Long Tentacle Anemone/Systems/Health 9/5/09
<Hello Matt>
Let me start by giving my Parameters, Nitrate 20 Nitrite 0 ph 8.4 and Ammonia 0.
I have a 20 gallon Saltwater tank with 20 Lbs. of LS and about 15 lbs. of Live rock (not much I know but it costs $10.99Lb where I live). I have 2 Yellow Tail Damsels, 2 Percula Clowns and a Royal Gramma, with a Chocolate chip Star, 2 Peppermint Shrimp and a few turbo snails for cleanup.
<Would not add any more fish, you are stocked to the limit and then some.>
Right now I'm <I'm> using 2 50/50 18 Watt Compact florescent lights. Now to my main question. I have a long tentacle anemone I bought from my LFG <LFS> yesterday, It has a bring orange base with brownish tentacles.
<Tank to small for keeping such, and your lighting is no where near enough to keep this animal alive, and your fish are at risk, especially in such close quarters.>
My problem is he wont grab a hold of anything, When I first put him in, the current kind of moved him around and he finally started to sit still. From what I can tell his foot hasn't grabbed any part of my tank, He wedged his foot under some LR I have but the base isn't touching anything. From yesterday evening till this morning he's moved a few inches but nothing much, and his reactions to me touching a tentacle seems a little slow. The tentacles and foot are still sticky but I want to make sure everything seems okay. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Also on a side note have you ever seen a yellow tail damsel host on an anemone?
<Yes.>
My clowns wont go near but my Yellow Tail sleeps inside of the middle, Kind of Odd if you ask me.
<The clowns are likely tank bred/raised and generally will not associate with anemones. I'm guessing you are new to this hobby and are not aware of the difficulty in keeping an anemone alive for any length of time.
Joyce Wilkerson, P.E., once conducted a survey as to the above.
The survey from volunteers showed that 45% of anemones kept by hobbyists with less
than 2 years of marine aquarium keeping experience were dead after an average of 3 months.
Those hobbyists with 2-5 years experience were not a lot more successful with 30% of the anemones dying in an average of 7 months. Only 5% of those surveyed with 2-5 years experience had kept their anemone for two years or more.
Even among hobbyists with more than 5 years experience, 36% of anemones kept were dead after an average of 8 months. One in 6 anemones in the survey reached the 24 months in captivity milestone.
Only one out of every 13 anemones in the survey had been in captivity for 3 years or more.
One in every 32 reached 5 years in captivity.
In my experience, a high percentage of the "one in every 32" were likely Entacmaea quadricolor, the Bubble Tip Anemone, which are a little easier to keep and less light demanding.
I suggest you return the anemone, it will just cause you more problems when it dies, will poison
the water and likely kill your fish.
Do read/learn here,
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm
and here,
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/macrodoreensis.htm
James (Salty Dog)>

