Is this anemone dying?

[LeafsReefer]

I got my first anemone on Saturday and it had seemed to be doing well, it even grabbed a piece of the LRS food that I fed the fish last night and it looked like it attached to rock. Today when I got home from work it looks like it collapsed. Did this look normal?

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

How long has the tank been set up? Looking at how clean the rock is, I'm guessing less than 4 months? Anemones need tanks which have been set up for more than 8 months with dry rock or 6 months with live rock, they almost always fail to thrive in newer tanks. It's also good to have a nitrate level of 5 - 15 ppm, higher nutrients are good for them.

 

[LeafsReefer]

It's been running about 2 months. My nitrates have been around 15 for the last few weeks.

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

It's been running about 2 months. My nitrates have been around 15 for the last few weeks.

There's your problem. Anemones need established tanks. You can add some real live rock to the system to try and hurry the process along, but there isn't a guarantee that the anemone will make it. Good luck, please do more research in the future.

 

[D-Nak]

This is common for BTAs to do this while acclimating. They flush their systems with new water, and also adjust their zooxanthellae population to meet the lighting that you're providing (so you may see a shift in color). Assuming you keep your parameters in check, and there aren't huge swings, the anemone should be fine. BTAs are one of the hardiest anemones available. No need to feed it at the moment, just let it settle in, and consider feeding in a week or two.

 

[LeafsReefer]

This is common for BTAs to do this while acclimating. They flush their systems with new water, and also adjust their zooxanthellae population to meet the lighting that you're providing (so you may see a shift in color). Assuming you keep your parameters in check, and there aren't huge swings, the anemone should be fine. BTAs are one of the hardiest anemones available. No need to feed it at the moment, just let it settle in, and consider feeding in a week or two.

Thanks for the feedback. I had read conflicting info on how soon you could get one.

 

[D-Nak]

Thanks for the feedback. I had read conflicting info on how soon you could get one.

My recommendation is typically to wait until you see coralline algae growing. This way, you don't have to worry about a specific time. While the 6 months is a good general rule of thumb, coralline growth is tied to stable tank conditions, with the right parameters, and that can happen as early as a month or as long as, well... never.

 

[SGV - Bluestar]

Your tank need to have the ugly phase before you put in any coral or anemo.

 

[Mmbra]

This is a running gag on the site. Every day/week there is this same post with a new Bubble Tip in a brand new tank slowly dying and the buyer is shocked. Gotta do more research before you buy if you want long term success in the hobby.

 

[LeafsReefer]

Looks like it cane back. It'll periodically inflate and deflate, but today's appearance was a new one.