Need Help Asap!!!!!!!!!

[t_j]

Thank you Steve and Frankie for your warm welcomes!!!!

[t_j]

Here is Mr. Anemone looking just the way its suppose to.

[Dre]

Well this has me confused I thought it was a goner Good Luck with your set-up...

Just be careful!!!

[Woodstock]

Whew.. I'm glad you did not throw the fella out! My BTA's and haddoni anemones sometimes poopie brown slimy stuff. It is very normal. My BTA's also sometimes deflate for an hour or so.

I agree with the need to upgrade your lighting. Your tank is 36" long x 12.5" wide x 25" deep, correct? I recommend a single metal halide with possibly some t5 for actinic supplementation; or maybe several rows of 36" T5 bulbs. Very, very little of your current lighting (dual 65 watt PC) reaches the middle and bottom and with time your anemones will begin to slowly shrink and bleach then will disappear never to be seen again.

If you plan on upgrading lighting (and keeping the anemone), you can help your anemone get some extra nutritional needs by feeding it frozen fish food found at your local fish store. NOT brine shrimp. Get the 'gel bound' cubed type. It holds together nicely once thawed. Remove a frozen cube and cut in half or thirds; thaw in a shallow glass of tank water and feed immediately once thawed. Feed the anemone every other day or so.

The feedings are required even with bright lighting but in your situation, will help your anemone live until you get proper lighting.

Also, you should test for nitrAtes and keep them at 10ppm or less via water changes. Anemones can not tolerate hight trAtes.

[CAVINCA]

Originally Posted by t_j

I have a question. There is some thing I don't under stand and thats probably because I am use to freshwater fish, but if I have rock that has been sitting in a reef tank for about two years and sand thats been sitting for around the same and equipment that came from the same place what left do you need to cycle??

TJ, when you removed the rock and sand from the other establish tank and the rock came in contact with dry air it killed some of the important bacteria that had grown on the rock. This just happens. Also when you disturb an established sand bed it is my understanding that there is also some die off. (Someone else correct on that last statement.) Even though you have established rock there was enough die off of living bacteria to require a small cycle.

On top of that everytime you add a fun little sea creature the tank goes through a small cycle. If you add to much at once you have a big cycle.

A cycle not only prepares the rock but it prepares YOUR home made sea water. It grows Bacteria everywhere on rock, sand, and in your water.

It was a lil early to add your anemones but i think with help from these guys you'll be fine (if you listen). Its in your, and your anemone's, best interest to upgrade your lighting.

Carl

[reefcouple]

My bubble tip is the most hardy thing in my tank, it has gone thru complete shutdowns "crashes", even out of the water for about 15 minutes and the thing is so healthy... It split about 8 times or so and the "offspring" we gave to friends is just as hardy..

congrats on it remaining with you...

BTW, mine has been with us for 4 years, and i have no idea how old it was when we purchased it. Ours loves mysis with a drop or two of ZOE..

~cheers
Randy

[BEELZEBOB]

is that a pic of the way it looks now, or the way it used to look?

[lcstorc]

Actually splitting is very often a sign of stress. The animal creates copies of itself when it is stressed or unhappy. My first BTA did this several times before finally dying from lack of lighting and an immature tank.
I now have a wonderful RBTA in a different tank with different lighting.
Since you already have the animal and it seems to be improving the best thing to do is increase it's chance of survival. The most important step that is in your control is proper lighting. As others have said you really need MH or at least T5 lighting to keep an anemone. Fortunately BTAs are the most forgiving of the anemones but they are still very picky. The sooner you address the lighting issue the better the chances of success. Keep your water parameters as good as physically possible with frequent testing and water changes. Feed the anemone a couple times a week and you have a reasonable chance of survival. It will still be tricky but I have certainly seen it done.

[t_j]

Originally Posted by Woodstock

Whew.. I'm glad you did not throw the fella out! My BTA's and haddoni anemones sometimes poopie brown slimy stuff. It is very normal. My BTA's also sometimes deflate for an hour or so.

