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FAQs on Anemone Trauma

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 , &
FAQs on Anemone Disease by Category: Diagnosing, Environmental (Pollution/Poisoning, Lighting...), Nutritional, Social (Allelopathy), Pathogenic (Infectious, Parasitic, Viral) Predatory/Pest, Treatments 
FAQs on Anemone Disease by Genus, Species: Condylactis Disease, Sebae Disease, LTA Disease, Magnificent Anemone Disease, BTA Disease, Carpet Anemone Disease, TWA Anemone Disease, Sebae Disease,

Related Articles: Anemones, Bubble Tip AnemonesLTAs, Cnidarians, Coldwater Anemones, Colored/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 FeedingAnemone SystemsAnemone Lighting

All anemones are physically damaged to extents from removal, being moved. Many fatally so. Check prospective purchases carefully for tears in the foot (pedicle) and column.

One of the more egregious sources of damage is the purposeful phony coloring (dye) of anemones...

New Print and eBook on Amazon:  

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

by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Rock Flower Anemone, Phymanthus/Epicystis crucifer hlth.       8/24/18
Hi Crew!
<Hey Danilo>
I purchased a RFA (the orange one in pics) about 10 days ago, and I noticed it wasn’t sticky or eating like my established one. Upon further inspection I saw it’s foot was pinkish with blotchy red, covered with lots of mucous, and appeared to have a small tear. Even worse, some of his mesenterial filaments seem to be protruding from the bottom. ��
<Ah yes; a torn pedal disc; tearing at the base; a common issue w/ especially wild-collected, but includes carelessly extracted captive specimens.>
I was surprised he look so well on his top part especially since I already had him for 9 days at that point! I know that RFAs notoriously die with any foot complications, despite iodine dips, revive baths, etc... Again that’s why I was surprised he even lasted this long.
<Mmm; well... the tearing likely occurred ahead of your acquisition. A note re "cold" vs. "warm" blooded animals; often such damage, loss of health is a while... days, weeks in showing up, compared with mammals, birds....>
Anyway, I didn’t want to just give up, and I also did not want to risk trying methods that have not yielded any solid results, so I am experimenting with Methylene blue. It has been highly effective as a prophylactic bath for my fish and acclaimed as being so safe it could be used even for inverts, so I figured I’d try to give my RFA daily baths.
<Sounds good. As you state, well-worth a try, trialing>
He certainly doesn’t seem to react very negatively to the baths, besides his mouth opening a little upon reentry into the display. I know he must absorb some Methylene blue so I only dip him in a cup of display water with only 2 drops, so hopefully anything expelled into tank isn’t very significant—should I run a Polyfilter while this is going on?
<I'd run the PolyFilter after administering, every few days... for several hours, then remove it and replenish the Methylene Blue; as the resins in this fine product will remove the Methylene Blue>
He’s usually in the bath 5 minutes. I’m on my third day of treatment.
Today his foot was significantly less mucous covered and the degeneration of the foot seems to have at least halted, but it is still pink and I can still see maybe a pencil eraser sized bit of mesenterial filaments—an improvement although still not in the clear. I do the “highly scientific” sniff test to help make sure he’s hanging in there too, as I know it’s a bit early to even make a prognosis.
<Okay; appears alive to me>
Well, I wanted to share in case this proves to be successful. I wasn’t sure if you had any insight in using Methylene blue for RFAs, if I should treat more, or if my efforts may be futile...?
<I do not know; but have read about, used literally gallons of Methylene Blue over decades of time in the trade. Is a very safe, and quite effective general anti- and fungi-cide, bacterio-cide, -static... Is a useful "converter of hemoglobin", even injected into humans at times/places. Look it up.>
It’s a 28g nano, nitrates and phos undetectable (working on raising that), dkh 9.3, cal 415, Mag 1350, temp avg 82, random turbulent flow from my gyre, and spg 1.025. Tank has no chem filtrants but does have a Aquamaxx hob 1.5.
Dani
<Thank you for sharing. Please do keep us informed of your further work, observations.
Bob Fenner>

I'd keep separated

Anemone -?Splitting vs. Dying?; Open foot; Smoking       3/31/16
Bought this anemone on Friday.
<No image attached>
I noticed sand/shell/"squigglies" on the
foot when in the bag, but (embarrassingly) didn't give it much attention.
<Two mis-takes>
He appeared to live happily at his original spot in our tank with minor movement by foot (& some "pooping" - yep, poop - removed from tank & could tell by smell). He was there (with some open mouth during pooping) until
Monday, when we found him somewhat deflated & having floated to the back of the tank. We figured he was just looking for a new home. Seeing as how we didn't want him to decide on the back of the tank, I gently floated him to
another area (closer up front) Monday night. His mouth swelled some occasionally, but then back to normal. Today (Tuesday AM), he was still there but on his side - giving me a better look at his foot. The center appears open to mesentery(?). [Ugh - That's when I realized it'd been there from the beginning - poking between the rocks/sand. If it's an injury, then it happened when the LFS staff pulled him from the tank where he was at the base of LR.]
Here's the real kicker: To make matters worse, later in the day it started expelling smoky poofs... from the hole in it's foot! I got totally spooked & pulled it from the tank. It's in a simple container right now & I'm doing frequent water replacements from the main tank water.
The hole in the foot has "clean" almost-symmetric edging....?? Hm, is this some spawning/splitting thing happening?
<Dying; decomposing>

He's pretty big (at full size:
foot ~2-3" & head/tents ~6"+)... but I have trouble imagining anything good when something's coming out the FOOT instead of the mouth.
Help! Is there a way to save him? Or, is he splitting & I'm fearful out of ignorance of this process? Thanks in advance for ANY insight.
<.... we've seen this over and over. READ here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemhlthf8.htm
"and the linked files above" (sing it like the jingle it is)
>
PS - General parameters good.
pH 8.1; kH 9; Ca 400; T 77F; SG 1.023; NO2 0; NO3 < 2; PO4 = 0.
Fish, crab, snails, corals, etc are all doing well.
Also, LFS said they'd take him back & exchange him,
<IF this is practical; DO SO... ASAP. Will die, dissolve here... be ready to remove, siphon out otherwise>
but they are > 1hr  away. Not an option right now, so I'm trying to treat or care for him as best I can.
​<Oh, here's that pic link>
20160329_202126_001.jpg
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz5uxpU48DXWWUR2ZEVRTERfYVE/view?usp=drive_web>
​​<Don't think I can upload in Cozumel.... but can see... doomed>
20160329_202323.jpg
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz5uxpU48DXWR1ZNZ3dtU1NmZjg/view?usp=drive_web>
20160329_202232.jpg
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz5uxpU48DXWTDhCenNMU09VWk0/view?usp=drive_web>
20160329_202144.jpg
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz5uxpU48DXWU0xzeFFOaW1Cd00/view?usp=drive_web>
20160329_120748.jpg
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz5uxpU48DXWZjZfeW90ZHlxYlE/view?usp=drive_web>
20160329_120801.jpg
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz5uxpU48DXWMlAwOHVFeklCRjQ/view?usp=drive_web>
​<The reading; stat. Bob Fenner>
Re: Anemone -?Splitting vs. Dying?; Open foot; Smoking       4/2/16

Thank you Bob.
He did die late that night as expected.
I appreciate your response.
Take care,
Lori
<Ah Lor; welcome. In my longish life have seen many thousands of large actinarians lost for torn pedicles (along w/ other traumas, mis-placement....). So much so that I've penned/placed a small book re their selection, captive care (on direct to print and e-... svc.s on Amazon.com). Your experience is the usual one. Bob Fenner>

LTA Anemone Growth on base of foot      12/22/14
Hello Everyone At WWM,
<Hey Anthony>
Happy Holidays! I hope this email finds everyone well. I am relatively new to LTA's and have had this purple one for about three weeks now. He wont root,
<I see the reason why... the tear on its basal disc>
and upon further inspection I found this growth
<Mmm; not a growth; actual tissue/mesentery leaking/poking through the torn body wall>
on the bottom of his foot (see attached picture please). In the photo there are a couple of pieces of sand, but the main growth almost looks like an egg sack of sorts. Can you please let me know what this is?
<As above>
I have searched everywhere in the land of Google, and cannot find anything on it. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Also, any tips on how to get this sucker to planted would be awesome too!
All the best,
Anthony
<Mmm... if it's not too late, I'd return this animal (too much chance it will perish from this injury)... if not... possibly triple iodide-ate dosing every three days, feeding with a vitamin et al. prep. applied to the water (e.g. SeaChem's Vitality), small feedings of meaty foods otherwise soaked in the same... and hoping... These tears are VERY common, easily done in the extraction from the wild. See WWM re LTAs period. Bob Fenner>