LTA foot torn by Clarkii? Reading...   7/24/09 I found this site when trying to look up information on how to handle this situation. The LTA we picked up yesterday <... Anemones are not easily kept...> was looking good in the tank we got it from, and ours after acclimating it to our tank. (55 gal. originally in same spot for 9+ years, just moved 2 months ago to different area in house - took only a couple hours to move it all, 2 smaller lights (50/50? - tired so can't remember) and a 175 halide light, parameters: 80F, 1.021-1.022 <Too low...> salt reading, 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 0 Nitrate, 8.2 pH, 400 calcium last check at local fish store - we don't have a calcium test at home yet; fish: 1 Clarkii, 1 yellow tail blue damsel, 1 cleaner shrimp, 1 peppermint shrimp, 1 emerald crab, some snails & hermit crabs). The clown took to it immediately after it was put in the tank water. Overnight it moved into the live rock leaving it's tentacles facing out towards the open front. The Clown was still staying all over it. When I came home I noticed some white coming off it's foot and since it wasn't attached to anything carefully moved it to the open to inspect it. that's when I saw the tear - which was not there when we picked it up from the fish store yesterday. I am assuming that possibly the clown beating up on it while it laying in the live rock unattached might of caused the tear? <Maybe> I can't think of anything else since it wasn't there before. The color is still the same, but it's expelling white stuff out of the foot now where the tear is. <... this animal is on its way out... as in muerto> We don't have our quarantine tank anymore (mother- in-law needed it as theirs ended up with a crack in it) so I carefully placed it in a bag to float at the top of the tank so it's still under the light. <...? A poor idea> Trying to read online if it is safe to keep it in the tank with the fish since it isn't losing color and not gooey, <... dying, dead> or what other action should be taken. I've attached pictures starting with how it was yesterday, up until it was placed into the bag. I'm afraid if I do put it back in the tank (not in the bag) the clown will continue to beat on it, thus not helping the situation. (The Petco bag it's in was an extra bag I had - we did not get the anemone from Petco). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Amanda M. <... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/macrodoreensis.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Re: LTA foot torn by Clarkii?... still not reading  7/25/09 Thanks for the prompt reply. As far as the bag it was either leave it in the main tank and risk losing other stuff or get it out - <... this animal should not have been purchased in the first place... You have not shown evidence of "being ready" to take care of a large actinarian species> I got it out. I did have a friend call me back shortly after and had a spare running saltwater tank with no fish (their emergency tank) and they put it in there for me. <... there is almost no likelihood of it reviving> They lave the tank running 24/7 and make sure its parameters are pristine in that tank They emailed me last night that it started having stuff coming out of it's mouth. So unfortunately it did pass. Everything in our main tank is doing excellent though so I think I caught it in time. Amanda Moore <Going forward... please seek qualified input... ahead of purchasing livestock... BobF> Re: LTA foot torn by Clarkii? 7/25/09 We received it from a friend that sold their tank and the person was turning it into a freshwater one. Unfortunately we don't know the full history on it - and it was free. It was either we took it or the person who took the tank would of probably thrown it away or dumped it in freshwater. Otherwise we would not have ended up with an anemone so quickly. I'd rather buy the fake ones from Foster & Smith and see if the clown plays in those before buying a real anemone personally. I know it'll be well over a year before we even consider buying one, and when we do it'll be through our LFS which are all saltwater guru's. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Amanda M. <... please read where you were initially referred, don't write... The basal disc of the animal pictured was torn... through removal?... One of your pix shows it was put in with a Plerogyra sp... allelopathy?... Read. B>

LTA wound pic + bonus, decapod spawn release  6/27/09 Hi Bob, <D-ster!> Once the lights went out I was able to get a shot of the injury I mentioned in my previous email. <Good pic> While I was at it I saw this too. Holy Stomatopod banquet Batman! Is that an M. sculptus spawning? <Appears so> It was standing there like that for about 10 minutes, shakin' its booty. If so, can I expect lotsa little crabs? <Mmm, highly doubtful... may not be fertile, and even is so, the young going through instars/developmental phases aren't likely to survive recirculation, the skimmer... and what to eat?> By the way, the mantis lives in a small hole just below the crab's leftmost foot - it didn't seem interested. There was a note on the hole that read, "out for lunch." <Me too> D PS - I've got a 6-pack of Tiger here for you the next time you're passing through Kuala Lumpur. Shoot me an email. <Dang! I was supposed to be there till 6/21... another story, time> PPS - I hope approx. 200K is not too big a pic for your inbox. Apologies if so, I wanted to sent fairly resolved images. <No worries Darryl. G'night mate. BobF>

Re: Substrate and blenders do not mix - New development-help, LTA... Long Tentacle Air-filled Anemone     2/21/09
Hi,
<Hi Again Ram.>
Thanks for the prompt reply. The water has cleared up a bit now. I've added the live rock back to the tank from the tub; but now I have a new problem.
<Ok, lets see what we can do.>
I had kept my purple long tentacle anemone in a separate tub because I didn't want it to sting my corals.
<Good Idea>
I added a separate air stone for that tub. Now, somehow, the anemone had attached itself around the air
stone and it got filled with air and started floating at the surface.
<Uh-Oh!.....>
I took it out, put it in the main tank and held it under water and shook it gently and air bubbles started coming out of it. still it had some air inside which i was not able to get out. I left it for an hour and it attached itself to the glass but part of it is still swollen with air and it's sticking out of the water. Will it be able to expel the air by itself or is my lovely anemone doomed forever?
<The can expel air with time, good conditions. You need to coax the anemone deeper into the water so that none of it is exposed to air, and then get it orientated so the air bubble can escape, which is normally through its mouth. That said, unfortunately, I am not optimistic about its survival>
Thank You.
<You're welcome, do let me know how it turns out.>
<Mike>
<<Hey, I'm happy to let you guys now that the anemone seems perfectly healthy now. It has attached itself to a rock and it is fully open. I have added the fishes back to my main tank and the tank is looking beautiful as ever.
Thanks a lot guys. I owe you big time for your support. >>
<Hi Ram, Glad to hear that everything has worked out.
Mike>

