Long Tentacle Anemone

[NjRiCaN]

I have a purple long tentacle anemone that ive purchased online. It arrived in perfect condition and looked healthy. He has been in my tank for about 2 weeks but still has not attached to anything or buried himself in the substrate. i was wondering if this is normal or theres something wrong? i tried once to put him in the middle of my tank but he still fled to his little corner and is actually hiding under a ledge. Is my metal halide light to strong for him? is he still acclimating to his new surroundings? i have a 28g jbj nano cube with metal halide lighting and fine sand as substrate. water conditions are perfect. whats going on? ive also purchased 2 tomato clowns today but they havnt made "peace" (host) with the anemone yet. is this normal also? sorry for all the questions but im kinda new with the marine aquarium aspects. i purchased 3 books and done lots of homework before i got into the marine aquarium but still people's experiences are a lot better than any book. i will appreciate the feed back! thanks!

 

[seafansar]

Welcome to RS!

Tell us a little more about your tank. What wattage is the MH? How old is the tank? Is there good flow in the tank? Are there powerheads in the tank (aka nem blenders!)?

Anemones are a difficult animal to keep. Sounds like yours can't find a place it likes. They usually look for a spot with good lighting and flow. Some are weird and seem to shun the light for whatever reason and turn pale white, which is not good.

It can take a while for clownfish to host an anemone. Sometimes they never will, other times it takes a few days, weeks, months, and sometimes they host immediately. Really depends on the fish.

I suggest getting rid of the LTA. A 28 gallon is just too small for it. LTA's and other nems get really big and would fill up a 28 gallon quickly. If you want something for your clowns to sit in, try a frogspawn, xenia, or other "wavy" coral. My old clarkii clown loved anthelia which is similar to xenia.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

:welcomera to reefsanctuary, it's a great forum with lots of very nice members that are really knowledgeable & more than willing to helping in anyway, all you have to do is ask

anemones are a challenge & really need a mature tank (9-12 months old) & really good lighting from what I have read, I wanted one... but have resisted the thought...

 

[BigAl07]

HEllo and welcome to RS NjRiCaN

If this is the STOCK 28g JBJ Cube it's a 150w HQI fixture. This may or may NOT be too much light for this animal. It depends entirely on what it was under before you ordered it and WHERE it was in that tank.

1. How long has this tank been up and running?
   
2. What are your current water test results (like as of today if possible)?
   
3. What is your water change regiment? (how much and how often)
   
4. What else is in the tank?

As already noted anemone are difficult to care for especially for the new aquarist. They require the BEST of the BEST in water quality and don't tolerate poor water quality or fluctuations well at all. In addition to this requirement they do require VERY good light which you most likely have. Just keep in mind because of their slow metabolism they tend to take a long time to "show" poor health unless they are VERY sick. Some people have an anemone for weeks or months that looks just fine and then "seemingly" overnight it starts to fade, wilt and expire.

I can tell you one bit of advice.... It's USELESS to try and put it , place it, coerce it to move it stay put. It's a mobile animal and will go where it wants, when it wants and HOW it wants. Anything you do is only adding stress to the animal.

Good luck and let us know some of these answers

 

[NjRiCaN]

well like bigal07 stated the nano cube comes with a 150 watt HQI. The tank has not been up for to long. It been set up since May so about 2 and 1/2 months. i know this anenome gets big, ive seen the one at my local fish store's main tank. thing is huge! well my anemone has not turned white or pale in color. the coloration is the same way it came to me. it still has its bright purple tips and looks healthy. my water parameters im not sure of the exact numbered parameters but my nitrites are non readable, my nitrates are non readable. ammonia is non readable also. i have my own test and i also take a cup full to my local fish store where they test it there also and they say its good also. my fish are getting big and my corals are growing also. not sure whats going on with my anemone.
i do a 25% water change every 2 weeks which is about 7gallons in my tank. the water is already mixed at my local fish store so i buy it from them. of course its R/O water.

Other things in my tank:
45lbs of live fiji rock
arag-alive fine sand substrate

corals:
colony of zoanthids
blue spot mushrooms
xenias
toadstool mushroom
bubble coral

fish:
2 tomato clowns
six line wrasse
argi "cherub" angel
blue/green chromis
royal gramma

invertes:
20 scarlet reef hermits
20 blue leg hermits
20 atrea turbo snails
10 naussarius snails
10 cerith snails
3 peppermint shrimp
2 emerald crabs
1 purple LT anemone

 

[NjRiCaN]

water parameters

i just did my PH, Nitrate, Ammonia, and Nitrite test using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Inc Saltwater Master Liquid Test Kit. my Ph is good, nitrate is 0, ammonia is 0 and nitrite is 0. not sure whats going on.

 

[seafansar]

Hummmm....It may just take a while for the nem to get happy. In my experience LTAs are more difficult to please than BTAs.

Watch out if the nem gets too close to those zoanthids. My BTA's don't seem to hurt some corals like mushrooms and cap coral (or all things!), but they will kill zoas and cup corals. Do you run carbon? Maybe there's some chemical warfare going on in the tank that the LTA doesn't like.

 

[NjRiCaN]

yea i do run carbon in the tank. do u think i shouldnt run it?

 

[BigAl07]

yea i do run carbon in the tank. do u think i shouldnt run it?

YES run carbon. That's a common first step to anything out of whack or suspected out of whack. Carbon can help remove certain contaminants in a Reef Tank. Run some YESTERDAY! Carbon is my "Band-Aide" until I know what's happening and can get a long-term fix in place.

 

[NjRiCaN]

but i am running carbon and been running it since day one of the setup. like i stated my corals and fish are doing great. im not sure maybe i just need to let the anemone sit and see what happens.

 

[lcstorc]

Anemones have much higher requirements than fish and even most corals.
If it still looks good then I would just leave it and watch it. Keep the power heads covered and it will find a home it likes.
If it starts to deteriorate then you need to remove it. They can go downhill fast.

 

[Clownfish518]

Anemones are had to keep, and are best kept in systems designed around their needs. An LTA can grow to 15-20" across its oral disc, with its tentacles adding another 5-6" on either side. With clownfish present, they can grow at 2-3x the normal rate. Your tank is just not suited.