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Removing (Moving) Anemones - 09/07/05 I have a forty gallon tank with two clownfish, many xenias, and what started out as one small bubble-tip anemone. Now I have three fairly large anemones from the original one. <<Cool!>> Two are attached to a very nice branched piece of live rock. The other one is in a hole in a large piece of live rock. I would hate to break up any of the live rock, but I would like to remove an anemone or two. Is there anyway to safely remove them from their rocks without doing too much damage to my setup or the anemones? <<Not likely...they can sometimes be "coaxed" to release their foothold, but you need to know what you're doing and you need to be very cautious of damaging the anemones foot. All in all, it will be best to remove the anemone(s) with its/their attachment site(s). <<Regards, EricR>> - The Motivation of the Rose Anemone - Hi, I read a lot on your site, and I still have not come up with a answer to this one. I purchase a rose anemone last night. I sit it on a rock in the middle of my tank a big rock, the rock had a hole in it about the size of a quarter, maybe a little bigger. why would the anemone decide to go in the hole??? <There is no way to know the motivations of anemones.> And can it get out with out hurting itself? I never dreamed of it doing this or I would not have sit it on the rock. I checked my water and everything is good, will he ever come out? What you can see of him, still is pretty and red. Should I try shaking him out, don't want to hurt him but I don't know how to get him out, or is happy there??? <I think you need to be patient... if your lighting is adequate, and your water quality excellent, then this anemone will make an appearance in the not too distant future. Being moved from one system to another can have a large impact on an animal made mostly of water - things you probably didn't think to check like alkalinity do make a difference when moving these animals from one system to another. Give it a week or so and it should be fine, all other things being where they need to be. Cheers, J -- > - Rose Anemone, Sound Familiar? - Hi, I purchased a rose anemone, I placed it on live rock in the middle of my tank. What I didn't think about it doing was going inside of a hole in my live rock. I can't get it out and don't know what to do, just let stay in the hole??? <Leave it alone.> The hole in the rock is only about the size of a quarter... can it get out on its own with out it hurting it self??? <Yes... the animal is probably 98% water or more, can shape itself as needed to get in and out of such spots.> I know it got in there on its own, and can't figure out why it done this. It had a lot of room on the rock to sit, all my water test are good, I am running 2 SmartLite pc 96 10,000 k and 2 55 watt 10,000k. My tank is 135, nothing bothering the rose, still can't figure out why it done this. What you can see of it is still red and looks good. Will it ever come out of the hole? <It will come out eventually, but it sounds to me like you don't have enough light in the tank to keep this animal healthy for a reasonable amount of time. I suggest you consider an upgrade to metal halide if you want to treat this animal correctly. Cheers, J -- > Anemones in Reefs: BAD Ok I will do as u told me to , but one last thing what if I place the anemone first until he settle in and stop moving ? <that is impossible my friend. They move at will. As your light bulbs age, salt or debris gets on them, the power hears age or become clogged, etc... all such changes in water movement and light cause a move. As you add creatures and the anemone senses their "chemicals" in the water it will move away or towards and inevitably cause a disaster. I must be clear... anemones are never to be mixed in aquaria with other stinging animals for long term success> Thanks expert <best of luck, my friend. Anthony> Captive Anemone Compatibility hi there again... you guys are so smart... <flattery will get you very far here <smile>> you often say that two different anemone will kill each other, knowing they are in the tank. give off poison. <yes...so to speak and/or literally> can two anemone of the same variety be together, like two carpets? or do they have to be exact carpets, like s. magnifwhatever. <if/when possible they must be the same exact species... and even then there is no guarantee. With coral there is an action known anastomose branches... it is when two separate colonies of the same species will tolerate each other in proximate growth. Very often though, separate colonies of the same species will not tolerate each other at all. It does vary among such cnidarians. I can't imagine how big of a tank you would need anyway for TWO carpet anemones (adult size measured in feet in diameter). If you are interested in a pair though... they are said to actually have distinct sexes and can actually be sexed at times. Dr. Ron Shimek has discussed/written on this topic among others. You could court him on Reef Central for further advice on the topic if so inclined. Best regards, Anthony> Chemical warfare Hello , will my Goniopora (flower pot) and my anemone wage chemical warfare on each other? <yep... and I'd bet good money on the Goniopora losing the war in the long run> Because it seems that when the flower pot is open and happy the anemone is upset and retracted and vice versa. <very good of you to notice...seriously> Sorry I know these are two specimens that you don't advocate buying, but hind site is always 20/20! <no worries... I have already FedExed a dead snail to your location for someone to place into your locked car on a very warm day with instructions to roll up the windows> My tank is 135 gallon with 40 gallon refugium 180 lbs LR, 5 inches LS assorted corals and community fish and inverts all parameters are perfect (sorry don't have them with me or I would pass them along). <just knowing they are "perfect" is enough without those bothersome numbers...hehe> If this is the case (warfare) will they learn to get along or will one have to become store credit? <ehhh... most all cnidarians will wage some sort of warfare. Some are worse then others. Most are intolerable in the big picture without aggressive protein skimming. chemical filtration and water changes. My advise beyond that is keep them far away from each other, conduct more frequent water changes and carbon changes and continue to observe> Thanks again in advance: Joe who wishes he could snorkel in his tank <Always welcome: Anthony, who does (snorkel in his own tank... not Joe's> Roaming Anemone Greetings, <Cheers, friend> I have a Magnifica (Long Tentacle) Anemone that just decided to go for a stroll in the tank and had about a dozen of its tentacles stuck in my powerhead. <a common problem with anemones...especially when lighting changes (bulbs age, lamps or lens/cover gets too dusty, water becomes too discolored for aged or absent carbon which reduces light, etc> What can/should I do? <keep a course foam block on the intake strainers of all such devices and rinse them regularly> Is he going to die? <impossible to tell... maintain good water quality (water changes, carbon, good skimming, iodine supplements, etc)> Any course of action you would recommend other than sponges on the intake of the powerheads? <always with anemones and motile invertebrates> Should I be worried about any toxins or chemical he released or the frags of his tentacles may have released? Thanks! <no worse than usual... chemically filtration like PolyFilters would be nice to temper this perhaps.