URGENT: is something wrong with my anemone?

[reyger]

hello everyone,

i added this anrmone to my tank about 2 weeks ago and everything was great and one of my clownfish is hosting it. i recently did a water change 2 days ago and ever since then my anemome has been acting up. i had moved from its previous spot and is not opening. it’s still attached to the rock but i’m noticing some slight discolouration.

tank info:
- 1y
- ammonia 0
- nitrite 0
- nitrate 10-20
- phosphate 0
maybe my nitrates are a bit high and phosphate is too low?

should i remove the anemome from the tank?

the first 3 photos are what it looks like now
4th photo was after water change
last photo is while it was moving to the spot it’s in now

 

[Malum Argenteum]

i recently did a water change 2 days ago

Details on that would be important -- salinity matched? What water and salt do you use? Amount of WC?

A full tank shot might help too, as would details of the system (light/filter/volume/etc). Probably is just an anemone acting like an anemone, but hard to say without details.

Probably not related to the nem, but having a more precise test for PO4 is good in the long term -- Hanna checker is the way to go for PO4.

 

[reyger]

Details on that would be important -- salinity matched? What water and salt do you use? Amount of WC?

A full tank shot might help too, as would details of the system (light/filter/volume/etc). Probably is just an anemone acting like an anemone, but hard to say without details.

Probably not related to the nem, but having a more precise test for PO4 is good in the long term -- Hanna checker is the way to go for PO4.

hi! i use water from my lfs (i.e., like they make the salinity in their vat using rodi, it’s 1.025 then put it in jugs, you can buy it and refill as needed). i also top off with rodi. i checked the salinity with a refractometer after the water change and this morning at they were both 1.025. i also calibrated my refractometer 6 days ago.

to check phosphate i use salifert but i’ll see if i can find a hanna checker for that. would i need to get calibration fluid for it?

in regards to my tank, i am using a fluval 4.0 light that i mostly have on white with a bit of blue and pink so it’s not as bright (i’m not looking to keep and lps or anything like that i only have soft corals like zoa s and kenya trees). i have 2 hob filters and a wavemaker and it is 25gallons. i’m not home right now so i’m unable to get a full tank shot. honestly i should start taking those becshse i usually just take pictures of individual things.

it could potentially just be an anemome acting like an anemome but i’m worried that either my clownfish has bullied (cuddled) it to death or it’s dying. it has a regular day/night cycle but it’s never been closed during the day like this.

i also noticed that in the first 3 pictures it has like balls? at the tip of the tentacles? it kind of looks like a hair tourniquet but obviously there’s no hair in the tank lol. i’m not sure if that’s out of the ordinary for a bubble tip anemome but it’s never had that before. my clownfish won’t even go near it and she’s usually in it alllllll the time so i’m worried it’s dying

 

[Malum Argenteum]

hanna checker for that. would i need to get calibration fluid for it?

No, it uses packets of reagent and that's all you need.

Looks like it may just be being an anemone -- though they do like pretty bright light, I'm not sure that's it.

 

[reyger]

i usually have the lights at about 80% white and then 20 blue, 20 pink, 10 cyan, 10 purple. i also have it on a day/night schedule and they’re on from 7am-9pm with ramp up/down included. is this a good schedule?

it could just be an anemome being an anemome and i did notice that it is a bit more open today than it was yesterday. maybe the water change ticked it off or stressed it out since it was my first time doing one since getting it.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I would turn up the lights, those fluval lights are not strong, and the blue light is much more important than the white. IMO the blues should be somewhere around 80%, and the whites as you prefer, the whites are mainly for our viewing pleasure

 

[reyger]

I would turn up the lights, those fluval lights are not strong, and the blue light is much more important than the white. IMO the blues should be somewhere around 80%, and the whites as you prefer, the whites are mainly for our viewing pleasure

oh i thought it was the other way around? i have 2 lfs and one has an anemome only tank that they run white lights on and the other has one where they run blue lights but both say white or blue light doesn’t matter. but i’ll switch over to blue. would 80-85% blue, 20 white, 10 pink/cyan/purple be okay?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

oh i thought it was the other way around? i have 2 lfs and one has an anemome only tank that they run white lights on and the other has one where they run blue lights but both say white or blue light doesn’t matter. but i’ll switch over to blue. would 80-85% blue, 20 white, 10 pink/cyan/purple be okay?

