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Anemone Success
Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term
by Robert (Bob) Fenner
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Ritteri Anemone Question. Magnificent beh.
3/12/14
First my tank specifics
180gallon reef tank, 40 gallon sump, and 20 gallon refugium
that gravity feeds into the system tank has been setup for two years and
almost everything came from a 75 gallon reef tank that I had been
running for 10+ years lighting is two - 250 watt 10k metal halide and
two - 175 watt 14k metal halides, a 10k 48in t5 and an actinic 48in t5
All my parameters are great (salinity, ph, calcium, nitrates, ammonia,
you name it.)
<I may>
Water circulation - closed loop
<Passé>
with a MD18 pump (around 1800gph) and 2 Koralia evo 1500's & 2 Koralia
1150's on the Koralia wave timer to create alternating random flow.
+ one Koralia 850 running continuously to keep a steady current of water
moving in the tank.
A reef octopus skimmer (model I can't remember) rated for 300+ gallons
I have LPS, SPS, soft corals, 1 bleached BTA that was given me
and I've rehabbed slowly back (finally accepted some small plankton the
other day and it's color is coming back!!)
<Ah, good>
1 hippo tang
1 Tomini tang
1 six line wrasse
2 yellow tail damsels
2 black saddleback clowns
6 green Chromis
1 Tailspot blenny
2 Jawfish
2 watchmen gobies
1 pistol shrimp
1 anemone crab (was hiding in the anemone when I got it and I'm
surprised it wasn't noticed as he's rather large)
<There are some (natural) large mutuals>
2 cleaner shrimp
2 peppermint shrimp
1 coral banded shrimp
Lots of hermits and snails etc.
<Not a fan; see WWM re>
SO, I have done a lot of reading and research about the Ritteris
<This is a nomen nudum... Take a look on WWM, pertinent recent
literature... Are you referring to Heteractis magnifica?>
and looked for as many people as I could who have similar tanks that
have/had them and their experiences with them. So after all that I
decided to attempt keeping one myself.
<Uhh, I wouldn't mix in (another) large Actinarian here... with the
other stated Cnidarians, Closed-loop circ... too likely to be a
disaster>
The tank inhabitants have been happy after adding him and he/she/it has
not left it's spot since having been put in there and slowly acclimated
to the lights. It's been a model inhabitant of my tank, it eats
anything it grabs and I've been feeding it pieces of shrimp, clam, &
silver sides
<... see WWM re their nutrition/feeding>
with the head and tail cut off every 3 or four days. My only
question is that the tentacles are curled at the ends during the day and
at night they straighten out. I've looked and looked for info on
this and haven't found anything.
<Natural behavior; not a worry... avoidance of predators (mostly fishes)
by day...>
I'm wondering if the lights are too strong that it's under (he's currently
directly under the 250watt MH) and that's what is causing it?
<Doubtful... what's the PAR/PUR measure near it?>
It hasn't moved from the spot or shown any indication of issues other than
this curled tentacle thing. The light is about 8 inches over the
water and he's about 6 or 7 inches under the water. ??
<... ditto>
I'd appreciate any feedback you have on this and will accept a rap on
the knuckles for adding one of these animals despite your sound/sage
advice to do otherwise.
<Not easily done long-term>
Appreciate all you do for everyone!
Drew Dickson
<Ah, welcome. Bob Fenner>
SORRY! Forgot to add the pic of the Ritteri
3/12/14
<...? Is this a Heteractis magnifica? Do you have images of the
base, pedal disc? BobF>
Drew Dickson
|
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twisted Ritteri
10/20/12
You folks are the Best!! I have an incredible Ritteri Anemone
(named Korbel, after the champagne),
<Interesting>
who is amazing. I have had him about 10 months and he was about four
inches when I got him and is now over twelve.
I just noticed that the stem above his foot is twisted. I have had
the current in the same position for a month or so. I was thinking
that it needed to be changed, and I did so. Could he be ready to
split, or is there something else I should do?
<Nothing "to do" here... IF Korbel is in a bad spot current-wise, it
can/will change its position>
Thanks ever so much!
Jo Anne Wilkinson
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Ritteri On The Move! 6/27/09
Dear Crew,
I have had my Ritteri for almost 3 1/2 years. Of which I am very
proud.
