FAQs on Bulb, Bubble Tip/Rose Anemone Health 12 Related Articles: Bubble Tip, Rose Anemones, Entacmaea quadricolor, Use in Marine Systems by Bob Fenner, Bubble Tip Anemones by Jim Black, Recent Experiences with BTA's by Marc Quattromani, Anemones, Cnidarians, Colored/Dyed Anemones, Related FAQs: BTA Disease 1, BTA Disease 2, BTA Disease 3, BTA Disease 4, BTA Health 5, BTA Health 6, BTA Health 7, BTA Health 8, BTA Health 9, BTA Health 10, BTA Health 11, BTA Health 13, FAQs on BTA Disease by Category: Diagnosing, Environmental (Pollution/Poisoning, Lighting...), Nutritional, Social (e.g. Allelopathy), Trauma, Pathogenic (Infectious, Parasitic, Viral) Predatory/Pest, Treatments  & E. quad. FAQ 1, E. quad FAQ 2, E. quad. FAQ 3, E. quad FAQ 4, E. quad FAQ 5, BTA ID, BTA Compatibility, BTA Selection, BTA Behavior, BTA Systems, BTA Feeding, BTA Reproduction/Propagation,

New Print and eBook on Amazon:   Anemone Success Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term by Robert (Bob) Fenner

E. Quadricolor... hlth. f'       1/2/14 Hello wwm crew, I have a quick question regarding my gbta. I noticed these white squiggly type lines running through quite a few of its tentacles.  I was wondering if you could identify what they are? I have attached a picture. It is not coloration, it is indeed something. Thank you, Kim. P.s. happy new year! <Ah, thank you. This Entacmaea is badly bleached... the lines... likely areas of stress, trouble. Do search/read on WWM re the species; what can and should be done to re-add Zooxanthellae (from other Cnidarians), boosting health through nutrition (HUFA and vitamin soaked meaty foods). Bob Fenner>

Bubble tip anemone... beh., rdg.   9/3/13
Hi I purchased a bubble tip anemone 4 days ago to go into my 30 gallon tank
<Mmm, large anemone species need more room than this. See WWM re Entacmaea>
 which has been set up for about 2 years. It has currently been it its current position for about 3 days. The first day it went into the rocks and then popped out when it currently stayed now. One the second and third day I fed it some small pieces of shrimp and it took it and ate it. Today however it didn't seem to open up as big as it normally has. Why could this be?
<... see WWM re BTA beh...>
The other livestock in the tank are: 2 Ocellaris clowns, rusty angel,
<... also needs more room...>
 cleaner shrimp, snails hermit crabs and corals.
My water parameters are: pH 8.0, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10, kH 7.2, Calcium 470ppm,
<... Mg?>
phosphate 0.25, temp 25.7 C (
<Keep reading. Bob Fenner>
Re: Bubble tip anemone... speaking; not listening      9/4/13
I think mg is about 1400.
<About the right ratio>
I'm worried as it parked itself right next to my devils hand coral which I can't move as its on a large rock. I'm worried the coral is realising toxins which is stopping it from opening
<Could well be. I'd be moving it. BobF>
Re: Bubble tip anemone     9/4/13
I have tried multiple times to move the devils hand but I just can't as it bottom is I'm a large rock
<... see WWM are Cnidarian Allelopathy>

