anemone shrinking and getting darker

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nanonøkk

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Not receding slightly started to look like it was bleaching so I moved it down. Just not growing. Granted I go it and it was already the size of a slice of pizza. I’m impatient. I’ve actually noticed it starting to color up and actually change colors on me.


I can’t really complain. It was free. It will work itself out. I feed it, it gives me the feeding response.

My hammer just mad a new head so something is right in my tank. I think the chalice is like your nem just trying to stress me. So now I’m in set it and forget it mode!
yea mines growing very well mine started as a square a few months ago it was a rusty brown color now it’s a light purple and neon green eyes and like 4 new eyes are coming in on it
and that’s good your hammers giving off new head i’m only seeing that in my duncan and my blastomusa but i’m worried about my duncan
 

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Btas inflate and deflate constantly.......minimum par value of light needed is around 150-200 and UP. Anemones are a heavy bioload.......moderate to high tank turnover preferred with low to medium current strength directly.......salinity should be within a point of 1.025.......temp from 76-79 is the sweet point for them........alkalinity should be in the 4-6dkh range(natural saltwater range.......NOT JACKED UP like many do for enclosed reef tank systems in 8-12 range).......a good skimmer WITH ozone injection is highly recommended. I feed btas (carpets and ritteris as well) with LIVE FOOD ONLY......feeder fish(chromis etc)........nitrates and phosphates should be close to zero. 3 weeks ago i rescued a green bleeched out bta.......and rescued a pair of rose btas 2 weeks back. I now have 2 green btas and 3 rose btas........most likely will have 5 rose btas next week. Anemones are my specialty.
 
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Btas inflate and deflate constantly.......minimum par value of light needed is around 150-200 and UP. Anemones are a heavy bioload.......moderate to high tank turnover preferred with low to medium current strength directly.......salinity should be within a point of 1.025.......temp from 76-79 is the sweet point for them........alkalinity should be in the 4-6dkh range(natural saltwater range.......NOT JACKED UP like many do for enclosed reef tank systems in 8-12 range).......a good skimmer WITH ozone injection is highly recommended. I feed btas (carpets and ritteris as well) with LIVE FOOD ONLY......feeder fish(chromis etc)........nitrates and phosphates should be close to zero. 3 weeks ago i rescued a green bleeched out bta.......and rescued a pair of rose btas 2 weeks back. I now have 2 green btas and 3 rose btas........most likely will have 5 rose btas next week. Anemones are my specialty.
your really good with anemones and i dont have a skimmer i have a diy refugium in the back
 

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alkalinity should be in the 4-6dkh range(natural saltwater range.......NOT JACKED UP like many do for enclosed reef tank systems in 8-12 range)......Anemones are my specialty.
I believe the op has a reef tank, let's not have them drastically lowing Alk..

Live food is always better 10000000% of the time. But I can point you to 1000 different anemones on R2R (and 14 in my tanks) who have never tasted the stuff and thrive

Dang, I should get a specialty... ;)
 
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I believe the op has a reef tank, let's not have them drastically lowing Alk..

Live food is always better 10000000% of the time. But I can point you to 1000 different anemones on R2R (and 14 in my tanks) who have never tasted the stuff and thrive

Dang, I should get a specialty... ;)
yea i heard some people can keep them without feeding and just on light
 

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yea i heard some people can keep them without feeding and just on light
True, but I imagine even those nems are getting some food from the water column.

Nems are always reaching for food and if healthy will grab it and eat. That makes me think they prefer to eat more than just light.
 

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Obviously anemones feed both ways........the best way to feed though is random live food.......just like in nature........i stock a few dozen chromis and cardinal fish in all my tanks featuring anemones.........when the chromis start dissappearing and depleting.......i restock and replenish them in the display tanks..........normally do this once or twice a year.........
 

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As for alkalinity.......most reef tanks are kept too high........imo the tendency to keep alkalinity unnaturally high in this hobby is detrimental. I have nvr needed to do that.......imo animals and corals thrive better when major parameters are kept in place solidly..........been following these practices for decades nows.........i seem to be doing ok..........
 
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True, but I imagine even those nems are getting some food from the water column.

Nems are always reaching for food and if healthy will grab it and eat. That makes me think they prefer to eat more than just light.
yea they look the they are kinda designed designed to trap and eat things
 
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As for alkalinity.......most reef tanks are kept too high........imo the tendency to keep alkalinity unnaturally high in this hobby is detrimental. I have nvr needed to do that.......imo animals and corals thrive better when major parameters are kept in place solidly..........been following these practices for decades nows.........i seem to be doing ok..........
yea i had my perameters low for alk and nothing in my tank liked it plus if i dont dose then it will drop really low really fast
 

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Curious..........in 30 years time......myself or my past clients have never had to "dose" anything.........or do regular water changes.........or any on some tanks which are still going strong to this day........all these tanks have parameters that test out in line with nsw.
 

