Need help! I can't keep anemones alive

[xfastwalker]

I need help to understand why I can't keep an anemone alive. I have not lost a single fish in 6+ months. Everything is stable. I have lost 3 bubble tips anemone and 2 long tentacle anemones in last 6 months. Bubble tip only last for 3 or 4 days before it melts away. long tentacles last a little longer but they die eventually. I can't figure out what's wrong? All chemical level are good. There is something else I am missing. Any ideas?

Specs:
1) Tank 75G
2) Ammonia 0
3) Nitrate <10ppm
4) Nitrite 0
5) salinity 1.023 or 31%

Fish compliment:
1) 2 percula clowns
2) 2 tomato clowns
3) 2 yellow tangs
4) 1 yellow eye tang
5) 1 powder brown tang
6) 3 Engineer gobies
7) 1 Coral beauty

 

[mcentire1123]

Welcome to RS Great people

 

[Affordable]

How big is the tank? How deep are the anemones? Do they fully attach to the rock before they die, or are they just floating around the tank? What kind of lighting do you have? What are you feeding them? Are you properly acclimating them?

 

[KARussell88]

Yeah the fact that you didnt list your lighting makes me feel like you don't know how to keep anemones, thats like the most important aspect
also a lot of nems will deflate, which doesnt mean they are dead, they just do that. they are dying if they are melting and smell bad.

 

[BigAl07]

Hello and welcome to RS!

Sorry to hear about your problems. I moved your identical thread because having 2 going like that is likely to confuse anyone who is wanting to try and help you.


As for your tank... do tell us more:
How old is it?

How much Live Rock and Live Sand?

How much flow do you have?

What are your lights?


Do you test for other parameters (Mag, Calc, Alk etc)?

Your Salinity is a tad low 1.024 - 1.026 is the normal range for a reef tank.

Also please tell us what your acclimation method is? It's most likely NOT your lights because with marginal lights the animal will usually slowly die over weeks and months not days. It's probably acclimation, water parameter, or ill specimen from LFS.

Good luck.

 

[DaveK]

Anemones require top quality water and lighting. They also require well established tanks. Usually the tank should be running and stable for about a year before you add an anemone.

Looking at the fish you have in your tank, your way over crowded right now. You also have 4 tangs, and they tend to be fish that produce a lot of waste. No matter how good your filtration system is, I don't think it's going to keep up with 4 tangs in a 75 gal tank.

If your not doing it already, test for pH, calcium and alkalinity and post the results.

Lighting has been previously mentioned. Please post about that and about your filtration system.

The clowns you have might also be picking on any anemone you add, but it's kind of tough to tell since the anemones are not lasting in your system.

 

[Reefmack]

Welcome to Reef Sanctuary. Good advice above ^

 

[PIMPALA]

Welcome to RS.


Why did you kill FIVE nems before you started to seek advice?? Something isnt right with your tank obviously, and I agree with what DaveK and BigAl said.

 

[Clownfishfan]

Yea , why FIVE nems before seeking help !? We like answers soon. Also a 75 is not large enough to have more than one pair of clowns espically large one like Tomatoes! Also tanga can kill other tangs powders need to school to be happy ! How many of these fish were impulse buys?! And you traites should be zero before nems or atleast very close . And if your tank has been setup long enough your water changes SHOULD have your trates at 0. You need to make larger water changes until you shrink your bioload. What kind of cuc you have they could possibly be the cause. I had a hitch hiker crab that ate 2nd my nems but now it rip ( rest in pieces) in the back yard.

 

[dmatt88]

Nitrates? C'mon, cycle that tank and dont add anymore livestock. Seriously.

 

[coralmadness]

The nitrates could be from over feeding. Lighting, water flow, your tank levels, tank inhabitants, acclimation, and what condition the anemone is in when you get it all play an important part. I have seen LFS try to un attatch the nem to sell it. That is a BIG no no. If the foot is damaged, it will die. Try to be as specific as possible about your tank and we will try to help you out. Maybe also include some pics of your tank.

 

[Smokey301]

You still need other params posted but your specific gravity is too low, my nems hate anything under 1.025, but i keep mine at 1.027 or 35-36 ppm. Also post if you are using RO water or not

 

[Clownfishfan]

He has not even replied to anything.

 

[DaveK]

He has not even replied to anything.

You got to give them a chance to respond. It's also possible that they made the same post in a lot of different reef forums, and just forgot they posted here. It's also possible that they didn't hear the answer that they wanted to hear, and didn't want to get involved.

 

[Clownfishfan]

I know.

 

[PIMPALA]

 

[Clownfishfan]

What?