Dying Bubble Tip Anemone      6/20/13 Hi all, first off I'd just like to say how valuable of a resource WWM is and how thankful I am for all of your hard work! I first found the website when I was in seventh grade, and still utilize it today as a recent college graduate. <Ahh!> Now to my question, I have searched through the site and read countless anemone, BTA,  and health FAQs and, of course, various anemone articles. I have also scoured the internet and posted on two different forums about my BTA, and have yet to come up with a concrete answer as to what is happening to my anemone. I've had a few people say they had an anemone who did this same thing, and eventually withered away, but as for causes I've had it suggested that it could be light shock, rancid food, spreading damage from a coral sting, and more. So I'm asking you all as a last resort! So, here it goes. I got this BTA at the beginning of January for my 29g nano with the plan of moving it to my 135 after several months. It lived in this tank until the end of March/beginning of April at which point I broke down the nano and moved all of the inhabitants into my 135g. The nano was a JBJ and I had the JBJ professional LED lights on it. The lights were 89w and supposed to be equivalent to a 150w halide. The anemone arrived to me slightly bleached (it was ordered online), but definitely still had Zooxanthellae as it had obvious, if a bit pale, green and orange colors to it. In no time at all the colors had intensified to a nice green base with orange tentacles. <I see some of this color still> Fast forward to April. After being introduced to the new tank the anemone moved around a bit before finally situating itself on the front of a rock about 6in off the bottom and facing directly out towards the room. In this location it also found itself situated somewhat close to a torch coral. Now, while the torch coral's sweepers were definitely long enough to reach the anemone I never actually witnessed them touching. What I did notice, however, was that one day the side of the anemone closest to the torch had its tentacles shortened/shriveled a bit. My initial thought was that the torch must have touched it so that part was withdrawn, and that if it was an issue the anemone would move. A few days passed and the right side of the anemone was still shriveled, but the anemone was still planted firmly in place. It was at this time that I took the torch and moved it out of range of any other inverts. All of this took place around the middle to end of April. Instead of going back to normal as I expected, the BTA has just continued to go downhill until what is left today is a sad excuse for an anemone. A good 1/2-2/3 of its oral disc are utterly devoid of tentacles, and the ones that still exist are severely shortened. Similarly, the part of the anemone missing the most tentacles is also missing color, though it is a pale tan color and not fully white. The stats of the current 135 are as follow: Temp - 78 pH - 8.2 Specific gravity 1.026 Ammonia/Nitrite - 0 Nitrate - 2.5-5 (Salifert) Alk - 10dkh Calcium - 480-500 <Too high... and out of balance w/ [Mg] Magnesium - 1250 Lighting - 2 3ft fixtures each containing 1X150w halide (14k Phoenix) and 2X96w compact fluorescents. All bulbs were replaced in March '13. stats in the nano were almost identical, save for the lighting. This tank has been set up and running for the past 10 years or so, but has only been a "reef" since December of 2012. These are the values every time I test, with no/minimal swings. When the initial shortened tentacles appeared and did not get better after the removal of the torch, I decided that I may have been witnessing the beginnings of a starving anemone. <May be a factor; but mostly the Euphylliid sting... and secondly the alkaline earth imbalance are the principal clues/possibilities thus far> For this reason I have been feeding the anemone with krill and squid. <I'd use smaller foods>  Initially I was feeding it every day and the anemone greedily consumed all of the food, that is,  up until 3 weeks ago. At this point the tentacles were so shortened that it could no longer hold the food. This did not stop me from trying, and I was able to successfully get it to eat by holding the food over its mouth until it grabbed it. Unfortunately, it was about this time that the anemone began regurgitating all but the tiniest of morsels within an hour of consumption. As per the recommendation of a forum member, I flipped the rock so that it was fully facing upwards to allow for as much light as possible. <Good idea> This was about 2 weeks ago and there has been no significant change in its appearance. I have also added an extra powerhead to give it more flow. At this point I'm fairly certain its a goner, and that it's just going to be a long drawn out death. But I'd really like to know what went wrong, I'd love to have a BTA in here in the future, but if this one doesn't make it and I never figure out why I won't feel comfortable ever getting another one as I don't want to just keep killing animals. <Understood> So that is why I'm writing to you all, I'd like to know what went wrong and what I could do to prevent it in the future. I'll post a few pictures so you can see what's been happening the last couple of months. The first one was taken shortly after I noticed the initial shortened tentacles, and then progresses in chronological order until the final one which was taken about a week ago and shows the anemone's current state. Thank you all again for everything you do! Ashley <Welcome... I would start with a cloned individual next time; and not place with stony corals at all if possible... And if not, far away from more intense stingers like Euphylliids, Oculinids... And allow your [Ca] to drift down into about 400 ppm range. I would try dosing this system w/ a purposeful 3 X pulse of iodide-ate. Bob Fenner>

Re: Dying Bubble Tip Anemone    6/21/13 Thanks so much for the reply, Mr. Fenner! <Welcome Ashley> Letting the calcium drop is precisely what I have been doing. Thankfully the coralline and coral growth has started taking off, and I have already seen the calcium start to drop. I will let it get down to 400. <Ah good> What product do you recommend for the iodide? <Am partial to the SeaChem line; consistent, real products: http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/ReefIodide.html BobF>

BTA... hlth., no info. or rdg.        5/8/13
I have a pink BTA and noticed today that some of its tips look like they were cut off.
<?!>
 The very end of the tips are broken open.  What would cause this?
<Mal-interaction w/ another Cnidarian likely; perhaps some chemical/physical anomaly... What else is in the system? What re water quality tests?... Where's your data? Bob Fenner>
 Is it being eaten by something in my tank or is it a sickness that causes this?

BUBBLE TIP ANEMONE/Health 1/25/13
Dear Crew,
<Andrew>
I have recently bought a bubble tipped anemone.  But everyone of its tentacles has a white tip. And I can't find any pictures of bubble anemone with the white tips online.  So is what I bought really a bubble tip or did the online dealer get it mixed up?
<There can be several reasons for this, lighting, water quality, nutrition, tank volume too small, etc.  And in some cases, the tips may never develop a color in captive systems.  Have you read here and related articles/FAQs  found in the header?
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm >
 Thank you for your time.
<You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>
Sincerely,
Andrew 

Green bubble tip anemone 1/21/13   /James Hey crew, <Hi Julie>  I just got this Green BTA today and this is what it looks like ... <That's not good.>  Doesn't look good white puffy stuff come out of gaping mouth what do I do <Pristine water and hope for divine intervention. It appears to be disintegrating for which there is no recovery.> .. I ordered it online <Look into their guarantee policy...> Sent from my iPhone <Sent from Jordan's laptop.> Bubble tip Anemone    /RMF Sorry for bugging you but here is a pic of my anemone that I received in the mail today it's firmly attached to the rock and its tentacles are moving and it's foot is moving but I think it's spitting its guts out ... What do I do in this case other than have perfect water param.s <...? Your image files are too large per our requirements... and can't open here on the liveaboard in the P.I.... and you could/just look up re Entacmaea, general anemone health on WWM... Bob Fenner>