Re: LTA Anemone Growth on base of foot       12/22/14
Mr. Fenner,
<Mr. Racioppi>
Thank you so much for the quick reply. It is much appreciated and you guys are a such a great resource. Due to my ignorance, and let it be known that I tried to find out on your site before asking this, what is " triple iodide-ate dosing"?
<What hobbyists, lay folk typically call/label "Iodine">
And while I am at it, in my other 29 gallon tank <Hard to keep (alive) large Actinarian species in such small volumes... too
unstable>
I have this LTA for about a month, and today he was acting weird and how is shriveled up. Should I remove him from the tank or is this a normal thing for these guys to do (I have attached two pics of him. He was buried and rooted just fine until
today.
<... not really normal. Again; the reading>
I really wish I knew about this site before I purchased these guys, as it is an awesome source of information. Thank you all for taking the time to put together such a great site.
<Certainly welcome. It is for future friends as yourself that it is designed>
Again I appreciate all of your knowledge and time,
Anthony
<Cheers, BobF>

Green side on bubble tip anemone      12/18/14
Hi,
<Hello Frank>
I have a quick question about a green bubble tip anemone that was sold to me by the lfs.
<Mmmm>
I never seen one with a green base on the outside. It is a bubble tip or something else.
<Could be Entacmaea; but my guess would be on Heteractis magnifica... at any length, this is a poorly specimen from its looks... is the basal disc torn? I'd be returning it pronto>
Enclosed the pic of the chartreuse side. Thank you.
Frank
<Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>

Urgent Anenome problem. News not at 11:00         11/27/13
This morning we woke up to find our purple LTA (Violet) stuck to the front grill of a power head (1500GPH).
<Very common.... (just) search WWM re Anemones, Pumps... disasters>

 After shutting off the power head and lowering her and the power head to the sand bed, we saw part of her pedal had been sucked through a couple slots in the power head grill. Initially, there did not look to be any trauma to her pedal or tentacles although she was no longer "sticky". Her pedal was stuck through the slits and swollen up on the other side with no way to pull her out without damaging her pedal.
After waiting without success for several hours for her to deflate and extract herself, we observed that she was getting less responsive and we needed to do something quickly. We used some snips to carefully cut away the detachable front grill of the power head and was able to free her. We then noticed a shallow (<1/8") tear along the side of her foot about 1/2" long.
We set her on the sand bed and although she looks good physically (besides the tear, she is well inflated), she doesn't seem to be attaching to anything instead, rolling back and forth across the 4' aquarium over everything (LPS corals) on the sand bed. We reduced the flow of the power heads (which are now shielded with stockings!) and cordoned off the right hand side of the tank for her with egg crate and moved the other corals on the sand bed to the other side. Hopefully, you will agree this was a good idea (?). All tank parameters are stable (SG=1.026, pH=8.18, Ca=420, Alk=9, Temp=78.8, N's=0, Po=0).
<... need appreciable Nitrate and Phosphate... see WWM re this also>

She has always been pretty good about keeping put and I believe the reason why she ran in the first place was because the hose in our Kalk/ATO was on the bottom of the bucket (woops.)and probably sucked in some of the residual sediment and blew it into the tank during the nightly dosing. Is this a reasonable explanation?
<Will suffice as such speculations go>
The power heads and ATO have been fixed to prevent issues like this from occurring again. Is there anything in particular we can do to nurse her back to health?
<... reading. Optimized, stable conditions, feeding>

When can we expect her to be back to normal (eating, attached, etc.), assuming she survives?
<Can't tell from here>
Is there anything we need to watch out for physically?
<Dying, dissolving>

Thanks for any suggestions you may have. much appreciated!
Carmela & Tim
<The aforementioned searching, reading. Bob Fenner>

Injured anemone       3/2/13
Last night one of my live rocks shifted and landed on my green long tentacle anemone. I quickly moved the rock once I realized it had happened.
This morning I noticed that the anemone appears to have a tear on its column. Is there any way it can survive this, or is it doomed for death?
<Yes; if it was healthy prior, the water quality is good, stable...>
 Is there anything I can do to help it? Thanks!
<I'd overdose by double a dose of iodide-ate supplement (to the water). See WWM re. Bob Fenner>

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>

Mixing Saltwater Improperly, Damaged Anemone -- 2/01/08 Hi Crew, <Hello Richard, Brenda here!> I thought I would send this word of warning and also a question about a bubble tip anemone. Although relatively new to marine keeping, I like to think that I don't make rookie mistake anymore i.e. anemone vs. powerhead. <If there is a powerhead in the tank, it is a possibility. There is no such thing as an 'anemone safe' powerhead, no matter how well protected.> However, I thought this e-mail might just serve as a warning to others as to how delicate these creatures are and how often we expect them to adapt to our world, time constraints and schedules etc. I have a 1 year-old daughter who occupies quite a bit of my spare time and therefore daddy's other babies (2 clowns and the aforesaid BTA) often take second place and the time I have for them is very limited. <Yikes! This is not ideal for the livestock.> I knew I hadn't done a water change for over 3 weeks and although parameters are good, one of my clowns was not looking too good, so I decided the most non-invasive way to help would be to do a decent (20%) water change. Having quickly mixed the RO water up, I poured it into the tank. I usually pour it next to a powerhead (covered!) so that any slight difference in temp, ph, salinity is quickly dispersed. <These parameters should match before you add to the tank.> However, the anemone lives directly under this powerhead and the last few dribbles of water contained some undissolved salt which gracefully floated down through the water and landed on the anemone, which immediately retracted. <This is not the proper way to mix salt. This is quite damaging to all of your live stock. I recommend letting your salt mix for 24 hours before doing a water change. Making sure the salinity matches the tank, at 1.026, I hope.> I immediately 'fanned' him to make sure there was no remaining undissolved salt on it, but damage done! Although I am sure he will survive, <I am not.> approximately 12 hours later there is still a clear area that either has tissue damage, or is still retracted/deflated. A quick search on Google of "anemone + salt" revealed that some-one in the US has a patent on a mixture of salt and calcium hydroxide for killing 'problem' anemones like Aiptasia! I just thought it worth pointing out to others that something that might seem relatively harmless, a few grains of salt floating in already salty water, is actually probably one of the most harmful ways of damaging an anemone. <It is well known that improperly mixed saltwater will harm livestock.> Finally, the question, if I leave it to recover and maybe give it a few additional feedings, how quickly can anemones recover i.e. weeks or months? Extent of damage is hard to say. Fully extended, it is a good hand sized anemone, well attached and never wanders, no damage to pedal disc, but at the moment I would say 10% of the tentacles are retracted or damaged with small amount of mucus and small amount of tissue showing white 'scarring' around contact point with salt. <This is hard to say. This anemone has suffered a chemical burn. This is severe. Additional feedings alone will not help. You need to keep pristine water conditions. You will likely be able to tell within a week or so if the anemone is improving. Full recovery may take weeks or months. This anemone may also split, and the injured portion may or may not survive. For now, concentrate on better husbandry. Anemones do not like abrupt change. Adding saltwater that is not completely mixed will cause death.> Richard <Brenda>

Anemone with Possible Torn Foot -- 8/20/07 I'm hoping someone can help me here (Tony?). <Hello, Brenda here to help.> I've had this anemone for about 3 or 4 years now. It's been very healthy lately. Over the weekend it started deflating a bit, but it happens now and then. However, today I saw it was really small, and the tentacles were very "flat" and "pulled inside". <What are your water parameters? Has anything changed? Temperature, lighting, etc.> On closer inspection I saw these brown brainy "things" on its foot. It still feels fairly "solid" (not all "snotty" like a dead anemone), but it looks like small parts of the foot is starting to "decompose". Any help? <It looks like the foot has been torn. Did you remove it from a rock or was it floating around the tank? Don't handle the anemone anymore. Keep the water parameters perfect to give it the best chance of recovery. The coloring still looks good, so it appears it was healthy to begin with. Do not try feeding until the anemone has recovered. Brenda>