Anemone Decline (allelopathy) and leather coral question (sys.)   12/5/08
I purchased live rock from an aquarist who was moving and it included a long tentacled anemone and clarkii clown. The anemone has done fine for about a month, moving to his own spot and staying for most of the time.
The clown often feeds him from formula two and pieces of chopped krill that I place in the tank.
<Ah, good>
Two days ago the anemone moved two feet across the aquarium under a rock and began getting smaller, different than the usual fluctuations. He has now moved further under the rock and totally withdrawn and emitted a pile of mucous.
<Needs to be moved... now>
He hasn't distend anything from his mouth but doesn't open to feed or move into the light for the algae to produce food. I've read the FAQs and other answer, but can't seem to find out what the problem is.
<A "lack of agreement" with some other form of Cnidarian life here... in a word, Allelopathy. Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
and possibly elsewhere on WWM re Anemones, Macrodactyla in particular if you don't understand enough what is happening here, the need for action.>
I don't want to give up on him prematurely but don't want to risk harm to the other inhabitants. Any thing I can do to help him out or sure way to tell when he's dead (assuming the hermit crabs won't start eating him as a sign).
<You don't want to wait this/that long>
My second questions is regarding a small leather coral 1 1/2" long that was on the live rock. It was partially covered by algae film. I removed the film and placed in in my nano tank. It was knocked off the top of the reef by a fish or crab and fell to the rear. I left it there since I wanted to minimize stress of repeated touching and movement. Now it has grown a 1" long stalk and attached to the rock, and all feelers extend. My q is there anyway to relocate it (it is towards the back and difficult to see) or is it better to leave it alone?
Thanks,
Sid
<If in a "very bad spot" I would move it... it cannot move itself. Bob Fenner>

LTA?  is it too late? Hlth...   2/10/08
Hello, super site!
<Hi, Mike I here>
We are new to the saltwater tanks and so far so good - but, in the section of your anemone discussions . . . I was unable to avoid contacting you.
<OK>
The day we bought our clown and anemone ( pink long tentacle w/neon green highlighting throughout and a white base ) together all was GREAT! ! !
<White base does not sound like a Long Tentacled Anemone, but with you so far>
It's been a few days now and the Clown is eating part of the anemone.
<Yikes! Doesn't sound good if I'm understanding what it may be eating>
At first, he fed it and slept in it and wouldn't leave the area. Now, he explores some while the anemone looks like it will die. It is curled into itself a lot and I am worried. The only difference to daily feeding has been a recent treatment of purple-up and marine snow for the others in the tank. Was this why?
<Could be a number of things>
How long does/should it take for the anemone to put it's foot down?
<Almost immediately if healthy>
I might be the reason it is in this state . . . what to do? DeAnna
<Anemones are delicate little things, and not something that should usually be attempted to be kept until a little experience has been built up. You haven't stated your water parameters - would be helpful, as would details of your set up. List of other inhabitants too perhaps. How long have you owned the animal? Some pictures may help too. There are many reasons why anemones fail, and it may seem I'm asking for than giving, but is essential to try and provide more help. Mike I>

Re: New LTA question  - 05/26/07
Will do, Thanks.  You know what?  I think you are right...it must be upside down as the bottom of the Anemone was red and that's what's on top now.  I think I'll take this opportunity to move it very far away from the corals.  I'll do the reading you suggested right away.
<Ah, good. RMF>
Thanks,
Gregory

Re: New LTA question  - 05/26/07
     Thanks for your help Bob, but it appears the bad advice I got yesterday from my fish store proved to be costly.  I rushed home from work to find that, as you guessed, the Anemone was upside down.  The red underside began disintegrating as I started turning it over.  More of the same when I got it right side up and let a small amount of current pass over it.  I then called the fish store and they told me to "leave it in my tank for a day to see what happens
<What? No!>
and they couldn't tell me more unless they saw it."  Umm, I brought a picture of it in yesterday and they didn't even notice it was upside down.  After giving it a half hour to move, I finally removed it from the tank to avoid an ammonia problem.
<This and worse>
It was already dead.  I'm upset that I didn't notice that it was upside down.  Even a little more that they didn't as this is the premier fish store in my area of Park Ridge, IL....and I was speaking with the owner.       
     I bought the clown fish and Anemone as I wanted that fish/anemone activity in my tank.  I would not have purchased the clown fish on their own.  Is it probable that a new anemone would attract the clown fish or am I out of luck?
<Please... read>
Currently, they seem to be hanging around my bubble and elegance corals.
Thanks again,
Greg E
<RMF>