Some people do run white lights and natural light tanks. However, the preferred way to run tanks is to use more blue than white lights. Those light settings you want to do would be ok.

How old is your tank?

I would also recommend investing in an RODI unit and making your own water at home.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

oh i thought it was the other way around? i have 2 lfs and one has an anemome only tank that they run white lights on and the other has one where they run blue lights but both say white or blue light doesn’t matter. but i’ll switch over to blue. would 80-85% blue, 20 white, 10 pink/cyan/purple be okay?

White is not a color, its a combination of all colors, or full spectrum. Blue is required for photosythesis. Blue light pushes deeper in the water and in the wild corals are mainly getting blue light, more true the deeper they are in the water.

When we talk about blues, we include blue, violet, purple and ultra violet. When we talk about whites we will include white, red and green. Some led lights have only 2 chanels - blue and white, but the blue and white includes the colors I mentioned. This is how the colors are grouped.

 

[reyger]

Some people do run white lights and natural light tanks. However, the preferred way to run tanks is to use more blue than white lights. Those light settings you want to do would be ok.

How old is your tank?

I would also recommend investing in an RODI unit and making your own water at home.

hi! it’s 1yr old
i’ve been looking into getting an rodi unit as well as an ap prime light (i think that’s what it’s called) it’s just that around christmas i usually get gifted money so i was going to use that an upgrade everything (bigger tank, better light, more rocks, rodi, better testers)

 

[reyger]

White is not a color, its a combination of all colors, or full spectrum. Blue is required for photosythesis. Blue light pushes deeper in the water and in the wild corals are mainly getting blue light, more true the deeper they are in the water.

When we talk about blues, we include blue, violet, purple and ultra violet. When we talk about whites we will include white, red and green. Some led lights have only 2 chanels - blue and white, but the blue and white includes the colors I mentioned. This is how the colors are grouped.

ohh i see. that’s very interesting. i’m not sure why my lfs told me otherwise then. i switched the lights to 100% blue and everything else is from 10-20%, is this okay for now? thank you so much for telling me about this! i took a screenshot and i’ll continue to do more research into lights! do you have an recommendation for rodi units, lights, tanks, etc? i’m hoping to do a full upgrade in the new year

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

hi! it’s 1yr old
i’ve been looking into getting an rodi unit as well as an ap prime light (i think that’s what it’s called) it’s just that around christmas i usually get gifted money so i was going to use that an upgrade everything (bigger tank, better light, more rocks, rodi, better testers)

I think your light is good for your tank IMO. The fluval is 59 watts, and the AI Prime is 55 watts, so basically the same. but your own rodi would be a good idea,

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

ohh i see. that’s very interesting. i’m not sure why my lfs told me otherwise then. i switched the lights to 100% blue and everything else is from 10-20%, is this okay for now? thank you so much for telling me about this! i took a screenshot and i’ll continue to do more research into lights! do you have an recommendation for rodi units, lights, tanks, etc? i’m hoping to do a full upgrade in the new year

RO Buddy is a good basic rodi unit for small tanks, the Aqualife Classic 100gpd is a better choice for the extra dollars IMO.

It sounds like you have a good setup already..... I would only suggest an ATO if you don't already have one. Good luck

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

this is a good article that explains how the different colors affect the coral growth. Its also an excellent website overall for any type of reef info.

https://reefs.com/magazine/light-marine-aquarium/

 

[reyger]

RO Buddy is a good basic rodi unit for small tanks, the Aqualife Classic 100gpd is a better choice for the extra dollars IMO.

