Anemone dying?

[keddre]

Is my anemone dying or doing something else? It's been acting strange the past week, but my clown won't leave its side and still protects it. Thanks

Edit: I didn't detach its foot. It let go and started floating in its own

 

[keddre]

Its mouth is starting to close back up. Will retake photo on 20

 

[AcroNem]

Looks like it was just a little upset. Anemones can do some very strange things that don't really make sense to us sometimes. Keep us updated on it. It's possible it could have been eating something or expelling waste. Or something upset it and it was relocating.

 

[keddre]

This is actually a good picture of how he's been the past week. Mouth closed (usually a little tighter) but not fully shut like it usually is... More "puckered ". Plus he has been limp and not opening. Lastly I usually feed him bi-daily, but recently he just holds it and then let's go.

 

[keddre]

Params: ammonia is a little darker than 0, nitrate and nitrite are 0, ph is 8.2

 

[Lance M.]

It's not happy with something. I would stop feeding it for now. No changes to anything in the tank? what are your other parameters, temp swing?

 

[keddre]

It's not happy with something. I would stop feeding it for now. No changes to anything in the tank? what are your other parameters, temp swing?

Only ones I can test I posted. Only change, now that I think of it, was the removal of lighting from my refugium/sump but it didn't change my parameters. No temp swings, it's a constant 80/82°F, but I do have salinity changes due to the lack of an auto top off, but that is not new. I stopped feeding him 3/4 days ago when he went from the size of a baseball down to a golf ball

Edit: there was a diet change. I went from feeding marine cuisine, to frozen Wal-Mart shrimp dethawed and soaked in phytoplankton

 

[Amoo]

How long have you been feeding him bi-daily before this started? How long have you had it?

 

[ZAB]

The shrimp from Wal-Mart could have been soaked in some kind of persevitive..the reason I say this I bought shrimp from supermarket before and my anemone love it ... did it again the next day he was not doing well..he finally died shrimp was in his digestive track in eaten...since then even if fish monger tells you that it is fresh ....beware..

 

[keddre]

How long have you been feeding him bi-daily before this started? How long have you had it?

The answer to both is a little over a month

 

[keddre]

The shrimp from Wal-Mart could have been soaked in some kind of persevitive..the reason I say this I bought shrimp from supermarket before and my anemone love it ... did it again the next day he was not doing well..he finally died shrimp was in his digestive track in eaten...since then even if fish monger tells you that it is fresh ....beware..

See, I was seriously worried about that while I was at Wal-Mart too. Only reason I switched foods was because my maroon clown would eat half the marine cuisine before my lta got it in

 

[SalinFL]

Please be careful - human consumption or your fish, eat wild caught ONLY. Walmart gets their shrimp from Thailand and their pools have been proven to be contaminated.

I know this because I'm an exotic animal handler. I attended a conference where I was able to sit in on a talk about the loss of exotic animal life on Thailand. They couldn't figure out what it was until they started tracing their diet. The animal was supplementing their diet from the fish/shrimp farms. If your baby is sick, this is why.

 

[Lance M.]

Recommend not feeding for awhile, if it looks better and you want to, go back to your original or try frozen mysis, etc.

There have been many instances were food has caused deaths of anemones, most popular one would be silversides as it would quickly spoil, iirc.

 

[keddre]

Thanks all, I'm letting him sit and the only disturbance he gets is from his clown(s). Thoughts on wild caught shrimp? My only hesitation going back to frozen fish food is my maroons habit of taking the food back from the clown; feeding ahead doesn't help, I think the maroon just doesn't like anything doing with me and my hand. Thanks

 

[CodyRVA]

Is there any concrete proof of nem's being affected by this food source? I know plenty of folks that feed their nem's from the same source with no issue, including myself.

How old is this system?

You said you have salinity swings because you have no ATO; this is a major red flag IMO.

 

[keddre]

Is there any concrete proof of nem's being affected by this food source? I know plenty of folks that feed their nem's from the same source with no issue, including myself.

How old is this system?

You said you have salinity swings because you have no ATO; this is a major red flag IMO.

The tank is 4/5 months old, and the nem has been happy in my tank for over a month. Although young, I don't have any major swings, plus I do water changes weekly anyway. My salinity does waver between 1.024-1.026, but this isn't new and he appeared healthy in it for the whole time

 

[Salty_Dreamer]

Thanks all, I'm letting him sit and the only disturbance he gets is from his clown(s). Thoughts on wild caught shrimp? My only hesitation going back to frozen fish food is my maroons habit of taking the food back from the clown; feeding ahead doesn't help, I think the maroon just doesn't like anything doing with me and my hand. Thanks

Hello, I have had BTAs for about 10 years, and I do not spot feed them very often. They get so much just from proper lighting, and Pros, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that I read a while back that they will get food from the clowns. I have had anemones get stuck in power heads that looked like puddles of goop, and they still came back. I'm a believer in just leaving things alone sometimes, and letting nature take it's course. Of course, keep an eye on it, but maybe it just needs a few days of rest, clean water, and good light. I know that's what I need when I'm under the weather! ;) Good luck with your little guy!

 

[keddre]

Hello, I have had BTAs for about 10 years, and I do not spot feed them very often. They get so much just from proper lighting, and Pros, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that I read a while back that they will get food from the clowns. I have had anemones get stuck in power heads that looked like puddles of goop, and they still came back. I'm a believer in just leaving things alone sometimes, and letting nature take it's course. Of course, keep an eye on it, but maybe it just needs a few days of rest, clean water, and good light. I know that's what I need when I'm under the weather! ;) Good luck with your little guy!

lol thanks, and I'm pretty sure you are right about the lighting. I'm feeding mine because my two clowns fight for space in it and I just wanted him to grow larger, faster.

This reminds me, I often see my female clown "kissing" my nem. She is not feeding it, but will place her mouth right against the anemone's; this never caused me alarm though

 

[AcroNem]

Is there any concrete proof of nem's being affected by this food source? I know plenty of folks that feed their nem's from the same source with no issue, including myself.

How old is this system?

You said you have salinity swings because you have no ATO; this is a major red flag IMO.

No, there isn't. It's just speculation as people do. Same here, everyone I know and work with feed their nems. I've been feeding anemones every 3 days-weekly for 13 years with none having died from a food related cause. I feed silversides as well.

 

[CodyRVA]

No, there isn't. It's just speculation as people do. Same here, everyone I know and work with feed their nems. I've been feeding anemones every 3 days-weekly for 13 years with none having died from a food related cause. I feed silversides as well.

I used to spot feed mine every few days with all sorts of frozen foods with no issue.

This system is too young IMO, i know everyone harps on the 6 months to a year, but theres a reason. I jumped the gun in the past adding a nem too soon and it took about 15-30 days before I really noticed it going down hill. IME nem's don't handle salinity swings very well. We haven't even talked about ALK or MG... At this point I highly doubt the food source is the main issue here.