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FAQs on Anemone Health 11

FAQs on Anemone Disease: Anemone Disease 1, Anemone Disease 2, Anemone Disease 3, Anemone Disease 4, Anemone Disease 5, Anemone Disease 6, Anemone Disease 7, Anemone Health 8, Anemone Health 9, Anemone Disease 10, Anemone Disease 11, Anemone Disease 12, Anemone Disease , &
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Related Articles: Anemones, Bubble Tip Anemones, LTAs, Cnidarians, Dyed Anemones,

Related FAQs: Cnidarian Disease, Anemones, Anemones 2, LTAs, Caribbean Anemones, Condylactis, Aiptasia Anemones, Anemones and Clownfishes, Anemone Reproduction, Anemone Identification, Anemone Compatibility, Anemone Behavior, Anemone Selection, Anemone Placement, Anemone Feeding, Anemone Systems, Anemone Lighting,

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Anemone Success
Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term

by Robert (Bob) Fenner

What is the Ball of slimy stuff from the Anemone -- 06/09/10
Hi
<Howsit?>
I have had 2 anemones for quite some time now.
One of them is a Yellow Sebae Anemone
<Dyed>

and he is doing quite well. I had once read a post on your site about dyed anemones and I was very worried until
the LFS said that he does not get any of that stuff.
<Mmm, well, someone snuck one in while no one in charge was watching then... This animal is artificially colored>
. (I hope you can confirm that it is not one of those dyed anemones - the color is a little too bright as I am taking this pics from my camcorder... it is a tad lighter than what you see.)
<Thank you for this>
The other is a tube anemone.
<Cerianthus sp.?... incompatible with most captive marine life... Oh! The other anemone shown is not a Tube...>
He seems to be doing fine .. eats cut shrimp that I give him but the only thing I don't understand is the huge blob of slimy stuff he keeps ejecting from his mouth/anus.
<A "fecal pellet"...>

I have removed it and sometimes it looked like it was green eggs in slime.. it got me really confused.. never the less I threw it out. After he ejects the stuff he seems fine and sways around well and eats again and then tonight it has started to eject more of this stuff.. but this time it looks worse like someone has removed the intestines from an animal inside out.
Also he has shrunk like crazy...
<Is "anybody" missing?>

I might be exaggerating with this stuff for all I know it is a huge chunk of waste.. but I have never seen anemones eject so much waste.
<Can, do>
I have enclosed pics of the anemones that I have. Hopefully it will explain better what I am trying to say.
BTW do you have a specific page about Anemone selection and care.
<Oh yes... here: http://wetwebmedia.com/CnidIndex2.htm
scroll down...>
Thanks a lot for your help .
I really appreciate your website as it helps me a lot.
Joanna
<Good. Bob Fenner>


