anenome trouble

[steve1064]

I've had a long tentacle anemone for about 1 month it is not planting its foot very well in any spot i put him or he moves to. also it is make a mess with mucus
looking stuff where ever he is. my lighting and water quality is good . i have a condy that is doing very well. i would appreciate any help anyone could give me

thanks

[sasquatch]

well, i hate to ask but, what kind of anenome?,what lighting? what are your complete water results? how old is the tank? how do you mix and change your water? let us know and we'll see whats going on also pics are good. Welcome to RS! Steve

[steve1064]

my tank is only 3 months old ph is 8.4 ammonia 0 nitrate 0 nitrate 15 ppm i dont know if that is ok? lighting corl life 200 watt cf and coral life 60 watt t-5
i have a red sea canister filter a protien skimmer and about 80 pounds of live rock. as you can tell i am new to all of this i had afish only tank for 2 years but i am a newbe to reef tanks

[steve1064]

my tank is only 3 months old ph is 8.4 ammonia 0 nitrate 0 nitrate 15 ppm i dont know if that is ok? lighting corl life 200 watt cf and coral life 60 watt t-5
i have a red sea canister filter a protien skimmer and about 80 pounds of live rock. as you can tell i am new to all of this i had afish only tank for 2 years but i am a newbe to reef tanks

[Octoman]

Steve, it's probably too early for an anemone in your tank. You generally want to have a tank set up for at least 6 mos so that everything will stay stable. Anemones like clean stable water.

Condys and LTAs like high lighting. Are you saying that you are using power compacts and T5s? You may not have adequate lighting. What size tank, what is the "200w cf" you are refering to (compact fluorescent, power compact)? The condy may look allright for now when in fact it is slowly dieing . You also want your nitrates to be very low, at least <10 before adding an anemone. The canister filter you have may be to blame in your slightly elevated nitrates.

The most likely reason I would think for it not attaching is it can't find conditions it likes either due to lighting, flow, or water quality. Your best bet may be to return it to the LFS until your tank is better established and you have set up the lighting that you will need.

We want to help you get things straight so that you can enjoy reefing, so don't get discouraged from any comments. Just try to research and take in as much as you can to make your experience in this hobby the best!!

[Octoman]

Here's a good article on WWM. It looks like they like to have a deep substrate to put their foot in...

Macrodoreensis

[Frankie]

LTA's are a PITA!

[ninjataco777]

dude, trust me, all the sponges in the canister will make your nitrates skyrocket

Originally Posted by steve1064

my tank is only 3 months old ph is 8.4 ammonia 0 nitrate 0 nitrate 15 ppm i dont know if that is ok? lighting corl life 200 watt cf and coral life 60 watt t-5
i have a red sea canister filter a protien skimmer and about 80 pounds of live rock. as you can tell i am new to all of this i had afish only tank for 2 years but i am a newbe to reef tanks

[BoomerD]

I'll second, third, fourth, one hundredth the idea that your tank is WAY-WAY to young to be housing anemones. The recommendation has always been to wait at least one year after the tank has cycled before adding an anemone, and then, ONLY when the hobbyist has learned enough to properly care for one. Many anemones can live to be 100 years old in the wild, so keeping one alive for a couple of months is nothing to brag about.
We don't have any idea how big your tank is, so it's hard to give any definite comment on the lighting, but with the few clues you've given, I'd hazard to say you don't have nearly enough light to properly support either anemone. BOTH require VERY intense lighting to thrive, nd require near perfect water quality.
The canister filter will become a major nitrate-producing factory, and very few in the reef hobby use them because of that reason. They're great for fresh water and OK (but not recommended) for salt water Fish Only tanks, but NEVER for reef tanks.
How much live rock do you have in your tank? The normal recommendation is somewhere between 1 and 2 pounds per gallon, depending on the type of rock you have. Sufficient amounts of live rock and an efficient skimmer are about all you need for a filtration system...