< Obviously a well maintained aquarium. >
Over the past week I had my Hamilton magnetic ballast go on me.
The lighting was (2) 250XM 20K SE bulbs. In the mean time, I borrowed a
friends DE 150 watt system while the ballast was being repaired.
During the repair time, I cam across someone who was selling their
Lumenarc III reflectors and icecap electronic ballasts. I thought less
wattage (Going Green! Well not really in this hobby) would be used
switching from magnetic to electric driven ballasts.
Since the upgrade the Ritteri moved from his spot at the top of the
tank to the bottom to the upper corner of the tank in the back, almost
in a shaded area of the tank. This guy has covered a lot of territory
in three (3) days. This is strange because in the time I have had it,
the anemone never moved. The bulbs are the same, with the exception of
new reflectors moving from a hood to higher end reflectors. The
question is should I be worried? Or with the lighting changes, this guy
is trying to make himself/herself comfortable?
Thank you.
Respectfully,
Christopher R. Sandoval
< Chris, I would not be to worried. It sounds like its just
adjusting to the new lighting conditions. GA Jenkins>
Another H. Mag Question 6/1/2009
Hello Bob,
<Mike>
Hope This E-mail finds you doing well. This is Mike from MAAST (Marine
Aquarists Association of South Texas) in San Antonio. I have a question
about a Mag I purchased but first a little background about my
system.
The tank was upgraded many months ago but the filtration has been in
place for about 3 years so it is a stable system. The tank is a custom
4' x 3' 190gal. I have a custom built 100 gal sump/refugium
with 50
gal of it dedicated to a DSB refugium with over 30 nicely maturing
Mangroves and lots of live rock for filtration. I never register any
detectible nitrates as my bioload is WAY below what this system is
capable of
handling.
I also run Carbon and PhosBan 24/7.
<I would take care with this... not over-remove nutrients if keeping
anemones et al. chemoautotrophs>
For flow I have 1400gph return and two opposing Vortech MP 40s (no need
to issue warning, I'm well aware of the dangers). The lighting for
this tank consists of 430 watts of T5 lighting and an 18" sun tube
that brings in natural sunlight that, during the summer, is as bright
as or brighter than a 400w mh bulb.
I have read everything I could find on these animals including
everything on this site and your write up about them. I know , in the
end, you suggest that they are best left in the wild and I agree;
however, I found this beautiful purple based, yellow tipped Mag on the
day it arrived at a LFS and for the ridiculous price tag of $27( yes,
I'm positive its is a H. Mag), I could not leave it there.
I have Had this anemone for over 2 months (I know not a long time) and
it sits on an unusually shaped rock that allows it to sit alone about
8" under the surface of the water where it receives about 4 hours
of
DIRECT sunlight a day along with indirect sunlight and 432 watts of T5
for about another 10 hrs average. It has a TRUE dawn/dusk cycle. The
Mag itself has great color on the tentacles, oral disc, and base. It
stays firmly attached, stands up and stays inflated constantly, has
VERY sticky tentacles and will catch and consume bits of mysis. The
following is my one concern;
the mouth never fully closes.
<Mmm, not really an issue. Many in the wild do the same>
The mouth stays open (somewhat gaping) and has always been that way. I
know in your write up you said that if all other appearances are
healthy, " .Don't let loose lips deter you" or something
very close to those words.
<Heeee!>
Assuming (I know never assume) my tank conditions are optimum, and that
all other signs of health are great, is this constant
"gaping" a sure sign of its eventual demise?
<Nope>
Would you suggest anything that I have not thought of that may be
causing this? Or could it still, 2 months out, be adjusting to aquarium
life? This Mag does not seem to be shrinking in size nor am I concerned
about in moving or failing in health overnight, just looking for a
little more expert insight on something
I may have missed.
<http://s122.photobucket.com/albums/o258/itili/?action=view¤t=DSC02025.jpg>
This is the best picture I could provide; unfortunately photography is
not a hobby of mine. Maybe next time you stop by you can take some
pictures of it for me ;)
<Maybe... if you have cold Longnecks...>
Thanks for taking the time to respond and look forward to seeing you in
a couple of months at the annual BigBird collection trip.