What happened to my LTA, Macrodactyla doreensis and my Shrimp, Lysmata debelius, Lysmata amboinensis? – 5/20/07
I am having problems with my saltwater tank.  It consisted of 2 Macrodactyla doreensis, <<Two?! No! RMF>> 2 Amphiprion percula, 1 Lysmata amboinensis, and  2 Lysmata debelius. It all started when one of the LTA incased itself and would show no tentacles. Soon after, one of the Lysmata debelius died. I tested the water (Ammonia: 0.50ppm, <<Danger Will Robinson! RMF>> Nitrite: 0ppm, Nitrate: 10-15ppm, pH: 8.0-8.2) and did a water change.  
<What is the temperature, salinity, alkalinity, and tank size?  How long have you had each of these animals?>
I pulled the incased LTA and put him in another tank, he was dead the next morning. The Lysmata amboinensis and the other Lysmata debelius were also dead that morning in the other tank. I tested the water again and got the same readings I then did another water change. The fish seem to be doing fine and the other LTA seems to be hanging on for right now.  I just don't know where to go from here. I checked everything, filter is running fine, I don't over feed the tank, and the tank has been established for 2-3 years.
<What have you been feeding the anemones?  Are you dosing the tank with anything?>
Is it one of those mysteries I may never solve?
<Possibly>
Thank you for any input that you have.
<You’re welcome!>
You guys all do a great job!
<Thank you!  Brenda>

LTA vs. Power head – 3/09/07 <Hi Chris, Brenda here> First of all, like everybody else, I want to say thank you for all you guys do.  You really have helped a lot of people and marine animals!!! <You’re welcome> Well, to start off, today I came home to find that my wife had purchased a LTA. She had called me earlier and said that when she had put it in the tank, it went to the back in back of the rocks, so she said that when I got home, I could get her out and put her in front. <It is best to leave them alone.  It was still acclimating and looking for a comfortable place in its new environment.> I came home from school, only to find the tank semi cloudy and that the anemone was partly sucked up in one of the power heads, so I immediately turned the power head off, and pulled it out and took off the part she was hooked onto and put her in a bucket with tank water. I tried to pry her out as gently as I could from the screen and then placed her after rinsing her off a little bit with that same water in my smaller tank. <Power heads are dangerous to anemones, they need to be covered.  Here are some ideas:    http://www.karensroseanemones.com/coverpowerheads.htm  > She is pretty beat up on one half, I would really like to save her because she is really pretty, but what can I do other then try and letting her heal herself?  Let me know what I can do please! <The best thing that you can do now is keep your water parameters perfect. Keep a close eye on it.  If it starts to look like it is melting or decaying, it is time to remove it and do a water change before it pollutes the rest of your tank.  If things are going good after a few days, try feeding a ¼” sized portion of silversides that has been soaked in Selcon.> I also did a partial water change to the big tank to get some of the cloudiness out, I have my skimmer on and so it is starting to clear up already. <Good!  Be prepared to do more water changes.> I’m glad that all of her didn’t get chopped up, then I would really be in trouble. Please let me know how to proceed. I have attached some pics of the anemone, my tank and of some rocks. <Yes, I see the pictures.  The anemone is definitely not looking good, but I wouldn’t give up hope.> I was hoping that you could identify what is growing on the rocks.  There is an orange jagged thing growing on one, and little round red/maroon things growing on the other one, I was thinking that they might be some type of coral but I’m not sure,   thanks for your help! <The red growing on the rock is a type of red algae.  Please search for red algae on WetWebMedia.  I’m not sure what the orange is, hard to tell by picture.   Any thoughts on this Bob? > Chris. <You’re welcome!  Good luck with your anemone!  Brenda>