> Adam <best regards, Anthony> BTA foot caught under rock <gulp!> I was cleaning my tank today, and I usually don't disturb the rock that my Bubble Tip Anemone is attached to, but today I accidentally jostled the rock! Since the anemone has chosen to lodge its foot to the underside of the rock (which rests slightly off the sand floor, supported by parts of the rock that extend out), I'm worried that its foot may be pinned between the rock and the floor. The anemone has been in this position for about a month. Would it disturb or stress out the anemone if I picked up the rock to check if the foot is pinned? Would it be worse to leave the rock "as is" if the foot is pinned? ---Stella <better check to see if it is crushed.. the risk of a necrotic infection is worse than the stress of disturbing it. Best regards, Anthony> How often do Clown fish overly harass an Anemone? Hello, <Cheers... Anthony Calfo here in your service whilst Bob is overwhelmed with eating Gelatin products in an effort to grow a bristly moustache to compete with Geraldo Rivera for a new media position> Is over zealousness a typical problem with some clown fish and their anemones? <it does indeed occur... they really don't need each other. In many reef areas, more clowns exist without host anemones than with> If so, should I try to protect my anemone by limiting the visitation time allowed for the clowns until it can reacclimatize to it's home? <not really... there is a chance that they must simply be separated or the clown will kill the anemone> The anemone is an E. Quad and the pair of clowns who are reveling in it are a pair of maroon and gold Premnas biaculeatus. <a very lovely species> The trio have been together for approximately 4 years until I had to separate them for a short time recently. They came to stay with me after a friend of mine's 100 gal reef tank cracked wide open and purged itself onto the living room floor. <I just hate when that happens... the parting of the Red Sea thingy, that is> They managed to salvage the denizens of the tank by bringing them to my house for emergency fostering. Due to the unfortunate circumstances, she lost about half the fish before she got to my place. A third of the corals and an anemone crashed over the next two days, polluting the tank when they did so. Rather than lose the E. Quad, another friend of mine volunteered to harbor it for a while until I could get the tank stabilized again. The tank and the E. Quad are all doing super now I decided to bring the E. Quad back home. The anemone seemed pretty happy with it's location in the tank for the first 24 hours after I brought it back home. It moved a bit at first and then plunked it's butt down into a perfect hole that I had figured it would like. The anemone looked very peaceful for the next 36-48 hours, until the Clowns discovered it. I happened to be working in the tank when they found it so I was able to witness the transformation. Those two fish looked were so enthusiastic about being reunited that they acted like my cats do when they get a hold of a catnip mouse. They went extremely bonkers <as in," Cuckoo for Copepods"?> and immediately started rolling around in the anemone with endless enthusiasm. <ahhh... more like Bill Clinton in a secretarial pool> Keep in mind that the anemone isn't all that large yet. Somewhere between the size of the male and female clown. I've never seen an anemone move so fast! It only took three minutes for that anemone to travel from his nice well lit hole on the top surface of the rock. to a new location underneath the rock's overhang and completely in the shadows. <seriously uncool... do consider putting a plastic cage over the anemone for a few weeks until it can establish at the top again with good light and feeding> He stayed there for the next 24 hours before moving even deeper into the cave. By cave, I mean an overhanging rock which I placed so that it would form a large shelf and a cavern underneath. I am quite worried about the little guy because he's moved so far underneath that I can't see him anymore. <it will die within weeks without light and food> Should I segregate the clowns from the anemone with a temporary divider until the anemone has a chance to get acclimated again? <bada-boom-bada-bing!...erhhhh, I mean... Yes!> If I did so, I could slowly increase the time allowed for the clowns specified visitation times until the anemone can build up it's tolerance. <just tell the clowns to bugger off until the anemone is good and ready. They were fine without it before...hehe> What did I do wrong here? Have you seen this type of thing happen before? <simply happens sometimes> The tank parameters are quite stable as you can see below. I add Tech A & B, Reef Plus, Strontium and Molybdenum weekly with Kalkwasser as required. Plus a 10-15% water change ever two weeks and top off for evaporation in between. I feed the fish and inverts a variety of frozen or dried mixed foods every other day plus phytoplankton as well. ammonia = 0 Nitrite = 0 Nitrate = 2 to 5 Phosphate = 15 pH = 8.2 S.G. = 1.023 Temp = 76 Hopefully your experience shows that the anemone will be fine and the Clowns won't end up killing it with too much loving. :-) <alas...it will occur without your help> Thanks a bunch for the help. Alicia Deery <best regards. Anthony Calfo> Moving anemone Hi guys. I've recently purchased a bubble-tip anemone. I brought him home and, much to my chagrin, when I wasn't looking he attached himself nearly upside down in the back of my tank on a rock. I gave him a couple of days hoping he'd move, and when he didn't, I thought I'd try. Well, he has