Thanks Again
Mike Liesman
<And you, Bob Fenner>
Ritteri Anemone 6/1/09
Hi Scott,
<Hello.>
I just bought a nice 8-10" wide Ritteri Anemone at supplier
Friday. I drip acclimated it for 1 hr. It was deflated slightly and
mouth sagging open a bit in the 5 gal bucket, i placed it into the
tank. Next day I take a look at it and its beautiful, large, lush,
colorful, mouth closed tight, phew! Was a little nervous but it looks
good Saturday morning. I then decided to add 2 of my wild ocellaris
from a group of 6 in one of my holding systems. I slowly added the net
of clowns right into the anemone and they swam right into it.
Haven't left the anemone since, a match made in heaven. Spoiled
little ocellaris have a x large anem to themselves. I paired a large
ocellaris with a smaller one in hopes of eventually establishing a
male/female pair.
Anyhow, next day Sunday i decide to give the anemone a couple pieces of
silver sides, it ate them by tentacles wrapping around the food guiding
it to the its mouth, 20 minutes later they were ingested. I have yet to
see the excrement.
<Not a terrible worry, it is there.>
My main observation I wanted to ask about is tentacle
deflation/inflation. Not the whole anemone, but i noticed certain areas
of the anemone throughout the day would deflate tentacles for 10-15
seconds, then reflate, most of the time the whole anemone remained
inflated. I have yet to see the entire anemone deflate, do you know how
often that occurs and if it occurs during night hours or at random?
<Typically at night.>
I am pretty confident this anemone will be okay despite its claimed
difficulty among various websites considering the setup i have placed
it in.
<Including this one!>
I have it sitting slightly off to the side light rays beneath a 400
watt 14k metal halide. It hasn't moved at all since i placed him in
there Friday, i guess that means he's content where he is...the
system is a coral holding system and i placed him off to the corner
where i have my cured Pukani rock area, its a 120 gallon 10" tall
8ftx3ft shallow tank. Not posing any threat corals, doesn't want to
move, he's happy where he is, im thinking of getting another large
one Monday to provide a home for my family of 4 pink skunks.
<Oh, don't! One is pushing any limits, two is just warfare
waiting to happen.>
But basically i just wanted to ask of your thoughts on temporary
deflation of tentacles in certain areas of the anemone. Does that mean
anything? is this normal behavior of the anemone?
<It is not abnormal, especially when in a new setting. Do reconsider
the second one, at least give this one time first.>
Thanks again!
-Matthew
<Welcome, Scott V.>
Re: 1" Overflow Woes/Ritteri Anemone
6/2/09
Scott,
I couldn't resist, I had to get that other big Ritteri anemone from
the wholesaler. It was looking too good to pass up and plus they
don't always carry nice anem's like that. I acclimated it to my
system and then introduced 4 pink skunks and they happily claimed it to
themselves. This Ritteri is so big 10" you cant even find the 4
little skunks when they are nestled in.
So now I've got 2 Ritteri's, 1 has 2 ocellaris, the other 4
pink skunks. I only bought the 2nd anemone because of how happy the
first one is in my system. Plus they both have clowns now to nestle in
them. I am not too concerned about warfare at this point because the
system is so shallow and large, I can always create live rock barriers
to separate them if that becomes an issue.
<Direct contact is not the only concern, see WWM re
allelopathy.>
They don't like moving much from what i am seeing. They just settle
in and get real big. I am in the service biz and always in the garage
everyday without fail. I'm on close watch everyday just in
case!
I also found bits of digested excrement/silverside bits come out of the
first Ritteri, he hasn't deflated at all since I got him, a sign he
isn't stressed. Mouth looks good, its firmly attached to the bottom
acrylic, opened lush and receiving plentiful rays of 400 watt light
with clowns on guard. Im not concerned at the moment. The zooxanthellae
must be producing energy for the anemone under this light, and
supplemental feeding couldn't hurt.
<Do be sparing though, a couple times a week at most.>
I will send you a pic when I get the chance of the two anemone's in
this awesome setup that you helped consult me on plumbing a while
back.
<Cool!>
Plus I've got a killer G4-X ASM skimmer on this setup so it's
the ultimate skimming providing plenty of oxygen and removing
doc's. This skimmer is rated for 400 or 500 gallon tanks. Way over
sized for this setup but it's definitely worth it. Also circulation
is a dart 3600gph (3300 gph actual flow after plumbing) turning 120
gallons, that's 27.5 times turnover per hour...not bad, corals
aren't complaining. I know no anemone is 100% fool proof especially
these Ritteri's, but so far so good....