A goner

Sick BTA; allelopathy, chemical starvation, reading   12/31/12
Dear WWM Crew:
First off, Happy New Year!! Secondly, I have a sickly BTA that I bought about 2 months ago from Liveaquaria.com . The anemone originally found a rock crevice where it seemed to do well for the first few weeks. I did not do a very good job target feeding it. The BTA then moved further into a hole in the rock & has been "on the move" since then. It is deflated, very small, with mouth open & tentacles retracted. It keeps moving slowly from rock to rock and has not opened up or inflated for about a month.
<Not atypical behavior for a new Entacmaea; reacting to "something" undesirable" here... conditions, tank-mate wise. Let's see...>
The system is a 90g with a 40g refugium. Circulation pump is Rio 3200.
There are 3-600 gph powerheads - 1 directed from back to front in the center, 2 directed toward each other  from each side, all about 4 inches below water line. Filtration is with a Turboflotor Blue skimmer, filer sock, and carbon in a reactor.
Lighting is provided by 4 x 48" T5s: two white, 1 purple, 1 actinic. Most of the rock work is about 12-16 inches from the lights at the highest point of the rocks.
The BTA is currently located toward the lower part of the tank, which would be about 8" from the tank bottom & about 20" from the T5 bulbs in the canopy. The BTA  does not seem to move up toward the light. At night with the lights off (except for moon lights) the BTA reaches upward, tentacles still retracted & mouth open. When feeding it Mysis or small pieces of shrimp the BTA will not "grab" the food (no tentacles) and the food floats away.
Tank-mates are: 2 yellow tail damsels, 1 yellow sailfin, 1 Ocellaris about 3" long, 1 pajama cardinal, a few Mexican turbo snails & red-legged hermits. As for cnidarians: several very large green encrusting Montiporas, literally hundreds of green Corallimorphs located on most all of the rocks, 2 species of Rhodactis, a few Ricordeas, 2 Zoanthid colonies.
<Might well be the Shrooms and/or Zoanthids are combating the anemone chemically here. All new Cnidarians need to be acclimated over weeks time via a separate system, mixing water. Read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/CorlCompArt.htm
and the linked files above for the groups involved here>
Right now, the BTA is wedged into a rock  crevice near some mushrooms.
<Ahh... really, needs to be moved; for you to start the acclimation/introduction process anew>
As far as water parameters, Temp. is 77F, Salinity 1.025, CA 430, Alk 3.2, Nitrites=0, Nitrates=0, Phos=0,
<... sigh... all chemo-photo/synthates need some of both of the last two... See WWM re this as well>
Ammonia=0. I use Salifert tests for all but Phosphate which is tested with a Hanna photometer, and nitrate which is tested with LaMotte high sensitivity reagents.
Any ideas about how I can help my little BTA?
<As stated, allelopathy and nutrients... Bob Fenner>
 Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Re: Sick BTA  1/1/13
I see a lot re: how to reduce nitrates, but not increasing them. Is this as simple as feeding more & reducing skimmer production?
<Ahh, can be; yes. More the former>
In attempting to move the BTA it floated behind the rocks & I am trying to find it again. When I do, you recommend removing from the tank & re-acclimating if I read your response correctly?
Thanks, Doug
<Yes; if possible/practical, take out whatever it's attached to, place in a container underwater and move all to the separate system. BobF>

dying rose BTA? Rdg.      9/26/12
I have had a rose BTA in my tank (150 gallon) for about 3 months now.  He was doing fine up until about 1 month ago when he started bleaching, shrinking in size, and not eating.
<... allelopathy w/ other Cnidarians? A lack of soluble inorganic "foods"?>
 Now he hides in a crevice all day and only comes out at night.  My water parameters are ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates <5, dKH 10.4-11.0, pH 8.3, calcium 400-450, phosphates 0,
<Mmm, this animal and all photosynthates require some (measurable) NO3 and PO4.... you have none... starving. Whatever you're doing (likely chemical filtrant/s) to scavenge all nitrate, phosphate... stop doing; and increase feeding>
temp 79 degrees, salinity 1.025.  I have 3 200 watt metal halides (new 14,000k bulbs 3 months ago).  My question is..."Is it better to try to nurse him back to health in a hospital tank by himself or just let him stay in my main tank?"
<Leave where it is>
  He stays put for about 5-7 days at a time, then starts to wander.  But only within one small area of the tank.  My concern is that if he does die, that he wipes out my tank that has (1) flame angel, (2) hosting clowns, (1) six line wrasse, (1) yellow tang, (1) lawnmower blenny, (1) cleaner shrimp, (1) Pagoda cup coral, (1) wellso brain coral, (1) branching Duncan coral, (1) candy cane coral, (1) colony of fire/ice Zoas, (1) colony of Australian Acan coral, (1) lobo coral,  (1) serpent star, (1) sand sifting star, and an assortment of hermit crabs and snails.
<... Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BTADis10.htm
and the linked files above... till you have your ah-ha moment. Bob Fenner>

