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

Not normal/healthy anemone, nor reading    8/13/06 Hey Crew, Love your service the web pages are the best info i get. my anemone is Sebae, purple tips I've read your feelings on these "dyed" ones little too late. Paired it with a Maroon clown nicely, but today lost its mounting to the live rock and just was letting the current blow it around, is this a normal thing? John "fishNoob" Clawson, Mi <Nope. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

BGA Control,  Slime remover and Anemone   8/4/06 Dear Bob, <James with you today.> I had a red slime algae problem for a while and used the product Slime Remover (comes on a rectangular blue box). Worked perfectly and although I know   its not a solution it helped me save a lot of tank life due to it's abundance. I  have started a rigid bi/weekly cleaning and water change to try to reduce   nitrates and  switched to r/o water for minimal phosphates as well as feeding less in concern that I am over feeding. My main concern is my anemone. I have a Bubble Tip Anemone and I am hoping that the slime remover is not killing the symbiotic algae it needs to survive.   DO you know if this is a general problem. <Anemones are difficult enough to keep without tainting the water quality with such products as Slime Remover.  Depending on the wattage of your light fixture, you may not have enough light for the anemone to carry out photosynthesis.> Also I have notice he has shrunk a little since I have gotten him and doesn't open up as much, however he does have  a great appetite and I feed him weekly with silversides. <Although these products are supposedly safe with invertebrates, most contain erythromycin which kills bacteria (good or bad) and fungal diseases.  The product works well in this regard since the slime algae is actually a bacteria (Cyanobacteria). I would look at this link, and related links above, for controlling the problem. I, personally, would not use such products for BGA control. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm> I have a 48" power compact light with actinic bulbs that run approx 14 hrs  a day, salinity is 1.24, nitrates are minimal, have a 12 gallon mud sump with   mangroves, 55 gallon tank. Best regards, <And to you.  James (Salty Dog)> Jason

Anemone Stuck In Overflow    7/20/06 Hello and thank you for your help. <Hello Robin, and you're welcome.> Tank specifications: 75 gal, 125 wet/dry, Prizm protein skimmer, 9 watt UV sterilizer, 20 gal refugium, Maroon Clown pair and BTA. I have had the bubble tip anemone in my 75 gal tank for a little over a month, and I woke up to see him in the overflow box halfway in the siphon tube. I turned off the return pump and pulled out the siphon tube and let him try and wear off from the shock of what just happened. He sat in the overflow box for a while and started to re-inflate, I could tell he wanted out so I put on washed kitchen gloves and gently got him out and set him in his old favorite spot. There are no visible tears  to him or the foot. But, there are a couple air bubbles in 1 or 2 tentacles, I am looking for advice on how to help my beautiful anemone. <All you can do is let time take it's course, and hopefully, it will recover.> Thank you <You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>