Time to relax and watch my clownfish families in their luxurious
homes.
-Matthew
<Best of luck, have fun, Scott V.>
Re: 1" Overflow Woes/Ritteri Anemone
6/2/09
Hi Scott,
<Hello.>
I've been reading through WWM's long thread on Heteractis
magnifica questions. Seems to me the majority of people on there have
mostly issues with poor lighting and they don't understand why
intense lighting is of utmost importance for their survival. I gathered
that many folks are not properly equipped with sufficient lighting for
Ritteri's i.e. power compacts or fl. tubes of any kind will not
work yet so many people try convincing themselves it "just
might" work. Anyhow...i found the reoccurrence of people asking
about utilizing compacts, tubes, t5's a bit interesting. I read
maybe 1 out of 30 instances where someone was actually using a 400 watt
halide. Could this be one of the main reasons for peoples failure with
this anemone?
<It is a big reason, the other being these anemones require quite a
bit of space and do tend to move quite a bit. See:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/hetmagnifica.htm>
-Matthew
Heteractis magnifica... beh.
1/6/09 Hi, <Jack> This a question regarding Heteractis
magnifica, and health. <Ahh! One of my fave species amongst
Actinarians... just not easily kept in most captive circumstances>
They <More than one? I do hope these are clones> have been in the
system for about 2 months and appear to generally healthy. The system
comprises a purpose built Recirculating Aquaculture System, which has
been running successfully with several different species of fish
<<sic> fishes> (including A. percula and A. ocellaris) for
approximately 6 years. Each anemone (4) is housed separately in 3 foot
diameter circular tanks, atop a pile of rock approximately 7"
below the surface. <Interesting set up> Lighting is by metal
halide with a light intensity of around 6000 Lux at the surface. Water
flow is by power head directed at the rock pile, around which the
animals move. I would like to know if you have had experience of
tentacle loss, and what might cause it? <Have witnessed this... in
the wild and captivity... some think is an indication of stress... have
even read of folks who deem this as some sort of
"artifactual" reproductive behavior... And do know that
Clownfishes can/do damage their hosts in this way at times...>
Essentially, I have noticed some tentacle tips on the floors of the
tanks, and upon inspection can see a couple of patches no larger than
1.5 cm in diameter on the surface of the animals from which the
tentacles have disappeared, leaving stubs. I would like to know you if
you know what causes this and if you know if it is normal or not?
<Mmm, don't know re the term "normal", but as stated,
have witnessed as well... I would experiment, try iodine/ide
(Lugol's Solution likely) supplementation... weekly likely...
record if one of the samples is more subject, maybe mix the fishes up
with it> If not, what can I do to remedy the situation? Thank you,
Jack James <And, as alluded to... H. magnifica doesn't "get
along" with conspecifics... this -cytosis, might be resultant from
chemical allelopathy. Bob Fenner>
Re: Heteractis magnifica 1/6/09
Hello and thanks for your response. <And you for this follow-up,
filling in> A few other notes and such for you interest, in response
to your suggestions. In regards to this being an interesting set up, it
is a University research system with about 5300 litres of tank space in
various different tanks, hence the separate tanks for the anemones, and
much more water in the system as a whole. <I see> On your
<sic> in regards fish versus fishes, that one could run and run,
but I have used "fish" all the way through the PhD and it
seems to do me well! <Heeee! Is one of a few (I swear!) personal
pet-peeves... and one I "inherited" from a brief meeting with
Dr. Carl L. Hubbs many years back... for browsers, there is a
"semantic difference" twixt the term fish/es... the
'es' designating more than one species (though not
sub-geographical species race... vs. if many of the same specific
ranking, the term "fish" applies to both an individual as
well as many of the same species> At the time that the tentacle loss
started, there were no fish with the anemones, so we can discount
damage by fish. As for iodine supplementation, we have weekly
supplementation in the system of iodine and other minerals into the
system water so a lack of iodine is unlikely. <Agreed... was "a
shot" in the dark> As for conspecific competition, I would
suggest this is unlikely as the animals are not together and the water
does not flow from tanks to tank, but goes through extensive cleaning
before being returned to the tank, also any signaling chemicals would
be extremely dilute in the system water. Any other ideas!? <A few,
but dwindling in my confidence level... Might I ask that you send your
query to Dr. Daphne Fautin ("Hexacorallians of the World...