It sounds like you have a good setup already..... I would only suggest an ATO if you don't already have one. Good luck

okay awesome ill look into those brands! when i do get an rodi which salt brand do you recommend? should i ask my lfs which salt they use or switch to something potentially better?

 

[reyger]

this is a good article that explains how the different colors affect the coral growth. Its also an excellent website overall for any type of reef info.

https://reefs.com/magazine/light-marine-aquarium/

thank you!! i’ll read it rn since i’m on the bus lol

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

okay awesome ill look into those brands! when i do get an rodi which salt brand do you recommend? should i ask my lfs which salt they use or switch to something potentially better?

I use coral pro on my 2 reef tanks and instant ocean on my fish only tanks. I think the salt choice is a more personal choice, this is a really good thread happening now if you haven't seen it, lots of good info in here.


https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/what-salt-do-you-use-and-why.1135208/

 

[Malum Argenteum]

i usually have the lights at about 80% white and then 20 blue, 20 pink, 10 cyan, 10 purple. i also have it on a day/night schedule and they’re on from 7am-9pm with ramp up/down included. is this a good schedule?

Personally, I like to run a slightly shorter day length but that's primarily relevant to algae growth IME.

The mix of color is largely up to you, but I myself do like a more balanced spectrum (as opposed to a very blue-weighted spectrum). I cut my teeth on 5K florescents, so my sensibilities are a little different than many keepers.

FWIW, my RBTAs do well (nice growth/extension/color/reproduction) under one each of ATI coral plus, blue plus, aquablue special, and an Orphek OR3 Day Plus. I've used Instant Ocean on my reef since forever.

I agree that the Fluval is not very bright (likely, anyway; my experience is with a few FW 3.0 fixtures, which I do like).

 

[reyger]

I use coral pro on my 2 reef tanks and instant ocean on my fish only tanks. I think the salt choice is a more personal choice, this is a really good thread happening now if you haven't seen it, lots of good info in here.


https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/what-salt-do-you-use-and-why.1135208/

hey im so sorry to bring you back to this thread but i have a question

when i did a water change on Sunday, i also replaced the carbon as it had been a while. since doing that i've had this random outbreak of either diatoms or dinos. im not able to distinguish which one it is since i don't have a microscope. it was all on the glass, rocks, sand. thermometer, heater, etc. i took the thermometer and heater out to clean them off and while wiping it off it looked like a dark brown and smelt like a pond lol. i did another water change (basically cleaning the sand) last night after getting back from class and today it's like i never even cleaned it. i'm starting to think that this might be the reason my anemone is mad lol. if i did a blackout for a day or 2 would that be fine for the anemone? i did notice that the anemone has opened up a tinyyyy bit more but it's not opening up to how it was 4 days ago and my clown still won't go near it.

I have 5 snails -- 3 nassarius and 2 nerite -- but they're not rlly doing much. i used to have astrea snails but they crabs decided to go on a murdering spree

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

hey im so sorry to bring you back to this thread but i have a question

when i did a water change on Sunday, i also replaced the carbon as it had been a while. since doing that i've had this random outbreak of either diatoms or dinos. im not able to distinguish which one it is since i don't have a microscope. it was all on the glass, rocks, sand. thermometer, heater, etc. i took the thermometer and heater out to clean them off and while wiping it off it looked like a dark brown and smelt like a pond lol. i did another water change (basically cleaning the sand) last night after getting back from class and today it's like i never even cleaned it. i'm starting to think that this might be the reason my anemone is mad lol. if i did a blackout for a day or 2 would that be fine for the anemone? i did notice that the anemone has opened up a tinyyyy bit more but it's not opening up to how it was 4 days ago and my clown still won't go near it.

I have 5 snails -- 3 nassarius and 2 nerite -- but they're not rlly doing much. i used to have astrea snails but they crabs decided to go on a murdering spree

It sounds like dino's that you are describing. I had dino's only once and it took me 5 months to beat it so I don't have any good suggestions for you. This is a good guide and I'm sure lots of folks here can help if you have any questions on dino's, maybe on a new thread to get more eyes on it. Good luck