his foot wedged into a crevice in the rock I cannot fit my fingers into. Not only can I not see him unless I squish my head between the tank and the wall (not pleasant, let me tell you!), but I'm worried that he can't get enough light there. What can I do to get him to let go? Thanks in advance! Jodie <If he is not getting enough light back there, he will know it and move. Perhaps he is a lower light variety of E. quadricolor. Perhaps he expelled some zooxanthellae during the chain of custody and is now no longer able to tolerate lighting that he once relished. In general, the less you manipulate them the better. If you were to tear his foot there is a good chance of infection. I would let well enough alone, continue feedings him, and perhaps he will move later. Read up here for more info http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bubbletipanemones.htm -Steven Pro> Blue Haddoni Anemone Not Anchoring... Bob, It apparently decided yesterday not to anchor itself into the substrate. It is still as blue as can be (not bleaching or turning white) and it is expands and contracts as normal however it's sitting on it's side. What's up with that? <Likely "shock" from collection, being moved... perhaps physical damage to its "foot"...> I tried to slight nudge it against to LR to help it anchor but to no avail... has anyone seen this before? <Many, many, too many times> I've got a 90 Gallon All-Glass, about 1000gph flow, 2X 250W Metal Halide Lights 12K Sunburst Lamps, 100lbs LR, DSB... The flow is provided by a Velocity T4 pump in my sump which pumps out the water via a spray bar made from modular piping with ball valves so I can control both velocity and direction of the water. I also have 2 Rio 400 and 2 MaxiJet 2100 in the tank. The two Maxijet are randomly controlled via a timer when the lights are on. This morning he was still on his side. I nudged him up against the LR with a partial sand, partial rock bottom and place a small piece of balsa wood next to him so that he doesn't fall over again. Why is he doing this? Does Haddoni Anemone's Anchor into sand or onto LR? I've tried to place him on both and he still doesn't attach well... <Please read through the many materials on Anemones and links off the site... posted on the Marine Index on WetWebMedia.com Bob Fenner> Long tentacled anemone and button polyps interaction Wet Web guys, <Aloha, Mark... Anthony here with bells on> Thanks to the good advice on the rapacious pep boys (my 3 peppermints). You will be happy to know that pep boys, brain coral and starfish w/only one leg are doing well. <excellent> I have a long tentacled anemone who has recently relocated himself to the top of the rock pile. His neighbor is a small colony of button polyps. <ouch> These poor chaps are now being swept by the tentacles--not attacked apparently, <no...not apparent> but they are in range and they have remained closed for two days now. <precisely, my dear Watson!> My preference is to do nothing if they will adjust to the anemone, <Buzzzzzzz. wrong> but I suspect a rescue is in order. <Bingo! You win an ugly kewpie doll that looks like Henry Kissinger!> I'd rather leave the anemone, who is very healthy and growing, where he is, an ideal spot, and move the polyps elsewhere. <much agreed> But is that necessary, in your estimation? Mark <you are on the right track, my friend. Just keep the kewpie doll away from the kids... it scares them. Anthony> Just a hello, with bunch of questions. Dear Robert, Before I go on with ME, ME, ME, I wanted to wish you a happy holiday season and congratulate you on the receipt of your book. I hope the new year brings you and your family many new experiences and makes the old ones a warm memory. <Thank you> Now ME..... We are all alive and well, which in a way, surprises me as starting fresh water was a very rough road, however, I have to come for your help again. Unfortunately (for you) I still remember how to type and as always have a million questions. Finished with finals and now have almost a whole month (mainly PM hours) to dedicate to fish and questions ( I hope you don't mind). So.. here we go. I am a proud owner of LTA, who has been sitting in a 10g with a false Percula for quite some time now, waiting for the move to the 55g. The 55g is finished cycling (a while ago) and is ready to receive the pair of 10g inhabitants. Only one problem. Anemone is well and finally has attached itself to the bottom of the tank. It actually left the "cave", dug its way through the crushed coral and attached itself to the bottom of the tank. It did move around a bit, but now found a spot and sits there. I've read somewhere that by cooling off (ice cubes on the outside of tank) the area where the anemone attaches itself, it is possible to make her release. In my case, being a very impatient person, it did not work. Should I try this procedure for more than 20min or there is another way? <Yes... scoot away any substrate and sllllowwwwwleeeee edge the foot base off with the end of a plastic credit card... will take several minutes...> I refuse to scrape it off or pull it off in fear of damaging the stem. I've asked around and so far no one has come up with a suggestion. I am considering covering bottom with plastic with hope that it will reattach itself to plastic. Very unlikely as the surface is not stiff. May try something other. Another peculiar thing. I have a regular daylight 15W on the 10G, which is on for approximately 6-10 hrs. The LTA seems to shy away from the light as it was first hiding in the cave and now moved to the corner behind the rock. Is that normal? I thought with anemones the more light the better? <More light IS better...> Thank you in advance, Oksana <Be chatting. Bob Fenner> Detaching anemone It worked! It worked! All I had to do is hold the ice cubes directly to the area of glass where it was attached for a bit longer. Used paper towels this time for dripping and holding. Now let's hope she likes the 55g as much :) May I ask if 3 40W: 2 daylight, 1 fluor. Blue will be enough for LTA in a 55g setup? Best regards, Oksana <More light... double or more, would be better. Bob Fenner> Fish tale Bob, <<Actually, JasonC helping out during the holiday>> I moved my tank this weekend to our new house and it is back up running again. I didn't lose any livestock and everything is well. <<Good stuff - is always a good measure of success in a tank move.