BTA No bubble tips & losing color 3/2/09 Hi, <Hello> I have a 65 gal tank that has been running for 1 year 1/2 with 2 65 watt SunPaq 10k & 6,700.k daylight and 2 dual 65 watt 420nm & 460nm, 50lbs live rock, Fluval filter, protein skimmer, (just added skimmer 3mo ago) 1 small Coral Beauty, 2 Purple Firefish, Neon Dottyback (trying to catch and remove) Pearl Jawfish, Bluespot Jawfish (living in harmony) purple urchin, lots of snails and hermits, 2 Emerald Crabs, Yellowstripe Maroon Clown small. I have some green Zoas, and a few orange. 3 hairy mushrooms, a bunch of xenia I purchased an Anemone after the 1st 6 months of set up, large with very short tentacles pink tipped overall brownish pinkish color. Very hardy even when my tank had problems. <Are not a hardy invertebrate.> I purchase a rose BTA about 6 mo ago, he seemed very healthy and acclimated well, but lost bubble tips. Color seemed to be good for long time but now his color seems faded and his tentacles are thinner. <Is dying.> I was told I didn't need to feed them by store as I had sufficient lighting. <A small weekly feeding is beneficial.> I have a Yellow Stripe Maroon Clown that goes into both anemones and protects them, feeding them flake food and frozen shrimp etc that I feed to the tank. My question is DO I have enough lighting? <I think your present lighting/configuration is borderline in lieu of your tank depth. A standard 65 gallon tank is 24" high.> The lights have been running for 1 1/2 years, do they lose wattage as they get older even if they don't go out? <They will lose intensity and the color temperature will shift. These lamps should be replaced, and replace with four 10K lamps. This will get you close to where you need to be in intensity level. To be on the safe side, I'd replace the lamps every 8 months.> I have them about 3 inches away from the water is this too much? <No> From reading your forum I gather that my Zoas could be poisoning the water and possibly the 2 anemone's poisoning each other? <Ensure the anemones are not touching each other or the Zoas. Anemones and corals should not be kept together as well as fish that are not immune to the anemone's sting, they are at risk here.> I have also noted that my first anemone is smaller and does not seem as happy. I am going to move the Zoas out into my nano tank but would have to get rid of one of the anemones if this is the problem. <I would remove the paling anemone, is highly unlikely it will survive much longer. It is bleaching due to lack of proper lighting.> <<RMF would NOT remove this/these animals... Change the lights, feed them per the linked article FAQs below... and be patient>> I have attached a pic of both anemones taken today and the other pic is of my first anemone taken a few months ago when both looked good. <Best to read/learn here and related articles above. It appears that you are not totally aware of the care/requirements these anemones need. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemone s.htm <James (Salty Dog)>

More re: BTA no bubble tips & losing color – 03/02/09 "<I would remove the paling anemone, is highly unlikely it will survive much longer. It is bleaching due to lack of proper lighting.> <<RMF would NOT remove this/these animals... Change the lights, feed them per the linked article FAQs below... and be patient>>" Bob, Thanks for your input. Is just my feelings of the situation. In the past I've had some expensive losses due to trying to save a dying anemone. Funny thing about anemones is that they always die while you are sleeping or at work.<An extension of "James Law"> J <Always feel better tossing in my dos centavos rather than biting my tongue. BobF> Re: More re: BTA no bubble tips & losing color – 03/03/09 RMF Thanks ! I just ordered another 2 65watt SunPaq retro kits to add to my lighting system, and 3 10k replacement bulbs this should give me 4x 10K daylight bulbs and 2 duel 420/460. a total of 390 watts minus the lower intense 420/460. Lisa <Outstanding Lisa... Am fairly confident your Entacmaeas will recover in only a few weeks time. You'll see. Bob Fenner> Re: More re: BTA no bubble tips & losing color  3/20/09 Bob, You were right ! <Ooooh, I do so like hearing/reading that> my bubbly friend is looking so much better. <Sure looks like it!> I have been feeding him small chunks of fish and he is under the new lights. His color is much better and his tentacles are thicker not so stringy and thin. Looks like he is growing new tentacles as well. I do hope he starts being bubbly as well. Thanks for all your help. Lisa and Bubbly! <Thank you for this news of your success. Bob Fenner>

