Sick/Dying Anenome??

[myMOMfishtank]

My moms new to saltwater tanks and buys long tent anenomes which start strong and fine but then go off color, get small, and die! This one paired with a clown so she really wants it to make it and Im trying my best to help her find answers before it goes.

Info:
The water tests in all the ranges it should be.
She feeds the anenome cubes of brineshrimp/krill and bits of raw shrimp from the store. Anything else just blows in with the current.
She has an air pump that gets bubbles and current to the whole tank, she knows she needs to upgrade it but its been doing fine for now.

I attached a before vs right now picture. Its been getting smaller and more dull in color, im not sure if that reads well in the pic.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[Dragon52]

How often does she feed it, LTA's need deep sand, 3-4". you say that there is an air pump for movement, that's not going to work, you need a power head for movement & the light looks awful bright.
What size is the tank
What kind of light
Do you have filtration.

 

[Rick Ginn]

LTA should not be all white, means they are sick and usually doomed from the LFS store. They should have color.

 

[myMOMfishtank]

How often does she feed it, LTA's need deep sand, 3-4". you say that there is an air pump for movement, that's not going to work, you need a power head for movement & the light looks awful bright.
What size is the tank
What kind of light
Do you have filtration.

I pretty sure its a 70gal tank. LED lights, a kind recommended by other saltwater blogs. Sand is closer to 3in than 4 but that changes sometimes since the fish keep moving it around. She feeds it directly once a week, anything else just floats in with regular fish feedings. She has 2 filters for the tank. The kind that suck up the water and it waterfalls back in.

 

[myMOMfishtank]

LTA should not be all white, means they are sick and usually doomed from the LFS store. They should have color.

How strong of a color? So even in the "before" pic it looks sick? She shops right now from Petco (not the greatest, we know) but is soon going to a specialist saltwater life store.

 

[Dragon52]

I pretty sure its a 70gal tank. LED lights, a kind recommended by other saltwater blogs. Sand is closer to 3in than 4 but that changes sometimes since the fish keep moving it around. She feeds it directly once a week, anything else just floats in with regular fish feedings. She has 2 filters for the tank. The kind that suck up the water and it waterfalls back in.

Do the lights have any controls where you could add more blue color or tone down the intensity of the white. If the filters are what I'm thinking they are they probably aren't going to be enough to handle a saltwater tank. Take a look at this Thread to see if it might help.

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[reef lover]

Actual parameters??

 

[myMOMfishtank]

Do the lights have any controls where you could add more blue color or tone down the intensity of the white. If the filters are what I'm thinking they are they probably aren't going to be enough to handle a saltwater tank. Take a look at this Thread to see if it might help.

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean...

www.reef2reef.com

Thanks! I'll take a look and make sure she reads through it too. The lights have a "night" setting but I bet its not going to be helpful either. Are there signs for if/when the filters arent enough? The fish all seem fine so is it like something that only bothers the anemones?

 

[myMOMfishtank]

I pretty sure its a 70gal tank. LED lights, a kind recommended by other saltwater blogs. Sand is closer to 3in than 4 but that changes sometimes since the fish keep moving it around. She feeds it directly once a week, anything else just floats in with regular fish feedings. She has 2 filters for the tank. The kind that suck up the water and it waterfalls back in.

Im an idiot. She says its a 35gal tank.

 

[Dragon52]

Thanks! I'll take a look and make sure she reads through it too. The lights have a "night" setting but I bet its not going to be helpful either. Are there signs for if/when the filters arent enough? The fish all seem fine so is it like something that only bothers the anemones?

No, I'm not sure their enough for the kind of ecosystem needed for the tank.

 

[myMOMfishtank]

No, I'm not sure their enough for the kind of ecosystem needed for the tank.

In your opinion which would you start with: the lights, the filters, or a powerhead for current (you mentioned earlier)? I think our budget for this is gonna make it a one change at a time process over a while so we want to do the most beneficial changes first.

 

[Dragon52]

You need to decide based on what you can afford at the time. A small power head can be bought for less than $50, Lights & better Filtration are going to be the most expensive. Research alot to make sure you get what you need.

Post a Pic of the entire tank & stand so people can help you better

 

[myMOMfishtank]

You need to decide based on what you can afford at the time. A small power head can be bought for less than $50, Lights & better Filtration are going to be the most expensive. Research alot to make sure you get what you need.

Post a Pic of the entire tank & stand so people can help you better

Good idea. Thanks again.

 

[Dragon52]

Your Welcome, good luck

 

[2Sunny]

Tell your mom she can not keep an anemone unless she wants to spend some more money. I have had many anemones including one which is now on display at the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium that I raised for 6 years before I traded it for a new variety.

35 gallons is too small a tank. The filtration you describe is not the right kind for a saltwater tank and LEDs are tricky to get the appropriate spectrum and intensity. If she really wants to keep an anemone I will gladly offer to help, but basically it requires a 50 gallon tank with T5 or LED +T5 lighting, a power head, a skimmer, a sump, and patience. It takes at least 6 months to get a saltwater tank ready for an anemone.

Does the tank hav any living coral? Living coral is a good indication of water quality. A fish only usually is not a good habitat for anemones.

 

[2Sunny]

Here's my current situation . . .

 

[2Sunny]

And here is my famous picture of my reef in 2011 . . .

 

[Cherry Bomb]

Does she maybe have a freshwater light on it? I really like my AI Prime but it’s a little on the pricey side.