BTA With Heater Burn -- 01/15/12 Hi, I just came across your site and haven't found anything on burnt anemone foots. My tank's fine (60 gal/established) and I bought a Bubble Tip Anemone 4 days ago, Mike (the anemone). Even though I blocked the intake filter, he wiggled in there, got sucked in, then the heater came on and part of his foot was damaged. I saw him stuck, unplugged the filter, and he dropped out of the intake cap on his own, but evidently his foot was still on the heater at some point in the night when it came on. I disconnected the heater and removed it from the glass, laid it on a rock and he slowly made his way off of it and onto the rock. He's already stressed from the new tank move and now he's injured. These are his photos from day 1 through the day after his burn, he's seemingly getting worse, I don't know what to do for him and at a loss, any help/advise would be appreciated. <<Unfortunately this is not an uncommon injury when these cnidarians are housed in systems with exposed heaters and one that in my experience/estimation generally results; as does most any 'foot' injury, in the demise of the anemone. There's nothing for you to do other than ensure prime water quality (along with relocating the heater to a remote sump) and waiting'¦but sadly, I wouldn't hold out that this animal will recover. And while you are waiting; if you have not done so already, please start reading here and among the associated links (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm)>> Thank you, Michelle <<Happy to share'¦ EricR>> Re: BTA with Heater Burn -- 01/16/12 Thank you for your rapid response. <<Quite welcome, Michelle>> I've attached a few photos for your reference if anyone else could benefit from them since I couldn't find any photos of what I was looking for before taking him out of the tank. <<Thank you for these'¦and just for future reference, please resize images to no more than a few hundred KB'¦we have a limited storage capacity re>> Mike's out of the tank and in a hospital bucket with air and light, he pooped before I got him out of the tank and I removed everything before it did any damage to the rest of the tank. I'm keeping him in the hospital bucket in hopes that he's a strong little guy and comes back. <<The photos would seem to tell a different tale'¦sad to say>> I'm not getting another anemone until I have the proper equipment to protect it from the filter intake and heater - I feel awful because I thought I had it blocked from him pretty good - but alas I was wrong. Again, thank you for your assistance, it is extremely appreciated. <<And again, happy to share'¦and condolences for your (impending) loss>> Michelle <<EricR>>

Established tank w/2 anemone's recent water change 11/12/11
I have a well established tank w/ a medium and a small anemone,
<What/which species?>
a mated pair of clown fish, a fox faced rabbit fish,
<How large is this system?>
a yellow tang, a blue hippo tang, a coral beauty, a pair of striped cardinals, a pair of blue/green chromes,
<Chromis>
a pink goby, and a diamond goby, about 75 snails,
<Why?>
various hermit crabs, 2 emerald crabs a coral safe star fish, a coral banded shrimp, and a pistol shrimp. Today I took my water sample in and was advised to do a 10 % water change every week for a few weeks till my nitrates came down.
<A goodly percentage, practice>
So I came home did the water change of 5 gallons which is a little under 10% as my tank is 75 gallons. after doing the water change the 2 anemone's turned slightly darker and closed up everything else in the tank seems to not be bothered by the change. Did I do something wrong to make the anemone's react like that?
<Perhaps it is/was the salt mix itself... Was this premixed?>
I have way to <too> much invested in the tank to loose <lose> everything.
Thanks
<Mmm, well... where to send you? Let's start here: http://wetwebmedia.com/synthsaltmixes.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Re: Established tank w/2 anemone's recent water change 11/12/11
> <What/which species?>
> a mated
> pair of clown fish, a fox faced rabbit fish,
> <How large is this system?>
> a yellow tang, a blue hippo
> tang, a coral beauty, a pair of striped cardinals, a pair of
> blue/green chromes,
> <Chromis>
> a pink goby, and a diamond goby, about 75 snails,
> <Why?>
> various hermit crabs, 2 emerald crabs a coral safe star fish, a coral
> banded shrimp, and a pistol shrimp. Today I took my water sample in and
> was advised to do a 10 % water change every week for a few weeks till my
> nitrates came down.
> <A goodly percentage, practice>
> So I came home did the water change of 5 gallons which
> is a little under 10% as my tank is 75 gallons. after doing the water
> change the 2 anemone's turned slightly darker and closed up everything
> else in the tank seems to not be bothered by the change. Did I do
> something wrong to make the anemone's react like that?
> <Perhaps it is/was the salt mix itself... Was this premixed?>
> I have way to <too> much
> invested in the tank to loose <lose> everything.
> Thanks
> <Mmm, well... where to send you? Let's start here:
> http://wetwebmedia.com/synthsaltmixes.htm
> and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
> We have 2 bubble tip anemone's.
<Are these clones? May not be compatible otherwise>
My system is 75 gallons. The tangs are both young and small, we are aware that they will out grow our tank but our local pet store said we could trade them in when the time came.
<Mmmm, and I do mean Mmmm>
We were told that we should have 1 snail per gallon that is shy we have 75.
<Nah! Go diving in the wild...>
We use Oceanic Reef Salt to do the water changes 11/12/11
<Read re>
I mixed it in a bucket, then tested it to make sure the salinity was correct.
<Needs to be pre-mixed... best a week or so in advance of use>
Then I poured it into the sump and let it filter through the system I have a digital thermometer and the water temp didn't change at all when I added the water.
<But much else may have. B>
Re: Established tank w/2 anemone's recent water change 11/13/11
The Tangs are not clones
<? Asked re Anemones, not tangs, and what species the former are... Most likely the issue here is incompatibility twixt these two Actinarians>
but they seem to be getting along just fine, the yellow tang picked on the blue hippo at first but they have since come to at least tolerate each other. Will my anemone's be ok they seem to be perking back up but they are still slightly discolored but there bubbles have come back.
<... See WWM re compatibility of whatever species you have. BobF>
Re: Established tank w/2 anemone's recent water change
The 2 anemone's are the same kind,
<...>
they are on opposite sides of the tanks
they are both bubble tip anemones
<Ahh! And, for the hopefully last time: "Are they clones?">
and they were both doing wonderful till I did the water change. After I did the water change they both became discolored and closed up. The tank is sleeping right now so I cant get a good look at them but the larger on has opened back up some, and the clown fish are in it but it is still somewhat discolored the smaller one is still closed but his bubble tips are all full.
<See WWM re Entacmaea quadricolor. B>
Re: Established tank w/2 anemone's recent water change
No they are not clones and you are missing my real question. Everything in the tank was happy and flourishing except for my hard corals my hard corals kept dying so I took a water sample in and had it tested they told me to do a 10% water change so I did. *Immediately *after the water change the anemone's changed color and closed up. All I want to know is if the water change did something to my anemone's? Because the change happened within seconds of me putting in the new water. Did I stress them out or something?
<Read: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
and the linked files above; and where you've been referred to previously.
Don't write until you've read. B>
Re: Established tank w/2 anemone's recent water change
here are the pictures of the 2 anemone's as I said the are identical except for size the one is very small and is on the top of the rock and he is closed up.
Your email has been deleted for lack of compliance w/ our maximum file size.
Re: Established tank w/2 anemone's recent water change
never mind you haven't been any help at all!!! You didn't answer my question at all. All I wanted to know is if the water change could have hurt my anemone's.
<See the first email... answered there>
Re: Established tank w/2 anemone's recent water change 11/13/11
you said that it could have been the salt mix and then asked a bunch of other questions about what kind of salt and what kind of anemone and never got back to my question about the water.
<... keep reading>

