Bubble Tip Color Change. Black Window to Rainbow?

[Zakary2003]

About 7 months ago, I bought a black widow bubble tip anemone from top shelf aquatics. It started off with the typical red-orange with white stripes like it should, and those white stripes around the mouth are still there. However, it has gotten lighter in color, especially under daylight, and now shows hints of green under blue and violet light. The first picture is it day one at about 3 inches under blue light with orange filter. The second picture is tonight under blue light with an orange filter, and the third is with just UV lights and a yellow filter on because you can't see the green well in the second picture, and it is a bit more reprentative how it looks irl under blues. It is shrunken in the second two because it's nighttime and the lights are off. Is this coloration change normal? Does It have to do with size, age, lighting, health, or something else? I still love the anemone and it's been quite an impressive addition to my nano tank especially now that the clowns are being hosted, but it is a bit confusing to me and I want to make sure my husbandry isn't off. I know color changes happen with corals and Colorado sunburst, but I heard black widows are pretty consistent.

 

[TX_REEF]

Same thing happened with me recently - I got a black widow from TSA in early jan, and it recently seems to have turned into a standard RBTA color (but like you observed, the white lines around the mouth are still there)

 

[TX_REEF]

@TopShelfAquatics, any tips? :grinning-squinting-face:

 

[TopShelfAquatics Verified Sponsor]

Hey! So just taking a look at the pictures the first thing that caught my eye is the big Cyano issue. It looks like there may be a nutrient imbalance in the system which is likely why the nem is sick and loosing its deep red coloration. We have never seen one go orange and green like in your picture. We would recommend doing a chemiclean treatment. Make sure you follow the instructions very closely. Hopefully once the tank gets back to good health the anemone will gain its color back.

 

[Cthulukelele]

Hey! So just taking a look at the pictures the first thing that caught my eye is the big Cyano issue. It looks like there may be a nutrient imbalance in the system which is likely why the nem is sick and loosing its deep red coloration. We have never seen one go orange and green like in your picture. We would recommend doing a chemiclean treatment. Make sure you follow the instructions very closely. Hopefully once the tank gets back to good health the anemone will gain its color back.

I think that's red/pink cotton candy algae not cyano. It is persistent and really hard to get rid of, so IDK if it's all that indicative of a nutrient imbalance, but I agree with the general advice.

 

[Zakary2003]

I think that's red/pink cotton candy algae not cyano. It is persistent and really hard to get rid of, so IDK if it's all that indicative of a nutrient imbalance, but I agree with the general advice.

Yeah it's not cyano, it is a dark hair algae that looks red under the filter and blue and purple light.

 

[Zakary2003]

Hey! So just taking a look at the pictures the first thing that caught my eye is the big Cyano issue. It looks like there may be a nutrient imbalance in the system which is likely why the nem is sick and loosing its deep red coloration. We have never seen one go orange and green like in your picture. We would recommend doing a chemiclean treatment. Make sure you follow the instructions very closely. Hopefully once the tank gets back to good health the anemone will gain its color back.

My nutrients are actually pretty in check. That is not cyano, it's some kind of dark hair algae or bryopsis that seems invincible and looks very dark green under white light and redish purple under blues. Even algaecides including vibrant can't get rid of it, and nothing but sea urchins eat it.
Here are my parameters
0ppm ammonia
Oppm Nitrites
15ppm nitrates
.07ppm phosphates
35ppt salinity
8.1 DKH alkalinity
380ppm calcium
7.9-8.1 pH
77-78 F temperature

 

[TopShelfAquatics Verified Sponsor]

My nutrients are actually pretty in check. That is not cyano, it's some kind of dark hair algae or bryopsis that seems invincible and looks very dark green under white light and redish purple under blues. Even algaecides including vibrant can't get rid of it, and nothing but sea urchins eat it.
Here are my parameters
0ppm ammonia
Oppm Nitrites
15ppm nitrates
.07ppm phosphates
35ppt salinity
8.1 DKH alkalinity
380ppm calcium
7.9-8.1 pH
77-78 F temperature

The reason your nutrients are "in check" is because the vast amount of algae consuming the nitrate and phosphate. If the algae is booming, it is because there is a lot of nutrients in the water for it to absorb. I would recommend doing as much manual removal as possible. Make sure you are wearing gloves and get in there and scrub the rocks as much as possible. Then do a series of pretty large water changes. Also adding Mexican Turbos will help after the manual removal. You will have to stay on top of the water changes because once most of the algae is removed your nutrients will likely shoot up as there is nothing to absorb them. You also need to find what the main source of the nutrients is. Over feeding is typically the cause, but make sure you have enough bio media to help export nutrients.

 

[ontarioreefer]

@Zakary2003 did your black widow improve? I have read some reports of anemones adopting the colours of other anemones in the same system. Do you keep other anemones in the same tank?

 

[singwithmylife]

I had the same thing happen and don’t have any algae issues going on in my tank. I do have two other bta’s. One green and one rainbow. Super bizarre!