Why is my LTA mouth almost always open?

Coralcrazy503 · Dec 7, 2019

Could someone please help me figure out why My long tentacle anemone seems to like keeping his mouth open and at times poking it inside out?He had it open when I brought him home it was not protruding at that time. It closed during the acclimation then opened again right after putting it in the tank. My husband was convinced it meant he was hungry and fed it a tiny chunk of shrimp. Which It ate it completely in less then 2 mins. Since putting it in the tank it’s showing all the signs of being happy and healthy and has even moved its self to a spot it’s liked better but it still it likes to leave its mouth open and partially poking out words? Is this normal behavior? My husband is convinced it means it’s hungry and has fed it two other times and it has eaten it all each time in a hurry with no “vomit”. Everything I’ve seen online so far says he’s dying but he seems to healthy and happy now. Anyone have any similar experiences with their anemone? Or know the answer to why it’s doing what it’s doin?

He’s in a 50g I just tested my water parameters yesterday and everything is all good there. There is one white tip toadstool, purple goniopora coral 2 clownfish-but they have no interest in the anemone, one yellow watchman gobbie, two emerald crabs and two turbo snails.

Chuk · Dec 7, 2019

That is generally not a sign of a healthy anemone. The mouth should be tightly closed. How long have you had it?
If you brought it home that way it was unhealthy from the get go and you set yourself up for an uphill battle.
The best thing you can do is give it stable water quality, moderate lighting, and give it small meaty foods every few days. If it’s getting better the mouth will close and stay closed unless it’s eating or pooping. If it starts to dissolve or turn inside out it’s a goner.

Uncle99 · Dec 7, 2019

Why do people stuff their nems with food?
Your going to kill it.

in the wild do you think a piece of shrimp falls on them daily? NOT!

At most, once per month, tiny piece of raw shrimp or squirt of mysis

They get nutrients from light, you can’t give it too much light

this one years now, last fed Oct 2019

mta_morrow · Dec 7, 2019

Do not feed the nem until it very healthy. And even then, they are photosynthetic and don’t require feeding. I have 2 rbta’s, 3 rock flower, an LTA, and a Magnifica. I only feed the Mag and LTA clam on occasion.