BTA Health  12/25/08
Good afternoon and Merry Christmas,
I, like so many others, read and learn from your site several times per week. Thank you.
<You are welcome Gary>
My question is regarding a common subject on your sight...a bleached anemone. I purchased from LFS 7 month ago. It was "white" then. I offered to "take it off their hands" and see if I could bring it back to health as it had been in there system for several weeks with just florescent lighting.
<Can be done...>
It has made it's home in my LR under my Hamilton 250 Watt, 14K lighting system. It has never moved, is open most of the time, and very responsive.
I feed it small pieces of silver side, raw shrimp, even raw salmon, all soaked in Selcon 2 - 3 times per week. It eats well.
<Good>
Sorry for the length...here's the question. I thought (incorrectly) that it would have gained it's color back by now. Any thoughts?
Tank Parameters:
Set up about 1 1/2 yrs ago
150 gal
2 - 250 Watt 14K Metal Halide
2 - 1 1/2 drains going into a 50 gal sump
ASM G3 skimmer
120 - 150 lbs LR
2" sugar fine sand
Various mushrooms
2 - Devils Hand coral
Many hermit crab
Small Frogspawn
1 - Lavender Tang
1 - Foxface
1 - 3 Stripe Damsel
1 - Bi-Color Angel
2 - Ocellaris Clown
2 - Green Mandarin Dragonets
Salinity 1.26
PH 8.23
Calcium 450 ppm
Use only RO/DI water
All my thanks
Gary
<Mmm, interesting to speculate re how, where such animals can/will reincorporate zooxanthellae... IF none is present either in the animal to start with nor in the system to do so... Which appears to be the case here.
Adding other Cnidarians might do the trick here. Do give the search string:
"anemones reincorporating zooxanthellae" a whirl in your search engines...
Bob Fenner>

Bubble Tip Anemone, column markings...  11/15/08 I posted this question onto yahoo answers... some kindly gave me your email address. Please could you help me identify these markings? <Sure.> I was just given a small bubble tip anemone, it's only been in my tank 2 days and has already eaten and taken a foot hold on a lower piece of live rock. I have noticed what look like small white marks/calcium deposits all over the tentacles, these do not move and increase their size as the tentacles inflate. They look very similar to the white marks you can get on your fingers nails but are slightly paler and more translucent. Inflated size, max 1.5mm x 1mm and the smallest size is well with-in µm scale this. Anemone was once a part of a 60+ CM bubble tip, which has split into 6 over the years. <Actually a sign of stress, a survival mechanism.> The biggest original is clear of the white markings but it's off-spring all have them, and are all thriving. Some people seem to think it's white spot, but I have never heard of this on an anemone, also I have never had white spot in my tank, which the anemone is now in. <Tis not.> Anyone have any idea's on what this is? <It sounds like normal markings. Do see http://www.wetwebmedia.com/btadisf6.htm, there is a reference photo about 2/3 of the way down. If there were pictures attached, they did not make it through.> Any help and/or ref's would be greatly appreciated thank-you and kindest regards Dave <Welcome, Scott V.> Re: Bubble Tip Anemone 11/17/08 Hi again thanks for the prompt response Scott. <Welcome.> I changed the flow in the tank last night to see if he would come out of hiding to get a good pic you can only see the side of him here, as he moved rather slowly) my hermit briefly checked him out with one antennae and then moved on! You can see the markings in this pic... <The markings are fine, but> Its a shame to know he was stressed with his pervious owner... <Yes, and this anemone is bleached also, expelled its zooxanthellae, hence the white color.> Hopefully I'll change that, and hopefully these markings are still normal <Hopefully, this anemone will need regular, several times a week feeding of finely chopped marine based foods from you. Silversides are a good choice. Do also check out http://www.wetwebmedia.com/btadisf6.htm for more information on anemone bleaching.> Pic attached Kind regards <Good luck, Scott V.>

