Sunburst anemones browning out!

[faiz_latif]

Hi guys I’ve got two photos of the same nem here posted below. The photo with the single nem was mine in the store when I bought it(under t5, it’s now under leds). It has since split to three but browned out completely. There’s two pics of it in my tank, one with more yellow. It has now hit the point where it’s losing that too. Current image is the most brown, I believe the last one.

Any ideas what I should do to get the colour back?? Not very sunbursty….. They’re getting enough flow and light. And to my knowledge the water chemistry should be fine. Fed mysis and or anemone pellets occasionally. They are growing quite fast, just no colour.

Alk: 10
Temp: 82
Salinity: 1.024
Nitrate: 5ppm
Par: 200

 

[reefsaver]

Potential Causes of Browning
Lighting Changes like switching from T5 lighting to LEDs can cause stress and changes in coloration as the anemones adjust to the new light spectrum and intensity.
Even if water chemistry seems fine, it's worth rechecking key parameters.
High levels of nitrates and phosphates can lead to browning as they cause an increase in zooxanthellae, the symbiotic algae living in the anemones.
Overfeeding or an imbalanced diet can also affect coloration.
Steps to Restore Color:
Ensure parameters are optimal
Nitrate: 0-5 ppm
Phosphate: 0-0.03 ppm
Calcium: 400-450 ppm
Alkalinity: 8-12 dKH
Magnesium: 1250-1350 ppm
Salinity: 1.025-1.026
pH: 8.1-8.4
Gradually acclimate anemones to LED lighting. Use a PAR meter if possible to ensure appropriate light levels.
Aim for moderate to high light intensity, as anemones often require strong lighting.
Ensure a consistent light cycle (8-10 hours of light per day).
Ensure anemones are getting moderate, indirect flow. Too much or too little flow can cause stress.
Feed sparingly and with high-quality food. Mysis shrimp and specific anemone pellets are good choices, but avoid overfeeding.
Feed once or twice a week in small amounts.
Use activated carbon to remove excess nutrients.
Consider using phosphate removers if levels are high.
Ensure your anemones are getting trace elements that might be missing. Some reef supplements can help provide essential nutrients Magnesium is important for nems I've heard..
Monitor the anemones' behavior. Healthy anemones should have firm, extended tentacles and react to stimuli.
Note any gradual changes in color. Improvement can take time, so patience is key.
Keep the tank environment as stable as possible. Avoid sudden changes in water chemistry, temperature, or lighting.
If you have a quarantine tank, consider moving one anemone to observe if changes in a controlled environment help restore its color.

 

[faiz_latif]

Potential Causes of Browning
Lighting Changes like switching from T5 lighting to LEDs can cause stress and changes in coloration as the anemones adjust to the new light spectrum and intensity.
Even if water chemistry seems fine, it's worth rechecking key parameters.
High levels of nitrates and phosphates can lead to browning as they cause an increase in zooxanthellae, the symbiotic algae living in the anemones.
Overfeeding or an imbalanced diet can also affect coloration.
Steps to Restore Color:
Ensure parameters are optimal
Nitrate: 0-5 ppm
Phosphate: 0-0.03 ppm
Calcium: 400-450 ppm
Alkalinity: 8-12 dKH
Magnesium: 1250-1350 ppm
Salinity: 1.025-1.026
pH: 8.1-8.4
Gradually acclimate anemones to LED lighting. Use a PAR meter if possible to ensure appropriate light levels.
Aim for moderate to high light intensity, as anemones often require strong lighting.
Ensure a consistent light cycle (8-10 hours of light per day).
Ensure anemones are getting moderate, indirect flow. Too much or too little flow can cause stress.
Feed sparingly and with high-quality food. Mysis shrimp and specific anemone pellets are good choices, but avoid overfeeding.
Feed once or twice a week in small amounts.
Use activated carbon to remove excess nutrients.
Consider using phosphate removers if levels are high.
Ensure your anemones are getting trace elements that might be missing. Some reef supplements can help provide essential nutrients Magnesium is important for nems I've heard..
Monitor the anemones' behavior. Healthy anemones should have firm, extended tentacles and react to stimuli.
Note any gradual changes in color. Improvement can take time, so patience is key.
Keep the tank environment as stable as possible. Avoid sudden changes in water chemistry, temperature, or lighting.
If you have a quarantine tank, consider moving one anemone to observe if changes in a controlled environment help restore its color.

So I am doing everything on the list from water chemistry to par and type of food. I only feed nem pellets and mysis on occasion. I found that my phosphate was way too high. Too high for the Hanna ULR tester, it’s maxed out. I only feed flakes and mysis so I’m wondering where the phosphate came from…. Also after 2 50% water changes on consecutive days the phosphate didn’t seem to lower a substantial amount. Suggestions? Keep doing water changes I assume? I was at one a week before

 

[reefsaver]

So I am doing everything on the list from water chemistry to par and type of food. I only feed nem pellets and mysis on occasion. I found that my phosphate was way too high. Too high for the Hanna ULR tester, it’s maxed out. I only feed flakes and mysis so I’m wondering where the phosphate came from…. Also after 2 50% water changes on consecutive days the phosphate didn’t seem to lower a substantial amount. Suggestions? Keep doing water changes I assume? I was at one a week before

Some things you can do immediately would be more water changes, use GFO to strip phosphate from the water, add some activated carbon for good measure. Phosguard can be put in a reactor to remove phosphates.
Make sure your RODI is pure water. Give the substrate a good clean and the sump of detritus.
Make sure your skimmer is perfectly tuned, you could add a refugium to help grow algae to remove the Phosphates. Check for anything decaying like snails, coral and maybe just to be sure, if you have a Salifert phosphate test on hand it might pay to get a second tests opinion, they're really easy to use I like them.
Phosphates can take a while to lower so take your time

 

[faiz_latif]

Some things you can do immediately would be more water changes, use GFO to strip phosphate from the water, add some activated carbon for good measure. Phosguard can be put in a reactor to remove phosphates.
Make sure your RODI is pure water. Give the substrate a good clean and the sump of detritus.
Make sure your skimmer is perfectly tuned, you could add a refugium to help grow algae to remove the Phosphates. Check for anything decaying like snails, coral and maybe just to be sure, if you have a Salifert phosphate test on hand it might pay to get a second tests opinion, they're really easy to use I like them.
Phosphates can take a while to lower so take your time

Understood thank you for the advice good to know I’m going in the right direction w the moves I’ve made. a gsp died in the back and I didn’t think about it till now lol

 

[Mahad]

going through the same issue, any update?

 

[faiz_latif]

Still usi

going through the same issue, any update?

Still using phosphate E to remove phosphate. It keeps climbing and I don’t know where it’s coming from anymore. I’ve cleaned out the whole tank of media/rock (& before someone says sump/back camber I’ve done that too). Considering taking this tank down or switching to RBTA Only, they seem to do much better. feeding mysis/flake only I’ve had no change.

Additionally, I got another nem from the same dude and put it in my display tank. Here’s an update of that 2 months in. By this point my other sunburst had lost colour.

Conclusion: they like sps conditions. Provide high light and near perfect water chemistry and they won’t complain. People say these high end nems require low care but I couldn’t disagree more.

Alk: 8.3
Mag:1300
Cal:450
Po4: 0.14
No3: ~1-2ppm
(Happy nem)

I also added a current pic of the browned out nems in case ur curious.