E. quadricolor (anemone) meltdown!...  7/19/06 I have had a small (initially 1.5" diameter oral disk) E. quadricolor for the last 5 months. It has doubled in size since I acquired it and has been very enjoyable. It has not changed locations in the last 4 months. Three days ago it started to "wilt" as my wife called it. However, the next day it seemed to be recovering and it was doing much better until this afternoon when I got home from work and it looks like so much melting spaghetti ice-cream. <Bad sign> I have kept it in a 55gal w/ 250w 10000K MH and 130w CFL actinics. Salinity has been maintained at 1.025 and temps at 76-78 F. Feeding has been weekly/every other week w/ shrimp in vitamin supplement ('Vitamix Plus'). No powerheads in tank and flow is 400+gph from sump via Surge 3500 through SQUID and 300+gph return from sump via Cap 220 (3.5 ft. head, 1.25" PVC and only 1 90deg and 2 45deg/return line (X3). Conspecifics include Stolonifera, var. mushrooms, 1 sm. Ricordea, 1 sm. strawberry anemone, <Do you know the species name of this actinarian?> xenia, anthelia, zoanthids 'yellow polyps' (sorry about the vagueness), 1 adult ocellaris clown, 1 coral beauty angel, 1 med. skunk cleaner, 3 peppermint shrimp, 1 med. coral banded shrimp, 1 sm sea hare, and several small hermits and snails. I also have a small problem w/ hair algae because of the phosphates in our source water. I haven't checked any other parameters yet, but everyone else appears to be doing well. I run carbon occasionally and use Prime to dechlorinate my water. The only other filtration is 70 lbs LR, 4" DSB on a plenum, and a small (3"X20") generic counter current venturi PS. I dose 1 capful Kent Iodine, 1 capful Kent Essential Elements and 1 tsp Kent Superbuffer weekly. Here are changes that occurred in the last few days:   T-4 days: removed 8 lbs LR in morning and replaced w/ 8 lbs LR w/ yellow polyps, xenia, and GSP in the afternoon (GSP and yellow polyps are located 6" away and also moved 'hairy mushroom' to w/in 4" to stop allelopathy w/ other mushroom on other side of tank)... <This is likely a/the problem here... don't have to be close... chemical> dripped the new rock/corals w/ 1 gal of tank water and replaced w/ fresh. Added iodine, essential elements, and SuperBuffer. <All should be introduced, pre-mixed with new seawater, not directly added to the system> Salinity dropped to 1.024. Mixed 1 gal salt (IO) per instructions and allowed to sit. PUR (tm) filter failed in last 1/2 gal. and used treated tap water for the remainder.   T-3 days: added saltwater top off in AM. E. quadricolor looked poorly in AM and showed marked improvement in PM. salinity - 1.025   T-2 days: normal top off regimen except with treated tapwater and not prefiltered. E. q. continues to improve. salinity - 1.025   T-1 days: same as above. salinity - 1.026   today: E. q. fine in AM and now...yuck!... salinity - 1.026, temp - 77.6 F.      Questions:   1. Can you tell what's the problem? <Likely is allelopathy in general, some ancillary related influences>   2. What do I do to fix it? <More systems to separate livestock, no new livestock, pre-mix water...>   3. Is there any hope for the anemone?    <Yes, move it to other quarters, pronto>   Branon <Bob Fenner>

Anemone...More info please...   7/7/06 ... a goner    anemone moved around - hanging upside down a lot... it's curled up now and string-y gunk is being expelled... it looks like it's tearing in one spot and once it landed on the sandbed I moved it to a rock and it's seeping thru the hole in the rock trying to get lower...possibly? What can I do to aid its' healing? I'm keeping it away from the flow...calcium is approx 550 and tank is extremely stable - other corals are doing well...please advise.. <Need more information before I make a prognosis...what type of anemone? How long have you had it? What size tank (dimensions)? Tank Mates (Both fish and inverts)? Tank specifications? More detailed water parameters....And, and, and......**AJ.>

Re:  Fin Nipping...Now Anemone Systems And Health   6/16/06 Dear James (Salty Dog) <Rachel> Now my anemone and the clown are in my QT tank & doing fine. There is another problem now. I have kept my QT tank in my balcony for the main reason of getting the anemone plenty of sunlight during the QT. So the sunshine is plenty for the anemone but the problem is that my temperature increases maximum up to 32C during 12pm -- 4pm and it gradually drops down to 27-28C in the night to morning. I do have a chiller in my main tank to maintain the temperature but none in my QT. So do you think the anemone and my clown will be fine for 2 weeks before I put them to my main tank? <No, that is a 10 degree (F) shift, too drastic a change on a daily basis. I'd see if I could control the photo period by way of blinds or a shade to a 8 hour duration during the QT period and see if that helps.> FYI, I currently reside in Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) so we have tropical weather all throughout the year with the temperature averaging 29C. Also I actually can see the anemone's mouth (at least I think that is the mouth) it's right in the middle on the tentacles right? <Yes, probably panting.> Also how can you tell if an anemone is doing well or bad? Mine seems fine with tentacles moving nicely but I am not sure whether it's okay. <If the tentacles are expanded and the mouth isn't gaped open continually and its original color holds, things should be fine  The anemone should also take food when offered. Info on anemone health is easily found on the Wet Web Media.  Please search for answers to your questions before writing.  A great amount of time was spent developing the site to help people such as yourself.  Please learn to use, very helpful and informative.> Thanks, best regards <You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)> Rachel