Unhappy Anemone   9/16/06
Hi Crew!!
I think I have a very sad anemone (red long tipped). It has moved all over the place, it went from the light to hiding under some rocks. I doesn't open very much any more. I purchased it early July. I have T-5 lighting, Berlin protein skimmer, 2 power heads to circulate the water. For fish I have clownfish, yellow tang, emerald crabs, hermit crabs, 2- cleaner shrimp, royal Gramma, coral Gramma? ( I think that is what it is), green star polyp, candy cane coral, red mushrooms. I tested first Sept PH 8.2, Nitrate 5, nitrite 0.1 ammonia 0 , calcium 420-440, alkalinity 3. I do a 5 gallon water change weekly and add 1 cap iodine and strontium & molybdenum. Am I doing something wrong that is causing the LTA to be in distress. I was also having trouble with my mushrooms. They were flat to the rock, also look like they had white dots on them. I think I had them to close to the light I moved them to the bottom of the tank. They now seem to lift up like they have life to them now. But if you have any suggestions for them as well I will certainly appreciate it. Thanks hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks for all your suggestions
Janice
<<Janice: My LTA is under 400W SE MH lighting.  Normally, people don't add such additives to the water.  Assuming your anemone has enough light, you should be feeding it.  Are you?  I feed mine 1/2 of a silverside every few days.  Best of luck, Roy>>

LTA/Health/Systems  - 06/07/2006
Hi,
<Hello Charity>
I was reading through your anemone faq's and came across the advice to never buy a white anemone.
<Think it meant a bleached anemone.>
I was at the local fish store and had been researching and wanting a LTA for a while. Somehow I missed that advice before.
I have a:
55 gallon long aquarium
Wet/dry
Excalibur skimmer
1 pygmy bicolor angel (6 months in tank)
1 maroon clownfish (3 yrs in tank)
1 yellow tang  ( 1 year in tank)
1 hippo tang (1 inch, 1 year in tank)
4 turbo snails
1 rock of mushrooms
1 green star polyp
1 Montipora orange
2 strips of coral life 65 *2 50/50 lights (260 w)
1 strip of 40 watt no fluorescent lights
Ammonia:0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate 10 ppm but did have a spike the night he was added. We did a 30 gallon water change that night.
Calcium: 380 (slowly raising it up)
Ph: ranges from 8.0 to 8.2
I have included pictures showing the decline over the last few days. Is there any chance of survival? I feed him silversides. The first night he
took it immediately to his mouth. It has gotten slower over the last couple of days but he does still eat.
<For starters, never attempt feeding an anemone until he anchors down and blooms. None of the pics indicate an anchoring took place.>
Any advice you could provide would be wonderful!
<It is not recommended having fish other than clowns in the company of
anemones.  Also looks like water flow may be a little low.  Is your total flow at least 600gph?  I will post a link or tow here for you to read along with related links above.  Will provide a link with info on their care, requirements and keeping.  Do read along with related articles shown above title.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/macrodoreensis.htm>
Thanks!
<You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>
Charity
<<James... where's the original msg., pix? RMF>>

Re:  LTA/Health/Systems  - 06/07/2006
Hi James,
<Hello Charity.>
Thanks so much for the quick reply.
<You're welcome.>
I do have 605 gph flow rated return on my tank.
<Do take into account head pressure loss.  Will not have an actual 605gph, especially if the pump is of the powerhead type.>
He was anchored to the glass under the sand at one point but he has fallen over and remained since my maroon has been bothering him. Should I move the sand back again.
<Not necessary, the LTA should anchor itself in the evening when there are no menacing fish around.  You could put a clear
acrylic/plastic perforated container over him until he anchors.  Will have to do the perforations yourself, unlikely you will find anything
like this.>
I will do the readings you suggested.
<I hope you do.  We just do not have the time to elaborate on all the details of keeping anemones, that is what the Wet Web Site
is for.  Can learn much by reading FAQ's on the subject also.  Do learn/use.>
Thanks again!
<You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>
Charity

Re:  LTA/Health/Systems  - 06/07/2006
The link above has a title but no information.
<Mmm, hasn't been penned yet, correct, Bob?  Other articles on anemones will steer you right since they share similar
requirements/needs.  James (Salty Dog)> <<Correct James... there are many such articles/topics to be written... Not just by me! You may likely have more accurate, complete information re actinarians use in captivity than moi... RMF>>