Re: What is the Ball of slimy stuff from the Anemone... using WWM -- 06/10/10
Hi Bob,
<Joanna>
I appreciate you replying back.
<Certainly welcome>
It is very sad to know that my sebae anemone is dyed. I also so foolish to have falling for the LFS's marketing tactics.
<Happens... to folks/consumers, as well as earnest, otherwise honest r/etailers>
He seems healthy right now, except when he deflates to poop. (That is normal is it not.)
<Is not abnormal>
Do tell me what care I should take to ensure that the anemone is not hurting.
<... read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm
and the linked files above>
I know some people may say.. Just don't buy dyed anemones.. but I have learnt my lesson and I seriously was not aware about dyed anemones.
<Please read here re: http://wetwebmedia.com/coloredanemones.htm
and the linked FAQs file above. They can recover... lose the dye in time, reincorporate Zooxanthellae from others...>
Once again thanks to your website I have understood that topic also. I will surely give the LFS a good peace of my mine.. now that it is a little wise
<You are welcome to refer them to me>
Now to the very very sad reality .. The Cerianthus sp as you mentioned seems to be dying after ejecting more huge balls of fecal pellets.
<Mmm, ... anemones aren't generally compatible with other species... the one is being killed here by t'other... Read: http://wetwebmedia.com/anemcompfaqs.htm
and...>
I think there is now <no, and no, tis poss.> way to save him right now
<Needs to be in a separate system...>
but I am enclosing pics so that other people can related to these questions visually and identify if they have the same issues.
<I/we have responded to sufficient numbers of folks that have made this error as you'll see. Become a good consumer, steward of our planet and study ahead of "buying" life>
I have included pics what he was and what he became.
He is totally deflated for a whole day now with some very occasional tentacle movement.
I am interested in keeping some shrimp.. Along with a Blue Damsels / Sebae Anemone / Clarkii clowns and a Snail. Which one would you suggest.
<That you read>
Lastly I would like to know how to make a good wet dry filter with built in sump and skimmer.
<Oh?>
I also wanted to know about the various types of media that are used in filtration. Specially about the different types of filter sponges. I am told that different ones do different jobs.
<... this, these issues/questions are all answered/archived on WWM... there are some 30-40,000 people (unique ISPs) who use this resource per day... Do learn to/use the search tool, indices...>
Do suggest some good books that give all information on known marine species for aquariums. I have been searching for some good books for quite some time now.
<Oh, there are a few mentioned here... in bibliographies, articles on the topic>
Thanks for all your help bob..
Joanna
<Welcome. BobF>

Damaged BTA.. Is he healing or is he a goner? 5/24/10
My name is Laura. My boyfriend and I have had our marine tank for about 5 months.
I have done alot
<No such word>
of reading. Your site was really informative, but I'm having trouble finding information about what to do for my anemone. I have posted on forums.. but I feel as though I'm getting annoying since he doesn't appear to be getting any better. Here is some background:
Equipment
55 gallon tank
Eshopps PSK-75H Hang on Tank Skimmer
(4) 48" T5 lighting
Regular power filter with carbon and filter fiber (2) Koralia3s
<With anemone stuck against>
about 65 lbs of live rock and 50 lbs of sand
Livestock:
2 Ocellaris clowns; 2 green Chromis; 1 tiny watchman goby, 1 scooter blenny,
1 blue hippo tang (currently 1" in length), and a purple fish (I always forget the name.. size of a royal gamma.. but all purple)
Turbo Snails, those small snails that are always on the glass (name.. again), and hermit crabs
Corals:
Ricordea, Frogspawn, Mushroom, and 2 more I forget the name (sorry!) You can
see them in the attached pictures.
My tank parameters:
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-<10
pH- 8.2
Okay, my anemone..
When we first got him, he footed and moved the night we got him, and then stayed there for about 10 days. We fed him krill and he took and finished all of it. I think he was a little bleached when we got him, but with lighting and food he was looking really healthy and gaining color (brown and green).
2 weeks ago he was sucked up into our strainer for our filter. I did a water change, and he gradually got himself out. He refooted and didn't really suffer any damage except for a loss of maybe 3 tentacles fortunately.
About 4 days ago, I woke up to him chopped up in my powerhead (see photo).
I turned it off immediately, my water wasn't too cloudy. I set the powerhead on the substrate by rocks so that he could get himself out. He got himself out and footed on a rock. He was is really bad shape. I covered my powerheads with filter floss ( my strainer and skimmer intake were already covered).
The next morning he was stuck to the powerhead, but there was no more damage since there was the filter fiber. ( I did my water change, about 12 gallons, today because I couldn't run to get some water the day before). Turned off powerhead, he gradually let himself go.. and then floated around the tank.
He was just getting swept away by the powerheads. So I turned them off. He was bobbing around with the small flow in my tank, so I "trapped" him with a fish breeders box (all I had handy that would permit some water movement for him) between the glass, sand and a rock so that he wouldn't damage himself and hopefully foot. He ended up footing for about 3 hours and then let loose again.
Today he still looks terrible. He only footed during the day today, but then around 7pm he just let himself fold off it. He is not folded onto himself on the sand. His foot is inflated and his mouth has been open all day. His tentacles are inflating, but there is white "flesh" still partially coming off him. I don't know if this means he's dying, dead, healing. So I have been watching him all day to make sure he won't get sucked back towards the powerhead. I turn the powerheads off at night while I cant watch him.
What do I do?
<I'd remove this animal... Very unlikely it will recover, but if you have another established system to risk it dying, dissolving in...>
He just wont foot anywhere and stay. I have crevices all over my rockwork for his foot, but he just doesn't seem to like any.
I would put him in a small tank that I'm about to set up for a sump, but I don't have any filtration or lighting for it.
I woke up this morning and found him completely deflated and looking absolutely terrible. He still reacted to the lights being turned on.
Do you have any suggestions on what I can do to help him?
I have done water changes, let himself get himself free, lowered flow (only
1 powerhead on during day) so that he might re attached, covered ALL intakes and powerheads. I haven't tried to feed him since he was injured because I read that it can further stress them out. His mouth is still open a bit. I will close for about an hour a day, and then re open.
Thank you,
Laura
Picture 1---photo of damage while hanging on powerhead
Picture2-- what he looked like yesterday morning (5/23)
Picture 3--what he looked like last night after I turned off lights.. he just let himself unattached and folded on himself.
Picture4-- today (5/24)
Picture 5- our tank
<This Actinarian is done. Bob Fenner>