Possible Torn Anemone -- 8/19/07 <Hello, Brenda here to help!> I have a rose bubble tip anemone and I lifted the rock he was under but half of him was connected to it and it looked like it pulled him away a little. <Ouch!!> I'm not sure if I did something wrong but I laid it back down when I saw what I did. <Yes, you did something wrong. However, it is not likely fatal if the anemone was in good health to begin with. When you say the anemone was 'under' the rock, are you saying it was hiding and not getting any light?> I lifted the rock slow but when I could see him I noticed the small part pull away. Help me please. My finance will kill me if he dies. He is a week old. <I have to confess! I have done something similar! I have also witnessed another crew member/friend do the same. You may have torn the foot. Don't try moving the anemone anymore. Keep your water parameters perfect! The anemone may end up splitting, giving you two. Many anemones have survived going through unprotected powerheads. You should know in a day or two if the anemone is going to split. Do not try feeding the anemone for a few days. If it does splits, wait a week to 10 days to give the mouth time to heal before feeding. I hope this helps! I'll keep my fingers crossed! Let me know if you have any more questions. Brenda>
Re: Help! Bleached Sebae Anemone, - 7/4/07 7/6/07
We have an 80 Gallon tank that we have had for about 2 months. This was a tank that was already established, as it was given to us by a family member and had been going for a couple of years. It has approximately 60 lbs. of sand and 80-100 lbs. of rock. The light is a T5 with four bulbs that we have had for approximately 1 month. <My guess is that this is not enough lighting for this anemone, but I would need to know how many watts these bulbs are, and their 'K' value. Please read through the FAQs regarding T-5 lighting for a better understanding. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/T5fluorFAQs.htm > We have 23 snails, 35 crabs, 2 starfish, 3 ocellaris clownfish, 1 sebae clownfish, 2 domino damsels, 2 blue and green Chromis, 3 yellow tailed damsels, 2 four stripe damsels, 1 spotted mandarin goby, <You are overstocked for 80 gallon tank. It is also too many crabs in my opinion. Crabs have been known to be predators.> 1 peppermint shrimp, 2 polyps, a sea slug, and a rock anemone. <I don't recommend mixing species of anemones. There will likely be chemical warfare between the two.> Our water looks like this PH 8.2, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0.2, Nitrate 10, Alkalinity DKH 7, Salinity 2.0-2.3. <Are you using a protein skimmer? Your Nitrites and Nitrates need to be zero. I'm not sure you are measuring your Salinity correctly. Salinity for anemones is best kept at 1.026. Here is a link for a better understanding: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spg_salinity.htm At this point I recommend returning the anemone, or finding someone local to care for it until you have a better understanding of its care and a better understanding of your new aquarium. Brenda>

BTA, Maroon Clown... tank size, lighting...? No useful info.   9/4/06 Hello, <Hi there> I am fairly new to saltwater aquariums and have had nothing but great luck so far.  My tank cycled very well with surprising responsiveness to lowering nitrite and ammonia.  I added 1 damsel after the cycle process to make sure I could care for it.  Well that was easy.  So I added a maroon clown which had an Anemone with it.  They are wonderful together.  Full of activity and action.  I have had no problems with feeding and my clown is going right to his host when it opens.  They shared a very good relationship.  So I was a little concerned to find my Anemone in a cave. <...?> It is the same cave the clownfish rests in so I thought it was just after its friend. <Ah, no> The next morning I moved him <Wouldn't do this> on the rock he sat back into the light.  The clownfish swam around and ate as normal and within an hour the anemone was right back into the cave.  Strange thing now is it is upside down clinging to the cave ceiling. <Leave it... "it's telling you something"...> The clown still approaches it and rolls around in it for a while but I am still a little confused about the unusual location my Bubbletip has chosen to rest.  I thought they liked light. <In time...> I am thinking that flow may play a part.  Either it is too soft or too hard. <Maybe...> I am turning the tank over about 11 times an hour.  A little high? <Should be fine... unless all of the flow is too directed...> One other question.  In the future I would like to add one or two fish to the tank but I am definitely concerned about the maroon clown dominating the tank and not allowing this. <You are wise here> I was just thinking of a goby, blenny or a wrasse. <Should have been placed first...> I don't want to stock a lot of fish as I really enjoy watching the inverts and plan to add a nice pack of coral in a year or two.  Thanks for any help in advance.  Hope my anemone is OK.  I just love that thing to death.  A truly amazing animal. John Davis <Ah, yes... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/maroonclnart.htm and here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm and the linked files above. You need knowledge... we've got it to share. Bob Fenner>
More on BTA, Maroon... the former badly bleached...  and the pedicle torn! 9/4/06 Hi, <Hello again> I just wrote an email concerning my topsy turvy bubble tip.  I decided to email a few pictures in case that may help. <Good, they do> One shows the bubble tip hosting the clown while upside down.  Currently the anemone is closed but it opens regularly.  Just weird to me.  Hope the photos help.  Maybe someone there will like them. Thanks again guys! John <... this Entacmaea is badly bleached (sans endosymbiotic zooxanthellae)... out of the light for good reason... See the previous reference... read re their Selection, Health, Systems... Need... to feed, hope that this animal can/will recover, reincorporate photosynthate symbionts. Bob Fenner>
Re: Follow-up on upside down anemone   9/4/06 Hello again! <John> This morning I got your email and became very concerned. <You should be... in looking at your pix, there is another dire issue... the pedicle of this specimen is torn...>   After reading the information in the links I am worried my lighting is way off.  I have a 29 gallon tank with an Eclipse 3 hood.  I have installed a 50/50 daylight bulb and an 18K actinic blue.  Is this intense enough for my anemone? <... no> I did not bother the anemone at all this weekend and just carefully observed it by peaking around the rock on occasion.  This morning it is emerging from the cave a little.  Still not in plain site but it is at least moving out of the cave.  His tentacles are stretched out quite a bit right now and they are a neon green.  It looks like the same color as when I bought him.  Could have been such a gradual change I did not notice.  Anyways.  I really appreciate all the help and the links.  Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions.  You're awesome! John <... you need to read... and investigate before purchasing... BobF>

My anemone is BURNED!! SW supp.s   6/13/06 Hey I have sent this once already and I didn't get a response so I re-sent it, <Thank you... We have ongoing issues with our webmail... Arggghhh> I absolutely adore your website.... Since I am a newbie I need all of the opinions I can get, and I trust your teams opinions the most. I have a purple LTA and when I was adding a diluted portion of Seachem Marine Buffer to raise the PH level to 8.3 <... best to do this through your water changes... not directly into the main/display tank> some of the solution got on my anemone. A small portion of her lower tentacles now look as if they have been burned, they are small and shriveled, and bleached. Will these tentacles regenerate themselves? Lorri Thanos <Can if not too badly damaged... Do add such supplements to your pre-made saltwater for use during change-outs. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Freak Anemone Accident 10/30/05 I've searched and looked, for hours, for a situation similar to mine without success. I hope that this is not a repeat question so that the information might be helpful to others besides myself. I have a bubble tip anemone that has been doing fantastic for 5 months. I feed it fresh, meaty foods twice weekly. I has doubled in size since I acquired it and is very beautiful. <Sounds good thus far> Now for the problem. 2 days ago, while doing regular maintenance, a rather large piece of salt creep fell into the tank from the protein skimmer (hangs on back of the tank) and fell right into the center of the anemone, causing it to close very quickly taking the salt inside. <Man! Have gotten a bit of this sort of crust into my eye at times... Sting City!> It hasn't opened since and has ejected all of it's stomach contents, which I removed to keep from fouling the tank. <Good> What little I can see of him near the center seems to be badly scarred, similar to what a chemical burn might look like. I have not been able to see it's mouth at all. The arms are sticking up and are inflated, but the animal is not opening up. Can salt that has not dissolved kill this animal, or is this something it should recover from? <Will likely recover in time... a few to several days, weeks> Thanks in advance for any wisdom you can offer and thanks for a fantastic resource. Perry <A pleasure to share. Bob Fenner>

Using WWM, anemone health, systems 8/13/05 I have a purple tip anemone and he has done just fine until now. I put in 3 ½ gallons of fresh water in my 29 gal. tank. I forgot to add salt. <!> The anemone looked like he was losing oil into the tank and put his tentacles in his mouth as he moved deep into a rock.  I took the water back out and added some salt. I then put the water back in the tank and checked the salt level. The salt level was still a little low. What signs do I look for if I feel my anemone may be dying?  Thank you Debbie <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm and the linked files above... Don't write... read. Bob Fenner>