LTA behavior, health, systems   2/2/06
Hi guys!
   wonderful site, great advice! Like many before me and very unfortunately many after me in July 2005 I made an impulse purchase, I purchased a long
tentacle anemone. Everything was fine till about a month ago. Here are parts "article" I wrote for my website (to read it all www.homereefkeeping.com) it will explain my predicament:
<Thank you for this>
We bought an anemone in July of 2005. We got our Long Tentacle Anemone (LTA with a bright red stock) along with 2 True Percula Clownfish. The first mistake we made was not researching anemones and finding out how to care for them prior to making our purchase. Our second mistake was buying it on impulse.
<Very common>
It lived in it’s cave for a while it would expand and half went from a pale cream color to a “dusky pink”, the other half being sheltered from the bright metal halides stayed the pale cream color. In mid October it moved from the cave to an opening in the rock on the left hand side of the tank. It would expand to the size of a typical dinner plate. We would feed it medium/large sized (about 1/3 of a shrimp) pieces of raw, thawed shrimp every 5 days or so.. It would take the food readily, fold back on itself, and would ingest the food given. The entire anemone turned a healthy “dusky pink”
<Yes... thank goodness energy/food provided by you through feeding... inadequate light response>
Today’s date is January 28, 2006 and since December (unfortunately I did not keep records, or dates) the anemone had been acting “strange” for the last month. It would no longer expand fully, it had become difficult to feed, would retract on itself. It hasn’t completely lost it’s color.
<Yes, bleaching...>
Approximately 5 days ago the anemone “fell” through the rocks, for about a day it hid under the rockwork; 3 days ago it moved to the back of the tank where it has been laying on its side. I thought it had died and tried to move it only to find out that it has attached itself solidly onto one of the rocks. For the last 2 days I’ve been feeding the anemone shrimp (that I put through the blender) and Mysis with a turkey baster.
Here’s where opinion vary; where I had read to feed the anemone large meaty chunks, on another site it said to feed it small shredded pieces of “meat”.
After a bit of consideration and seeing what we’d been through with our anemone I am most certainly starting to think that the shredded option makes a lot of sense. If you feed pieces of food that are too large the anemone cannot digest them and slowly expels the food. Thus making the anemone slowly starve, and all the while you think you’ve been feeding it.
<Mmm, as long as the food is taken, ingested...>
Well we are now Jan 31st, the anemone has gone back under rocks where I can't get to it's mouth, it inflated it's stock huge today and seemed the have some kind of line down the middle, now (4hrs later) it's slowly deflated itself. yesterday I saw its oral cavity and it was huge, much bigger than I'd ever seen it, today I can't see it so I don't know. Because it's under rocks I can't tell for the life of me if it's splitting, dying or just taking me for a ride on a nasty roller coaster (worried it's dying, then it looks "ok" then it disappears) Has anyone ever seen an anemone split?
<Oh yes>
How does it act before splitting?
<Sometimes "out of the ordinary"... often not>
what else could be wrong with it?
<... a lack of light, circulation, metabolite poisoning, a dearth of biomineral, alkalinity...>
I have a 65 gallon tank, 80lbs of Live sand, 120lbs of LR, a galaxy coral, a frogspawn coral,
<... Oh, and allelopathy... chemical competition. These animals are problematic in the same water>
2 true Percs, a lawnmower blenny, 2 cleaner shrimp, scarlet crabs, blue legged crabs and an assortment of snails. The shrimp molt almost every 2 weeks.
My water parameters are as follows : ammonia: 0, nitrite: 0 nitrate:0 phosphates:0-0.5 (gha prob...) ph: 8.0 to 8.3 depending on the time of day, temp: 79F salinity: 1.025 other than a drop in phosphates the water has been stable since it cycled in May 2005
I have a protein skimmer, 3 powerheads, a PhosBan/ROWAphos fluidizer (long cylindrical thing for active carbon and phosphate remover) up until 3 days ago
had a Eheim canister filter (stopped it to see if it was the cause of high phosphates and my phosphates have dropped from 0.5 to 0)
Thank you for all your help
Catherine
<Needs to be in a different system (w/o the Oculinid, Euphylliid) and more light... at least. Bob Fenner>