.com") at the U. of KY? She, of the few folks I'm familiar
with in the field, would most likely know where to refer you in
turn> The animals sometimes look full of water and vibrant, at other
times limp and small, with no changes in any water parameters or in the
set up. It's a puzzling and concerning mystery! <Indeed! Again,
thank you for this further input. Bob Fenner> Jack
Specific Gravity and Ritteri
Osmoregulation 1/25/08 Crew- <Craig> A question I
wanted to get a clear answer on, and then some additional
responses are down below for you to expound upon. Again we are
talking about a ritteri anemone in specific here, but <Aka a
Magnificent...> Being osmotic conformers, can anyone verify my
hunches regarding the osmoregulation feedback loop of anemones?
1) If the SG in the surrounding water is lower than what the
anemone wants, would it deflate to attempt to raise the
concentration of salts within its tissues? Or is it the opposite?
<Mmm, the initial solute concentration in such a setting would
be higher inside the animal, through simple osmosis, water itself
would "tend" to go into the tissue, swelling it...
However...> 2) And the corollary: If the SG in the tank is
higher than what the anemone prefers, will it inflate in an
attempt to dilute the salt concentration in its tissues.
<Actually the opposite... imagine placing your face in a
sinkful of tapwater, opening your eyes... vs. opening them in the
sea...> 3) Do anemones have some sort of mechanical automatic
response when SG is changed (either raised or lowered)? <Mmm,
yes... active transport... with slight changes in the osmotic
make up of their immediate environments, there can be little to
no discernible change... With large changes, anemones almost
always "shrink" in response, behaviorally> 4) Upon
acclimation from the wild, is it normal for this species to
inflate/deflate 2-3 times per day as part of its acclimation
process? <Mmm, yes... if healthy... When collected are VERY
squeezed down, made smaller... and do "cycle"
larger/smaller a few times diurnally... once again, IF in good
health... thought to "flush" wastes...> How long
(under optimal conditions) should this behavior be expected?
<Mmm, invariably... with time, most Heteractis slow these
oscillations, barring outside influences> Asking it another
way: how long can the "settling in" process be for
anemones, specifically ritteri? <Days to weeks to months>
This is not my first experience with anemones, have been keeping
a number of species (including this species) for several years
now and have not seen such behavior out of any individual
specimen until now. I did have a BTA that deflated totally about
every other day, but this seemed geared toward waste removal as
it would emit dark mucous-like material. There is no type of
excretion in these ritteri. <Mmmm, can be. Have you read my
survey piece:
http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/hetmagnifica.htm
and the linked files above? Bob Fenner>
Re: Specific Gravity and Ritteri Osmoregulation,
and beh. 2/6/08 Crew- <Craig> A follow up
to this issue we have been discussing: Over the last week or so,
I have lowered my SG down to 1.023 according to the reading on my
refractometer. As a result of this change, the ritteri has ceased
its incessant inflation/deflation routine and now spends most of
the time fully expanded. This is what you would describe as
"normal" anemone behavior - we know they don't
spend most of their time deflated, but they do occasionally
deflate for acclimation/metabolic/other reasons. <Yes> Is
it possible that my refractometer is off? <Mmm, yes> I have
triangulated my results by using another refractometer to verify
my readings (but it was the same model that belonged to my LFS).
I was under the impression most inverts do not do well with less
than full strength SG. <Actually...> If my refractometer is
not off, should I leave the parameters where the anemone exhibits
the most robust condition? <Yes, I would> I do tend to let
the animals dictate conditions, not test kits/devices. <We are
in total agreement here> These are more of a guide to get you
in the ballpark, to help understand the various measurements of
the optimal parameters. Secondly, given their colonial
association in the wild, is it within the realm of possibility to
re-introduce for good the second ritteri in this 140G system?