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Many reefers keep their alk high and have great success. I feel as though it’s all dependent upon your system. As long as the tank is happy than keep doing what your doing. Drastically reducing or upping your alk is not a good idea.

it’s really also dependent upon what’s in yourtank.

I think the main reason behind higher alk is to get corals to grow faster. Which from everything I’ve read works. But you have to find thesweet spot for your tank. The reason lower alk works innatural reefs is because it is consistent.

No matter what stability is key
 

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Oh n btw.......there is a typo in a previous post........i stated 4-6dkh.......it should have read 6-7.......or 100-125ppm meq/l roughly
 
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Many reefers keep their alk high and have great success. I feel as though it’s all dependent upon your system. As long as the tank is happy than keep doing what your doing. Drastically reducing or upping your alk is not a good idea.

it’s really also dependent upon what’s in yourtank.

I think the main reason behind higher alk is to get corals to grow faster. Which from everything I’ve read works. But you have to find thesweet spot for your tank. The reason lower alk works innatural reefs is because it is consistent.

No matter what stability is key
High alkalinity has many detrimental effects long term........to corals and other organisms. Targeting nsw parameters is the sweetspot..........
 
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And what is low for alk? 125ppm is the target(6-7dkh)
before i stocked my tank with corals i had a high alk swing i forgot why but it was in the 12 range then when i tested a day later because everything wasn’t looking to good it was at really low
 
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Many reefers keep their alk high and have great success. I feel as though it’s all dependent upon your system. As long as the tank is happy than keep doing what your doing. Drastically reducing or upping your alk is not a good idea.

it’s really also dependent upon what’s in yourtank.

I think the main reason behind higher alk is to get corals to grow faster. Which from everything I’ve read works. But you have to find thesweet spot for your tank. The reason lower alk works innatural reefs is because it is consistent.

No matter what stability is key
yea i’ve been adding kalkwasser daily the same amount every day and everything seems to like it more
 

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Just to add..... I took a picture yesterday with lights out, and one one this morning with lights on. I just use a phone and no filters, but you get the idea. In the “lights out picture you can barely see it..... it’s between the rocks, not the one in front on the left and not the one on the right.

You can see the darker skinny little bits coming out in one of the light out pics. That’s it. The light on pics it is the largest of the few, dead center


F9481679-D48A-4A48-91EA-37928443B7DC.jpeg
09C1F986-1234-4AAD-9056-9B6D09DC08C2.jpeg
EF0F566D-9637-4988-87A7-5785193C6E06.jpeg
 
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Just to add..... I took a picture yesterday with lights out, and one one this morning with lights on. I just use a phone and no filters, but you get the idea. In the “lights out picture you can barely see it..... it’s between the rocks, not the one in front on the left and not the one on the right.

You can see the darker skinny little bits coming out in one of the light out pics. That’s it. The light on pics it is the largest of the few, dead center


F9481679-D48A-4A48-91EA-37928443B7DC.jpeg
09C1F986-1234-4AAD-9056-9B6D09DC08C2.jpeg
EF0F566D-9637-4988-87A7-5785193C6E06.jpeg
when my lights come back on i’ll send you picture of what it looks like because it looks the same color when it’s open
 

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Nononokk: after looking over ur threads.......i have to say that you dont really know whats up or down........you have a 10 gallon nano(extremely hard to keep due to low water volume) thats less than a year old.........no skimmer.......dosing bunch of stuff..........hydrogen peroxide?!?!?........dosing chemicals........bunch of frags some dying.........anemone.......fish dying........etc.......temps prolly a lil high........i would consider this tank a mess atm........
Imo........full 100% water change.........stop dosing ANYTHING.........stop adding anything...........let tank recycle and KEEP IT SIMPLE........salinity target 1.025.......temp target 77-79 degrees.......0 ammonia.......0 nitrites..........low nitrates(under 5ppm)...........alk 6-7dkh........ph 8.0-8.2.......phosphates less than .25ppm........calcium 420-460ppm...........those are the basic parameters.........if you can keep those targets rock solid over the next year......the rest will fall into place........you are a keeper of the water.......not the fish and corals. You have a refugium......check.........get a skimmer too.......it will be very beneficial to your nano........stop dumping cr@p in the water throwing balance off.

...
 

Figuring out the why: Has your primary reason(s) for keeping a saltwater aquarium changed over time?

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