Anemone acting strangely... LTA in a ten gallon...   1/31/06
Hi there,
    Fist of all, I should say that I've read over a lot of the already answered postings, and I can't find something that sounds just like the
issue I'm having with my LTA.  I'm sorry if you already have answered this, though, and maybe I'm just using the wrong search keywords.  
<Possibly... but may not be there. WWM will never be "done">
Anyways, about my anemone.  I purchased a gorgeous LTA from the LFS a little less than a
week ago.  The man at the store told me to make sure I have strong circulation around the anemone, feed it silversides, and make sure to change
my 96-watt bulbs if they are over a year old.  I did change my bulbs (they were about two years old) and made sure all circulation was strong (I even
added a powerhead and bubble wall).  I slowly acclimated the anemone through about a one and a half hour acclimation of adding small amounts of my water to the bag water.
<Were the new/old water qualities about the same?>
  The anemone moved around the tank for several days
<A bad sign>
until it finally settled in two days ago between some live rock.  It inflated quite nicely and my clownfish seemed to show signs of accepting it (he was
nudging it and laying on it).  I then fed it a light feeding of brine shrimp just to see if it would eat--it accepted it willingly.  Then, yesterday
morning, the anemone had moved again and looked absolutely horrible.  It was laying on it's side, the tentacles were shriveled and limp looking, and
there were large globs of slime and large, black, curled looking balls coming out of the anemone's mouth.
<Very bad sign>
  I called the fish store and they said it was most liking ridding itself of waste.  Today it has moved again and still
looks the same (more black balls have appeared and it's difficult to discern the tentacles).  My question is, is it ridding itself of waste or is it dying?
<A bit of both>
  I have a ten gallon aquarium (yes, I know 10-gallons are dangerous,
<... not able to sustain this animal>
but I have very stable conditions with 8.2 pH, 0 ammonia, nitrite, and 0-10 nitrates), 96-watt 50/50 PC lamp, strong filtration with a Skilter,
powerhead, and bubble wall, and about 20-30 lbs of live rock. The temperature stays steady at about 82º.  The tank is about 2.5 years old and
has had a clownfish and coral banded shrimp living in it happily the entire time.  Should I get the anemone out, or will it revive itself?  
<Too likely it is dying, will take the rest of your livestock with it... This animal may well have not been well-adjusted from wild-collection, had troubles no matter what was done with it, but placing it in such a small volume... very small chance of success. Bob Fenner>
Any help is
greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
~Jonathon

Re: Anemone acting strangely   2/1/06
Thanks for your help.  I finally decided to take the poor thing out and toss it...  It was beginning to cloud my water slightly and I figured it had to
be dying.  I had great luck with a BTA about a year ago (it lived 8 months!), but I guess I should just give up on anemones since my tank is so small.   
Thanks again,
Jonathon
<Ah, yes. Bob Fenner>

LTA Injured
>Dear Crew:
>>Dear Angie, using Jeffrey's email.. Marina here.
>I have a 44 pent saltwater tank w/an undergravel filter/Power Sweep 228 powerhead, Eheim Classic 2217, JBJ power compact lighting (1 36w actinic,  1 36w 10K), 1 15w Marine-Glo, and a crushed shell base.  The depth is 22".
>>Ok.  Since this question, I'm assuming, is about a long tentacle anemone, I'm wondering why you've gone with an undergravel filter (assuming you're new to saltwater).
>Currently, I have about 15 lbs of live rock, 1 Gorgonia, 1 flowerpot coral w/barnacles (these look like skeletal hands, it's really cool), 1 Montipora w/button polyps, a large hunk of Porites, some mushrooms, Ricordea, and what I think to be "waving hands" coral (growing like crazy).  
>>That would probably be Xenia.
>I also have a panther grouper, a Fiji damsel, a cleaner shrimp, a red fire shrimp and a curlicue anemone that I've had for 2 years.
>>You've had *that* mix of fish for two years???  I would expect the panther (which is in a pitifully small tank for its ultimate adult size) to begin slurping up what fits in its mouth as soon as it thinks they'll fit.
>All are doing great!  Ph is 8.4, salinity is 1.025, temp is 76,  no ammonia, 'trites or 'trates. (Pods and serpent stars are throughout substrate and live rock.)  Recently, I added an LTA and noticed that its pedicle was damaged (don't know if it was during collection or bagging at the fish store).  
>>Uh oh.. rough handling, bad juju.
>It looks like a white ragged rip about 1/4" long across the foot, which is 3" in diameter.  It wants to anchor but won't/can't (it seems to hover over the substrate, not quite off, but not quite in)  The coloring is great and otherwise seems healthy.  Is this anemone doomed or is there a way I can facilitate its healing? (I plan on upgrading the lighting to 2 55w PC bulbs instead of the 2 36w PCs within the next month.)
>>Glad to hear you're going to upgrade that lighting.  I strongly suggest you set up a small (ten gallons should do) hospital tank, and line it with well-washed Astroturf (yes, Astroturf!).  This helps removal once the anemone has healed.  I would line all surfaces (remember, you don't have to fill the tank all the way up with water) with the turf.  From here you have two choices; you can either keep water quality pristine as you do in your main and observe, or you can begin treating with Spectrogram.  In either case, handle the animal with care.
>Your site is incredible, one of the most informative I have ever seen on the web.  Thank you in advance!  Angie S.
>>Thank you, and you're welcome.  I do hope this helps.  Marina