>> Interesting story about the move though, I bucketed the bubble-tip anemone under water with the piece of rock it was on and placed it in a twenty gallon trash can about half full of tank water (I didn't want to risk tearing the foot) and then placed a mated pair of false Perc's in the trash can as well. <<ok>> They had already taken to the anemone, even though not natural, but when I was repackaging the rock/anemone to put in the tank the fish just stayed right on it without even moving. I bucketed both clowns and the anemone/rock together. Interesting how the fish feel so protected by that anemone that they are willing to be moved around and replaced in a new spot but still feel safe. <<Was my response too, these fish obviously feel safer staying put.>> I would like to see this relationship in the wild. <<Learn to dive - I'm doing this myself.>> Anyhow, thanks for your help over the past few weeks regarding this move and my new tank schematic. I hope all is well and you have a Merry Christmas! <<will pass along the good words, and you have a fine, safe holiday too.>> Sincerely, Mike PS: I'm getting 'CMA' for Christmas. <<Cheers, J -- >> My anemone Good Morning, Bob! <Good morrow!> Things are going quite now, after the weekend introduction of all that livestock. The only creatures who are still in hiding are the orange-spotted blenny (though he did appear once or twice, yesterday), and the Atlantic yellow Jawfish, who has been incognito since Saturday. <These do "hide"... even in the wild> The quadricolor which was included in the shipment was a beautiful specimen, and upon introduction into the tank promptly walked around to the very back of the live rock, and wedged himself against the wall of the tank. By lifting the cover, I could see where he was, and within a day, the clarkii had found him and was nuzzling down. (This is the part where I really get frustrated with myself...) I was not pleased with his choice of location, and (thinking that he had hardly gotten familiar with all the other prime spots in the tank), decided to intervene. <No... as you will read... here for instance: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemoneplacemtfaqs.htm best to let themselves move...> (I'm really sorry about this, and I'm trying so hard to learn patience....) I read your materials, and very gently tried to pry him off. This ultimately amounted to removing a bunch of live rock all around him (what a mess), and getting my fingers down around him from both sides. Eventually, he was dislodged, but the bottom of his trunk had a small pinkish tear (I think?) and he had released some clear/light purple mucous. <sigh> At this point, I've put him in a new location (similar to where he had put himself), and am hoping he'll be ok. His tentacles seem to still be puffy, but overall they're not as spread out as they were. Given the situation, is there anything else you would recommend I do for him? Should I try to get the mucous off him, and if so, how? (I kept him entirely underwater throughout the move). <Develop and adhere to regular regimen of weekly, biweekly feeding... leave it alone> Thank you again for all the solid info/advice you share. Sincerely, Jim Raub <Hope to be able, soon, to show folks the images I have from coming upon Bubble Tip Anenomes in the wild... through a new site offering such... some really gorgeous colors: pink, orange, red, green, blue... Bob Fenner> E. quadricolor trouble Mr. Fenner, Let me first thank you for the wonderful website you have provided us with. It's a great asset to all. <Ah, you are welcome. Very glad it is reaching folks> I decided to try my hand at an E. quadricolor, and purchased one last Wednesday. After the fact, I think my organism choice was poor. Unfortunately, my LFS doesn't hold organisms on deposit, so I trusted their judgment in a seemingly sound specimen. The anemone attached to a piece of live rock immediately, but last night detached, turned several circles, and landed on its disc, foot in air. I noticed it left a piece of its foot behind on the LR, and it had some white necrotic tissue on its foot. <Bad signs...> I righted it in a sandy area. This is when I began looking for the characteristics of a dead anemone. Your site (others' questions) suggest that when the body is damaged, most hope is lost. <Yes, this is so> I also noted that it's a bad sign when the organism flips itself upside down. I might add I noticed some white, mucosal, stringy material peeling off of the foot -- another bad sign. I am leaving town tomorrow for 5 days, and so I talked to my LFS this morning to see if they would accept a return. They told me to throw the anemone out, and that one sign of death is that it will stink. <Yes... and quickly thereafter pollute your system...> I checked the smell of this specimen, and it did not smell bad. In short, the outlook looks poor for my specimen, but I do not believe it is yet deceased. My options are to discard the specimen, leave it in the aquarium, or move to a not-fully-cycled quarantine tank (gravel, one piece LR). If the option was yours, what would you do? <The last. Move it, and hope> Thanks very much for your thoughts on this matter. John Sanders Tank stats: 55g, NH3=0, NO2-=0, NO3-=15, 170 W light (130W Smartlight, 40 W fl.), CPR BakPak skimmer, Eheim Ecco canister. 1 Kole, 1 PB tang, 1 S. Goldstripe Maroon Clown, 1 blue damsel, 1 1.5" juv. Blue Angel (not picking at anemone). Looking to get a bigger tank. John M. Sanders <Be chatting my friend. Bob Fenner> Meandering Bubble Tip Hey, So the clown seems to be doing
fine. Just a bit of peculiar behavior for whatever reason (re my last
query) So I finally hit the 10 day mark with an anemone!!!!!! Yeah!!!
It is a bubble tip, the one I probably should have gone with in the
first place. . . So, here's the deal with him though.
I've looked over the FAQs and I could not find anything regarding
this: He moves himself EVERYDAY. <Why do you think this is
so?> He'll hide behind a rock as the daylights turn off, and
then by the time the actinics are ready to go off he is gone. The
following morning, gone. Then about a couple hours before the actinics
come on, he is back in his spot. And even though he is in his
"spot," he is not stationary. He moves a little bit
constantly. There is no damselfish that he is hosting. I fed some large
MYSIS shrimp to the population and he actually took one of them!!! But
to my dismay, one of the cleaner shrimp walked all over him, he
(bubble) began to constrict all over, and the shrimp then took the
piece out from his tentacles!!! I was livid (needless to say). So, is
it time to actively seek a damselfish to protect this guy? If so, could
you PLEASE give your highest recommendation (damselfish) for this guy
assuming an otherwise peaceful reef environment. Thanks a million!!!!
