New BTA wedged in impossibly small crevice

[squidzilla]

Hi all,

Brought a new rainbow BTA home yesterday, acclimated it, and added it to my tank a little over 12 hours ago. He moved about an inch over at night when I got up to pee, and was looking pretty good--polyp extension, good color, etc. When I turned the lights on an hour ago, I was horrified to see him almost disappear within the crevice he was next to. I don't think there's any way I can get him out of there, unless he decides to come out on his own. I turned my light intensity down, and he is in low-moderate flow. Should I change anything at the moment, or is this to be expected from a less-than-day-old nem?

(PS he's tiny--maybe the diameter of a dime-quarter. Salinity 1.025, temp 79 F, dkh 9.5, pH 8.1, lighting is Steve's LED for Biocube 32--current setup is almost 5 months old, but using rock that was already cycled from prior setup)

2 hours after placing in DT:

Now:

 

[MaxTremors]

It’s fine, it’ll come out when it wants to. As a general rule, you don’t want to acclimate anemones or corals, just float them, dip them (if applicable), and put them in the tank. The sooner you get them into flowing water so that they can respirate, the better. Corals and anemones are self-acclimating, the take in and expel water through diffusion, there is literally no point to acclimating them, if anything it’s potentially damaging. I know a lot people think that not acclimating corals and anemones is counter-intuitive, but I promise you, they will extend their polyps sooner and become accustomed to your tank faster if you just put them in. You still want to drip acclimate fish and inverts (clams especially), but corals and anemones don’t benefit from it.

 

[squidzilla]

Sorry, 'acclimate' in this case meant floating the bag until temps equalized, then I topped it off with tank water and placed it in the tank about 10 minutes later. No drip. I'll keep that guidance in mind if I have to buy another (hopefully not as soon as I've feared!)

 

[mfinn]

Many anemones will do exactly that over night.
I have 2 in my tank, one seems to do it on a regular basis, the other only once in a while.

 

[Jekyl]

Best thing to do is leave them alone. Any hands on will just add to stress levels.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Leave it as is. They know why they are moving and tucking themselves and in many cases due to stress or accimation.
Stress?
If your tank is new or newer, BTA is the worse specimen you can place in a new tank. Many new and seasoned aquarists dream of owning these invertebrates. But proper Bubble Tip Anemone care requires a bit of work to keep these creatures healthy! In short, we usually don’t recommend them for first-time aquarists. Having thorough knowledge about these animals is a must. The invertebrates are sensitive to water changes and require pristine conditions 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 quakity test kit and Not API either.
Here are some water parameters to follow.

• Water temperature: Between 77°F and 82°F (stay close to the middle of this range)
• pH level: 8.1 to 8.4
• Water hardness: 8 to 12 dKH
• Specific gravity: 1.024 to 1.025
• Nitrate < .5

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 truly thrive because they’re photosynthetic. Basically, that means that they absorb light to make food and grow. The anemone has zooxanthellae in its body, which are symbiotic microorganisms 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 agree 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 jets at the anemone. The creatures enjoy subtle movement at all times. But too much direct flow hitting the anemone will force it to move.
Remember also to feed. Often, the ish in tank will help with that.

 

[squidzilla]

Thank you all for your prompt and substantive advice. On today's agenda is my regularly scheduled WC. I'm not going to mess with the nem at all; I was looking for reassurance as much as advice.

My primary remaining question, as I've been reading conflicting info on the topic: should lighting be left as is during this initial phase, or should it be adjusted?

PS water parameters have been stable for the past 11-12 weeks

 

[Jekyl]

I haven't acclimated my nems to the lighting. However I'm not sure on how others do it. Nems move on their own. So if the lighting isn't to their liking they can go higher or lower, even hide if need be.

 

[squidzilla]

Much, much happier today!

 

[blaxsun]

Be happy it quickly found it's "happy home". I've got several still jockeying over positioning at the expense of ticking off an equal number of corals who wish they'd "just pick a spot and get it over with". I actually think it's a great location. And trust me - if it's not happy, it'll move.