger than pea size. There have been studies that show wild bubble tips are mostly eating plankton size bits of food, the largest being around pea size, it’s also been found that when fed larger meals it actually costs the anemone resources to digest it (meaning they expend more calories digesting the meal than they get from the meal. So small bits once every week or two (I feed mine some mysis or brine and occasionally some reef roids and it’s happy and healthy).

zachs_reef · Oct 27, 2021

vetteguy53081 said:
Do not move it. May be lacking light. If this is a new or newer tank, anemones in general are not good starter specimens. They are sensitive to changes in environment which a newer tank will offer not to mention importance of good lighting and moderate water flow. Often, anemones will become Unhappy when there is too much water flow lighting too low or too bright. Light is necessary for their production of zooxanthellae which gives them both color and cell production.
Having thorough knowledge about these specimens is a must. These invertebrates againare sensitive to water changes and require pristine conditions to stay in good shape. Failing to meet their needs can result in early death and damage to the tank environment as a whole. Yes, getting caught in a power head is a concern but rarely occurs.
The most important thing you’ll need to take care of before you bring your anemone home is perfecting the tank and water conditions. Again - You should never place an anemone into a tank you just set up.
Take some time to get parameters just right and let the closed environment cycle for a few months. This ensures that conditions are stable and safe. Most anemones prefer warmer temperatures. Water should be on the alkali side as well. Monitor water conditions regularly to avoid any major changes. Ammonia and nitrate levels should be undetectable at all times using a good quakity test kit and Not API either.
Here are some water parameters to follow.

Water temperature: Between 77°F and 82°F (stay close to the middle of this range)

pH level: 8.1 to 8.4

Water hardness: 8 to 12 dKH

Specific gravity: 1.024 to 1.025

Nitrate < .5

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 anemone will move around the tank until it finds a suitable spot to call home. 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. Touching more- Lighting for your nem is a very important aspect of their care. These creatures need a lot of light to truly thrive because they’re photosynthetic. Basically, that means that they absorb light to make food and grow. The anemone has zooxanthellae in its body, which are symbiotic microorganisms 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 agree 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 jets at the anemone. The creatures enjoy subtle movement at all times. But too much direct flow hitting the anemone will force it to move.

Thank you! This is very informative, the tank is about a yr old (10 months) I got the nem 1 month ago! I do need to mess around with the flow a bit just to get it good but it never gets any direct flow, water parameters a good also. I do need to buy one of those timers for the lights so that i can get it on a day night cycle though.

zachs_reef · Oct 27, 2021

MaxTremors said:
Your tank looks pretty new and likely isn’t stable enough for an anemone. What kind of lighting do you have, what are your parameters (and are they stable, not just day to day but week to week), and how old is your tank. Did you use real live rock or dry rock?

For now, don’t touch it or move it and don’t try to feed it, you’re just going to further stress it out. Anemones don’t really need to be spot fed, its not in this state because of a lack of feeding. Give it good light (with a cave it can go into if it wants to get away from the light), make sure your water is in range and stable (do water changes if necessary, but make sure salinity and alkalinity match your tank exactly), and give it some time. Again, don’t try to move it or feed it (you can feed the tank, if it wants some food it’ll catch some). Also, just as a general rule, if and when you do spot feed it, be careful not to overfeed or give meals that are too big. You shouldn’t give them pieces of food larger than pea size. There have been studies that show wild bubble tips are mostly eating plankton size bits of food, the largest being around pea size, it’s also been found that when fed larger meals it actually costs the anemone resources to digest it (meaning they expend more calories digesting the meal than they get from the meal. So small bits once every week or two (I feed mine some mysis or brine and occasionally some reef roids and it’s happy and healthy).

The tank is 10 months, water parameters week to week have been pretty consistent. I haven’t spot feed it just yet only feeding when I feed the tank all together and for the rock I used live!

blaxsun · Oct 28, 2021

I couldn't tell how many fish are in your tank, but if you start feeding them frozen food at some point I've found that fish, corals and anemones really like Calanus (you can just shave off a few slices from a frozen cube and mix along with any other frozen food while feeding). I find that my anemones do best when I don't spot feed them (I just turn the return pump off and let any active powerheads mix it around in the tank for 10-15 minutes).

zachs_reef · Oct 28, 2021

blaxsun said:
I couldn't tell how many fish are in your tank, but if you start feeding them frozen food at some point I've found that fish, corals and anemones really like Calanus (you can just shave off a few slices from a frozen cube and mix along with any other frozen food while feeding). I find that my anemones do best when I don't spot feed them (I just turn the return pump off and let any active powerheads mix it around in the tank for 10-15 minutes).

I just have the 1 pair of clowns atm, I do feed frozen haven’t heard if Calanus so will def look into that and see if it’s at my LFS!