Green Bubble Tip Anemone

kadamik · Sep 26, 2022

Tank (7 months old)
90 Gallon System
salinity 1.025
Ammonia 0
PH 8.05 - 8.1
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 23
Phosphate .3
Alkalinity 8
Calcium 400

Lighting Kessel 360x. Blue spectrum about 70 percent. White light about 15 percent. (BTA is mid height about 7 inches underwater. Lights are 9 inches above the water

I have a Green Bubble Tip Anemone that has got smaller and smaller over time and the tentacles have retracted. It was about 5 - 6 inch diameter with tentacles around 2 inches, and is now 3 inches in diameter with tentacles around .25 - .5 inches long.

attaching pictures

I have done some research and found that sometimes tentacles are retracted if it is starving or if there is not enough water movement.

I can add that I have had the Anemone for 2 months and it has not moved from its initial location.

Do you have any suggestions to try?

Cali Reef Life · Sep 26, 2022

I would lower your nitrates to around 10 or 15 and try and get phosphate at or below .1. You can try feeding the coral once a week and make sure its getting flow but they tend to move on there own. Most people wait till there tanks a year old before they put them in. Make sure you parameters are stable are you dosing anything or just water changes? what other types of coral do you have? Some new reefers only test after a water change and not before and think everything is in line when in there slight off but water change brought them back.

PS that wallpaper threw me off for a good 2 minutes. I had to do a triple take.

kadamik · Sep 26, 2022

I am not a fan of the wallpaper that is on the back of the tank, that was the wife's decision.

I am not dosing anything

I do a 15 percent water change every week.

I have been testing every 2 to 3 days. I have a SpinTouch that I picked up very cheap, it does all the major test in one disk.

I have been trying to get my phos and N down. I have been doing baby steps. I have installed a cheato reactor and want to see what that will do. It has been running for about 10 days. I want to give it another 1 - 2 weeks to see if it is growing and continue to test every 2 - 3 days to chart.

If that does not bring it down then I have an additional reactor that I can run GFO to try and bring down Phos, but I did not want to do them at the same time.

I only have 3 corals right now, I am at the beginning stages:

Xenia
Green Cabage
Trumpet

In your experience, do you see tentacles reduce in size if Phos and/or Nitrates are high. When I was looking at the threads I did not see that as one of the main reasons, but I could not find very much info on the subject.

I am sure it is probably a little bit of everything, so if I can bring those numbers down, then I can start looking at the other areas and see if I can get it to look better.

Do anemones response pretty quickly when you get the right balance. For example, if I get my number in the preferred ranges, will it start looking better in:

1 week
2 weeks
4 weeks
2 months

Just looking for an estimate so I know if that is working or if I need to move on to the next variable.

Thanks

Jekyl · Sep 26, 2022

FWIW My nems sit as high as they can get under Kessel 360 at 95% intensity. They're 6" below water

vetteguy53081 · Sep 26, 2022

kadamik said:
Tank (7 months old)
90 Gallon System
salinity 1.025
Ammonia 0
PH 8.05 - 8.1
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 23
Phosphate .3
Alkalinity 8
Calcium 400

Lighting Kessel 360x. Blue spectrum about 70 percent. White light about 15 percent. (BTA is mid height about 7 inches underwater. Lights are 9 inches above the water

I have a Green Bubble Tip Anemone that has got smaller and smaller over time and the tentacles have retracted. It was about 5 - 6 inch diameter with tentacles around 2 inches, and is now 3 inches in diameter with tentacles around .25 - .5 inches long.

attaching pictures

I have done some research and found that sometimes tentacles are retracted if it is starving or if there is not enough water movement.

I can add that I have had the Anemone for 2 months and it has not moved from its initial location.

Do you have any suggestions to try?

What test kits are you using. While not impossible, the zero readins are concerning. Your phophate also high (you want .04-.06) These anemones are sensitive to water changes and require good water quality to stay in good shape. Failing to meet their needs can result in early death and damage to the tank environment as a whole. Yes, getting caught in a power head is a concern but rarely occurs.
The most important thing you’ll need to take care of before you bring your anemone home is perfecting the tank and water conditions. You should never place a Bubble Tip Anemone into a tank you just set up.
Take some time to get parameters just right and let the closed environment cycle for a few months. This ensures that conditions are stable and safe. Bubble Tip Anemones prefer warmer temperatures. Water should be on the alkali side as well. Monitor water conditions regularly to avoid any major changes. Ammonia and nitrate levels should be undetectable at all times using a good quality test kit and Not API either.
Here are some water parameters to follow.

Water temperature: 77°F - 80°F (stay close to the middle of this range)
pH level: 8.1 to 8.3
Alk: 8 to 11 dKH
Salinity: 1.024 to 1.025
Nitrate < .5
Phosphate < .04

When you first introduce the anemone to the tank, turn down any pumps. The flow should be minimal until the anemone gets settled in. Chances are, your new Bubble Tip Anemone will move around the tank until it finds a suitable spot to call home.
If it starts to move towards any coral, simply direct your water jets to the coral. This will discourage the anemone from anchoring near it. It will move to another area to attach.
Bubble Tip Anemone lighting is a very important aspect of their care. These creatures need a lot of light to thrive because they’re photosynthetic which means that they absorb light to produce food and growth. The anemone has zooxanthellae in its body, which are symbiotic microorganisms that they feed on. Without proper lighting, the anemone will expel the zooxanthellae and turn white. This process is called bleaching and often leads to death.
A moderate amount of flow is recommended. Many aquarists soon find out that too much flow will cause the anemone to stretch out and look stringy. Keeping things moderate will help avoid this from happening. Avoid directing your flow directly at the anemone. These anemones enjoy subtle movement at all times but too much direct flow hitting the anemone will force it to move.

Cali Reef Life · Sep 27, 2022

kadamik said:
I am not a fan of the wallpaper that is on the back of the tank, that was the wife's decision.

I am not dosing anything

I do a 15 percent water change every week.

I have been testing every 2 to 3 days. I have a SpinTouch that I picked up very cheap, it does all the major test in one disk.

I have been trying to get my phos and N down. I have been doing baby steps. I have installed a cheato reactor and want to see what that will do. It has been running for about 10 days. I want to give it another 1 - 2 weeks to see if it is growing and continue to test every 2 - 3 days to chart.

If that does not bring it down then I have an additional reactor that I can run GFO to try and bring down Phos, but I did not want to do them at the same time.

I only have 3 corals right now, I am at the beginning stages:

Xenia
Green Cabage
Trumpet

In your experience, do you see tentacles reduce in size if Phos and/or Nitrates are high. When I was looking at the threads I did not see that as one of the main reasons, but I could not find very much info on the subject.

I am sure it is probably a little bit of everything, so if I can bring those numbers down, then I can start looking at the other areas and see if I can get it to look better.

Do anemones response pretty quickly when you get the right balance. For example, if I get my number in the preferred ranges, will it start looking better in:

1 week
2 weeks
4 weeks
2 months

Just looking for an estimate so I know if that is working or if I need to move on to the next variable.

Thanks

As mentioned above improve water chemistry and it should recover. In this hobby I measure things in months it takes time. A simple way to lower phosphate is a bigger water change. My question is how do you make your water or our you buying it pre-made? Test nitrates and phosphate of water before you put it in the tank maybe rodi isn't filtering. Cheato is a good start I have one but it takes a couple months to grow to proper size. Mines been 2 months and it's tripled in size but was only a golf ball when I got it.