Anemone... health, beh.  06/14/2006 Hello Sir/Ma'am Once again I am calling upon your wisdom to help me along. The problem is with my anemone. I moved him from an established 40 gallon running 2x175 MH about a week ago. His new tank is a 200 gallon reef tank. The parameters for this tank are as follows: Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5 (all with Salifert), Calcium 400, DKH 10.6, PH 8.1 all day and night (running a RDP fuge with Chaeto and DSB) and specific gravity of 1.024. The lights on the tank are 3x250 MH. The anemone was doing fine for 2 days. I proceeded to feed him a chunk of Silverside and he regurgitated it a day after. Since then he has been small (not closed) with a bright green color and stringy tentacles. He grows to his normal size closer to the end of the photo period and returns small once the lights go on. Please help with some idea. I have ruled out water quality and chemical warfare because of running the Chemi-Pure. I can only deduce that maybe he suffering from some light shock and may need to adjust to the increased lighting??? Thanks so much, Matthew McGhee <<Matthew:  Do you know what type of anemone it is?  How long have you kept it?  Assuming you have kept it for awhile (at least several months) and know how to take care of it, then it is probably just going through a transition from one tank to the other.  I would suggest to keep trying to feed it small pieces.  Hopefully, in a few days, it will be happy again.  Best of luck, Roy>
Re: Anemone... health  06/14/2006 Roy, It is a rose tip bulb anemone. He has been kept for about 6 months in a 40 gallon tank. He has been in the new tank for a total of 5 days. The first two he was out fully. I think that maybe he is getting used to the new light cycle. I forgot to mention that in the last tank the lights were on between 2pm and 10pm and in the new tank they are on at 8am to 5pm. Do you think that is the issue? Thanks so much, Matthew McGhee <<Matthew:  RBTA anemones are pretty hardy and can go through some dramatic looking changes from time to time.  Since you have been successful at keeping it for awhile, I think it is just getting used to the new tank and you don't have anything to worry about.  As far as the lighting change, it will adapt.  Best of luck, Roy>>

My anemone is BURNED!! SW supp.s   6/13/06 Hey I have sent this once already and I didn't get a response so I re-sent it, <Thank you... We have ongoing issues with our webmail... Arggghhh> I absolutely adore your website.... Since I am a newbie I need all of the opinions I can get, and I trust your teams opinions the most. I have a purple LTA and when I was adding a diluted portion of Seachem Marine Buffer to raise the PH level to 8.3 <... best to do this through your water changes... not directly into the main/display tank> some of the solution got on my anemone. A small portion of her lower tentacles now look as if they have been burned, they are small and shriveled, and bleached. Will these tentacles regenerate themselves? Lorri Thanos <Can if not too badly damaged... Do add such supplements to your pre-made saltwater for use during change-outs. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Bubble Tip Anemone got ripped in half - 6/5/2006 Please Help, <<I'll try!>> While moving my tank my bubble tip anemone ripped. <<Ouch.>> He was attached to two rocks and the person moving him was careless.  He is ripped into two pieces. One side doesn't look all that bad.  Any tips to help me possibly save him? I have had it for almost a 6 months and he was very healthy before hand. Perhaps a dip in a solution such as 'Reef Dip' and pristine water conditions now.  Be sure to feed both halves. Lisa.>> Kurtis Schubeck

New H. crispa - some questions... Mis-ID'ed, kept actinarian, mis-mixed, crowded small marine system  - 05/19/2006 Hi Crew from beautiful North Carolina! <Howdy back from some of us out in HI> I have a 30 gal. cube which is several months old and is to be primarily dedicated to anemone/clownfish. <Dangerously small... unstable>   The lone exception fishwise, is a lawnmower blenny. <Borderline small for a Salarias, Atrosalarias as well...> I also have a sandsifting star, a tiger tail cuke, <Way too small for this species....> a serpent star, and various snails.  The clowns are a mated pair of Pink Skunks.  They are totally in love with the anemone and wallow around in it constantly. I have 150W 14K HQI with 2X24w T5 actinics.  I realize this may be a little too blue for a Sebae and I plan on replacing the HQI bulb with a 10K in the near future.  I have a 10 gal. sump which is putting way too many microbubbles in the tank (have to build a better bubble trap), a Tunze Nano skimmer, and an Eheim 1260 as a return pump.  Based on RC's head loss calculator I am moving about 450 gph - just about 15X. <Watch that intake, those intakes!> pH is 8.3, temp is 79-81, ammonia=0, nitrite = 0.1,  nitrate = (yikes, how did that happen?), <What?> calcium =500, alk = 6 meq/L. Now for my question - my anemone hasn't attached to anything yet. <Bad...>   Its body is tannish with an orangey bottom on its foot. <...? This is a crispa/Sebae?> The tentacles are light green (no purple tips that I can see). <It's not... see WWM re the more commonly employed...> I haven't seen the mouth since I first put it in the tank and at that time it was tightly closed.  It was not attached in the shipping bag <Don't> and has been nicely expanded but unattached since going into the tank.  Its laying on its side and is expanded out over the sand.  It hasn't moved very much from where I originally put it.  It is sticky - in fact, my fingers are a little itchy from touching the tentacles to make sure it is still sticky. <Make sure and wash your hands thoroughly before and after...> Should I just wait patiently or should I try to make some changes other than a WC to fix the nitrite issue?  He really is a beauty and I want to make sure he gets the best possible care. Thanks - Laurie <Much to speculate re here. Please read re all these animals care... Systems, Compatibility... especially the Anemone... See here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm Scroll down... Bob Fenner...>