Anemone Troubles 7/28/05 Hi guys <Hey, Mike G with you this evening.> I have taken command of my little brothers Jewel Rio 180 marine set up whilst he travels for a year and although he gave me step by step instructions I need your help please <And I'm glad to give it.> I have a white carpet anemone <"White" and "Anemone" really don't belong in the same sentence. Bleaching comes immediately to mind.> which he has had from day one (3 ? years) I have been looking after this tank for nearly three weeks now and she is gorgeous and I hand feed her mussels which she enjoys. <If it is, indeed, bleached, the mussels may very well be the only thing allowing her to continue living.> Yesterday I carried out my first water change of approximately 20% after finding that my readings were as follows PH - 7.8 <A bit low. Aim for 8.2, 8.4> ammonia - 0.25ppm <A bit high. Aim for no more than 0> NO2 - 0.25ppm <See above. Should be 0> but the big one was NO3 - 160ppm which was off the scale. <Very high, though you've got that figured out.> I got told 20% 2 weekly is the norm is this correct (question 1)? <Depends on the aquarist. Everyone does things differently, though 20% every two weeks sounds good to me.> Although all fish and anemones appeared fine in the tank before the water change. <Alright.> So I got my self some pre salted RO water from my local shop <Same brand of salt as your brother used in his tank? Same salinity?> set it up to an air stone for 24 hours and heated it up to the tank temperature I then begin the change of 20% of the water which appeared to go well for my first time. <Good to hear.> After it was done I then took the readings again and to my shock nothing had really changed the PH was still low 7.8 and my NO3 was still way over 160ppm <If it was off the charts before, there's no telling how high it was. It could have been at 500, and you reduced it to 161, in which case you'd still get the same reading.> How can I get these down (question 2)? <Do what you've been doing. Water changes, lighter feedings...> Secondly I bought some proper ph 8.2 and added just 2 scoops directly to my 180 litre tank to try and get the ph level up to what all sites tell me it should be. <"Proper pH" and other such pH buffers are, in my experience, nothing but problematic. When they "wear off," your water will go back to 7.8, and the jump up then back down will stress your inhabitants unnecessarily. Using Kalkwasser or other such additives commonly administered to reef aquaria can prove invaluable in situations such as these.> After I had done this my carpet shriveled up into a tiny ball as if to say no I was fine as I was, albeit now 2 hours after my heart stopped beating thinking that I may have killed my cutest little new found friend she appears again to be opening up very slightly. <Anemones tend to do a water change within their column from time to time, and will deflate completely periodically or when under stress. Unless it stays like this for a prolonged period of time, I'd not worry myself if I were you.> Is this normal during a water change that she will get the hump with me (question 3)? <See above.> As if I loose her it's the hose pipe and car exhaust fumes for me as I love feeding her? <I don't quite understand what you're saying here, though if it is white, I'd say feeding would be a good thing.> My final question is I also bought another anemone <With brother's consent?> the other weekend which is a brown anemone with brown tentacles with green ends that appear to have holes in them <Hard to guess the species.> as I could not resist her for my 2 clowns and on the say so of my local aquatic shop. On getting her home we set her up and put her in the corner of the tank, the next morning my dad screamed she is next to the carpet <When newly introduced, uncomfortable, or stressed, anemones will roam around the tank looking for a more suitable location.> so I dived in and moved her and since then she will not really take to anywhere and looks like she does not want to take refuge on the glass, sand or rock and will not really show her mouth for feeding and looks like her feet are damaged. <They are quite strong. Perhaps you tore the foot when you moved it?> So do you think she is in big trouble <A tear in the foot is usually a problem.> and how can I encourage her to settle (question 4)? <Provide it with a place it likes, and it'll take to it.> I thank you for your time and look forward to your answers at this difficult time <Not a problem. Good luck with your new anemone!> Gary from London <Mike G>

Anemone's dying from some green stuff Hello Again Crew, << Blundell here. >> Back for more advice. About 4 months ago I had purchased 2 LTA for my clowns. The reason I had bought them is The person I had got the clowns from were in a anemone. I know they do not need the anenomes to survive, however Because they were use to the anemone the previous owner had, They were going into my corals and Damaging them. The anenomes were doing great, water parameters were excellent. I was feeding them chopped up shrimp, Live food and all the other foods . They were always full and open. 3 days ago 1 of them turned over and it had a lot of funny growth and stuff on the toe. The gunk was like green bunches of something I never saw and some white swirl corkscrew shaped stuff. It was literally coming out of the toe. It died 2 days later. A day from that one getting it, The second one had started to get the same thing, It to perished a few days later. Do you know what this could be? << No idea, but it doesn't sound good. >> I did not have a camera to take a picture so I know It is tough to say. One more question. On the other side of this 8 ft. tank is a Malu Sebae, It now has moved to the same corner the LTA were at. Will this anemone die from the same thing. << Doubtful, but I'd still make sure it has plenty of water flow and light.  I also wouldn't feed it directly right now. >> Right now it is doing good, the clowns are now in it, These clowns will go in anything, They were in my frog Spawn until they saw the Sebae. I asked the local fish store what this could be and they looked stumped and stated it could have been Bad anenomes to start with. << Possible. >> I didn't have the heart to tell them I got them from him. When I purchased them, I checked the toe for color, and tears, and the mouths were tight and closed. I did notice the corner all the anenomes seem too favor has thousands of Copepods crawling around, I don't know if they can damage the anenomes or not. << I would doubt it. >> Thank you in advance for your help, << The big question is... is it something in the tank that they are consuming, or is it a problem with something in the water affecting them?  Unfortunately I don't you'll find out, and will just have to count this as a loss and try again in several months. >> Scott <<  Blundell  >> <Damaged in collection likely... Doomed. B>

BTA Tear on Foot Bob & Crew, <John> John here. I've got a quick question for you today.  I received a BTA from a distributor that I've had good success with in the past.  The BTA is a great specimen except upon further inspection when I held up the shipping bag I found there to be a significant tear directly in the middle of it's foot. <Very common... hard to remove in the wild>   From what I've heard, my impression is that the outlook is pretty grim.  I've attached a picture. <Not good>   Some "matter" was floating in the bag & I did see a little bit come out from the wound when transferring him from the bag after acclimation.  I made the tough call to put him straight into the display.  I feared the additional move out of QT (hopefully alive) wouldn't be beneficial to the tender foot. <... better than the havoc that this specimen dying, dissolving may have in your main tank...> I also thought that if he went south in the 20g QT he might take my Flame Angel with him.  I figured if I kept a close eye on him & having the extra volume of my display system (180g) I could absorb any decline better than the QT if he started to go. <Maybe> The lighting would be better in the display too.  Good call or bad, it's the one I made at the time with the thought being to give him the best shot at living.  He did inflate fairly quickly (15m after introduction), displayed bulb tips & attach in a crack between 2 pieces of LR.  However, he did deflate some and re-inflate throughout the afternoon.  Probably fairly normal after being in a bag the previous 18 hours. <Yes>   What did concern me was that he did disconnect from the rock and arch the foot up for about 15m this evening.  I could see the wound again at that point - it looked the same. Any suggestions on how best to help this BTA? <Hope, keep your eye on it, don't move the animal...> Is it possible that the shipping caused stress to induce a split, as in propagate? <Not with this sort of injury, no>   I doubt it, but that would be the best solution.  I have a RBTA for over a year now, although he has increased his size & color since I've had him, he's never split, so I don't know where they start the process. <Can be schizogynous, just a piece of the disc separating... or entire, as across the mouth...> Just looking to give him the best care possible.  Could something as crazy as manually propagating him be a solution? <Not a good idea... with the animal in the present condition it would almost certainly expire> I believe Anthony talked about doing it to a RBTA, be it a healthy one though. (See attached file: BTA Damaged Foot1.JPG) Thanks, John <Mmm, Antoine is unfortunately presently "out" (giving some pitches in S. Cal. I believe. Will put this in his in-box for his input a few days hence. Bob Fenner>