BT anemone, hlth., no data of use 10/20/11
I have a question. I have had a BTA for over 5 months- it is growing and eats very well. Just a week ago, I noticed a white scale on one side to the BTA- It seems to be on one side and I have never seen this before. Is it healthy?
<Can't tell... likely the white spot is either a physical injury (e.g. a fish bite or snag on a rock) or a sting from some other Cnidarian nearby>
What can I do t get rid of this small white disease?
Thank you for your help. Marcia
<Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/BTADis10.htm
Yeah... and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

E. quadricolor colony health 10/13/11
Hi,
<Colby>
First off, thanks for all the work you do!
<Welcome>
Background: I have a 40g Breeder with roughly 30-40 Rose Bubble Anemones.
<A bunch!>
Tank is well established and been running for quite some time. There are no other Cnidarian inhabitants, only RBTA'S.
Lighting consists of two 70watt 14k HQI's and three 6500k 24'' HO T-5's.
Filtration consists of 30ish lbs live rock, HOB skimmer and two maxi-jet driven sponge filters. Tank is heated to 80-82F with a heater that is covered with plastic mesh in order to prevent any anemone burns.
Additionally all pumps are securely covered, essentially tank is anemone proof.
Water parameters:
SG = 1.026
pH = 8.3 (drops to 8.2 at night)
Ammonia and Nitrite zero. Nitrate less than 5ppm.
I do a 15% water change weekly, make myself using Distilled water and Tropic Marin salt mix. Water is mixed, heated and aerated for 48 hours prior to water change. Anemones are fed 2-3x weekly, usually with frozen Mysid shrimp (thawed and rinsed), although recently I have been feeding Tubifex worms, silversides and prawn eggs. Only tank inhabitants are a pair of Black Ocellaris and a male mandarin (added 5 days ago, CB and readily eating frozen and pellet food).
Now the problem:
Several days ago I noticed 2 or 3 anemones deflating, and at least one of those anemones has continued to stay fairly contracted with its mouth wide open. Initially it seemed to coincide with feeding. My concern is that one or two of the anemones may have an infection and could spread it to the rest of the colony.
<Mmm, not an infection>
Now, I had fed all the anemones frozen prawn eggs that had been in my freezer for quite some time. And I did view almost all the anemones contracting and defecating, however they seemed to return to normal size rapidly. It "seems" to me that as a whole the colony is contracting and expanding more than usual,, though it is really most apparent in one or two individuals. Is it possible I could have fed the anemones bad food = bacterial infection?
<Nah>
Additionally I did for the first time in a while run carbon in the tank for a few days abut a week ago, is it possible that the anemones may be light shocked somewhat due to increased clarity of the water?
<Guess again>
Could the slime from the mandarin in anyway be annoying the anemones?
<Nada>
I am fairly experienced, but a bit stumped here. I am inclined to believe I may have a few sick anemones as the whole population seems to be doing fine, which in my mind rules out environmental conditions.
<Ah no>
Is it likely/possible one or two of the anemones may be just having a difficult time expelling the waste, and thus could be expanding/contracting more than usual for a few days? And should I remove the individuals in question to remove any chance of pathogen spread? Or should I just leave things be?
<More water changes, selling/moving/trading out some of this stock>
I apologize for the length of the email, and thanks in advance for the question.
<Fine except for the premature assertions>
I look forward to hearing from you.
Colby
<Bob Fenner>
Re: E. quadricolor colony health 10/14/11
Mr. Fenner! Thank you so much for replying to me, I greatly appreciate it.
<Welcome Colby>
As per your suggestion I will be setting up more tanks to move some out of the 40 breeder. Aside from that can you think of any reasons I may be seeing/perceiving a decline in a few of the specimens while all others are thriving?
<I do think this is some sort of "negative feedback loop" result... part of "a natural plan" (to put it teleologically) for "moving out" life once it becomes too concentrated>
Thanks.
<Welcome. BobF>
Re: E. quadricolor colony health 10/26/11
Hi again, follow up on my anemones. They undoubtedly have a bacterial infection,
<?>
I have lost several of them and several more have fallen ill. Do you have any additional suggestions? Any medications to try in a QT tank etc?
<Medications on/for Actinarians? No. Have seen iodide/ate used, restoration of adequate water chemistry make-up... BobF>
Thanks again for all your help!
Colby

