Anemone Suddenly Closing Up?
- Thread starter 1Meshy
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Alchameth
Active Member
Ya just give it time, the color looks good. As for the po4, yea too high can be an issue. From the close pic I don't see a lot of algae, how's the tank overall? Water change and lessen feeding some to bring it down, do you have any other nutrient export? filter sock or fuge or skimmer?
Rmckoy
7500 Club Member
I’d stop dosing and try ringing calcium and magnesium down .Hey guys, so I got this green bubbletip anemone about a month ago and it was doing pretty well. It hid for about a week or so and then it started opening up and looking really nice (I did notice it likes to stay in shadier areas of the tank, however). However, I started noticing that it's been closing up tight for some reason, and I can't quite figure out why.
The only new thing I started dosing in the tank was Red Sea's Reef Energy Plus AB+ Coral Nutrition (I started dosing a little less than a week ago). Since it's a 29 gallon biocube, I started with about 2-3mL of the stuff everyday. I'm not sure if this could have affected the nem or not, so any input would be appreciated.
The only other thing I dose in the tank is 12 drops of Brightwell Aquatic's CoralAmino every Monday and Friday, and the occasional alkalinity buffer from the B-Ionic 2 part (sometimes my alk drops a bit, so I have to bring it up again with this stuff). I was also dosing the calcium part of the buffer a couple of weeks ago, but have since stopped because.. I guess I dosed too much? I was following the directions on the bottle, but maybe I miscalculated something somewhere and went a bit higher than I should have... oops!
Everything else seems fine though. I currently have two SPS, a couple LPS and softies in the tank. They seem to be doing well, but I'm currently trying to get my phosphate in check because I think it has since stunted the growth rate of the corals (I just got the hanna checker not too long ago, so I wasn't able to properly check the amount of phosphate the tank had until now).
The tank was set up back in 2015, so it's by no means a new tank. Other than the calcium and phosphate needing to be lowered, everything else has been pretty stable.
My current params are these:
Ammonia - 0ppm (API test)
Nitrite - 0ppm (API test )
Nitrate - 10ppm (API test)
Calcium - ~600ppm (Red Sea test)
Alkalinity - 9.7 dKH (Red Sea test)
Magnesium - 1500ppm (Salifert test)
Phosphate - 0.6ppm (Hanna Checker)
I have attached a picture of my current lighting schedule (AI Prime HD), and a few pics of the nem as well (sorry about the quality, ahaha).
One extra note, I do have a tomato clown that loves to go into the bubbletip. I'm not sure if he may be stressing the nem out or not, so I thought I would mention it.
Alright guys, sorry about the long post, but I wanted to be as thorough as possible for your help. I love these little guys, so any advice to keep them healthy and well would be greatly appreciated!
for example .
my parameters are
Cal 425
Mag 1400
Alk 7.5 dkh ( 134ppm )
Nitrates 5ppm
phosphorous fluctuates around 20ppb
the higher alk , will cause more consumption .
It can't be seen from the pic I took because the GHA is mainly on top of the rocks where the light hits it. Anywhere shady doesn't have algae.
And I'll be doing a water change this weekend to try leveling out my parameters, as well as trying new methods for bringing down the phosphate (I posted a thread for phosphate removal yesterday and got lots of suggestions).
As for my filtration, it's very simple. Just some filter floss and a big ball of chaeto in the fuge, as well as a coralife mini skimmer for the biocube. I also have phosguard in there at the moment, but it doesn't really seem to be bringing it down a whole lot..
Yeah I haven't dosed calcium in a while, so its getting lower. Not quite sure why mag is a bit elevated though, I've never dosed mag. I use the instant ocean regular salt (purple bag); could that be the reason?
SE7ƎN
Community Member
That UV setting seems pretty high imo. I follow Patty’s (HerNanoReefs) lighting schedule and it’s been great. She has great info on Anemone care and you can download her AI Prime Schedule here: https://www.hernanoreefs.com/nano-anemone-tank
BostonReefer300
Valuable Member
I got a green BTA as well a few weeks ago. Looked small, but OK in the bag. Was small but OK in an acclimation box in my DT. When I put it on a rock low in my setup, it promptly moved underneath it into a cave and has remained shriveled up in the dark since. It's still stuck to the rock (I can see it from a particular side angle), but if not for that fact I'd say it was dead. I can't get it out without ripping out a huge piece from my aquascape and potentially damaging several corals. I can't figure it out because all my parameters are textbook, my three other rose BTAs are all doing fine, and the green BTA didn't appear to have any damage when I got it (e.g. foot was fine, it was somewhat inflated when in acclimation box, etc.). I'm heartbroken about it
SE7ƎN
Community Member
@1Meshy
I have an iPhone that I control my AI Prime with, so basically you have to download the file, Save it to your phone in iCloud/Drive, then import the file to your MyAI App. I attached the screenshots below for you to see.