Sorry for the 2nd email. 5/24/10
I wanted to also ask, should I take him to my LFS and see if they should hold on to him? That is, if there is a chance that he can survive.
Thank you,
Laura
<Mmm, worth asking, but as previously stated, and on WWM in many places... such incidents (getting sucked into pump intakes, powerheads, overflows... are generally fatal. BobF>
Re: Sorry for the 2nd email.
I don't know if you were able to look at the pictures or not, but does it look as though he might survive?
I hate to "flush" him if he might have a chance.
Thank you for the quick response, Bob F.
Laura
<I really wish I could present a more "up beat" diagnosis, but there is exceedingly little chance of recovery here. And, if not removed, the decomposition of this animal may cause a good deal of further trouble. B>
Re: Sorry for the 2nd email.
Thanks Bob. Anything I should look for today to show he might make it? If not... he will meet the toilet tonight.
<Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/anemsysfaqs.htm
and the linked files... B>

BTA demise 5/13/10
Hi to all WWM crew, Its the first time I ask/write a question to you, usually I find the answer or something near to it in the website, Ill try to cover all the details, completely cycled aquarium,70 gal, plus 30 more of sump, DIY skimmer in urgent need of perfection, evaporative cooling device (fan) to maintain water on the 24/28 °C right now its 26°C, it evaporates a lot of water, I replenish it daily with treated tap water, no RO yet.
SG is 1.1025,
<1.025 likely>
Calcium is 450 ppm,
<Mg?>
nitrates are 5 ppm, nitrites 0, pH 8.4. A deep sandbed about 5 inches consisting of crushed coral an a
1inch or more aragonite sand, lots of live rock and really don't know how much, full of sponges, coraline algae, two varieties of Caulerpa racemosa and the other one that is more common,
<Likely C. taxifolia... both too toxic for casual use. See WWM re>