URGENT BTA not doing well... no useful data 9/25/11 Our green bubble tip anemone has taken a seemingly fast downward turn. the last couple of days he has been 'pooping,' with his mouth open and brown stuff coming out. We felt that he has just been eating small amounts of whatever he could catch in the tank. <... this specimen is very close to being dead> Last night and today, all of his tentacles are mostly retracted and his mouth is open. He is very small right now and is practically upside down. Also, there are white 'stringy' bits waving around in the water flow -- this are mostly from his digestive system, but cannot tell for sure that that is the case fro all of them. He is however still holding on to the rock, and I do see brown excrement near his mouth. Please see the attached photos. <Seen> I am concerned for him, but need some advice on weather <stormy inside> he is just unhappy at the moment or needs to be removed. I don't want to remove him, if he has a chance to be okay, but certainly don't want to poison my other livestock. Sigh. Unfortunately, I do not have a suitable quarantine for invertebrates at the moment. I do have a bucket of saltwater and power head standing by though. Thank you for your help, Guy <What? Where's the boeuf Guy? You know, info. re the system, tankmates, history... water quality tests results... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/BTADis10.htm and work your way up through the other nine BTA Hlth FAQs files... Bob Fenner>

RBTA Help Please/Entacmaea quadricolor/Systems/Behavior/Recipe For Disaster 8/2/11 Dear Wet Web Media, <Hello James> First I would like to thank you for your help and splendid website. <You're welcome.> I have searched all over the internet and all over your site and I can't find any information in regards to my Rose Bubble Tip Anemone. <Is the same as Entacmaea quadricolor, just a different color variation.> To provide some background information I have a 12 gallon JBJ Nano cube. <Much too small for this anemone.> It has been set up for 5 months now. In it is 20lbs of live sand, 20 lbs of live rock, 6-8 Scarlet Reef Hermits, 5 Astrea <Astrea> Snails, 1 Turbo Snail, 5-6 different mushrooms, 4 different Zoa colonies, a Kenya Tree, a Duncan, a Maze Brain frag, a Brown Birdsnest frag, a small Peppermint Shrimp, A large Cleaner Shrimp, a Coral Beauty Angelfish, <Too small a volume for this fish as well.> and 2 False Percula Clown Fish (who host in the Duncan), and I recently added a RBTA. My wife and I were given 2 RBTA but we kept the smaller and traded the other. As far as I can tell its tentacles bubble up really well and it looks healthy, except for the fact that it is not centered on its foot, and on one side it has some purple frilly stuff coming out from the bottom and it also has yellow stretch marks on it. I know my water parameters are not the best but they are improving. My nitrates <20, <Too high.> nitrite 0, alkalinity 300, ph 8.2 I acclimated the anemone for well over 2 hours, and it has attached itself to the rock near the bottom of the tank. I haven't fed it yet, but it expelled some brown pellet looking balls earlier today. I am nervous because I am still new to the hobby. I don't know if it is splitting or if it is sick. Any information would be greatly appreciated. <Is a normal reaction when moved to a new environment. I suggest trading the BTA or find an acceptable home for it. Your system is much too small for success with this animal, and all other Cnidarians will be at risk should the BTA decide to move, and likely it will. When the BTA dies, if unnoticed, you will assuredly have a complete wipe out....not worth the risk. Please read here. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm Thanks For all of your help! <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> James Oops, sorry Jamie for addressing you as James. My oversight and you can call me Jamie if you would like. :-) James (Salty Dog)