<Other damsels, that is clownfish species would be better> I LOVE
your site. Nothing like unwinding on a Sunday and milling over a new
set of FAQs. . . Thanks again for your priceless service to the Aquaria
Community. As said before, we owe you a great debt. Be chatting. -Rich
<A pleasure. No, a delight my friend. Bob Fenner> Bubble Tip Anemone Movement Mr. Fenner, Since I have you on the line, I have one more question. I re-arranged my powerheads yesterday to "confuse" the existing fish in my main tank for the intro of the wrasse & blenny to the main tank. <Good idea> My bubble tip anemone has moved to back of the tank and has "hidden" under & behind a rock. Could the circulation change affected him this quickly? <Yes> He has not moved more than an inch since I put him in the tank-over a month ago-now he's moved a foot in one day. By the way, the flame angel & RedSea Sailfin have "run out of gas" chasing the 6line-All is well again. The 2 week qt period you advise is well worth the wait & makes the new additions much more interesting. <Glad we agree> I've read too many horror stories of people that don't wait. And you told me in one of our first emails that "patience is a good virtue in this hobby" THANX AGAIN & we'll be chatting. Craig ps. When are you coming to Las Vegas for all you can eat sushi?? <Stop tempting me... No plans as yet. Bob Fenner> Anemone Netting? Mr. Fenner, I received a "box shipment" of corals & a purple L.T. anemone from my brother as a gift on Thurs.. The L.T. had a "scar" on his foot <Very, too common> & my cleaner shrimp have been on his base, cleaning the globular particles. He seems to be improving daily & actually emitting the "scabs". <Great!> I have read all of the q&a about anemone placement & am curious about what you say about a "loose netting secured by small rocks". Would a basic "trout net" work for this? <Yes, or rather, a small section of the netting, cut out. Or lighter netting, like that used to keep birds from eating fruit from trees.> I'm not sure how large this anemone will be when fully extended & I really don't want to constrict his expansion. Should I leave a few inches of free space between the anemone & the net? <A good plan> Thanx again & I still owe you Sushi-(Sailfin, angel & clowns are doing great!) Craig P.S. This site gets better every day!!! <Thank you my friend... we work on it about as often! Bob Fenner> Roll Over Sebae Hi Bob! First, thank you so much for the wealth of advice, I have read through you website and the FAQ's finding all very useful. My question is we purchased a Heteractis crispa 2 weeks ago and everyday he flips over completely, foot straight in the air, near the evening. In the morning I flip him back over, he puffs up, eats and he's beautiful all day...until night. Yesterday, he had attached himself to a rock all day then flipped over in the evening, this time I left him alone thinking maybe he would "right" himself. This morning, he was still upside down and his stomach was turned inside out! <Hmm, either "something" is not to this specimen's liking.... or more likely it is still suffering from the trauma, damage of removal from the wild....> In this 46 gl tank is a Pseudochromis, Amphiprion frenatus, coral banded shrimp and an Amphiprion ocellaris. Also have a flower pot coral and a bubble coral with 30lbs live rock and all water calculations appear to be normal. Everything is doing great except the anemone. Any incite you can provide would be greatly appreciated! <Could be a negative reaction with the Goniopora/Flower Pot as well... I would keep your pump intakes covered, keep flipping it over, and hope. Bob Fenner> Respectfully, Tamara New Bubble tip Mr. Fenner, I was in California over the weekend (I Live in Las Vegas & owe you sushi) & I purchased a bubble tip anemone and a fragment frogspawn coral along w/10 scarlet crabs and 6 bumble bee snails. I added them Monday & the anemone & coral opened up to their max within hours. Tuesday after feeding my 2 fish (RedSea Sailfin & flame angel) Mysis shrimp, formula two enriched w/Zo?& Zoecon, the Bubbletip shrunk in size & emitted a brownish green slime. I assumed he was purging. This morning he opened up quite nicely & after I fed the fish again, he has closed himself up again & is again emitting a long trail of reddish brown slime. My water levels are quite good (nitrates @ 5, no ammonia, ph 8.2 temp 80, sal .22) and I will be adding 2 true tank raised perculas (in quarantine) to the tank tomorrow. Is it possible the anemone is reacting to the vitamins I have been soaking the food in or is this normal for the first few days in a system. <Hmm, yes... or possibly just the move, new surroundings... If all else is fine I wouldn't be concerned. Bob Fenner> Thanx again in advance for your response Craig Long Tentacle Anemone (attachment) How long does it take for the anemone to stick to someplace. In the past I have had bubble anemones that stick in seconds. This long tentacle anemone has been taking a while like 2 hours and still isn't sticking. I turned off the powerheads so that he can have a chance to stick without floating to the corner of the tank. Any suggestions? <Good idea on turning off the powerheads... Like you say, some species, individuals stick right away, some never do... Very frequently these animals (actinarians) have torn bases... from rough collection... A tried and true "trick" is to use some soft netting or similar material to tie the animal down temporarily... weight the ends/corners down with some small rocks. Good luck. Bob Fenner> -Matt Anemone is there any way other than magic to convince my (rather large) bulb anemone to attach itself in a particular spot? <Let it do this itself if possible... for initial attachment, you might try tying it down with some loose netting. Please read over the "Anemone Placement" FAQs section. Bob Fenner> 2 anemones 1 tank. Hello. Thanks for all your help in the past. Just have a couple questions. Have a 90 gallon corner tank (1/4 of a circle looking) with 88lb of live rock. Its been about 5 months and all is well. I've had a purple tip sebae, two tomato clowns (who love the anemone), a fox face, a few damsels and some easy corals. I just placed a purchase on FF EXPRESS and have 3 questions. I bought the 100 gal clean up crew to take care of the mess of green algae all over the rock and glass, but there are SO MANY (40) snails and they are so large. Prettiness wise, there's so many snails it ruins the serenity. Is that a sacrifice to make for no algae, or is 40 overkill? <IMO overkill> I bought a rare long tentacle blue anemone, which is pretty, but since he moves around a little, I'm nervous he may bump in to my very stable and happy sebae. Any ideas, are will he avoid it naturally? <No way to avoid the other anemone if this one is "floating" about... if moving by way of muco-musculo-ciliary (don't say this thrice) action, it will avoid its kin> Finally, there are so many hermit crabs (80: 20 scarlet 60 red), will they harm any of my corals (yellow tip torch, pagoda, toadstool, leather finger)? <Possible... if they are hungry enough... I wouldn't replace half of them if they should meet their maker> I saw them climbing on the leather finger. will they eat it or just pick things off of it? 2-3 of the Scarlets are fairly large. <Once again, both, depending on food availability. Bob Fenner> Thanks again, Michael Carpet Anemone Dear Bob, I have a bit of a dilemma which I would appreciate your advice in solving. Currently in my 40 gal. tank I have a carpet anemone (Stichodactyla gigantea) who has grown 3-fold in five months. Although this creature is beautiful it has become a bit aggressive, gobbling up 2 gobies, a cleaner shrimp and a small tang. I am now down to 2 Percula clowns, 1 cleaner shrimp and crabs (are these animals safe??). <Not atypical... they are large animals... squeezed down for ease of transport...> Is there any thing I can do/specific fish, short of removing the carpet anemone, to be able to safely keep more fish in this tank? <Not in this tank... perhaps a much larger one. Bob Fenner> Thank you, Chris HELP!!! Floating Anemone First, wow! what a great site!!
