High Tide Aquatics

Starving Anemone?

Euphyllia

Euphyllia

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One of my newest anemones that I've added to the tank, a 12" GBTA from Green Marine, seems to be having some issues. Some of the tentacles are coming off, but I notice they aren't bitten off, they are like 1/2 of a tentacle that is fully healed and inflated with water. The tentacles on this anemone are about 8" which I've heard means it is hungry. I also always see it trying to eat its tentacles. The employee at Green Marine said it was being fed 1 time every 1 and 1/2 weeks which sounds like a good feeding schedule to me. It is a healthy anemone, no signs of bleaching or any sickness, but I'm just curious why this is happening. After I saw it trying to eat its tentacles I've started to feed it a large amount of large mysis shrimp ever 5 days or so and it is still trying to eat its tentacles! Again, he looks very healthy and doesn't seem to be bleaching or anything. He has only deflated 1 time in the week that I've had him to expel waste, but other than that he looks very healthy. Another thing I've noticed is that my clownfish won't leave their 10" GBTA or 14" GBTA and don't want to even go near this new one. All of the other anemones in my tank are doing great as they are all eating, not losing any color, and expelling waste regularly. What is this 12" GBTA trying to tell me? Is he hungry? Is he trying to just shorten his tentacles? He seems to love the spot he is in. He hasn't moved since I put him in the tank and he hasn't lost any color. He is right in the middle of the right side of the tank and he measures from about 2/5 of the way up the tank (column) to 4/5 of the way up the tank (tip of tentacles). What's going on? Lighting and flow doesn't seem to be a problem. I'll be upgrading to 150w MH-HQI before the April 2010 meeting so since the anemones probably do need more light to be 100% happy, they'll get it. Water parameters look fine. pH 8.3, Salinity 1.024-1.026, Ammonia, Nitrates, and Nitrites undetectable, temperature 78-80 from night to day. Any information would help. BTW I'm not upset with my purchase and I don't view the anemone and sick, I'm just curious what his behavior is cause by. Thanks! :)
 
Maybe its sleeping and sucking its tentacle(s) :p I seen my anemone do the same thing before. Nothing to worry about ime. Mine is healthy and has split many times. I never feed mine....just whatever my clowns bring it when I feed.
 
Then why are there fully healed 1/2 tentacles (no rips) filled with water floating around in the tank ever so often? Isn't that weird? :~
 
If tentacles are ripped off and floating around the tank, I would suspect the anemone is not healthy... Make sure your flow is not too high.
 
Bob Fenner says that anemones can cast off damaged tentacles.

Maybe some got damaged when/after the GBTA went in the tank.

Your lighting probably isn't helping things. Another 6 weeks before upgrading lights??!

What kind of water are you using for your tank?

From the faucet? Is it treated?
 
Mr. Ugly said:
Bob Fenner says that anemones can cast off damaged tentacles.

Maybe some got damaged when/after the GBTA went in the tank.

Your lighting probably isn't helping things. Another 6 weeks before upgrading lights??!

What kind of water are you using for your tank?

From the faucet? Is it treated?
Click to expand...

I actually get saltwater from All About Fish. They have a big tank of SW that you can get SW straight from. I know I should start mixing my own... :(

I top off with RO from All About Fish... I know I should get my own RO maker thing... :(

I got some replacement bulbs today and they are like 2x as bright. Same bulbs. My 8" RBTA has survived in the tank for 1 year with 110w PCs. I think the GBTA will be able to survive a few weeks until I get the MH. It might have been damaged when I placed it in the tank. I had to take it completely out of the water because it was in a bucket on a giant rock. It was only out 5 seconds so I wouldn't imagine it getting damaged that way. There are no rips or tares anywhere. I'll try redirecting the flow.
 
My RBTA is over a foot wide. I have had it for almost 2 years and have NEVER fed it anything directly. I take that back. I fed it a bicolor blenny over a year ago that was devouring my acans. Every once in a while it loses a tenticle. I suspect the clown fish pops them off for one reason or another.
 
Also, what causes an anemone to open huge and stretch out long when the lights are off and not fully open (but still open) under a shady overhang in the day? I've heard this is because of the anemone be stressed by a switch to higher lighting (like from low watt PC to high watt MH) but I've never head about this under PCs. It gets a good amount of light and food... though the clownfish seem to enjoy it at night when it is 14" and folded over on itself where they can snuggle deep into it. :)
 
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