Re RBTA Help Please/Entacmaea quadricolor/Systems/Behavior/Recipe For Disaster 8/2/11- 8/3/11 James <Jamie> Not a problem I go by either. But my real question was, what are the yellow stress or stretch lines on the anemone, and also the purple frilly stuff coming out of the bottom (is that it growing another foot?)? <The "stress" lines are likely wrinkles, the anemone is deflated somewhat. Not growing a foot but may be debris from a previous anchor or the anemone may have been injured when it was removed from your dealer's tank. Not enough resolution in the image to discern.> Also, you said "when it dies", are you implying that the animal is sick now, or it will die someday? <No, not sick now but very likely will not adapt to the environment it is presently in. Do keep a close eye on it if you decide on keeping it.> <<Is dying; quite quickly... RMF>> hanks again for your prompt responses. The link that you recommended was very informative. Thanks, <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Jamie Re RBTA Help Please/Entacmaea quadricolor/Systems/Behavior/Recipe For Disaster 8/4/11 My plans are to keep it until it splits, I do not feel comfortable trying to peel it off the rock that it is attached to because I fear that I will tear the foot. I have see a few people with RTBA in a 12g or smaller tank and it was doing just fine. Thanks again for your help! <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> James

Re: Stocking list , opinions please? Entacmaea in an intake 4/5/11
Greeting again Crew,
Thanks for all your prior help.
As a departure from normality, I'll try and keep this brief.
My Ich ridden Coral Beauty never made it out of quarantine sadly, he didn't have the health to survive a particularly hot day (Tank 28.5 deg C) when I wasn't home to add some ice about a week into his copper treatment. So wiping a tear and moving on.....
Have decided against the Volitans as advised, and purchased two healthy looking Heniochus, labeled Schooling Bannerfish in the LFS (diphreutes I hope..... I struggle to ID juvenile diphreutes against Acuminatus unless they are side by side) along with a bubble tip anemone
I had these in quarantine for a week when the Entacmaea went powerhead surfing yesterday morning before work ( I had the damn thing well covered , but it still managed to push the cover off and insert itself, typical bloody anemone) Whole tank was a cloudy colour and lost about 45% of him, mouth seems mostly intact but damaged around the edge.
I had to go to work urgently (or we were ALL stuffed) so I didn't have time to do a full water change etc. Faced with the choice of potentially losing the Bannerfish by the time I got back home or cutting short quarantine and saying many prayers for my resident Maroon clown, I chose the latter... Devil and the deep blue sea etc..
Right, background covered. I was hoping for some advice around the Entacmaea. I know they can sometimes regenerate,
<Yes>
and he is still able to move around the tank and is well attached so I think it has a chance, I've done a 50% water change last night and will do another tonight. Have removed all the anemone chunks from the sump.
It has settled in a corner now, has closed up around the wound. The tentacles are inflated and nice browny colour so I think he can survive on some light for a while, and I don't want to place too much stress on his system too soon by making him eat before he has healed well enough (I'm not even sure how much damage has occurred to his mouth and stomach).
I've practically welded a fine mesh strainer onto the powerhead, then placed a bottle around this in a desperate attempt to stop further attempts at suicide (it was even trying to end it again when I got home from work that night, I think it must be chasing areas of high flow, as water quality is very good for all the usual suspects)
It ate two small pieces of scallop about three days before the powerhead incident, and is now by itself in the QT (90L, no skimmer) tank with the single piece of LR it was attached to when I bought it.
Lighting is on low (single 18W)
When should I try and feed him again do you think, and when should I crank the lighting up?
<Both soon, now>
From what I saw of the wound before he closed around it, it looked pretty clean (not ragged or stringy at all ), but do you think I need to trim it at all?
<No>
I was going to wait and see if any tissue looked necrotic, and then just trim this if necessary.
<Leave as is>
I prefer to leave it to heal itself if possible
Any other advice you can give to assist recovery (except high water quality and patience of course!)?
<Nada>
The Bannerfish are doing well , nothing to be done about that now, clownfish being a surprisingly friendly host, hope he is not rewarded with a disease for it.
Very distressed that both my attempts at Quarantine have failed one way or the other, perhaps I should have stuck to a single QT patient/species at a time...
Cheers and TIA,
Rama
<And you, BobF>