<Thank you> I looked around, but couldn't find an answer to
this question, though I'm sure it's in there somewhere...
<Yes... and we're forever working on improving access, content,
looks, functionality... Got any suggestions, please send them on...>
Yesterday I put a M. Doreensis (Long Tentacle Anemone) into my tank.
The animal appeared *very* healthy, and I bought it from a wonderful
store after several weeks of discussion with them. Brought it home, and
it seemed happy when I went to bed, slowly moving about, looking for a
place to settle (I assumed). When I woke up this morning, he (she? it?)
was floating at the surface, fully extended and seemed again to be
happy as a clam (so to speak). I had a small bubbler in one corner, and
it appears that my LTA may have "swallowed some air".
<Maybe...> The only info I've been able to find is in Volume
2 of "The Reef Aquarium" by Delbeek and Sprung (a *great*
book), and all it says as the anemone can expel the air is removed from
the source (and the source has been shut off). <It/they can
indeed... sometimes digested food gasses... produce same effect> Is
there anything I can do? It floating at the surface, so I don't
even know if I should turn on the lights (fearing the heat). Part of
his body is above the surface-what'll happen if this "dries
out"? <Do take care to cover any/all pump intakes somehow... to
prevent damage from being sucked in... and I do suggest using a bit of
soft netting, even thread to gently "tie that anemone down
Sport"... to a rock, base, but placed in the "sediment"
(substrate) as Macrodactyla doreensis is found in this habitat in the
wild. Please see the "Anemone" sections, FAQs on placement...
Help!! Please!!! Regards, Jay Thompson <Be chatting, Bob
Fenner> Coral/anemone Problem Dear Bob, I hope all is well, wish it were for me. I wrote to you a week ago regarding a failing Fluval canister which I have since replaced with a Eheim canister. I am a little leery of the Eheim due to the inability to house various media (only hold Eheim pads) <What? Eheim's hold many types of filter media... take a look on their site (the link is on the WWM site's Links pages)... they have fabulous Ehfi-mech ceramic media, the best one time purchase polyester Fein and grob flocken... their activated carbon is supreme quality> but I was desperate for filtration and this canister seemed like the best fix. Could this lack of media pose a biological problem for my established aquarium? <Likely not... live rock, substrates contain/support sufficient nitrifiers/denitrifiers, other converting microbes... in otherwise non-overcrowded, not-overfed systems> Since my filter problem I had another unfortunate situation, the rock holding my Giant Carpet anemone fell off its ledge and came dangerously close to the Plate Coral lying below. Since this occurred (4 days) the Plate Coral, who previously was long and full, has been stubby and off-color. <Not to worry, Fungiids fall great distances in the wild... and survive fine... yours will recover> The Carpet anemone now refuses to rest on the rock. Several times I tried to place it back in its original location, but insists on wedging itself on the lower, low-lit, back-side of the tank. Could the proximity of these creatures during the fall have caused some permanent damage and do you have any recommendations for restoring their happiness. <Not permanent... just takes times, weeks perhaps.> Also, should I keep relocating the Carpet anemone so it faces the light or is it best to let it find its own comfort zone? I am concerned it may accidentally kill itself if I don't step in. <Leave it be... it will move itself if/when it is ready. Please see the section on "Placing Anemones" stored on the site: www.WetWebMedia.com> Just when I have everything under control...WHAM! <Yes, good lessons for life.> Thanks for ALL you great advice. Chris <Rest easy my friend. Bob Fenner> Help! My anemone is wandering ... We have a 125 gallon reef tank with about 100lbs of Manono live rock and about 2-3 inches of live sand, 175watt 10k MH along with 65watt Power Compacts. It has been up an running since September. Water conditions are in normal ranges (0,0,1), ph 8.3, sg 1.025, been wrestling with phosphate a little bit it has been about .5 to 1 ppm, <Yikes, this is high... possibly more live rock... live macro algae culture...> temp is controlled via chiller and set to 78 degrees, silicates are minimal, all trace elements are line. Currently tank is dosed via a calcium reactor and we are not adding any trace elements at this time. <What a great tool, eh?> We generally change about 10 gallons at a time every couple of weeks, and performed a 30 gallon water change last weekend. All fill water is RO/DI water. We are doing our very best to give our charges the best possible chance to thrive. <Agree with your philosophy> Presently we have Chrysiptera cyanea (3), Captive bred Percula (2), Zebrasoma flavescens and what we believe is a Heteractis Crispa or Malu (just not sure which). Ten days ago, the anemone became un-attached from the substrate and began floating and rolling all over the tank. We have attempted to place him back in the substrate and among the rocks but every attempt has failed. Sooner or later he dislodges himself and starts wandering again. His pair of clowns are agitated and chasing him all over the tank in an effort to be close to him. Once he even got dangerously close to one of the power heads and we saved him just in time. Through all of this he continues to accept food, (small pieces of shrimp, scallop, and formula 1 in gel). In fact I increased the frequency of feedings from once per week to twice per week, reasoning that perhaps he wasn't getting enough to eat and that was his problem. We don't feel that we can just allow him to continue wandering around. Is there anything we can do to corral him to a place that is at least safe from harm? What are our options? <Yes... a few things... I would "tie" this animal down with some carefully placed fishing line or large mesh plastic netting for now, and try directing more water flow near it... and wait two weeks and see if it "likes" where it is then> We appreciate any insight you can give to us. Linda Godfrey <Additionally, place a unit (bag) of Chemipure or similar activated carbon in your filter flow path... to discount the possibility that there is/are some dissolved organics issuing from your rock, substrate... that may be influencing the "fleeing" behavior of this anemone. Bob Fenner, www.wetwebmedia.com> Bubble Anemone Dear Bob, First let me thank you for providing sound advice a few weeks back