Hi all,
I recently added a Green Bubble Tip Anemone (at least, that's how it was identified at the LFS and what it seems to be). It was added to my 100 gallon system last Thursday night and immediately took to the lower left corner of the tank, away from rocks, and attached itself to the back glass.
The first day it appeared pretty deflated and floppy...I mean, I know they're floppy to begin with, but it wasn't looking like a normal, fluffy anemone. Here it is the morning after:
Over the weekend it inflated and deflated many times, which I've read is normal for an anemone just added to a new tank. Apparently it purges itself of the old fluids and saltwater? What I wasn't sure of, though, is the frequency with which it was doing it. It would deflate it's tentacles completely flat, so that it looked like a wiry mess of badly cooked spaghetti, all flopped over on itself and within 3-5 minutes it would be re-inflated back to the above picture (although not fully inflated with bubble tips). It must have did this over 100 times over the weekend.
I tried to remove it from the glass and put it on a rock, higher and closer to the light, but this sucker is attached to the glass like no tomorrow. I figured I didn't want to stress it more than it already is and thought if it was unhappy where it's at, it will move.
Over the weekend I tried feeding it several times. I tried shelled shrimp, which his tentacles wouldn't even grab. I laid it on him and he pushed it off. I tried blood worms, which he balled up into a big brown ball and pushed off. I even tried catfish, which he pushed off. Haven't bought any silver sides because I've read those are hit and miss in terms of killing your anemone...
So, over the weekend he didn't eat anything at all. I know they get food from photosynthesis internally, so I hoped he was alright.
OK, so here it is yesterday morning, bubble tips inflated back to normal, but still folded over. I thought maybe the folded over look was due to it attaching itself to the glass, rather than a rock, and gravity pulling it down, so I tried to not think much of it.
But, by yesterday afternoon it was deflated again and looking about the same as the first pic.
Today I wake up and flip on the lights to find....HE'S GONE! He isn't in the same spot he had just spent 4 days, isn't on any rocks, isn't floating around the tank dead, isn't lying on the sand anywhere...and I'm thinking he died and I have to get him out of there before he rots and kills everything else off.
I peak around the back corner of of the right side of my tank and there he is! Attached to the glass, but upside down under a rock, in almost total darkness.
Here's how far he moved:
So, is this normal? Do I have anything to be worried about? Some of it's behavior seems normal, from what I've read, but some of it doesn't.
I'm not sure what I can do for it to make it more comfortable/happy. All my params are within normal ranges, no phosphates or ammonia, salinity is 1.026 and temp ranges from 78.5 - 80 throughout the day (I live in the desert where temps range from 85 in the morning to 115 in the afternoon, so keeping my temps solid within +/- 2 degrees over a 24 hour period is the best I can get).
No other tank mates appear to be bothering him. There just a couple blue devil damsel fish, an Ocellaris Clown, a Maroon Clown, a Golden Nugget Goby, sand sifting sea star, and hermit crabs and turbo snails.
Any reassurance or advice to help it is appreciated! Thanks for taking the time to read this.
I recently added a Green Bubble Tip Anemone (at least, that's how it was identified at the LFS and what it seems to be). It was added to my 100 gallon system last Thursday night and immediately took to the lower left corner of the tank, away from rocks, and attached itself to the back glass.
The first day it appeared pretty deflated and floppy...I mean, I know they're floppy to begin with, but it wasn't looking like a normal, fluffy anemone. Here it is the morning after:
Over the weekend it inflated and deflated many times, which I've read is normal for an anemone just added to a new tank. Apparently it purges itself of the old fluids and saltwater? What I wasn't sure of, though, is the frequency with which it was doing it. It would deflate it's tentacles completely flat, so that it looked like a wiry mess of badly cooked spaghetti, all flopped over on itself and within 3-5 minutes it would be re-inflated back to the above picture (although not fully inflated with bubble tips). It must have did this over 100 times over the weekend.
I tried to remove it from the glass and put it on a rock, higher and closer to the light, but this sucker is attached to the glass like no tomorrow. I figured I didn't want to stress it more than it already is and thought if it was unhappy where it's at, it will move.
Over the weekend I tried feeding it several times. I tried shelled shrimp, which his tentacles wouldn't even grab. I laid it on him and he pushed it off. I tried blood worms, which he balled up into a big brown ball and pushed off. I even tried catfish, which he pushed off. Haven't bought any silver sides because I've read those are hit and miss in terms of killing your anemone...
So, over the weekend he didn't eat anything at all. I know they get food from photosynthesis internally, so I hoped he was alright.
OK, so here it is yesterday morning, bubble tips inflated back to normal, but still folded over. I thought maybe the folded over look was due to it attaching itself to the glass, rather than a rock, and gravity pulling it down, so I tried to not think much of it.
But, by yesterday afternoon it was deflated again and looking about the same as the first pic.
Today I wake up and flip on the lights to find....HE'S GONE! He isn't in the same spot he had just spent 4 days, isn't on any rocks, isn't floating around the tank dead, isn't lying on the sand anywhere...and I'm thinking he died and I have to get him out of there before he rots and kills everything else off.
I peak around the back corner of of the right side of my tank and there he is! Attached to the glass, but upside down under a rock, in almost total darkness.
Here's how far he moved:
So, is this normal? Do I have anything to be worried about? Some of it's behavior seems normal, from what I've read, but some of it doesn't.
I'm not sure what I can do for it to make it more comfortable/happy. All my params are within normal ranges, no phosphates or ammonia, salinity is 1.026 and temp ranges from 78.5 - 80 throughout the day (I live in the desert where temps range from 85 in the morning to 115 in the afternoon, so keeping my temps solid within +/- 2 degrees over a 24 hour period is the best I can get).
No other tank mates appear to be bothering him. There just a couple blue devil damsel fish, an Ocellaris Clown, a Maroon Clown, a Golden Nugget Goby, sand sifting sea star, and hermit crabs and turbo snails.
Any reassurance or advice to help it is appreciated! Thanks for taking the time to read this.