Anemone... systems, health   5/9/06 Hi, <Hello, Jen here.> my anemone wandered of and got sucked in my filter. <Oh my goodness!!> About 30% of its base was damaged. Can you tell me what the chances of survival are? And if its likely to survive, what advice could you give me on the healing-process. <Well... after that kind of trauma I don't suspect there is much chance of recovery.  Anemones are hard to keep to begin with and with this type of injury survival chances are even slimmer.  The only thing I would suggest, other than what you've already been doing if you researched correct care for this animal, is just making sure your water quality is absolutely perfect.  Good luck.  Jen S.>

Lighting/Reef/Photoshock?  - 04/27/06 Dear Wet Web Media Crew, I have a 240 gallon aquarium with 65 gallon sump.  The Tank is 72" long, 24" wide and 32" high.  I have three 400 watt metal halides mounted in the canopy about 10 inches off the surface of the water.  The center bulb is a 20000K and the two sides are both 15000K.  I recently bought a Long tentacle Anemone and acclimated him for my tank.  I have a mated pair of large yellow stripe maroon clowns in the tank that were extremely happy to have their new friend and bed.  The female has been in the anemone almost the entire time.  Constantly shoving her nose and rubbing her entire body all over the new anemone.  I have been running the lights for about 12 hours a day.  This morning, the anemone was so small that the clown fish could not even get into it.  It was shrunk up to a very small size.  Is it possible that I over exposed the anemone to the light, or is the clown fish too aggressive with it?  <The anemone more than likely went into photoshock.  I suggest shortening the photo period to two hours and gradually increase by 30 minutes every other day.> I took him out and put him in a bowl away from the clown fish this afternoon and he seemed to come out after a few hours.  I did notice some little brown and black dots on the ends of his tentacles.  Could these be a form of burn from the metal halides.   <Don't believe so.> I thought that 31 inches of water would be enough of a buffer for the anemone in the bottom but maybe I should give him some cover.  I have him down in the sump right now which I am setting up to be a refugium with actinic bulbs. He seems to be doing fine now, but I would like to put him back in the display tank.  The clown fish just hang out around where the anemone used to be as if they are sad.  In putting the anemone back into the display tank, should I point one of the inlets from the sump towards the anemone or do they like it more still?  <Indirect current.  Wavemakers are great in this regard.> Should I be feeding the anemone something? Wouldn't do that until it starts blooming nicely.  Do read here for more info on anemone keeping.  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm Thank you very much, You guys are life savers.   <You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)> Thanks again, Dustin LeCave

Anemone is upside down for 5 days  - 02/25/06 Hey my anemone has been upside-down in the sand for the last week. <Not... good>   He still looks good, and has a large tomato clown who dwells in him every night.  At night he rolls over enough for the fish, but during the day his foot slowly tick- tocks back and forth directly above him, while his tentacles are in the sand.  When I got him, about a month ago, he was fairly large, about 8 to 10 inches across when open, and he hasn't lost any of his size.   <... please see WWM: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm scroll down to the area on Anemones, Systems, Behavior, Health... your animal may have an injury from collection, moving... or not "like" its current environment. You need to cater to it... or risk losing it and more. Bob Fenner>