regarding a terrible ich problem in my 40gal. I lowered the SG, removed the fish and many weeks later (fish back in) all seems well. <Very good. Glad to hear of your success> My concern now is for my bubble tip anemone. I have had it for over a month now and it seems to be restless. It continues to relocate itself in what appears to be shaded areas. <typical> In an effort to provide it the ever-important lighting (90W of actinic + daylight) I keep moving the entire host rock to face the lighting. Furthermore, I noticed that it has returned to its bubbled tips from what were long full tips. All my levels are fine and I also have a carpet anemone who seems to be doing great. My questions are should I let it settle where it wants and are the bubbled tips indicative of a disturbance. And finally (sorry) should I be adding any supplements to the water (i.e: iodine, calcium, etc)? Thank you in advance for you advice. Chris <Best to let the anemone settle where it wishes (it will anyway!). And do be wary of intakes that the specimen may get pulled up against... cover over these with screens... If you've had this individual a month, it will likely live, adapt to your system... patience. Supplements? For? Necessary to know what you have in your water make-up, your desires, current means of controlling/influencing your system... It may well be that you need to add nothing at all... Do read what you can on specifics of water chemistry and physics... and we'll chat further. Bob Fenner> Anemone placement issues I have a m. doreensis and lately its been stubborn as to its placement. I've had if for four or five months with no problem, it happily borrowed its foot into my crushed coral in a medium current spot. I had to move him due to a live rock rearrangement (carefully moved him I might add), and re placed it in a similar spot. no problems. one day it didn't like where it was and moved to the very back of the tank, fine whatever. recently I got 45 lbs or Manono deep rock from ffexpress (they had a 'deal'). I have 20 lbs of Fiji in a 55 gal tank. I had to move him again and this time it never burrowed into the substrate. there is no foot damage at all. I thought it was a current issue and re placed it in another spot, three move spots later I gave up. it moved on its own to a spot in the middle (its favorite spot based on previous experience with this little guy). it seems to be content rolling around on the substrate. its in a cave of live rock and out of direct cured, it can enter current when it expands to feed. its fine really, but I really want him to burrow in because its tentacles are sometimes facing the back of the tank or 'smashed' in some nearby rock. not really too pretty to see a anemone foot all day long. he rolls around and quickly responds to food (brine shrimp and frozen krill sometimes) and it responds to light as well. its healthy, but this is killing me. btw it is hosting an anemone crab, this may be the problem as the crab seems to like the foot and stalk better than the tentacles and may be preventing the anemone from burrowing via pokes and prods. however I have seen the anemone burrow with the crab on it, there isn't much substrate sticking to the foot like it normally does. hope that is a good description. Jon Trowbridge <It's very hard to tell if this animal was damaged in any of these moves... If it were me, I'd supply it with a very fine substrate (an inch or two thick of 1/32" or so crushed coral), with a piece of branching coral skeleton (i.e. something like a large Acroporid or Pocilloporid branch), and bit of flat live rock in a glass "pie dish" near where it is currently located... this will provide for both attachment and ease of future movements. Bob Fenner> How to get an anemone to move Hello Bob! I found your new site a while back and appreciate the info. You previously helped me out when we were selecting fish for our 65g tank, back in January, I think. We have the algal turf scrubber on our tank. All's been well, with the exception of a snail/long tentacle anemone "Thelma and Louise"-type demise - the snail lodged in the anemone's mouth and soon both were dead :( <Yikes, bummer> Fish include: pair Percula, pair Banggai cardinals, 3 green Chromis, bicolor blenny, and 2 pearly Jawfish just added a couple days ago. (This is a "replacement" order from FFE, one of the first 2 was DOA and the other didn't make it through the first day. We're keeping our fingers crossed on these guys - I just LOVE watching them and hope they make it!). <Hmm, me too.> Our other inhabitants include: bubble tip anemone, yellow polyps, button polyps, green star polyps, mushroom leather coral, finger leather, waving hand anthelia, green mushrooms, orange gorgonian, breadcrumb sponge, 2 peppermint shrimp, numerous hermit crabs, various small snails, and oodles of brittle stars and other critters in the deep sand bed and 65 lb of live rock.. <Sounds nice.> After that long intro, I have 2 questions. 1) Can we anchor the breadcrumb sponge with underwater epoxy? It had been wedged into a rock crevice, but was tilted out by a traveling crab. <Hmm, I wouldn't... just place it about where you want it again, and hope it attaches ahead of disruption by pesky crustaceans.> 2) The second, more important, question relates to the bubble tip anemone. It just arrived a week ago and moved from the spot where we hoped it would stay to a less visible one toward the back of the tank. The clownfish didn't pay any attention to it (unlike when we had the LTA and they dived right in within an hour of its arrival), so we weren't quite so bothered with having to peak around the corner to see it (our tank's in a wall). Well, yesterday, the clowns took up residence. We're thrilled that they're "in," but bummed that we can't really see them well. Do you have any tricks of the trade for trying to get the anemone to reorient itself (it probably could maintain a similar foot spot, but come toward the front of the tank)? We have a rotating powerhead which hits the anemone now - could we move it so that the anemone has to move to be hit with it again? I don't want to stress it too much... <Not really... or shall I state, not directly... I'd wait, with time, if the animal wants, it will move more into the "limelight"... Circulation change, physical movement, not advised.> Thanks for reading this long note and particular thanks for being a tremendous resource! Brooke Cannon <And thank you for your caring, intelligent involvement. Bob Fenner> Anemone Bob, I saw your FAQ on anenomes on the WetWebMedia
website. I was hoping I could get our help with my anemone.