<Mmm, maybe> It was removed to a separate system to help me
understand its response to a different set of conditions. These
anemones appear, at least visually, to be from the same
geographic location since they are identical in coloration and
physical characteristics. I understand that BTAs have cloned in
captive systems (thus living in colonial associations), but this
is obviously a different species. I have certainly apprised
myself of the info on WWM regarding anemone systems in general,
but for the record on THIS SPECIES, does anyone have experience
keeping multiple specimens in a single tank? Thank you all for
what you do. Craig <I wish I were home to send along some pix
of Heteractis magnifica I have seen in the wild... In one area of
Palau Redang, Malaysia, there is a city block of this species...
with numerous (I counted nine) species of (some VERY old)
Clownfishes... all bunched together... cooperating in their
survival, protection... In other areas I've also seen
obviously disparate (genetically) specimens of H. magnifica in
close proximity... Do just take care to keep all pump intakes,
overflows covered... for the probability of one or more of them
"letting loose, getting about"... Bob Fenner>
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2 Ritteri Anemones Changing Color 12/17/06 Please
help, I have read all the articles on dyed Anemones. We were one
of those people who had purchased a white dyed one unfortunately.
<... Never heard, seen a "white-dyed" Heteractis
magnifica... likely "just" bleached... bereft of
zooxanthellae due to handling, being placed in low-no light
conditions> We have had it for approximately 5-6 months.
<A good long while> It has stayed in the highest part of
the tank towards the lighting and the water flow. <A
clue...> Eats well and the tentacles look
very healthy. In the past week it has
been turning a yellow color. <Might simply be doing this
in response to local conditions, feeding> This concerns me because
we also have a very healthy Ritteri in our tank but since
the dyed one is changing color now the healthy un-dyed one
is also getting the same yellow tint. <Bingo... similar
conditions, likewise response> They were both on opposite sides of
the tank but shortly after we purchased the healthy one it
moved to the location of the dyed one. <Mmm... though
this species "mixes" better than all but one of the large
actinarians used in the trade, it is best to house no more than one per
system> I thought that maybe the dyed Ritteri was returning to
a healthy stage but being both are changing color I
don't know. Please help! Penny <Mmm... not much "to
do"... except move one of them to another system... You have read
here?: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/hetmagnifica.htm
(the linked files above)? Bob Fenner>
Ritteri Anemone 5/21/04 Hello Anthony <cheers Drew>
Recently bought a nice Ritteri Anemone from my LFS and was wondering
about some strange things its does, <this is such a beautiful
anemone, but one of the most challenging cnidarians (among all corals
and anemones) to keep in captivity. They require an extraordinary
amount of light (halides ideally over 5 watts per gallon) and powerful
water flow with target feedings several times weekly (finely minced
meats only... no nig chunks) in a species specific tank (no other
cnidarians). Most become a statistic within a year, sad to say. Please
do take this advice to heart. I hope this works out for you!> every
night and hour before the lights go out it will lean almost lay down
into the current? seems odd to me but I can not find anything on habits
of an anemone other then they will wander. <yikes... there is lots
of info abroad (mostly negative) on the keeping of this anemone. Dig
deeper my friend> tonight he was leaning over and just fell off the
rock? SPG is 1.0235 ph is 8.3 - 8.4 temp is 78 water flow is approx
1300 GPH 90 Gallon aquarium. for lighting I just installed prior to
buying him, 4 VHO bulbs all are 110 watts 2 Super actinic 2 Aquasun.
<the water flow is good.... but the lighting is not even close to
par. The actinics are just for aesthetics and offer little to no help
here (I still like them too though <G>). In essence, you have 220
watts (just over 2 watts per gallon) to keep this anemone with only two
white bulbs... and worse still.... its VHO which is very attractive in
my opinion, but only penetrates weakly into the water column. Unless
the anemone sits in the top 8-10" of the surface, It is not
getting enough light to even survive the next couple of months. My
advice is to switch to four 7k - 10k K bulbs and force the anemone to
stay near the surface (top 10"), unless a halide fixture is a
possibility> also like to mention that two True Perculas have taken
to him only a few days after he was put in the tank. During the day he
seems fine he is on a high point where he will receive lots of light
and current but on a separate pile from the main rock work to deter
wandering. sorry for the lengthy email just thought to pass on info I
thought that may help. Thanks. Drew <no worries... you are on the
right track. I wish you the best of luck!> ps. plan on buying your
book I found an autographed copy at my LFS and will be picking it up
shortly. <ah, thanks kindly :) Anthony>
Ritteri shock? Hello Crew, <Graham at your service.>
Sent an email about my ritteri falling off his rock, but received no
response. one thing i did notice though is its every night when i shut
off the lights it falls off and rolls across the bottom of the tank, I
have left it and it looks most unhappy so i always put it back on its
rock where it seems fine till the next night. <It's completely
normal.> Guess my question is, will the sudden change in light cause
my ritteri to release from his rock thus being blown off from the
current? <No. As you probably know, anemones have no central brain
-- thus why they cannot adapt to a certain environment. If your
aquarium isn't fitting the exact needs the anemone would encounter
in the wild, the anemone will move to find a suitable location. This
move is commonly done during the night. With that said, leave your
anemone and let it roam around the tank where it wants -- just make
sure it cannot be sucked into a powerhead or filter.> if so what can
i do to prevent this with having to spend extra money for a dimmer.
