Anemone help....I’ve had this RBTA for about 3 months now and about 3 weeks ago he started to loose his red color (he is a muddy brown) and his tentacles started to get smaller and smaller. He comes out in the morning for a couple hours but then goes in the rock the rest of the day. He use to stay out all the time. All my parameters are in-line. I was doing research and found a picture that looked similar to him. They said he was starving which is hard to believe since I feed Fish Frenzy and his clownfish feeds him. I also spot feed him now and then (which he hasn’t been taking recently). But, I used a baster and direct fed him some Mysis to see if it would help. He closed around the Mysis but didn’t stay closed long. As soon as he stared to open a Fire Shrimp jumped right on him and started eating the Mysis. He really didn’t respond. His clownfish chased the shrimp away but he didn’t seem to react. His foot is still attached. Is he a goner? Is their anything I can do for him?
Anemone Help
- Thread starter Bugblu98
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Bob Loblaw
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Any other nems or large leathers in the tank?
My tank itself is 5 months old however it was a move from an old tank. The water, biomedia, filter, and live rock. Never even really cycled. All my parameters are spot on:
Salinity 1.025
Temp 81
pH 8.0
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate .10
Alk 7.7
Phos .03
Mag 1320
Cal 430
I upgraded the lights to Steve’s LED’s. The whites go on at 7am and ramp to max 35. They stay there until 5pm where they ramp down to off at 7pm. The blues go on at 7am and stay on till 11pm.
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How was the nem prior to changing the lights?
He was fine. Brightly colored and full. The only reason I didn’t believe it was the lights is because he is at the bottom of the tank in the sand and has his foot under a rock ledge. He really isn’t in the direct light.
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But what you described sounds like hes getting too much...try lowering the intensities and see if he comes out more.
Ron Reefman
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I hate to do this, because I know how many times I struggled with answers to questions that were direct opposites of each other. But then the old saying is, "Ask a question about a reef tank and 10 different people will give you 15 different answers!" But here I go anyway. IMHO I think it's just the opposite of what Reef Lover suggested. I don't think it's getting enough light and the zooxanthellae inside the nem aren't doing enough photosynthesis to feed it or keep it colored up. I have strong leds and I run fairly high PAR levels (yes, I have a PAR meter). And my RBTA is perfectly fine at PAR levels of 300.
The OP said the RBTA isn't in the direct light. Given that, I have a hard time believing that's too much light. Besides, if this nem is at the sand and getting too much light, everything else in the tank should be at least struggling with too much light if not flat out bleaching.
To the OP: I assume you made or assembled the led fixture? Have you ever tested the PAR? Our eyes are almost useless a judging light intensity.
The only part that I find a bit odd is that the anemone hasn't moved to find better light. But then anemones aren't the smartest critters in our tanks. I've had anemones (and I keep quite a few) move to bad locations and never leave.
I also have a hard time believing that it is too much light based on his location. He is at the bottom of the tank and under a rock arch. Not really any direct light. And the corals in my tank are all flourishing.
I did turn down the lights last week as suggested and have no change. He still looks the same.
Do you think I should direct my power head at him to see if he will move to a place where he is getting more light? I’m really at a loss.
Ron Reefman
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I think moving it is a good idea, but It looks like it's really in a location that is going to make it hard to move. Blowing a powerhead at it will blow all the sand away around the base of that rock. I'm more inclined in my tank to just pull the rock out and work at the foot with various tools (hanging it upside down over a small container of tank water, ice, soft plastic scraper, knife with a flat tip end I made myself, even a dental pick). And just to be clear, I'm very gentle and almost never lose an anemone. But your RBTA is attached to a rock at the bottom of your rockscape which I'm sure you don't want to tear apart.
Good luck and please keep us posted.
Good luck and please keep us posted.
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