BTA Tear on Foot - Anthony's turn 8/26/04 Bob & Crew, <John> <<Anthony here in double carrots>> John here. I've got a quick question for you today.  I received a BTA from a distributor that I've had good success with in the past.  The BTA is a great specimen except upon further inspection when I held up the shipping bag I found there to be a significant tear directly in the middle of it's foot. <Very common... hard to remove in the wild> <<and savvy resellers keep anemones in plastic carpet (like outdoor turf) lined tanks for safe and easy removal - retailers do consider this tip if not doing it already>> From what I've heard, my impression is that the outlook is pretty grim.  I've attached a picture. <Not good> Some "matter" was floating in the bag & I did see a little bit come out from the wound when transferring him from the bag after acclimation.  I made the tough call to put him straight into the display.   <<Yikes... a scary/bad call here, mate>> I feared the additional move out of QT (hopefully alive) wouldn't be beneficial to the tender foot. <... better than the havoc that this specimen dying, dissolving may have in your main tank...> <<wow... very much agreed with Bob here. QT is critical for such/so many reasons>> I also thought that if he went south in the 20g QT he might take my Flame Angel with him.  I figured if I kept a close eye on him & having the extra volume of my display system (180g) I could absorb any decline better than the QT if he started to go. <Maybe> The lighting would be better in the display too.  Good call or bad, it's the one I made at the time with the thought being to give him the best shot at living.   <<you have underestimated the need for lighting in QT (it is low) for new/stressed corals and anemones that really just need a safe, quiet place to settle in and can easily be compensated for with feeding. And spare the risk of death and disease to display animals otherwise>> He did inflate fairly quickly (15m after introduction), displayed bulb tips & attach in a crack between 2 pieces of LR.  However, he did deflate some and re-inflate throughout the afternoon.  Probably fairly normal after being in a bag the previous 18 hours. <Yes> What did concern me was that he did disconnect from the rock and arch the foot up for about 15m this evening.  I could see the wound again at that point - it looked the same. Any suggestions on how best to help this BTA? <Hope, keep your eye on it, don't move the animal...> <<ditto... DO NOT move stressed animals>> Is it possible that the shipping caused stress to induce a split, as in propagate? <Not with this sort of injury, no> I doubt it, but that would be the best solution.  I have a RBTA for over a year now, although he has increased his size & color since I've had him, he's never split, so I don't know where they start the process. <Can be schizogynous, just a piece of the disc separating... or entire, as across the mouth...> Just looking to give him the best care possible.  Could something as crazy as manually propagating him be a solution? <Not a good idea... with the animal in the present condition it would almost certainly expire> <<agreed - no cutting of the stressed animal>> I believe Anthony talked about doing it to a RBTA, be it a healthy one though. <<true... its as easy as simply cutting a healthy and established BTA in half - quite successful>> (See attached file: BTA Damaged Foot1.JPG) Thanks, John <Mmm, Antoine is unfortunately presently "out" (giving some pitches in S. Cal. I believe. Will put this in his in-box for his input a few days hence. Bob Fenner> <<back from Cali and a wonderful time with the SoCal club and Scott and Nadine/MASLAC Los Angeles friends. Kind regards to all, Anthony>>
Thanks! - Advice for BTA Tear on Foot Bob & Anthony, <John> Thanks so much for the advice from both of you on the BTA that I received with the foot tear.  He still seems to be doing very well - around 10 days now.   <Ah, very good news> He's stayed in the same spot  since day 1 with no wandering and I've never seen his foot again.  I certainly won't be doing anything to get a better look at the injury.  How long do you think it will be before he's fully healed and clear of any infections to the injury? <Perhaps a few weeks to months> He looks great, but I still worry in the back of my mind about the tear. Thanks again, John <Bob Fenner>

BTA CLOSED UP 2/6/03 I have had this BTA for a couple of months. It is attached to a piece of coral. It exists with a percula in it. Yesterday while performing a 20% water change a small piece of evaporated salt fell into the BTA. Since then it immediately closed up and has stayed this way. I realize it cannot eat like this. <indeed... just irritated> I also understand if it dies it will detach and float. <not correct necessarily. May just sink and stink> Is there anything to do other than wait?? <for the time past now... the damage, if any, is done> It is closed up tight like a fist. Thanks Paul <Paul... please do browse our wetwebmedia.com archives specifically for the FAQs (many pages here) just on BTAs. I suspect that you would learn a lot and perhaps be surprised about its needs, reproductive tendencies, feeding requirements, and the irritation from that clownfish. Anthony>

Bubble anemone What's wrong? Hiya Bob & Crew.  I recently purchased a Bubbletip anemone for my 26G tank.  My tank is fully cycled w/ NO3 5-10ppm. Also includes 35lbs cured LR, 40lbs live aragonite reef fine reef sand, SeaClone 100 and an Emperor280 filter w/ lighting 130W(10K&Actinic) Aqualight Coralife.  Tank currently have only the BTA( about 3-4inch), a coral banded shrimp, and a scooter blenny.  I had my BTA for 1 week, all was fine and seems to be expanding and then yesterday it produced some slime underneath its body <<Torn, damaged. B>> so I moved him to another corner.  Now it shrank to about 1-2inches. What's going on?? < do not move him around he will move on his own. he is expelling the water in him (which is normal) anemones can do this on a reg basis.  He was fine during the day and night the first week.  Feed him 2x a week w/ Micro-Vite and sometimes frozen Brine Shrimp. <you are feeding the wrong kind of food try some cocktail shrimp  (make sure is not cooked) break it up into pieces, the anemone can ingest. I have a rose anemone that is bigger than a football and I feed him 2 whole cocktail shrimp a week>  Also my coral band shrimp seems to be hiding 24/7.  Will this guy ever come out to eat?? <he is eating the food that the fish miss that makes it's way to the back .They are scavengers> How do I get him to come out? < they are nocturnal so it will be difficult> Is my lighting too bright? <NO>  My scooter blenny is not doing his job on the algae. <Scooter blennies do not feed on algae they ar more like a mandarin. try a lawnmower blenny he will take care of all of it> This stink! All I wanted was a tank w/ 2clowns and an anemone.  Any advice??? <hang in there you were given some misdirection hope this helps Mike H.>   

Ritteri Anemone Hello Mr. Fenner, <James here for Bob> I addressed this to you because my wife wrote you a while back ago about a Ritteri we purchased. It is still alive and of course did okay for awhile. The anemone is in a 29 gal with 2 Maroon clowns at this time. I am putting finishing touches on my 300  gal. (Let it cycle). I change water every week. Parameters are fine. There is 130 watt P.C. on it right now. It has attached to the side of the tank (Which I know this is normal) but it never did climb to the top like they do. It stayed in the main flow of the pump which is about 400gph. When purchased, it Had a good looking toe. No rips or tears or signs of healing from tears. When purchased It was on a flat rock. I wouldn't take it with out it. The mouth was tight and closed, no gaping. The mouth is still in great shape. I tried feeding it , it eats once in awhile for me, but the clowns spit Mysis, nd Spirulina flakes in the middle. It closes up and digests and then opens up. Now here is the problem, The toe started to turn whitish, on the part that sticks to the glass. Then it got concave like ( In the middle it is detached from the glass, but the ends are still attached to glass). The past dew days it has not fully opened and falls almost all the way off the glass. (Here is the funny part- not so funny) At night 30 minutes after the main lights are out, moon lights on, it re- attaches to the glass all the way. It stays there until the main lights go back on during the day time. It is almost like the light is too much for it, I did not think that was possible. Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20. I do add Iodine,<you need to test for levels of iodine.  Too much can be harmful.  It is hard to know how much of this the animals absorb.> Vitamins (To water) and Iodide. I have a sump rated for 180 gal. and a protein skimmer. I do notice the Maroon clowns, especially the female, really is very rough with it, but boy you stick your hand in there for cleaning and forget it. She broke my plastic spoon, and before she laid eggs last month she re-arranged the tank moving rocks 3x her size. I called my local fish store and they have no clue. They told me when it dies they could get me another one. That's a real great response!, how does that help this one. Anyway do you have any suggestions, I have never seen a anemone act like this. <I do think your lighting is borderline for this anemone.  They do require strong lighting and water motion.  They generally do poorly in the home aquarium but with care and proper conditions some have lived for years.  What I would start doing is a 10% water change with an enriched salt mix such as Reef Crystals, make sure that iodine level is safe and keep the light on for 12 hours per day.  Cut out direct feedings for a while since it sounds like the clowns are giving it enough.  The anemone does provide a great deal of it's own food by photosynthesis providing the lighting is intense enough.  What type of filtering are you using?  James (Salty Dog)> Thanks, Scott
Confused about Ritteri Anemone
Thanks for Answering James, The filter is just a standard sump with a Euro-Reef Skimmer. I think this anemone has had it though. I came home from work, it was off the tank and on a rock. It 's toe was still sticky, and stays stuck, it does not smell but the mouth is wide open and gaping with a look that is starting to crumble. I do not thing it is going to last long though. <Scott, you need to get it out of the tank before it does die or you will have a mess my friend.  Good luck.  James (Salty Dog) Scott
Ritteri Anemone Trouble
Yes I was feeding it 3 times a week, The lights were new, 1 Antic. I pulled it out the mouth was did not look good and it was fouling the tank. It was Gone and nothing I could do. I just do not know what happened to it. I do use a protein skimmer and getting good stuff out of it. and in All my tanks I faithfully do 20% a week, including my 180, and my 300. I haven't missed a water change in 2 years. I always add my supplements. The food was Chopped up krill, with chopped silversides and other mix. Thanks for your help, but I do not think it was meant to be. The Maroons look lost. I think they were wild caught. I have had them a year. they lay eggs, they hatched a few times but did not live. I just do know what kind of anemone to get them anymore. I had a nice bubble tip In there with them, but It was too small. They beat the heck out of it, It almost died but I moved it to another tank and it is doing really well. The problem is the female is about 7" and very aggressive and protective of her anemone. I barely could stick my hands in the tank to clean it. Thank you for your time.<Hello Mr. Zielgler.  One thing to keep in mind.  Anemones are not easy to keep.  First of all, they don't ship well and that adds to problems from the start.  You must have done your homework on anemone/clown relationship since the Ritteri is the anemone of choice for the Maroon Clown with the bubble tip being second and long tentacle anemone (Macrodactyla doreensis) being runner up. The use of metal halide lighting is preferable for the ritteri.  PC lighting is acceptable for the bubble tip providing your tank is not deep. You certainly are doing things right but you are just experiencing what many of us have and that is realizing most anemones can't be kept in a closed system for any long term duration. Every now and then a lucky aquarist will get one that does exceptionally well under proper conditions. James (Salty Dog) Scott