Anemone Help   2/2/06 Hi Bob, <Hi Michele, James here today.> My name is Michele Laurita. I was wondering if you could possibly help me. I have a very small reef tank 25 gallons. I have in it a yellow tang, clown wrasse, a tomato clown, <Problems coming up, tank much too small for these fish.> several small hermit  cleaner crabs, 2 banded shrimp, and many other corals and live rock. The tank has been established for over 1 year. It seems every anemone I purchase dies due to the same cause.  It appears that they get I guess for lack of a better term "ulcers" open wounds that appear white fleshy openings on the stalk and interior of the anemone. Why is this occurring? I have already lost 1 anemone and I really love the one I have now yet it has these symptoms as well. Can you guild me to what I may be doing wrong. I certainty would appreciate any guidance you could provide. I read your web site and feel as though you would be able to help , Thank you Michele. <Michele, first off, anemones are not easy to keep to begin with.  A large tank, pristine water quality, good water movement and intense lighting are all required to keep them alive for any length of time.  The fish you have in your tank are creating poor water quality in the amount of waste they produce.  The other problem is that water parameters in a small tank can shift too fast, another negative for keeping anemones.  You will just be wasting your money buying anemones until you can provide the requirements/needs for them. James (Salty Dog)>     

Urgent anemone help   12/28/05 Hi, I hope this is the right address for help topic. I bought a sebae anemone yesterday at my LFS and I probably shouldn't have. In the dealers tank the current was very strong and many of the anemones were being tossed around. I bought one that looked like it was planted to the ground behind a rock. when I got him home he didn't look good, and after reading your site I realized he is somewhat bleached. <Should have went to the site first before you bought it and learned more about their needs/requirements.> He was still moving so I left him alone for the night. This morning I woke up and he was in horrible shape. I isolated him, put some phytoplankton in the water and tried forcing a very small piece of krill in his mouth.<Never try forcing food into an anemone, won't work.> He is starting to deteriorate on one side and is losing some tentacles. Is it to late for him? He is still alive, is there anything I can do to help? <Sounds to me like this anemone wasn't in too good a shape when you bought it.  By your description, either take it back to the LFS or flush it.  If allowed to die in your tank, you will lose most everything else.  A 29 is not a large enough tank for an anemone and your lighting isn't quite strong enough to support one.> Tank is a 29gal with a current satellite fixture dual bulbs, the actinic blew out today so I'm in a bit of a pickle. 30lbs of live rock, 3 damsels,2 striped Dottybacks, 1 zebra goby, and 1 Atlantic anemone. Water is ph:8.3, 0 nitrite, 0.15 ammonia, 20-25 nitrate temp at 80. <James (Salty Dog)> Please respond quickly thanks <You're welcome> Shawn

Injured Anemone - 12/23/05 I was so pleased to find this site just wanted to say thanks first. <<You are welcome.>> When I got up this morning my new yellow based anemone had got itself sucked up into one of my power heads and managed to get some of its  tentacles torn off. <<That's not good.>> I need to know if it will recover on its own, die, or what I can do to help it.  I'd be grateful for any help you can offer, Thanks, Dave E <<Well Dave, not a lot you can do other than ensure pristine water quality/good water flow...and figure out why it got in to/keep it away from the powerheads.  EricR>>

Freak Anemone Accident 10/30/05 I've searched and looked, for hours, for a situation similar to mine without success. I hope that this is not a repeat question so that the information might be helpful to others besides myself. I have a bubble tip anemone that has been doing fantastic for 5 months. I feed it fresh, meaty foods twice weekly. I has doubled in size since I acquired it and is very beautiful. <Sounds good thus far> Now for the problem. 2 days ago, while doing regular maintenance, a rather large piece of salt creep fell into the tank from the protein skimmer (hangs on back of the tank) and fell right into the center of the anemone, causing it to close very quickly taking the salt inside. <Man! Have gotten a bit of this sort of crust into my eye at times... Sting City!> It hasn't opened since and has ejected all of it's stomach contents, which I removed to keep from fouling the tank. <Good> What little I can see of him near the center seems to be badly scarred, similar to what a chemical burn might look like. I have not been able to see it's mouth at all. The arms are sticking up and are inflated, but the animal is not opening up. Can salt that has not dissolved kill this animal, or is this something it should recover from? <Will likely recover in time... a few to several days, weeks> Thanks in advance for any wisdom you can offer and thanks for a fantastic resource. Perry <A pleasure to share. Bob Fenner>