*If you don’t see the MyAI App, keep scrolling to the right and then click “More” and then all the other Apps will show up there.
Attachments
I had a mini red do the same. It finally came out this week after a few MONTHS. Except for dangers they can’t comprehend (powerheads, for instance) I have to believe these guys aren’t doing these things to be cheeky but instead because they need to. Maybe it is something we can help with, maybe not. At least that is what I’m starting to believe based on all the stories of wacky clown, nem, and coral behaviors. Whatever happens it does always seem that not making big and drastic changes in short periods of time (I.e. reacting) is key.
I hope your lil guy is fine whatever the situation is.
BostonReefer300
Valuable Member
Thank you! I’m sick over it and wake up every day expecting to find him dead. If he had found almost any other place to hide in my tank, I could get to him. But no, he had to choose the one spot that’s impossible
Dbasileccim
Community Member
I'm little late to the conversation but just out of curiosity, did you start lowering phosphates and then the nem shrank! I have two red bubble tips, an unknown red nem and a green long tentacle. I started lowering my high phosphates .6 ppm using brightwell product and dropped it .1 ppm with no problem. It didn't drop as far as I expected so I dosed again and this time I was at .24 ppm. The next morning my big green was hidden under a ledge, my two red bubble tips were hidden deep in the rocks and my unknown red nem look puny but still out and happy. The next day the green was out and happy but the two bubble tips were hidden. These two were split from one in the past and they both reacted exactly the same way. Long explanation, but the only thing I did was lower phosphates.
How about you? Rapid phosphate change?
BostonReefer300
Valuable Member
Huh, very interesting. I had been messing with my phosphate levels trying to get the “ideal” ~0.03 level (please no one start a phosphate level opinion war on this thread). However, I wouldn’t say there were big swings, but maybe there were temporary spikes/dips that irritated him? I have a rbta in the DT that has seemed less than happy for a month now too if I’m being critical. He’s out in the open, but in a flow area that’s probably a little too high. Light level at that spot is too low (125-150 PAR). I put him there months ago thinking he needed to light acclimate and then he’d move. (Plenty of easy moving options for him for any combo of lights and flow.) However he has barely moved and is only partially inflated these days. I do have some lingering Dinos (prorocentrum) in my DT. Maybe that’s annoying both nems? Maybe there’s something really wrong with my lighting? I have Radion G5 Blues set to the PHX14 template at 85% intensity (I have thin acrylic lids) with peak period lasting 7 hours. My PAR meter shows roughly 125-150 at the level those nems were placed, but they had plenty of options for shade or more light very close by. I’ve got two Rbta nems in my Refugium with skunk clowns hosting. Those are doing great at 150-200 PAR with a Tunze 8850 set at full spectrum and full intensity). No dinos in my fuge. So water quality isn’t the issue. I guess I’m left with:
1) Dinos
2) Lighting
3) Some fish or pest bothering them, but I don’t have anything known to nip at nems and there are no corals near them
4) they’re suffering without something hosting them?
5) flow is so strong (doubtful) that they feel like they can’t move
Anything else?
I love nems, but am getting awfully frustrated.
Thanks!
Dbasileccim
Community Member
It could be coincidental but the fact both of us have been chasing the lower phosphate levels and both have same problem without changing anything else (at least for me) points at the phosphate change.
My two rbta are clones of each other, when they split they went to opposite ends of the tank, settled in and haven't moved. They have been very happy. As soon as I messed with the phosphate they became reclusive. I just checked this morning and they are finally sticking out from rock work a bit even though they both moved a couple if inches while in the rock work.
My plan is to let them adjust and if I mess with phosphates again it will be much slower.
BostonReefer300
Valuable Member
Ok please keep me posted and I’ll do the same. Good luck!
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