under control, just two little patches of green color, GAC in the sump and also phos sorb from API, sump is also full of live rock, this live rock has been with me in other aquariums for more than 2 years now. Drilled tank, two 1-1/2 inch outflow and two 1 inch inflows also two Koralia 3 pumps for creating water movement. Lighting is comprised of 2 -56w pc 50/50, and two HO t-5 10,000k and actinic blue lamps making it about 200 w of light, also aquarium gets some nice sun light from the windows in the mornings and midday. I used to have some 30 gal aquariums near this windows and anemones, Condylactis that time used to love the light, or at least I supposed that.
Now with the livestock, there is only one sand sifting goby, one little toadstool soft coral, about 3 inches high and about 1-1/2inch wide, one little piece of cup coral that I'm trying to salvage from the LFS, he
gave it to me free, I think its making its comeback slowly, (daily feeding trying to get the little tentacles to get something), three turbo snails about 1 inch each, some Aiptasia on the live rock, and the purpose of this email, a new green BTA.
<May not get along w/ the other Cnidarians here>
On the LFS it had already three weeks on the holding tanks, good color, extended not all but about what I would thing 3/4 it size, it was housing one little maroon clownfish, was the only inhabitant of that tank, its foot was strong, no visible tears or anything suspicious, when I bought it I took much care for the store guy to don't separate it from the rock it was, so I got all the piece together, BTA and rock, perfect condition at my home, made the dripping method to acclimate the anemone and then to put into the aquarium I never got it out of the water, I positioned the rock and BTA the about 2/3 from the bottom of the aquarium, right now it could have chosen any spot it liked, everything looked fine, stayed extended, mouth normal no gaping, then next day it started some inflating deflating cycles, inflated by night deflated by day, but then it started to look like those clocks from Dali, hasn't moved from the spot, there is good circulation there, well now It
looks worse 4 days from the introduction it seems like something has ripped some tentacles apart, they seem like detaching, and mouth is ok but beside the mouth there is this "open wound" , with stringy things
coming out, it really doesn't looks good. Right now it is contracted and on the foot about half its way there is an open wound also, I haven't been able to understand what is going on here, seems like there is something picking on it but I cant see it, the crabs are small and have been with me about 2 years also, always sifting sand and algae, or staying put where a current is to get some food from it. Well that's all I could think of, I don't know what to do my QT tanks aren't ready, and I'm afraid If I move the BTA it will get worse, I'm in the process of stocking these new tank (3 months now, about 1 with the livestock) and well with almost no inhabitants in this tank I saw little problems for the BTA. Any helpful hint, piece of advice, or alike would be greatly appreciated.
I'm attaching some pictures of the BTA.
Thanks in advance
sincerely
David Bulnes Abundis
<Allelopathy is the most likely trouble here, though there are a few other possibilities. Read:
http://wetwebmedia.com/BTADis8.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
BTA Demise pictures 5/13/10

Hi, I just wrote about 10 minutes ago, my laptop was crashing and to avoid losing all the long email I had written I sent the email without the attached pictures. By the way, the bta has just moved up and now is more in front of a current. Hope the pictures are all right and my anemone can get healthy but it really looks bad. Thank you
again wwm.
<... this animal has been artificially dyed... and appears to not be an Entacmaea, but a Heteractis crispa... The likelihood of it living is about zip. I'd siphon it out to waste now. Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/coloredanemones.htm
and the linked files above. BobF>
Has recibido 3 imágenes.

Re High pH And Tons Of Hair Algae/Lacking Useful Info/Now Toxins/Now Anemone Health 4/26/10
James,
<Dan>
... one other thing. Even though, I've successfully peeled the anemone from the bottom of the bucket and tank (several times over the years), I still worry about hurting it's foot as it's delicacy has been noted many times in the postings of WetWeb. Should I put an ice cube under the bucket in order to entice it to detach?
<It may work, how did you remove it last time?>
And if it continues to just release slime in the main tank, what then?
<It's likely expelling waste triggered by a change in environment, shouldn't continue on a daily basis. By the way, I tested for copper and that 0 also.
<OK. James (Salty Dog)>