BTA Daytime Blob/BTA Health/Systems 2/7/11
<Hello Jasen>
In my 8 years of Saltwater tank setups your site has been a wealth of information. My tank is a 26 gallon bow with 72 watts of T5 lighting.
<Kelvin temperature of bulbs?>
My parameters are good except my N03 is at 20ppm. Unfortunately I have never been able to get this any lower.
<Didn't try hard enough, can be accomplished.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nitratesmar.htm>
I purchased a 5" BTA for my Ocellaris clown pair. I know the tank is small for an anemone.
<Mmm, why did you get it then?>
It spent the first two days moving around to find its spot. The last couple of day it looks like a blob with a wide open mouth.
<Not good.>
I was about to give up on it but found in the last two nights it has fully expanded and looked healthy again.
<Is good.>
In the night my light has 4 moon LEDs.
<Means nothing to a BTA.>
I am little perplexed about this BTA. I have kept Heteractis crispa and LTAs in the past in this tank and a BTA in my last 55 gallon.
<For how long?>
I am not sure if this BTA is slowly dyeing or does not like my lighting.
<Lets start by reading here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm>
Today I am going to put the top of a two liter bottle on it with some Mysis to see if it will take it.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
-Jasen
Re BTA Daytime Blob/BTA Health/Systems 2/7/11
<Hello Jasen>
I have reduced the lighting and running only 2 of the 4 bulbs, witch <which>
is 36 watts.
<Not really enough light for your BTA.>
The BTA is nice an full during the day. I am guessing it wants lower lighting and will need to slowly acclimate it to the other two bulbs.
<Sounds like a plan but I would use all bulbs and reduce the photoperiod and then gradually increase.>
Thanks again James I will read through the links you posted for me. I am also looking to add a HOB fudge, to help with the N03.
<Sounds good. James (Salty Dog)>
Re BTA Daytime Blob/BTA Health/Systems 2/7/11
I <I'll> try your solution of the shorter photo period with all the lighting.
<Good.>
Also sorry about my poor spelling and punctuation.
<Easy enough to fix. Just copy and paste into Word and do a spelling/grammar check.
Saves us time if we do not have to correct. James (Salty Dog)>

Anemone Dying! What Do I Do?/BTA Health... death 12/8/10 Hi, <Hello Chaton> I just received my new green BTA yesterday afternoon from Blue Zoo Aquatics. I've always had great results with their livestock, so when I received my anemone, I was very hopeful. When I opened the bag after letting it float in my tank for about an hour, I immediately noticed a foul smell, and saw that the mouth was wide open and what looked like mesenteries we hanging out. <Not good.> I called Blue Zoo and expalined <explained> this to them and they said to acclimate it as normal and to put it in the tank and see how it does overnight. Well, when I put it it, it immediately took hold of the rock I placed it on and became a bit larger in diameter, but stayed shriveled and continued pushing its "guts" out. I read everything I could find on this with anemones, and all I could find was people talking about brown stuff and how the anemone will go back to normal after the lights come on and so forth, This one is not doing that. <I believe you are misinterpreting that with expelling waste.> I've included a photo, but it looks like a nuclear mushroom cloud. <More like impending death.> That's the only way to describe it. Everything else in the tank seems to be doing well. You can see in the photo that my new feather duster is doing just fine. The photo was taken right around 0600 as I was getting up for work so I haven't had a chance to test the water yet, but plan to right away, but need to know what to do. Please help! Lighting is T5's and actinics. <I'm afraid your anemone is near death and I would remove from this system ASAP, possibly place in QT in the event of a miracle. Your anemone likely poisoned itself in its shipping water, and/or depending on your location and transit time, shipping water parameters may have deteriorated dramatically. Because anemones are poor shippers, I would prefer buying one locally where I can observe the specimen first hand before buying. Blue Zoo does give an arrive alive 7 day guarantee so you may want to send them this pic before the guarantee expires. James (Salty Dog)>

Anemone Health, BTA 10/12/10
Hello Crew,
<Hi Karen>
Absolutely love your site.
<Thank you.>
I have used it many times for problem solving and to help set up my system. I have a 46 gallon bow front marine aquarium with a 4 inch sand bed and lots of live rock. Salinity is 1.025 and temp. is 78. My water parameters have tested perfectly at home and at my LFS.
<It's helpful to know actual parameters.>
The system has been set up for 3 years. I do not use any supplements and feed a varity <variety> of frozen foods. I have a BakPak skimmer and Hang on Back filter with a BioWheel and charcoal. Water changes are done weekly, about 5 gallons. Lighting is a 4 tube T5 setup with the following bulbs, replaced recently with the recommendation of my local LFS: (2) 18,000K, (1) 6700K and (1) blue actinic in order to "help my BTA". There has been very little livestock lost. Now, here's the problem. I had a BTA for over 2 years that was beautiful. After I had a long illness this spring, it died. I bought another BTA 3 weeks ago that was beautiful at the LFS. It has not done well in my system.
Color is great and it is eating silversides every 3 days.
<Sounds like it's doing well.>
The foot is attached securely and it has not moved from it's rock. It expands very little during the day and the tentacles are stubby. Towards evening, it expands some, but is biggest when the lights are out. Lights are on 12 hours a day. It doesn't seem to have any injuries. Livestock includes:
Mated pair of Tomato Clowns
Coral Beauty
Blue Damsel
Green Chromis
Boxer Shrimp
Red Fromia Starfish
Purple Clam(unsure of type)
Feather Duster
Brown Polyps(opposite end of tank from BTA)
BTA
Any ideas?
<It is possible your BTA is reacting from a sudden increase in light intensity. If your lighting fixture has the ability to individually control two sets of lamps, I would shut one set off for a week and see if this helps. If so, configure the system so you use one 18K and the 6700 lamps. Also read here and related articles/FAQ's
found in the header.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm>
Thanks for your help.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Karen
Re Anemone Health 10/12/10
Thanks.
<You're welcome.>
I had considered reducing the light for awhile, but was concerned about the clam.
<A few days of reduced intensity shouldn't have any effect on the clam.>
You all do a fabulous job!
<Thank you! James (Salty Dog)>