Condylactis gigantea vs........ the filter intake 8/13/05 I have had a Condylactis for over a year now in my 100 gal tank 2 VHO 2 blue actinic total of 440 watts and it was growing like crazy it had quadrupled in size since it was purchased. We recently had to tear down the tank due to remodeling and we put it in a 10 gal with just a damsel. Here is the issue, he has always liked to wander and i came home on Tuesday and he got stuck in the filter. <... too common> Half of his tentacles got ripped off on his way back out. ( We turned off the filter first) I decided to leave him in the tank even though i thought he was dead because i am very attached to him. <Good>   Now today is Friday and he has started filling his tentacles back up. I was wondering what the chances are that he is going to live. <Impossible to say... many such incidents do result in anemone deaths... but some recover> Despite the fact he  only has half of his tentacles he looks otherwise normal even back to his old color( deep pink/purple). What are the chances that he will pull through this and is there anything I can do to make sure that he makes it? <Good, consistent water quality, getting the animal back in its larger system...> I really love this guy he is the most beautiful one that i have ever seen. Please help thank you. <Life to you my friend. Bob Fenner>

Using WWM, anemone health, systems 8/13/05 I have a purple tip anemone and he has done just fine until now. I put in 3 ½ gallons of fresh water in my 29 gal. tank. I forgot to add salt. <!> The anemone looked like he was losing oil into the tank and put his tentacles in his mouth as he moved deep into a rock.  I took the water back out and added some salt. I then put the water back in the tank and checked the salt level. The salt level was still a little low. What signs do I look for if I feel my anemone may be dying?  Thank you Debbie <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm and the linked files above... Don't write... read. Bob Fenner>

Anemone died... maybe PaulH, MAC are right, the industry, hobby should be "regulated", controlled, put out of business 8/9/05 Dear Bob, Once again thanks for the assistance and site. I had a Florida Condy anemone for about 2 months now and it seemed to be doing fine. I fed it minced shrimp every week as suggested and it was deflating   about once a week to clean itself out. I left on Friday and everything seemed fine, it was open and swaying and   planted its foot on the underside of an exposed rock. By Monday morning it was   deflated upside down with the foot upwards, it seemed to have half of the body   upward as if to try to flip itself but wasn't working. I assume it died on   Friday night or Saturday because algae already started to grow over it. Being scared for my fish I scooped it up in a net to transfer to a QT just   in case, when i did it smelled horribly and just broke apart. <Better to vacuum out...> All my fish are   fine and well with no signs of stress. Could the Condy have dies because it   couldn't turn right side up? <... or, from whatever cause/s, events that would cause it to invert...> or was it possibly something else that killed  it? <...> My water parameters are in check as I tested immediately after i removed the   specimen. <What does this mean?> Should I do a massive water change just in case any toxins were   released? Thanks for your help and vast knowledge Jason <Please read... re anemones, their care... on WWM. Bob Fenner>

Anemone problems, actually human 8/6/05 Growing up I helped my Mom switch from a freshwater system to a very nice saltwater system (only after my brother and I popped a hole in her freshwater   aquarium).  She has eventually over the last five years or so grown in to a   400g tank.  I have always taken care of her tanks, and other family members  as well and I have NEVER had as many problems with theirs as I am having with   mine.  I have three anemones in my tank, one is an Atlantic Condy, it was  my first and it is doing wonderfully, besides for the fact that about twice a  week it goes from 4-6 inches to the size of an egg yoke and pulls all of its   tentacles in.  The second was brown, I am not sure the type, but it is  fairly common in all of the different saltwater shops here in Sacto, CA.  I  left ten days ago and my husband has been taking care of the tank.  Since I  bought it on 6/26 <Whoa... time warp...> it has only taken hold once and it let go and floated in to  the corner of the tank and pretty much stayed there basically on top of my flame   scallop.  When I came home, my problem anemone was COMPLETELY white.   The leg or base is showing a pinkish color towards the end but besides that it  is white.   <Unnatural, bleached...> Can you please tell me why this has happened? <Mmm, could be a few things... best for you to educate yourself. Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm scroll down to the tray with links to all the Anemone articles and FAQs files... Mixing anemone species is not recommended, even in very large systems... there is likely insufficient light...> I apparently  have many different choice places in my tank because the Condy has moved three  times and has always taken hold.  It has NEVER floated around for more than  thirty minutes.   The third anemone is a carpet anemone, if it is on the  bottom it sits upside down- I don't know why. <Stress, inadequate environment> I have tested all of the  levels in my tank and there have been no changes.  I don't know what it's  problem is but I moved it on my own last night in to a spot in my live rocks- it  was doing great- it went back to its usual size of about 8 inches but this  morning when I woke up the stupid thing was on the bottom upside down and only  about 4 inches again.   Please help!! <Please read. Bob Fenner>