Ritteri blues Good Morning, <hello> I have a 50 Gal. tank that is 36"L X 18"W X 20"D, with 2 175 Watt Metal Halides and 2 65 Watt power compact actinic blue lights. My tank is completely cycled for almost a year now, and my water quality is exceptional ( I do a 30% water change every two weeks, sometimes more often), and I have a motion full tank with alternating wave action.  My question is I have purchased a 8"-9" Ritteri Magnifica about 6 weeks ago, I did the acclimation properly for a week, and he was in good health when I bought him. For about the lst 4 weeks he deflates himself for several hours a day several times a day ( at no specific time period for any amount of time) and he looks like a blob, but he isn't deteriorating, and then reinflates himself for several hours again.  I filter feed him only twice a week, and he is hosting a percula clown, he hasn't moved since the first day he was in my tank so I don't know if he is happy or not.  I also have a carpet anemone in my tank, but he is all the way in the other corner of my tank, and he hasn't moved for 6 months.  I am beginning to wonder if I am pushing to much light or not enough, could you help me please. < no you are not pushing too much light. This is most of the time normal. they expel water and take in new. this is one of the most hardest anemones to keep. the best way I have found to keep them is by making a raised platform near the top of the surface and place them there. turn off pumps for 10 minutes and he will stick if healthy). they love light and also love to get hit with a lot of random current. you should also try feeding him cocktail shrimp uncooked). Last it could be the clown is harming the anemone. If the anemone is small and the clown is big it can damage the anemone. the anemone should be at least 5 times the size of the clown. hope good luck Mike H> Thanks,   Michael C. Arnold
Re: Questions about my Ritteri
Thank You for your response, <welcome> I have a wave maker in my aquarium that is set on rolling action.  My clown is about 1" in length and my Ritteri is about 8"-9", so I doubt it is the clown <I doubt it too> Should I keep my lights on little longer, right now they are on 10 hours a day? <10 hours a day is good I would not go any longer than that Mike H> Thanks,

Deadly Transgressions - Death of an Anemone  >Hello,  >>Hello.  >I've had a beautiful rose bubble time anemone for a while now. About a week ago, it decided to up and move for no apparent reason (and I say apparent because I know there had to be a reason).  >>In its own anemone way, yes, there had to be a "reason", the only (philosophical) question remaining was it "reasoned" or reaction?  >Anyway, when he moved he got caught in the powerhead, but I was able to get him out in less than an hour from when he became stuck.  >>They are often wont to do this, and a means of guarding powerhead intakes is your best means of preventing fatal injury. However, they are known to survive if conditions are met.  >Sadly, there was a small tear near the edge of his body. I had read on your site that a dying anemone looks like a melting ice cream cone, and my anemone looked fine and inflated for the next few days. However, he was moving every evening and tended to end up near my hammer corals most of the time.  >>Hmm.. wouldn't be surprised if the hammer would send out sweepers in response. This may have been an indication of need for different water flow/velocity, lighting, or direct feedings. Something tells me we may never know.  >I thought he'd want to get away from stinging corals, so I don't know what he was doing. Just last night though I noticed that the tear had gotten bigger and he had deflated a little. At midnight I decided that he was probably going to die, so I started to rub his feet to get him off the rock.  >>Huh?  >His response was to inflate again and curl the edges of his body up as a response to my touching him. Because of this behavior I thought that maybe he would live. I was wrong. Six hours later I woke up to check on him, and it was as if someone taken the anemone out of the tank, put it in a blender and then poured it back in.  >>Definitely dead. Know that in most cases, if you're going to remove an anemone, go all the way with it, as even if it were going to survive, being removed from rock is quite stressful and easily enough to put it over the edge.  >The water was very cloudy and the fish looked miserable.  >>Oh, I bet.  >I immediately did a 25% water change and my Remora Pro has overflowed the collection cup twice in the past 8 hours after being emptied with very watery skimmate.  >>25% is hardly sufficient, you need to do a MAJOR water change, 75%-100% (yes, you read right).  >I also threw on a Penguin 330 with a ton of carbon. I am tempted to do another  25% water change right now because my fish and other corals look miserable.  >>Of course they do, but you've really got to make it as close to a full change as possible.  >How often should I be changing the water until it clears up?  >>You just answered your own question: till it clears up. If you do 100% one day, and come back the next and your organisms still look that bad, you'll need to do another one. If you can't do a full w/c, then you're going to have to do dailies till you've come close, but know that these 25% changes are not doing much at all to help here.  >Should I scour the tank looking for his remains to pull them out? It literally looks like he swallowed a grenade before it blew up.  >>No, doing a full change via vacuum should be pulling up most of the remains.  >I have attached a picture of the anemone that was taken 48 hours ago. It seemed so healthy. I have since read on your site that mixing anemones with corals is a bad idea, so I will not be getting another one. Nemo will just have to learn to live to be homeless.  >>Nemo will do just fine sans anemone, but it really is too bad.  >On a side note - Can you recommend a brand of chlorine remover that does not produce microbubbles when used with a skimmer?  >>I say go on the cheap, Google "sodium thiosulfate" and get it by the 5lb-10lb bucket! Can't say whether or not it'll mess up *your* skimmer, but it's caused no problems in the set ups I've used it with (never directly into the system, though).  >Thanks so much for the great site!! Justin  >>Very sorry to read of your experience, Justin. Do those w/c's and all should be well. Marina

Deadly Transgressions - Death of an Anemone, part Deux  >Thank you for the advice!  >>Very welcome, Justin.  >It's been about 24 hours since my anemone died, and the water changes saved the rest of the fish and corals.  >>Thus the mantra, "When in doubt, Do a Water Change!"  >I was worried about my Nemo (Ocellaris Clown) being homeless, and apparently so was he. Now that the anemone is gone, he has taken to my Alveopora, flowerpot coral.  >They have certainly been known to host stranger things.  >Is this a healthy or acceptable relationship?  >>As long as the coral doesn't object, sure. One thing, does the clown always have that "shedding skin" look on him? If so, it may be no big deal, and I know you didn't ask, but when I see a fish looking like that (two pix now) to me it's an indicator of a problem. Just curious how he's doing.  >If not, what can I do to keep one or both of the animals from being harmed?  >>Not much unless you remove one or the other (physical separation). Nice looking Alveopora, though.  >Thanks, Justin  >>Glad to be of help. Marina