I agree with the need to upgrade your lighting. Your tank is 36" long x 12.5" wide x 25" deep, correct? I recommend a single metal halide with possibly some t5 for actinic supplementation; or maybe several rows of 36" T5 bulbs. Very, very little of your current lighting (dual 65 watt PC) reaches the middle and bottom and with time your anemones will begin to slowly shrink and bleach then will disappear never to be seen again.

If you plan on upgrading lighting (and keeping the anemone), you can help your anemone get some extra nutritional needs by feeding it frozen fish food found at your local fish store. NOT brine shrimp. Get the 'gel bound' cubed type. It holds together nicely once thawed. Remove a frozen cube and cut in half or thirds; thaw in a shallow glass of tank water and feed immediately once thawed. Feed the anemone every other day or so.

The feedings are required even with bright lighting but in your situation, will help your anemone live until you get proper lighting.

Also, you should test for nitrAtes and keep them at 10ppm or less via water changes. Anemones can not tolerate hight trAtes.

Thank You so much for the great advise on how to keep this guy alive. I'll have to go out and get some food for it because I only have pellets and brine shrimp and a couple of other things I feed my discus but I don't think these guys eat the other two frozen foods I have. Thanks again

[t_j]

Originally Posted by CAVINCA

TJ, when you removed the rock and sand from the other establish tank and the rock came in contact with dry air it killed some of the important bacteria that had grown on the rock. This just happens. Also when you disturb an established sand bed it is my understanding that there is also some die off. (Someone else correct on that last statement.) Even though you have established rock there was enough die off of living bacteria to require a small cycle.

On top of that everytime you add a fun little sea creature the tank goes through a small cycle. If you add to much at once you have a big cycle.

A cycle not only prepares the rock but it prepares YOUR home made sea water. It grows Bacteria everywhere on rock, sand, and in your water.

It was a lil early to add your anemones but i think with help from these guys you'll be fine (if you listen). Its in your, and your anemone's, best interest to upgrade your lighting.

Carl

Carl,

Thank you for answering this question I really wanted to know the answer to this one. Know I understand the "cycle" even if you have rock and sand like I do it needs time.

[t_j]

Originally Posted by BEELZEBOB

is that a pic of the way it looks now, or the way it used to look?

The last pic is what it looks like now.

[t_j]

Originally Posted by lcstorc

Actually splitting is very often a sign of stress. The animal creates copies of itself when it is stressed or unhappy. My first BTA did this several times before finally dying from lack of lighting and an immature tank.
I now have a wonderful RBTA in a different tank with different lighting.
Since you already have the animal and it seems to be improving the best thing to do is increase it's chance of survival. The most important step that is in your control is proper lighting. As others have said you really need MH or at least T5 lighting to keep an anemone. Fortunately BTAs are the most forgiving of the anemones but they are still very picky. The sooner you address the lighting issue the better the chances of success. Keep your water parameters as good as physically possible with frequent testing and water changes. Feed the anemone a couple times a week and you have a reasonable chance of survival. It will still be tricky but I have certainly seen it done.

Thanks for thinkng that I could keep this guy alive. I will try to do my best.

[t_j]

For got to ask.....For right know until I can get to a store can I feed it brine shrimp?? I know you guys said not to but thats all I have right now.

[Aquadelight]

Another possible food choice, that I personally like for anemonies, is frozen squid. It seems to be the most easily degested food for anemonies and corals (JMO).

[lcstorc]

Oddly enough mine will eat pellets. I have some larger shrimp pellets that it loves. Short term there is no problem with brine but very little positive either. The reason we say don't use brine is simply because unless you gut load them they have almost no nutrition. They won't actually hurt anything. Mine eats pretty much any seafood but mysis, silversides, and krill are what I feed it most. Occasionally it gets a pellet when the clowns bring it over.