Re: Sebae Anemone 8/5/05 Thank You so much for your response <You're very welcome.> however my anemone died yesterday just a couple of hours after emailing you. <That's too bad, sorry to hear about it.> I have a couple of questions from your responses.   <Alright.> I have done some reading, what I could find on the internet. If my anemone flips over on his mouth, should I flip him back over or just let him be?   <Flip him back over.> I had read to make sure they don't flip over but you said it would cause unnecessary stress <No. I said that using powerheads to flip him over was way too stressful. Using your hands (gloved, preferably) is a much better option. Sorry if I misled you.> which I agree with, but what should I do if that happens? <Use your hands to flip it back over.> When I picked up my anemone he didn't feel too sticky just heavy because of the water in him.   <Not a good sign.> I couldn't find any gloves at the store to use in my tank, that I knew would not introduce any unfriendly substances/chemicals into my tank.   <Better safe than sorry.> Therefore, I used my bare hands to place the anemone into the tank but I didn't feel any immediate stinging <Different people have different reactions to anemones. I can touch carpets and not feel so much as a tingle. One of the employees at my Pet Store gets rashes from Mushrooms.> however my arm burned a little afterwards, but that could have been from the salt.   <Possibly.> Should my anemone have stung me worse, if he even did at all? <Depends on how your body reacts to a sting.> I mean, should I feel it immediately and should it sting really bad? <See above.> When I place the anemone in my tank, is there a certain way to go about it? <Just put it in the right light and the right flow, away from powerheads (to avoid possible Anemone Spaghetti). It will move until it find a suitable place.> I just picked mine up with my hands and placed him in the tank, in a spot I thought he would like.   <That's how I do it.> Is there a more gentle way to place them into the tank?   <If there is, I've yet to hear of it.> And if he starts to float around should I continue to try to place him or just let him float?   <Continue to try to place him.> Also, should I turn the powerheads off while putting him in the tank or leave them on, so that he can settle in a place of his liking? <I'd leave them on.> I think that's all of my questions.  Thank You so much for your time and effort in assisting me with this problem.   <Not a problem. Glad I could assist.> Do you have any suggestions for a good thorough book about anemones? <Actually, I have found the best info on Anemones is online. Most anemone books are outdated, and we are learning about these wonderful creatures at such a rate that it's not surprising.> Have a great day <You too.> Stephanie <Mike G>

Unable to keep anemones alive 8/3/05 Hello, I have been very unsuccessful in keeping any kind of anemones alive to date. <This is the case for most aquarists.  Anemones are often injured and/or stressed in collection/shipping and are doomed.  Those that do survive often succumb to inadequate water quality, inadequate light, inadequate food and very often, for no apparent reason at all.> My latest was a Bubble Tipped which didn't last for three weeks before it started to rot from the inside. Clown fishes were fighting each other over the anemone and were feeding it but to no avail. <This sounds like the anemone was injured, which is almost always fatal, especially if the anemone is not well established in captivity (months of good health).  Acquiring a healthy specimen is difficult but imperative, and it isn't always possible to tell by visual inspection.> To make things worse I bought another smaller Bubble Tipped anemone for my nephew and his is still alive and didn't require any special/MH lighting. It's just your regular fluorescent tube!! <Hmmm...  Enough fluorescent tubes could produce enough light to maintain a BTA, but one or two certainly can't.  An otherwise healthy anemone my survive weeks or months under these conditions (especially if well fed), but eventually it will perish.> What kind of conditions are required for anemone? I have Cleaner shrimps, Bullseye Pistol Shrimp, Blue Hermit crabs, snails, mushrooms, Star and Yellow/Sun polyps, Scarlet Hermit crab, three different species of damsels, Yellow tang, Dottyback and three different species of clownfish.  <Generally, anemones require at least strong VHO lighting with MH being better.  Water chemistry should be optimized (S.G. 1.025-1.026, pH 8.1-8.5, Alkalinity 3-4 mEq/l, Calcium 380-450) and general water quality maintained with good skimming and frequent partial water changes (10%/month minimum) and at least about 10x the tank volume in water movement.> I have tried feeding Mysis shrimp, brine shrimp etc. Monthly water changes, controlled water chemistry, proper lighting. Please advise. Thank you. Paul <Without knowing more about your system, it is hard to guess what the problem might be.  Even if you acquire a healthy specimen, it takes optimal reef tank conditions to maintain anemones and even under such conditions, many still die.  Unfortunately, we can only test for a small fraction of all of the things that contribute to water quality, and of those that are possible, most of us only measure a few.  Because of this, we may never know what the "secret" is to maintaining anemones.  If you do choose to try again, I strongly urge you to seek out captive raised Bubble tip anemones.  They are already well acclimated to captive conditions and while their death is still tragic, at least it didn't come from the reef.  It would also be advisable to compare your system, water chemistry and maintenance practices to other aquarists who have been successful at keeping anemones to try and reveal any crucial differences.  Best Regards.  AdamC.>