<See above.> am running a icecap 660 with 4 110 Watt VHO lights 2
super actinic to Aquasun. Thanks as always <Good luck! The Ritteri
is a very difficult anemone to successfully keep. It's important to
maintain excellent water quality and give the anemone ample amounts of
lighting. You may also want to feed the anemone foods such as krill,
squid, silversides, lancefish, etc. 3x weekly to give the anemone added
nutrition. Take Care, Graham!> Drew
Ritteri anemone Bob, <Or M. Maddox, an admiring understudy
of his> I just bought a beautiful Ritteri anemone about 7 days ago.
First 2 days were great and since the animal has reduced in size, its
tentacles are not holding water and it's mouth has become visible.
At this point, its floppy but both true Percs are still in it. <Most
don't fare well in captivity, mostly due to inadequate
lighting\water motion> Using 2 96 W compacts and the specimen is
about 6 inches from the top. It has not moved so I feel like the flow
and water conditions are OK. All levels are zero, pH is 8.4. What
should I do. I add iodine and "all in one" and water change
regularly. Tank is 50 gallons. <Case in point. I've seen
Ritteri's park themselves 8" under a 400w halide bulb.
You've nowhere near the required lighting for this animal. They
also need flow in the thousands of gallons per hour (no laminar streams
either), and they get huge (1 meter across). I'm sure the clowns
aren't helping it adjust, either> What is going on? I've had
a hard time with anemone's in the past but that was before the new
lighting. What is going on? Why? Is this specimen salvageable? How many
hours of light per day? Do you recommend the actinic at night as well?
<Feed small pieces of meaty foodstuffs twice daily until you can
upgrade your lighting, and if you can't upgrade your lighting to
some intense halide lighting within the next couple of days I doubt you
will be able to save it. Next time, research before buying!> Thanks
for your help. <You're welcome> Chris Woodson, Los
Angeles, CA <M. Maddox, redneckville, TX> P.S. Love the site.
<So use it!>
Ritteri Question Hi! <Hello! :D> Could you explain why
my 3 percula clown fish keep knocking and taking the pieces of cockle I
place in my anemone out of it? <Simple - they want the food!> I
had a magnifica anemone which I only had for a month before it suddenly
died and have just bought another similar anemone 2 days ago which
looks great. <Problem with these guys is they require
extraordinary amounts of light (I know of several specimens that have
parked themselves directly under 400w halides) and require tons of flow
(in the thousands of gallons per hour). They're very difficult to
keep in captivity and I usually never recommend attempting one without
years of anemone keeping experience> The clowns took to it within
minutes of it attaching to a rock in the tank but keep knocking any
cockle it has in its tentacles out. Should I leave the feeding of it
solely to them and it's reliance upon whatever it gets floating in
the tank or persevere with trying to hand feed the cockles?
<Definitely not - keep the fish away from the anemone while it eats,
and feed it well while it's acclimating> I also have a problem
with feeding my white blue-tipped Malu any cockle etc, before it gets
chance it's whipped away by my coral beauty angel fish-any
suggestions? <Scare the fish away with a net or your hand while they
are ingesting their food. Please read our archives regarding Ritteri
(magnifica) anemones, and see the sticky posted under the anemone &
clownfish forum at reefcentral for more info> Many thanks in advance
<You're welcome, good luck!> Mandy
<M. Maddox>
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