Anemone Help

[Snoop_90]

Hi,

75 Gallon tank been running a few years.
I got this anemone a few days ago. (top image is it's looked since I got it, 2nd and 3rd is how it looks now) https://imgur.com/a/HyXtls5 It looked healthy and has been fine in the tank uptil 2 hrs ago. But just now I noticed it has something coming off of it. Not sure if it is waste or if its dying. Mouth seems to be closed. And now its completely closed up only thing I can see is that substance. Any ideas whats happening?

It sits under Radion xr30 set on reef tank. I've fed it a mixture of brine and mysis once since I got it. Tank currently is fishless due to ich outbreak over a month ago but currently houses a mix of LTA, a bubble and condy, snails, crabs and shrimp, and a few SPS corals.

Water parameters:
Salinity: 1.024
Temp 75
Nitrates: 0
Nitrites: 0
Ammonia: 0
Calcium: 450
Phosphate: .25 ppm

 

[DSC reef]

From the image it looks to be expelling waste. @davocean

 

[reef lover]

Welcome to r2r!! I agree expelling waste

 

[davocean]

I think so too, expelling waste.

That's a beauty of an LTA, make sure you acclimate it to new lights if new from an LFS that may have had under weaker lighting.
LTA are not so light needy compared to others, medium light and flow.

I usually place my LTA's near a ledge type area so they can pull in and out of light as needed.

 

[Snoop_90]

I think so too, expelling waste.

That's a beauty of an LTA, make sure you acclimate it to new lights if new from an LFS that may have had under weaker lighting.
LTA are not so light needy compared to others, medium light and flow.

I usually place my LTA's near a ledge type area so they can pull in and out of light as needed.

Ohh thank you!! I legit was freaking out when I saw that stuff coming out. I've mostly seen strings come out of anemones so this got me worried, especially when it completely closed up and all I see is the waste stuff sticking out.

How do I acclimate LTA with lights?

 

[Snoop_90]

Welcome to r2r!! I agree expelling waste

Thanks! Glad to be part of R2R

 

[Danh Ngo]

Dont feed him yet, let him settle down and acclimate to your tank. Feeding a new nem even stress him more.

 

[TackH]

I have had 3 BTAs for years. They will shrink up and expel funky looking stuff occasionally and then back to normal by the next day.

 

[davocean]

Ohh thank you!! I legit was freaking out when I saw that stuff coming out. I've mostly seen strings come out of anemones so this got me worried, especially when it completely closed up and all I see is the waste stuff sticking out.

How do I acclimate LTA with lights?

I agree I don't spot feed first couple weeks, unless it was bleached and needed it, but yours is not, so let settle.

As for light acclimation depends on what it was under before and intensity now, this is one reason I love a ledge for them as they can decide, and my LTA's always pulled in and out of light as they wished for years of having them.

If you thought you needed to acclimate compared to what it was under before, either ramp down, which would affect entire tank, or screen off directly over LTA w/ eggcrate or similar shade screen that can tolerate light and heat, and diffuse.

 

[Snoop_90]

I normally don't feed them right away, someone suggested if it's looking healthy why not so I fed it once. So should I hold off on further feeds?

From what I've noticed is my LFS lights are a lot lower. The anemones I've bought thinking ohh this looks mad cool such bright neon colors, have all been bleached, but those are also anemones they had just received from a new shipment. So can't really blame the stores lights right away. I had an impulse buy with a Mini carpet, It was neon green and white center.. After I got home it hit me this is probably bleached. *face palm*

@davocean Stupid question, but I'm sorry I'm a bit confused with what ledge you're referring to. Do you mean you acclimate them under the light on a ledge of the tank? or a ledge inside the tank?

 

[Danh Ngo]

I normally don't feed them right away, someone suggested if it's looking healthy why not so I fed it once. So should I hold off on further feeds?

From what I've noticed is my LFS lights are a lot lower. The anemones I've bought thinking ohh this looks mad cool such bright neon colors, have all been bleached, but those are also anemones they had just received from a new shipment. So can't really blame the stores lights right away. I had an impulse buy with a Mini carpet, It was neon green and white center.. After I got home it hit me this is probably bleached. *face palm*

@davocean Stupid question, but I'm sorry I'm a bit confused with what ledge you're referring to. Do you mean you acclimate them under the light on a ledge of the tank? or a ledge inside the tank?