Anemone question! 7/24/05 Greetings -- seems like there's a ton of people asking questions about anemones.  I'm now one of them! <People usually house them inappropriately (i.e.. keeping them in reef tanks) so they tend to have a lot of problems with them> I picked up a long tentacle from the local fish store about two weeks ago.  He's huge, and has looked great in the tank.  I fed him a small bit of krill -- under 1/4", from what I've read on the site.  I feed him generally every four days. <Sounds good>   Anyway, when I went to work this morning I noticed he looked a little smaller, but not a big deal.  When I got home, he looked completely dead; no water in tentacles at all, wasn't gripping the rock anymore (had fallen over on its side), etc.  Huge red base was just sitting out in the open.  The mouth wasn't open though.  I checked water parameters and things looked fine (temperature holds steady at 80-82 degrees in the tank all day.  The LFS was closed at this point so I figured I'd have to wait until tomorrow.  I went out to the store and came back and noticed its mouth was now open basically all the way, and that it looks like it spit something out... a brownish substance.  I've propped him up between a bunch of rocks, and dug a hole in the sand for him so that he'll stand up... but I don't know what else to do.  It keeps trying to stand up; some of the tentacles will inflate, and it'll rise up several inches from the base, then fall back down again.  If I prop it back up between rocks, it repeats the cycle and just gets taller and taller until it flops over again. <Sounds like it's on the verge of death, sorry to say> I have no other anemones, and the tank has been running for about a year and a half.  None of the fish are picking at it that I've seen.  I have a leather coral on the other side of the tank that appears to still be doing well.  The tank is a 36g bowfront.  I don't have a protein skimmer.  Lighting is 130W PC (one true actinic). <You have nowhere near enough lighting.  Next time, ask questions first, purchase second> Any clues?  I know it's hard to explain without pictures and without being here to see it, but I just find it weird that it would have died that quickly. <I don't.  Improper collection, improper acclimation, stress, low energy reserves, combined with poor lighting>   I just checked my water parameters again; the water doesn't smell but my alkalinity and nitrates are way above normal (pH 7.8, alkalinity 260, nitrites < 0.5 ppm, nitrates 100 ppm). <Well that explains the death right there.  Horrible water quality - your pH should be ~8.2+ at night, nitrites should be 0, nitrates should be less than 5ppm measured as nitrate ion>   I'm going to do a water change tomorrow and see if that cures those problems (can't do it tonight, no supplies, it's midnight). <Please do, and please read further about the husbandry of marine aquariums.  Look into your filtration/water circulation> Thanks <No problem.  With proper conditions, anemones can outlive their owners, but those conditions do need to be met.  A few weeks of diligent reading should ready you, and give you time to get your tank in order> - Will <M. Maddox>
Anemone Woes - 7-26-05 Dear Maddox, Thanks for your fast response!! <You're most welcome> Just to re-confirm ... Looks like my BTA is suffering from light shock.  I should leave it alone regardless of where it moves...when it is ready, it will move back to a brighter spot. <It should> I am a bit nervous as my friend had similar problem with his anemone.  It moved all the way down to the bottom of his base rocks! After a couple of months, both of us tore down his system just to get to the anemone. By then, it was too late.  The anemone was soft and translucent.  It died a couple of days later. <Sorry to hear.  I would wait a month, and if it's still in a position that's obviously not bright enough, move it slowly (a few inches a week) to a brighter area.  In a week or so, start feeding it heavily> I do appreciate your diagnosis, and do agree with it.  I will leave it alone, be more patient, and monitor it over the next couple of weeks. <Excellent> Thank you very much for your kind advice, <Anytime> Best regards, <Same to you> Jason
<M. Maddox>