Carpet Anemone Hi guys and gals, <Hello Kim. How are you doing? What did you think of MACNA?> Yesterday morning I woke to find that my carpet had been slightly sucked onto/into my pump (talk about instant caffeine)! <Ugh!> You are probably wondering why this happened and where was my sponge guard? Well this pump (used to be a return pump that wasn't working hard enough) was in the top portion (not secured well enough I now gather) of my tank and has (had) a slotted cover that pretty much helped in protecting my fish, but unfortunately while I was sleeping my pump fell to the bottom of the tank. <This happens fairly often. One of the reasons why Anthony and, more and more, I hate powerheads in tanks. Excess heat, possibly killing invertebrates that climb too close to unprotected intakes, occasionally falling down from suction cups that don't stick and blowing sand all over the place, and even more possible problems that I cannot think of right now.> This wouldn't have been a problem if my carpet hadn't decide to move into the same area the night the pump fell. <Murphy's Law> Luckily this guy has a lot of mass so the part that got stuck didn't get far and the main body of the anemone wasn't harmed. He's a fighter! The pump is no longer in use until I can adapt a sponge to it and get a better secure spot for it. I know this event can be pretty traumatic even if they aren't chopped up by an impeller, but it seems to be recovering really well. He is opening up back to original size <A very good sign> and the clowns seem to be trying to nurse it back to health. So anyway, last night I noticed a milky, white substance (it looked like milk) flowing out of the mouth of the anemone for about 30 minutes, which was fluttered away by the clown. I was concerned that this was a delayed reaction to the night before, possibly some toxins or waste, but when I woke this morning, everything was fine in the tank (meaning no fish or inverts were dying of apparent ammonia or toxin poisoning, let alone there was no cloudiness or visual signs of trouble. So, I was wondering what you might think this was? <I do not really know. It almost sounds like a reproductive event, but not likely.> I don't recall ever seeing this happen before, but then again, it happened for such a short while that it is possible I have never noticed before. Was this just a way to remove waste, or a reaction to the stress? <It could be either or an unrelated event.> Also, is there anything care-wise that I can do to aid in the carpet's rehabilitation aside from water changes? <I would feed a little heavier, but nothing too large. I would also use some iodine. Dose as per manufacturer's recommendations.> Food? Lighting change, or lack there of? <I would maintain stability, that would include lighting.> Thanks, Kim <Good luck! -Steven Pro>

Carpet Anemone emergency!!! Hi all!! <cheers> I think the underside of its foot has split open.   <unusual and does not occur spontaneously. If it hasn't moved or been moved lately (2 weeks) then look for a predator (like a crab, nipping dwarf angel of puffer, etc)> I had noticed it move behind some rocks recently and today I tried to see if it was okay and possibly move it to a different area.  Well when I was feeling around, I hadn't tried to move it yet, it seemed as though I was feeling inside it.  I carefully detached it from the bottom and it looked like its inside are coming out the bottom!!   <indeed... mesenterial filaments in defense perhaps. Worse... organ tissue> There is a slime coat that it usually has when has just expelled food from eating or where it attaches at the base, but this looks different.  It reminds me of a dying anemone after it has been sucked in a power head.   <another possibility here is that it was fed food that was too large. Many aquarists make this mistake with whole pieces of shrimp, krill or silversides (fish). Although the animal stings it and draws it in... that doesn't mean that it is appropriate, safe or even smart. Tears occur attempting to digest a whole chunk of food that would never make its way through a water column of fishes on a wild reef naturally. The rule is finely minced foods: 1/4 or smaller ideally> I moved him to corner where I can keep an eye, but I am getting nervous.  Any suggestions.  I don't know what could have caused this since it was moving while still attached under the sand bed. <no worries for now my friend... they can heal rather quickly, sometimes they will propagate (split)... but know that they rot quickly (24 hours for lack of skeletal mass)... and so... no matter how bad it looks, don't give up unless you see it become necrotic at which point remove it immediately. Maintain good water quality and very small feedings in the meantime> Please help, Kim <best regards, Anthony>
Carpet Anemone emergency!!!
So, if it doesn't become necrotic within, ...let's say 48 hours, then I should be somewhat in the "clear"??   <without a guarantee, we can say that after 48 hours... an injured anemone with integrity is in a very hopeful/good position. Most would succumb within that time if they were going to> What I mean is, maybe it is healing if a tear or wound is the case?   <yes... agreed> This morning it has swelled up to it's normal size, but it's foot has still not completely gone under the sand bed like normal. <no worries... all in good time. An excellent behavior. Sounds good> Since I normally on feed once or twice a week, should I keep this regime or increase the times per week and still keep the feedings small?? <under normal conditions several times weekly with small minced foods would be recommended. Almost daily for optimum growth/health if you like. Many small feedings are better than occasional large ones> How about adding anything to the water, aside from water changes? <normal maintenance for now. Perhaps just a little bit of reef iodine if you do not add it already. Small daily doses here too are better than large weekly ones. Iodine is antiseptic, nutritive and improves water quality slightly> Thanks again for the help...Kim <best regards, Anthony>

Anemone caught in overflow Hi all, This is a bit of an odd question, well, not really the question but the circumstances.....  My boyfriend and I have been keeping marine tanks for the last couple of years, and recently he got a job doing maintenance on tanks.  So he just called me and an anemone in one of the tanks was caught in the overflow.  He said that about 10% of it is ripped off.  They have it in a bucket right now, and aren't putting it back in the tank.  My question is what kind of chance does the anemone have of living? <Actually, quite a good chance> he called me for my opinion, and I don't think that it has much of a chance if that much of it was mangled, but I may be wrong--I was wondering what you think?  Sorry I don't have any info on the tank, but if there's a chance of saving it, it will be in a hospital tank with knowledgeable people taking care of it..... <If this system is large enough, otherwise stable, well-filtered... I would put the anemone back in> A really quick note would make me feel a lot better, I respect all of you very much. Thanks, Chris <Do cover/screen those intakes. Bob Fenner>

Air Bubbles in Anemone Hi Robert, <Anthony Calfo... the author and reef addict, in your service> Need your help on this. There're some air bubble caught inside some of the tentacles of my yellow sebae anemone. Same goes for part of the bottom bit of the anemone... in the disk area. I believe the air bubble came from the airstone when the anemone was upside down.  <Very unlikely... although some cnidarians do ingest air bubbles deliberately as a feeding strategy (for proteins attracted to the tension of air/water interface) they cannot gulp air bubbles. And a static air stone could not forcibly insert them. Air bubbles are often seen in symbiotic animals when they have been exposed to excessive light (intensity or duration). Do you think this was possible? Will it die? <most can purge bubbles in time if ingested, but if formed by zooxanthellae in tissue from light stress...all bets are off>  Earlier it was floating upside down on the surface of my tank. I placed it back to the bottom. It sits but still looks hanging in mid water due to the trapped air bubble in tentacles and disk. What can I do? <see below> Also I noticed the purple tip seem to faded off leaving just plain yellow now. I also noticed small bits of yellow thing on the tank floor... I believe it's small pieces of the anemone. However it looks fine and fresh though it doesn't bloom like it was when I bought it. <Sorry to break the news to you...but you got snookered. There is no such thing as a yellow sebae anemone: what you have is either a bleached anemone (sebae/malu species should be rich/dark drown with dark purple tips) or you got a dyed anemone (common). Either way it is likely to die. Please read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemones.htm , and http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sebaeanefaqs.htm > Is it dying? Should I take it out now b4 it pollutes the whole tank? <if possible, return it to the LFS with the hopes that they have a brown (healthy) one for trade. Otherwise, feed it fine shredded ocean meats to help the zooxanthellae recover (a source of carbon/nitrogen)> I don't have a spare tank ready unfortunately. Pls help before the whole tank breaks down. Thanks a mill for your expertise. Cheers.. <Keep us posted... Anthony>

Help (anemone health) Dear Bob, I purchased an anemone about 3 weeks ago, and he's been doing fine till about 4 days ago. he appears to be shriveled up and has a hard time attaching his foot to my live rock. Up till this point he's appeared healthy and opened up several times. I tested my water and it appears to be within all the right parameters. I've tried to offer him shrimp and other fish, but he'll grab it and then drop it. I've reviewed the anemone section of your web sight for some insight on my problem but I'm not sure what to do. Do you have any suggestions on what I can do within the next couple of days to give him the best chance for survival. Thank you for your help. Thang <There is not much you can do... this sounds like a/the typical large anemone specimen that has been damaged in collection, shipping. Likely the animal's pedicle/foot is torn... and hopefully it will heal, recover. Keep the system optimized and stable, read through the Breeder's Registry on anemones (their link is on our Links Pages)... and try to discern the species you're dealing with and its specific needs... your system may be under-illuminated, perhaps "too new" for such life. Bob Fenner>