I've just purchased (2 days ago) a bubble-tip anemone. I should
mention that in my tank (65g reef, setup for 7 months and with
good/excellent water quality all around) I have never had any success
with anenomes. I've tried keeping two Sebaes in the past and
they have both died. Maybe dead isn't the right word, as I know
anenomes will change their size quite often and my moving them around
to a more "ideal" spot probably only aggravates their
situation. But in any case, none of the previous anenomes have ever
stayed in a single spot and they were removed out of fear they
we're dying. My new bubble-tip upon introduction into the tank has
immediately attached itself underneath a ledge and well away from the
light. Should I leave it there and hope it moves to a brighter spot on
its own? And how can I encourage it to stay in one spot? Any help would
be greatly appreciated, thanks! David >> Best to leave the
Bubble Tip (Entacmaea quadricolor) where it is and hope that it
finds this spot compatible... moving about is dangerous in aquariums...
BTW, most "sebae" anemones don't live for long... Bob
Fenner Bubble tip anemone Bob I have several bubble tip anemones in my reef tank as a result of multiple divisions from the original specimen. I think there are 6 but they are so close together that I can not count them. I would like to give one to a friend but they are all well attached to the rock. Can you recommend a method of removing anemones without injuring them? Thanks, Rob Peters >> Actually, it may well be easier/best to "break the rock" rather than using some sort of "peeling" approach... Really. Most types of rock utilized in marine/reef tanks can be broken quite simply with a hammer and some sort of chisel, standard screwdriver (outside the tank)... one, two sharp taps and you'll likely found the rock and anemones divided... I'd go this route. Bob Fenner Anemone Bob; I purchased a long tentacle purple anemone, and placed it - as per ffexpress' website suggestion - on my substrate. Given that I've read that anemones prefer strong lighting and that I only have six 55w pc bulbs lighting 90g, should I move the anemone up the water column, or is enough light filtering to the bottom of the tank? If I leave well enough alone, will the anemone find a suitable location on its own? thanks, Matthew >> Hmm, well the light at the bottom of this tank should be sufficient... but the anemone WILL definitely let you know... by relocating if not... I wouldn't move it myself. Bob Fenner Anemone Well, I have talked to you about my Bubble Anemone before. You said that he didn't like my water, and I needed to improve it. Well, that was only part of the problem. It occurred to me that I had not been feeding him, and maybe he might be hungry. After about 3 weeks of "going down hill", I started feeding him some cocktail shrimp. I feed him about 3/4 inch of the pointed end. He perked up noticeably. I did this for three days, then every other day, I feed him a larger portion. Last night, he was the best looking I had seen since a day or two after initial purchase. Well, he must either be feeling real good, or bad now, as he has moved from a somewhat well lit place in my live rock (about half way up the water column), to a place that has very little light (under a kind of live rock bridge) He is in a place where even the Maroon Clown has little access to him. I don't know what to do about this. I could rearrange my live rock, and maybe get him more out in the open, but I am confused. Shouldn't he like the light? I have a 55 gallon tank, with 40 watts each of a 10,000, 50/50 and full spectrum florescent lights. My first thought was to leave him there for a day or two and see if he moves, but the last time he moved, he stayed there for four weeks. Any help would be appreciated. >> I would not move the Anemone at all... It can/will move itself to more desirable circumstances of its own accord (as you have found)... And resume its association with your Clown if/when it and they want to. Take care not to overfeed this animal... once or twice a week should be a maximum... as the feeding event leads directly to a "waste event"... do remove any consolidated waste material when you see it (likely next day) Bob Fenner Dear Bob, I have a 150 gallon reef that housed a long
tentacled anemone for about two years. A couple of days ago,
the anemone decided to move from his spot on the live rock to the
sand substrate. He proceeded to bury himself in the sand until
only the tips of his deflated tentacles were visible. I was
concerned but I did not panic, figuring that he would reopen
within a day or two. On the third day he was still completely buried so
I decided to scoop him out and found three holes about the size
of a quarter inch on the sides of his trunk oozing a brownish
film. I gave him a fresh water dip, removed as much slime as I
could and placed him in my quarantine tank. He doesn't look
much better today. Any ideas on what happened to this guy and are
my efforts to save him futile. Thanks >> Either some sort
of disease or general chemical/physical abuse is the cause of the
brown/dead areas on the animals stalk... but why did it move? Something
missing or too much... like not enough light, circulation... another
life form fighting with it... like another stinging-celled animal (like
a mushroom)... And no, your efforts are not futile. Given proper
conditions and half a chance, a decently healthy anemone will
regenerate... Bob Fenner |
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