My Nems look rough! But have been like this for months!

[Decades]

I’ve been power feeding them for over a month now. Tentacles are all but gone, color is still there, they eat like pigs! What else can I do to save them!?

 

[Decades]

I’ve been power feeding them for over a month now. Tentacles are all but gone, color is still there, they eat like pigs! What else can I do to save them!?

I will preface this with...
New tank and rock because old tank and rock had a rusty clamp in the sump. The rest of the tank and all other corals are opening up and looking better than they have in a while. All parameters are reasonable.

temp 77-79.5 with apex
Salt 34.5-35.0 with ATO
PH 7.8-8.1
ORP hovering around 330?
Calcium 510
Magnesium 1350
Nitrate 7.0
Alkalinity 7.2

 

[D-Nak]

What kind of lighting are you using?

Also, stop feeding them. You may be getting the anemone used to eating food instead of relying on zooxanthellae.

 

[OnyxPerc]

I will preface this with...
New tank and rock because old tank and rock had a rusty clamp in the sump. The rest of the tank and all other corals are opening up and looking better than they have in a while. All parameters are reasonable.

temp 77-79.5 with apex
Salt 34.5-35.0 with ATO
PH 7.8-8.1
ORP hovering around 330?
Calcium 510
Magnesium 1350
Nitrate 7.0
Alkalinity 7.2

Well here are some things you should definitely be keeping more stable:

* temp - a 3-degree swing is far too much IMO
* ph - it's a little low, aim to keep it between 8.0 - 8.4. You can run an airline from outside to your skimmer or open a window to let some fresh air in, but opening a window is not a permanent solution. Alternatively, you can bring ph up via dosing, but I would only recommend that if running an airline to your skimmer is not possible.
* Nitrates - You definitely don't want to zero out your nitrates, but they could be a smidge lower
* Alk - this is low as well, you should aim to maintain as close to 9.0dkh as possible

While all of your parameters are technically acceptable, I would say you have too many different params in flux and/or just outside of desired levels. You should aim to get them in check and stable.

I didn't even bother addressing your conductivity because I know it depends on the temp, and you gave us a range for temp. I would recommend measuring your salinity with a refractometer or hydrometer.

 

[tankstudy]

I'd run an ammonia test just to be safe. You did change out a good portion of your system. Doesn't hurt to check everything.

 

[Decades]

What kind of lighting are you using?

Also, stop feeding them. You may be getting the anemone used to eating food instead of relying on zooxanthellae.

I was using a Cobalt aquatics C-Ray 200 (basically a kessil AP700) now they are under to brand new Red Sea Reef 90’s on 45 day acclimation. This behavior had been going on many weeks before the move.

 

[Decades]

I'd run an ammonia test just to be safe. You did change out a good portion of your system. Doesn't hurt to check everything.

Ran several and it was zero. Ran it on my old tank also zero.

 

[Decades]

Well here are some things you should definitely be keeping more stable:

* temp - a 3-degree swing is far too much IMO
* ph - it's a little low, aim to keep it between 8.0 - 8.4. You can run an airline from outside to your skimmer or open a window to let some fresh air in, but opening a window is not a permanent solution. Alternatively, you can bring ph up via dosing, but I would only recommend that if running an airline to your skimmer is not possible.
* Nitrates - You definitely don't want to zero out your nitrates, but they could be a smidge lower
* Alk - this is low as well, you should aim to maintain as close to 9.0dkh as possible

While all of your parameters are technically acceptable, I would say you have too many different params in flux and/or just outside of desired levels. You should aim to get them in check and stable.

I didn't even bother addressing your conductivity because I know it depends on the temp, and you gave us a range for temp. I would recommend measuring your salinity with a refractometer or hydrometer.

I’m going to try and run an 3/8” hose from a exterior wall see if that helps. I’ve always had some really low nutrients. Been trying to raise them slowly because I’ve had all my softies die off on me. But the Nems have always been so good. Not sure what has changed other than Finding then rust after an triton test. Everything in my tank has been doing really good in this new tank. Real skimmer, better flow and brand new live rock that wasn’t previously used.

 

[Decades]

Here is a picture of them months ago.

 

[philosophile]

I don't know exactly what it is... but nems dont do well in recently cycled tanks. Maybe it's the bacteria populations that change over time...

Whatever the case... try running carbon. Feed your nem every other day. Without any xooxanthelle itll starve. Try to give it a reasonable amount of light.

 

[Decades]

I don't know exactly what it is... but nems dont do well in recently cycled tanks. Maybe it's the bacteria populations that change over time...

Whatever the case... try running carbon. Feed your nem every other day. Without any xooxanthelle itll starve. Try to give it a reasonable amount of light.

They were acting this way in the old tank. Moved to the new tank and everything else is much improved, Nems are not. That is what is so frustrating.

 

[Taylor t]

My guess, KH is too low/unstable. KH has the biggest affect on anemone from what I’ve seen. What I’ve seen with mine, high calcium and low KH has a “burn” effect on them. My temp can swim 4-5 degrees a day with no effects, and when chemical levels are good they can swell up and look awesome even with 5 degree swings. Chemical levels is the biggest part.

 

[Taylor t]

Should have kept old rock and water... nothing can replace aged rock. A rusty clamp just makes water more iron rich! Lol. I’ve lost razor blades behind the rocks, that’s where they stay.... a magnet on a stick works great though...

 

[Decades]

Should have kept old rock and water... nothing can replace aged rock. A rusty clamp just makes water more iron rich! Lol. I’ve lost razor blades behind the rocks, that’s where they stay.... a magnet on a stick works great though...

I still have some of the rock. Removing. The hair algae and slowly introducing into the new tank. Maybe I’ll try kalkwasser and see if it helps.

 

[nezw0001]

How long where the nems doing well in the old tank before they started to go down hill?

 

[fcmatt]

Stop feeding them and double/triple check your basics. There is such a thing as too much light if they are not used to it. Something is off.

 

[Decades]

How long where the nems doing well in the old tank before they started to go down hill?

Almost a year.

 

[philosophile]

Almost a year.

Well, if they were going downhill for a year, maybe the metals from the clip affected them. adding the extra stress of a new tank it may take them a while to recover if they do.

Again, I think your best bet here is to feed small amounts every other day. If they start regrowing tentacles then start feeding a little more. Right now they arent photosynthsizing, much at all, so you need to supply it with all of its energy via food.

 

[nezw0001]

There might be some chemical warfare going on as well. not all nems play well with others.