Re: Bubble Tip Anemone 11/17/08 I thank you kindly for your valuable knowledge, <My pleasure to assist.> I am none too happy with the original owner of the poor creature, I have been feeding him daily, but not tried Silversides... which I now intend to do. <Just one of the marine foods that will work, easily obtained generally.> He is on his 5th day now and is looking much bigger and little brighter. <Good, I trust you have done your research to be sure your system is up to snuff for this anemone?> Thank you Dave <Welcome, Scott V.>

Please help BTA Anemone looks bad -Anemone Dying? 8-12-08 Ok...so my water is: Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 10 <As nitrogen or ion?> SG is 1.025 lighting for my 72 G is 8 t5's and moonlights total is about 400 wts. <Depth? Acclimation procedures? How long have you had the anemone?> this is the latest pic (See attachment). <Looks like the anemone is on it's way out. Params are good, background information would have helped me determine how it died and how to prevent said death. More information and discussion always welcome at our forums @ bb.wetwebmedia.com - M.Maddox>

Entamacea quadricolor Changing Color  11/08/08
Greetings Bob/ Eric et al.
<<Hello Mani…, Eric here>>
I have a query re my BTA.
<<Okay>>
I bought it a few months ago as an unhappy LFS specimen, wandering about a large display tank killing anything it came across.
<<Mmm, yes they tend to do that… and reason enough not to mix with sessile inverts>>
However no loss of colour and in good physical shape. It settled immediately into my tank, never moved from the position I plunked it in, and was hosting a maroon clown literally within an hour of arriving. It maintains full tentacle extension, tumescence etc. Feeds enthusiastically and regularly and is overall happy.
<<Excellent>>
HOWEVER, over the past 2 weeks (no changes in water quality in this time, all parameters 0, 0 and negligible nitrates, supplemented with CoralGro and ReefRoids etc), I have seen the anemone slowly turn a pale translucent pink, from the original glowing green. Yesterday I noticed the tentacle tips are now a pale glowing orange, and the green is also returning around the base of the tentacles. No other indications of any health issues.
<<Interesting>>
Could you please shed some light on what this animal is up to?
<<Don't know… Possibly a change to its Zooxanthellae as a result of the change in environment or the change in feeding>>
Do I need to dose it or treat some other way, or is it just doing its own thing?
<<Just maintain water quality and see what transpires>>
Do you reckon it may have been dyed and is now returning to some original coloration pattern?
<<Ah…a possibility, yes>>
By the way, its neighbor anemone at the other end of the same small 220-litre tank is coming right very rapidly from its original poor state of health in which I found it - enquired with you some months ago as to how to treat it. This particularly tank is a bit of an experiment for me, it's a crowded setup with - apart from the above BTA - 1. a medium sized Deresa clam, 2. a large Sebae anemone, previously bleached and rescued, now a uniform tan/ brown 15" at full extension, 3 LPS corals, a few SPS, and several mushrooms, a head of porites/ Xmas tree worms, 3 humbugs, a coral beauty, a blue devil damsel, a bicolor dottyback, a maroon clown hosting the BTA referred to above, and a CBS. A crowded, rambunctious but healthy environment, which is fun to watch with each animal holding its own and in fine health with powerful skimming etc., loads of mature live rock etc).
<<Attractive and interesting I do not doubt… but quite probably is also a recipe for disaster should anything fall out of balance>>
I do apologize for the length of this query; I know the floods you guys must get, please excuse my verbal diarrhea!
<<No worries mate>>
Cheers all,
Mani
<<Regards, EricR>>

RBTA funny growth 11/7/08 I have had this anemone for over 2 years, it was a split from my brothers anemone. It split this spring and now I have 2. It stays put directly under a 150 w.MH alongside the other. It is very sticky and eats every couple of days, tight mouth and eliminates regularly. It has developed a strange bulge next to it's mouth, it appears to be a tentacle but in the shape of a ball I would say it is 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches. Have you seen this before? <I haven't, but suspect it is not too uncommon.> Is there something wrong with is or is it just an oddly tentacle? <Just an odd growth.> Someone said it may be budding, I would not know never seen one bud. <It does not happen in this way to my knowledge.> I appreciated your help, I want to do the job I can keeping these guys healthy, they are my babies. Photo attached Thank You Very Much, Linda : ) <Welcome, odd but not of concern. Scott V.>