Please Help identify this Anemone, LFS told me it was BTA

[craig_19xx]

Hello fellow reefheads.. First post here... i bought an anemone from my LFS 8 days ago and he is still hiding in this cave from the light. It is my first anemone and it has this crazy crazy vibrant pink color to it, like way more vibrant then the other BTAs. Healthy looking foot, dark brownish color, but the mouth is white. I got it like that at the store, hopefully its not bleached? Otherwise It looks happy and on the first night it attached itself to the rocks in a place it seems to be filling out nice during the day and having my hermies walk right into him, also it gets food from the nice flow that brings brine shrimp right to it when i feed a cube in the tank (twice daily for the fishies, picky buggers dont like pellets). Then he shrinks up at night, mouth closed.
This location is unideal on both means of me losing my hermies(not a huge issue)... and but you know, hes hiding in a freakin cave without much light and we cant see him!
So this leads me to a 2 part question, 1 is this even a BTA? The more i look online im thinkin my fish store was lyin, they sold me and charged it as a BTA. so what kind of anemone is this? Hopefully i can get a decent enough pic its kinda squishy in that cave. And part 2 is, at what point should i move the rock or flip it over to stop this cave situation? or should i just leave it in its lame cave out of sight? im off work for the next 2 months thankfully so i can watch it like a hawk.

Tank is 6 months old (I know a little early, forgive me)
Red Sea Reefer 425xl (98gal plus sump)
Runs skimmer 24/7, refugium, filter socks and carbon. UV light also
Red Sea 160s lights (60%blue, 30%white)
Temp: 79f (stable)
PH: 8.4
Nitrate: 7.2 (trying to keep around 5)
KH: 9.5 (fairly stable, dose 33ml/day)
Phosph: .08 (added tiny too much other day, should be a little lower)
Salinity: 34.5 (stable)
Calcium: 450 (stable)
Mg: 1300


Thanks Everyone!!

Photos turned out kind of orange because of the filter on the lens, and it actually looks more like a BTA in the photo than it does in person. but if it is BTA, then the mouth probably shouldnt be white, no?

also, to be able to see the anemone for the photo i have to go to the back of my tank and lean my head over really awkwardly, the big cave photo is where he is hiding in the back of which is what we look at from the front of the tank.

 

[outhouse]

Turn your lights way down, and it will come out. I run 8% blue and 1% white and my BTA's are growing like weeds.

 

[craig_19xx]

Also want to note that the photo that shows what we can see of the anemone is only like 1/4 of it.... 3/4 of it is wedged into that cave so we cant hardly see any of it

 

[craig_19xx]

i did try lower my lights for the first 5 days, down to 20%.. didnt seem to do much

 

[Goaway]

That color is probably a bta.

 

[outhouse]

Then he shrinks up at night, mouth closed.

Normal they all do it

1 is this even a BTA?

Yes pretty cool looking one. For what we can see

 

[outhouse]

i did try lower my lights for the first 5 days, down to 20%.. didnt seem to do much

Turn it down more and wait, your lights look very bright in picture. If its not cooking him, he will stay out and reach for the light

 

[Goaway]

All you can do is let it acclimate.

Do the tentacles reach for light in the day?

 

[craig_19xx]

Yes they do reach out and it inflates, but most of it is still in the cave fully hiding

 

[Goaway]

Turn it down more and wait, your lights look very bright in picture. If its not cooking him, he will stay out and reach for the light

I agree with this.

Theres no saying what par he was kept in. Your bta is avoiding light shock.

 

[craig_19xx]

I will try lower the lights for longer, thanks for the fast responses you guys this is fantastic!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Light and high water flow is what will keep an anemone in hiding, Unfortunately, this pic(s) gives nothing to work with. I see some red poking out which suggests it may be a rose bubble tip

Rose:

 

[outhouse]

. 3/4 of it is wedged into that cave

Ya its hiding from the light,

 

[craig_19xx]

I have 2 red sea gyre 25s on the back wall on either side of tank, turned on random at 30%. maybe i should go 20%?

 

[outhouse]

Yes they do reach out and it inflates, but most of it is still in the cave fully hiding

then its not reaching for the light, its hiding from it, because its too much.

This is what happens when you turn your lights way down, I started with 1 30 years ago. Thats about 200 BRTA's

 

[outhouse]

I have 2 red sea gyre 25s on the back wall on either side of tank, turned on random at 30%. maybe i should go 20%?

its not flow, its light. your lights are strong, your nem is telling you the problem

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have 2 red sea gyre 25s on the back wall on either side of tank, turned on random at 30%. maybe i should go 20%?

If Gyre heads are pointed downwards, may be enough to create under-current. Try 15-20%. You can however aim water current at the anemone to get it out.
Also, is this a new/newer tank ? If so, the most important thing you’ll need to take care of before you brought your anemone home was perfecting the tank and water conditions. You should never place a Bubble Tip Anemone into a tank you just set up due to chemistry changes.
You need to 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 thrive because they’re photosynthetic which means that they absorb light to produce food and growth, but not so bright that is seeks a shady location. 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 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 flow directly at the anemone. These creatures enjoy subtle movement at all times but too much direct flow hitting the anemone will force it to move.
Lastly- Feeding.
Bubble Tip Anemones feeding is one of the easiest parts of their care. These animals get food from a lot of different sources. As mentioned earlier, they are photosynthetic and use light to create food. They will also eat food off of the fish they host. These anemones enjoy small morsels of shrimp and squid. They will also accept many frozen foods. To feed the anemone, attach the food to a stick or large tweezers. Then, touch the anemone with it. The creature will use its tentacles to grab onto the food and consume it. twice a week feedings is ample.

 

[craig_19xx]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I will try bringing the lights down big time and see how it goes!

 

[outhouse]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I will try bringing the lights down big time and see how it goes!

It never hurts, it just mirrors cloudy days in nature. If im wrong and it gets acclimated on its own, there is zero negative impact on your tank.

 

[craig_19xx]

lights are down to 18% blue and 3% white... seems to be slowly crawling out of his hole! thanks for the tips guys, its been a long 2 weeks for me but it looks healthy for now and is inflating and deflating as it should.