Yes just dont feed him, if he is healthy, good lighting is enough for a nem to live, feeding is not always a critical requirement to keep a healthy nem.

 

[davocean]

Oh and don't be surprised if it closes up or retracts some now and then, and they can even ball up like this sometimes, or completely suck into
[QUOTE="

@davocean Stupid question, but I'm sorry I'm a bit confused with what ledge you're referring to. Do you mean you acclimate them under the light on a ledge of the tank? or a ledge inside the tank?[/QUOTE]

Never a stupid question.
I actually plan out for what I keep usually and scape accordingly, or I've been lucky to have an area, in sand bed, next to rocks where they can kinda pull in some if needed.

I agree they can close up, ball up, even completely suck into sand and vanish in extreme cases.
This is one I had after a cerith fell into it.

 

[davocean]

This is one of my past tanks that shows the ledge/cove type area I have found to be best fit for LTA.

The super light needy crispa is on right reaching for all it can get, while on left side LTA is tucked in safely, you can even see how it's kinda shaded in this pic.
This is ideal really, that LTA stayed put there 5.5 years.

 

[Snoop_90]

Yes just dont feed him, if he is healthy, good lighting is enough for a nem to live, feeding is not always a critical requirement to keep a healthy nem.

Thanks! I'll hold off on it

 

[Snoop_90]

This is one of my past tanks that shows the ledge/cove type area I have found to be best fit for LTA.

The super light needy crispa is on right reaching for all it can get, while on left side LTA is tucked in safely, you can even see how it's kinda shaded in this pic.
This is ideal really, that LTA stayed put there 5.5 years.

Beautiful set up, and nice Anemone. Ahh now I get what you mean by ledge now. Sorry was having a brain fart. These are how my anemones currently are https://imgur.com/a/yfvo17v I've seem close up into balls before. So that I know is normal. just that giant waste ball is what was completely new for me. After adding some corals I learned I need to redo my entire scape. Was initially waiting on someone giving me a new larger tank, but seeing has it happened, need to make the time out to fix it. I wasn't really sure which anemone would stay in the sand. The LTA in the sand in the begging of the video sat there the moment I put it in my tank and hasn't moved. 2 of my LTA have never touched the sand since I got them, they've mostly stayed on a rock and just moved from either the front or back. BTA has moved once in the last 2 once and that was literally 3 inches over.

 

[davocean]

Wow, I think you have 4 LTA's total from what I could catch in vid, and they all looked about right, at base of rocks, but foot should be in sand, looks like they are from what I can see. Yeah you are chock fulla nem!

 

[Snoop_90]

Wow, I think you have 4 LTA's total from what I could catch in vid, and they all looked about right, at base of rocks, but foot should be in sand, looks like they are from what I can see. Yeah you are chock fulla nem!

I'm new to the Reef world, only been in it for a few months. The tank which given to me by a family friend was FOLR. When I started restocking it, a LFS told me Anemones were easier to keep than corals. Which was why my family was like ohhh Anemone!!!, lets buy it. It was only recently when I started adding corals, and spoke to more experienced ppl, we learned anemones aren't so easy.

I have 5 LTA. 2 condys, 1 BTA, and a recent mini carpet. And they're all varying size. Regret the initial buys they were so small!!! the more recent ones were much bigger

 

[davocean]

Yeah, I think anemone's, depending on species especially can be more difficult than sps, but like anything you kinda develop an eye if you pay attention.
Documenting on sites like here help, and sharing experiences helps as a collective source of info to all.

Looks good so far, keep posting pics!

 

[Snoop_90]

Thanks! Yea definitely learned and picked up a lot. Had 2 anemones die on me since I've started. One is currently missing in the tank somewhere. Not sure if it got eaten by another or if its just been darn good at hiding for almost 2 months.

 

[Danh Ngo]

Thanks! Yea definitely learned and picked up a lot. Had 2 anemones die on me since I've started. One is currently missing in the tank somewhere. Not sure if it got eaten by another or if its just been darn good at hiding for almost 2 months.

try to find the missing nem if you can, make sure it is alive, dead nem release toxin which could ruin the hold tank. Run carbon if needed.
Anemone is not too easy to keep sometimes. But they react and gives us some signal when they dont feel happy with something (flow, light, param). Also they need a stable parameter, swing will stress them or even kill them. Like in your case, the nem is stress, feeding stress him more, expelling zoox is one clear sign, also deflating or shrinking in size