Anemone Help, Please!

[JonnyTorch]

Anemone help! Please
Hey all. I've got a 24g nano and it's been up and running for about 9 months. A friend gifted me a Black Widow Anemone and I've had it for 8 months with no issues.

About a month ago I was dealing with cyano a bit so I used chemiclean, and reduced the lights to help the cyano to not return, and found my friend has had a much lower percentage on his lights. Now the tank looks super clean.

I've noticed over the last week, that around the same time every night (anywhere from 5pm to 9pm) my anemone will shrink down and deflate and remove/expel waste. Daily now. It used to do this whenever I fed it too much, but I've only fed it once this week (Mysis mixed with AB+) the mix was for other corals. Other than one spot feeding the rest has been a broadcast feeding in my tank.

Could this be due to overfeeding the tank, maybe it's the reduced lighting, or maybe it's sick? The thing is, it only lasts for an hour or two then springs back up no problem like it never happened. It's just doing this way more frequently than it has in the past, this time not much spot feeding.

Tank params (working on nitrates):
Alk 9.1
Ph 7.9
Phos .05
Ca 377
Mg 1297
Ammonia .1
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 45

Here it is earlier today, and here it is expelling waste right now:

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

As long as you notice it's not getting worse or the anemone shrinking, it's likely fine. Clownfish will feed their anemones and on top of broadcast feeding, your nem is probably being fed more than you think it is.

 

[JonnyTorch]

As long as you notice it's not getting worse or the anemone shrinking, it's likely fine. Clownfish will feed their anemones and on top of broadcast feeding, your nem is probably being fed more than you think it is.

Okay. I was thinking it is getting worse as it is, since this whole week it started doing this. Before this week, it was pretty rare/once in a blue moon. It's only a 24g so it's pretty enclosed. It's definitely not smaller than normal when it's fully opened as In the photo above. But it's just doing this way more than normal, to the point where I can expect it every night. I did add a royal Gramma to the tank last month also, so I fed a bit more than normal too. Right now the clowns are a bit bloated from being pigs.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Okay. I was thinking it is getting worse as it is, since this whole week it started doing this. Before this week, it was pretty rare/once in a blue moon. It's only a 24g so it's pretty enclosed. It's definitely not smaller than normal when it's fully opened as In the photo above. But it's just doing this way more than normal, to the point where I can expect it every night. I did add a royal Gramma to the tank last month also, so I fed a bit more than normal too. Right now the clowns are a bit bloated from being pigs.

I wouldn't worry about this too much. When it's open, it looks very happy. Just keep monitoring for signs that it is continuing to get worse.

 

[JonnyTorch]

I wouldn't worry about this too much. When it's open, it looks very happy. Just keep monitoring for signs that it is continuing to get worse.

Thank you for the help! If I notice it starting to do this, say, multiple times a day, or for extended periods, what can I do?

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Thank you for the help! If I notice it starting to do this, say, multiple times a day, or for extended periods, what can I do?

If you see it expelling waste and it starts to shrink, in size; or stop opening fully, then that's a sign something is wrong. In that case, make sure all parameters are right, make sure your lighting and flow levels are okay, that there are no pests or creatures bothering it and that your parameters have been stable; or no swings have happened. Usually that list finds the problem, however sometimes anemones get sick, just like humans, and don't make it. In that case there is nothing you can do, though this is pretty rare

 

[JonnyTorch]

If you see it expelling waste and it starts to shrink, in size; or stop opening fully, then that's a sign something is wrong. In that case, make sure all parameters are right, make sure your lighting and flow levels are okay, that there are no pests or creatures bothering it and that your parameters have been stable; or no swings have happened. Usually that list finds the problem, however sometimes anemones get sick, just like humans, and don't make it. In that case there is nothing you can do, though this is pretty rare

Ok thank you. I just took a look at it and realized when it does this, the mouth hole opens pretty wide. Not fully gaping to where I can see it's insides, or to where it's expelling it's guts, but the mouth gets pretty wide and puffy during water exchange and expelling waste. The waste is a normal brown poop color just like normal waste expelling. But the. Again in an hour or two it'll be puffy again and be back to normal and thrive like the photo.

Usually when a mouth hole is big it's a sign, but 8 months it's never given me issues. So I'm just helicoptering as a parent and worrying about everything.

 

[JonnyTorch]

If you see it expelling waste and it starts to shrink, in size; or stop opening fully, then that's a sign something is wrong. In that case, make sure all parameters are right, make sure your lighting and flow levels are okay, that there are no pests or creatures bothering it and that your parameters have been stable; or no swings have happened. Usually that list finds the problem, however sometimes anemones get sick, just like humans, and don't make it. In that case there is nothing you can do, though this is pretty rare

It's starting to do it more often. Twice today during the day it completely deflated for an hour or two. It's went back to being deflated now. I did to a very large water change to remove some nitrates, maybe it is sulking because of that, but I'm not sure.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

It's starting to do it more often. Twice today during the day it completely deflated for an hour or two. It's went back to being deflated now. I did to a very large water change to remove some nitrates, maybe it is sulking because of that, but I'm not sure.

Could I get a list of the most recent parameters?

 

[JonnyTorch]

Could I get a list of the most recent parameters?

 

[JonnyTorch]

Sure. Spin test

 

[JonnyTorch]

Could I get a list of the most recent parameters?

Tonight, when the lights went off it inflated once more as the lights were ramping down. Hopefully tomorrow it'll pick back up. I'm thinking it was really ticked at water changes.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Sure. Spin test

Not too bad. Alk is a bit high, cal and mag are a bit low. Are you dosing anything?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Tonight, when the lights went off it inflated once more as the lights were ramping down. Hopefully tomorrow it'll pick back up. I'm thinking it was really ticked at water changes.

That is a good sign that it was inflating again!

 

[JonnyTorch]

Not too bad. Alk is a bit high, cal and mag are a bit low. Are you dosing anything?

I am not. Dosing anything. I have All For Reef (only a 24g) that I had but I don't want to max out the Alk with it. I honestly haven't gotten into true dosing each component. I did that in the past and failed and lost a tank.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

I am not. Dosing anything. I have All For Reef (only a 24g) that I had but I don't want to max out the Alk with it. I honestly haven't gotten into true dosing each component. I did that in the past and failed and lost a tank.

Oh... that's not good. What salt are you using?

 

[JonnyTorch]

Oh... that's not good. What salt are you using?

It's instant ocean I think, the LFS makes it. I just carry full buckets home. Their alk range is a bit higher and the mag and calc is a tad bit lower. I'm moving in a month 20 minutes from the store so then I might be buying RedSea salt after that.

 

[JonnyTorch]

Oh... that's not good. What salt are you using?

The crash before was 3 years ago, at that time I gave up salt and this time around last year I gave it another go with 90% of my equipment donated to me by a different LFS owner (friend), so I said what the heck. Doing well this time so far fingers crossed. Last time I dosed and used AB+ a lot and that tank crashed like crazy and everything died. My corals look great this time and feeding less and no dosing yet at 8 months