Sticky Sebae stuff...? (and much stickier situation) I just got a sebae today.... it is open all of the way, but for some reason, its laying on its side. Its foot looks very bubbly now, but did not look this way at first. Also, I'm seeing some "snot" looking stuff dangling in the gravel once in a while. I believe that its coming from its foot. Was this a bad pick?  <Umm, likely yes... Very common for large actinarians/anemones to suffer damage (especially to the foot/pedicle) on removal from the wild, consequent handling, shipping... And best to wait on such purchases... after the specimens have been in captivity a good two weeks... and this species, actually Heteractis crispa... not historically a good survivor. Please take a read through the "Anemone" sections, and especially the related FAQs, Links on our site: www.WetWebMedia.com for more... and quick> I've got it in a 20 gal with a tomato (they have not met yet), Koran angle, powder brown tang, 2 damsels and a porcu puffer. I've got 5 lbs of live rock. what do you think is going on with it? I knew I was taking my chances with it, but I didn't expect this!!! Keith Slagerman <I do hope the size of this system, amount of live rock, and/or types of livestock here are typos... All this life will not "go" in such a system. Bob Fenner>

Help, of course! With Anemone Your book is excellent and is my main reference work. However, as you might suspect, I have a problem that I can't find an answer for.  <Thank you for writing, and count your/our blessings... the original length of CMA was over 1,100 pages... w/o graphics> I just bought a Heteractis Crispa from an internet based company. The anemone is not in good shape. At first I thought it was the shipping. The outside temperature here was probably in the high 20's with light snow. The inner and outer box seemed to be at about this temperature. All the bags of water were very cold. I did not take a temperature reading and I should have. However, this is my first anemone and I have a basic question that I can't find an answer to either in my own library or on the internet. <Good observations, relating> The anemone has two sides - up and down. I have assumed up is the side the tentacles seem to oriented to. This side has a white area in the middle that has what I would describe as a sphincter valve.  <Yep, mouth and anus> The other side is a white stem that grows and shrinks and is wide open on the bottom. Is this opening on the bottom normal?  <Yes, and the usual site of real trouble/collecting damage...> The anemone does not seem to be able to attach itself to anything. It continually gets knocked over and ever upside down (assuming my guess about top and bottom is correct). <Yes, and all too typical> This seems like such a simple question but the best descriptions describe the bottom of the foot as a disc which I think should be closed but I can't find any pictures/drawings looking up at the bottom. <Take a read over the anemone sections posted on the site: www.wetwebmedia.com  and the links page connection to "The Breeder's Registry"... and beyond... the basal or pedal disc of wild-collected anemones is problematical. I do hope yours rallies. Bob Fenner>
Re: Help, of course!
Hey, thanks for the quick and reassuring reply regarding my best guess about top and bottom. Whew! I was afraid I had the poor thing upside down. On top of collecting and shipping that would probably be the final insult. <Ah, perhaps...> Just a note about your comment about your book. It should have stayed over 1,000 pages (Clancy novels are this long now and not nearly as helpful). <Think of/for the trees! Have mercy, we'd have had aquarists with the biceps of Ahnold!> The longer the better. Several volumes would be even better. I have in my own library: Fenner, Tullock, Spotte, Delbeek and Sprung, Fautin and Allen, Wilkinson, Moe, Emmons, Andrews, Adey and Loveland, Loiselle and Baensch. Friese, Haywood and Wells, and others whose authors I can't recall offhand.  <Great company. You honor me> None of these books were helpful for my question of the day. The FAQ's and answers on wet media are great, BUT... It is difficult to group them in a logical manner so that they read like a textbook. They are very repetitious.  <Agreed. And thank you for this... Am endeavoring, every day, to make the WWM site more logical, functional... much, much more to put on... and an unbelievable time consumer... Great fun... And a few other printed volumes backed up over the last few years... Here's hoping some will see the light of day soon... Not to go overboard here, but it is indeed difficult to write articles versus books versus articles... The development of clear concepts, possibly new terminology into cohesive, accurate, significant and meaningful works is daunting... not knowing what the intended Reader may know, have read... You can understand how difficult this seems... not knowing the background, ability/interest level of the audience... Many are mere children, others foreigners, still others odd scientists and industry folk...> I guess we amateurs all have the same or nearly the same questions. What I would love is if you could spare the time to edit this material to make it part of a chapter on Anemones in book like CMA or something like that. The fact that we all ask the same questions over and over and that this information appears in no book to my knowledge just begs for a new publication. There are many books that are surveys (of anemones for example) with really nice graphics. But because of this they offer little in depth about any one anemone and little in depth on the entire subject. I think we need a chapter or book that just covers in depth the anemones that are most likely to be available in the trade. <Agreed. Perhaps you will be the person to see such a work/creation to reality?> Why not a series of monographs on various aquarium animals that is in depth and very practical - oriented to the hobbyist not to the amateur marine biologist? <Very good ideas...> Hope I'm not too pushy about this suggestion, but I'd sure buy the series. Thanks again for your help and on a Sunday too. <Anytime my friend in fish. Bob Fenner><<From the mouths of... Ala a new e- and print on demand re Anemones in Captivity. B, 2014>>

Is my anemone dying? >To who it may concern, >>Well, my name isn't "who", it's Marina but I'm the one concerned today.   >Yesterday I received two green bulb anemones in the mail. I added them into my tank at two different locations. One of the anemones find a spot on the live rock and is looking great. The second one had a white fleshy substance coming out of its mouth when I was putting it into the tank. >>I'm assuming that you wanted to receive these animals, and assuming such, I would recommend that you would contact the shipper immediately when an animal arrives in poor condition. >Well that one has released a lot of this substance and is now releasing a pinkish substance out of its mouth. >>If this seems to be attached to the animal, then I believe that it is eviscerating (spitting out its guts), and if this is the case, it is severely stressed and yes, it's probably dying. >It has considerably shrink in size. It released a lot of cloudy looking water also. Is my anemone dying or is this some reaction to the shipping? >>One reaction to shipping is dying. >The anemone is still holding onto the rock. >>The best you can do is ensure pristine water conditions and hope for the best.  But, if it begins to come apart do save yourself the troubles and remove it from your display ASAP. >My water specs (taken at 8:30pm last night) are pH 8.2, KH 9, NH3 .08, Calcium level 500 ppm. >>Whoa!  You have VERY high Ca. levels.  If you're dosing, I suggest stopping/adjusting your schedule.  Also, while your nitrate readings are very low, I'm not sure that they're conducive to good anemone health.  However, they are so low (assuming you're using a good quality, reliable test kit) that I would not look to them to be the cause of the trouble you may be observing.  I *would*, however, take a close look at your acclimation procedures.  For sensitive animals such as anemones, I, personally, much prefer a VERY slow drip acclimation into a quarantine system for observation.  I prefer this acclimation to take 3-5 hours, unless the water the animal was shipped in was of such poor quality that it required immediate correction. >Please help as it is a beautiful green/purple bulb anemone and would love to save it.   Sincerely, Wayne Sprouse >>I'm not sure you can save it, but don't try to move it if it's attached to any surface.  Perform a water change (minimum 30%), as I'm not sure that such a high Ca. reading is a good thing, though your other readings appear to be decent (excepting that tinge of nitrate, which the water change would help a wee bit).  I would also contact the shipper immediately, ESPECIALLY if they offer a live ship guarantee.  Sorry I can't be of more help or more definitive, but beyond this if it were my specimen I would do what I've outlined and wait and watch.  Also, do a Google search on our homepage for "Bubble Tip Anemone" (or BTA) for more information.  Best of luck, Wayne.  Marina

Anemone problem Hello Bob Just wondering about this problem I have here, I purchase this anemone about 3 weeks ago and it looked great and yellow but now it seem it lost tentacles and looks pale any Ideas what it can be all the water test are good. Here are two picks a before and after. <Have seen this sort of thing all too many times... Anemone health decline resultant Being dyed; dye wearing off.. Please read through ALL the Anemone articles and FAQs files posted on WWM, starting here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm  You will know. Bob Fenner>
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