Re High pH And Tons Of Hair Algae/Lacking Useful Info/Now Toxins - 4/26/10
James,
<Dan>
I'm going to crack!
<Me too.>
This weekend, I did over a 20 gallon water change and purchased a couple of urchins and 5 very small emerald crabs. The anemone was starting to dirty up the bucket since it had been in there for about a week. I was really hopeful that it would fare well in the tank now that my pH and other parameters are all back to normal. NOPE! After about an hour of drip acclimating, I carefully detached it from the bottom of the bucket and dropped him back in his old spot. I turned off the power heads in order to allow the anemone enough time to attach to something the way it always has.
It didn't.
<I've always had luck by removing the sand down to the glass in the area I would like it to be, then put a few small rocks around it to stabilize the anemone. They need to feel something hard on their pedal disc before they will attempt to attach.>
The next morning (Sunday), it just sat there moving around, not looking as good as it had in the bucket and not attaching to anything. It was also releasing a good amount of slime into the water.
<Can be a reaction from better/different water quality.>
SO, defeated, I cooked up another bucket of fresh salt water, brought it to temp, and let it stir w/a very strong pump for most of the day. In the evening, I removed the anemone from the main and plopped him back in his new home. It attached to the bottom of the bucket almost immediately.
<Yes, found a hard surface.>
What the heck is in the main tank!?
<I'm assuming nothing.>
Also the hair algae in the main is starting to turn a bit orange in color. Hopefully, that's a sign that it's dying out?
<Yes, can be. James (Salty Dog)>
Re High pH And Tons Of Hair Algae/Lacking Useful Info/Now Toxins/Now 4/26/10
James,
<Dan>
... one other thing. Even though, I've successfully peeled the anemone from the bottom of the bucket and tank (several times over the years), I still worry about hurting it's foot as it's delicacy has been noted many times in
the postings of WetWeb. Should I put an ice cube under the bucket in order to entice it to detach?
<It may work, how did you remove it last time?>
And if it continues to just release slime in the main tank, what then?
<It's likely expelling waste triggered by a change in environment, shouldn't continue on a
daily basis. By the way, I tested for copper and that 0 also.
<OK. James (Salty Dog)>
Re High pH And Tons Of Hair Algae/Lacking Useful Info/Now Toxins/Now 4/26/10
I've moved the tank 3 times in the past. Once, it was a 6 hour drive from Va to NJ! Each time, I put all the tank contents in buckets (sand, and approx50% of the water). Then quickly replaced them upon relocating. In each
case, the anemone dug through the 3" of gravel and attached to the bottom of the tank, never releasing slime (at least not in the amounts were I could see it on it and other items in the tank).
<May have not had any waste to expel. Best not to feed critters before moving.>
I cant help but think the water is still toxic to it in some way?? Having said that, the scooter blenny continues to bounce around happily.
I can do yet another water change and try moving the gravel as you suggested but what about the slime?
<Would not worry about the slime, remove with a net. Just a thought, but have you ever
checked for stray voltage in the system? Refresh my mind, next time you write, indicate what type of anemone is it? I don't have the time to go through all the past threads, must be a gazillion of them.
James (Salty Dog)>
Re High pH And Tons Of Hair Algae/Lacking Useful Info/Now Toxins/Now Anemone Health 4/26/10
Sorry about the massive detail.
<No problem, just got too many things going on right now, need to prioritize a little more than I'm doing now.>
The reason I think the tank has an issue is that the slime is much worse when anemone is in the main vs. the bucket.
<LTA's do require pristine water quality, no phosphates, nitrates under 5ppm, etc. They also appreciate a fine sand/mud substrate. Make sure you have 4" or more of a soft substrate.
Crushed coral won't work very well with the LTA as the coral can lacerate its foot.>
The Anemone was sold as a Green LTA. My friend has one as well and they look NOTHING like each other so here's an old pic for you to id for yourself:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/46/152223627_b93c59bd55_b.jpg
<Appears to be a LTA. Keep in mind that the tentacle colors can be white with pink tips, pinkish, tan, or purple.
Tentacles can be also have a basic, corkscrew, or striated pattern.>
As for removal, I would just VERY DELICATELY wedge my finger between the foot and bucket till it was free.
<I'd likely try that before the ice cube trick.>
Thanks again for your input and patience. The site is a wealth of information and your responses are always appreciated!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Dan
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