LTA Injured - Pt. II
>So sorry about my husband's previous question about undergravs.  I told him to look through the FAQs first!  
>>You've made my biggest smile for the day so far.
>Thanks again for the response, but we are taking the LTA back to our LFS today and getting credit or a better specimen.  
>>Sounds like a good idea to me.  Though, upon reading our FAQs, you'll notice that we strongly discourage keeping motile cnidarians (anemones) with sessile inverts, as they can move about and inadvertently sting them to death.  Just so you're aware of the possibility.
>Have relocated the grouper to our trigger tank (don't gasp, they are about 3" compared to his 5" and either he is really docile -he thinks he's a dog!- or we feed him really well and regularly) and all are getting along.  
>>No gasping here, I've had panthers and found them to be sufficiently "froggy" for lots of triggers.  
>Thanks again for such informed people running a superb site!!!  Angie S. (Using Jeff's email again!!)
>>You're quite welcome, and thank you!  Marina

LTA quarantine
I have searched your info and can't seem to find quarantine procedure for anemones, if their is one.
<Here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anempt2.htm>
I have bought a LTA and the LFS is holding it until I find out a correct quarantine procedure--I seem to know more about fish than the LFS if you catch my drift--which is scary.  I consistently quarantine my new fish and would like some help on this anemone.  Please advise.  Thanks
<Bob Fenner>

Long tentacle anemone who isn't happy
Hello and thanks for the great info on your web site.
I have an LTA who has been in my 38 gallon reef tank for 2 months. Initially, when I introduced it, it took over a week to settle in and bury its foot. Since then it has been healthy, eating small pieces of frozen (thawed) shrimp, and interacting well with my tomato clown fish. About a week ago its tentacles retracted and it has almost buried itself in the substrate in a small cave area under a piece of live rock. It is mostly in the shade and does not open up much during the day, but closes entirely during the night.
Its tentacles have been almost gone for about 1 week now and I am very concerned for its health.
<You should be>
I know that my tank is small for an anemone, but my water quality is good: Nitrates and nitrites are 0, phosphates are 0.25 to 0, calcium is 380, pH is 8.3-8.4, and I have 110 W PC lighting and 60 W NO fluorescent lighting.
Is there anything I can do to help my anemone?
Thanks so much.
Kevin England
<Take the long read through our coverage on this and other large anemone's use in aquariums... Much could be amiss here... for instance, a mis-mix with other cnidarians... Bob Fenner>

Anemone question! 7/24/05
Greetings -- seems like there's a ton of people asking questions about anemones.  I'm now one of them!
<People usually house them inappropriately (i.e.. keeping them in reef tanks) so they tend to have a lot of problems with them>
I picked up a long tentacle from the local fish store about two weeks ago.  He's huge, and has looked great in the tank.  I fed him a small bit of krill -- under 1/4", from what I've read on the site.  I feed him generally every four days.
<Sounds good>
  Anyway, when I went to work this morning I noticed he looked a little smaller, but not a big deal.  When I got home, he looked completely dead; no water in tentacles at all, wasn't gripping the rock anymore (had fallen over on its side), etc.  Huge red base was just sitting out in the open.  The mouth wasn't open though.  I checked water parameters and things looked fine (temperature holds steady at 80-82 degrees in the tank all day.  The LFS was closed at this point so I figured I'd have to wait until tomorrow.  I went out to the store and came back and noticed its mouth was now open basically all the way, and that it looks like it spit something out... a brownish substance.  I've propped him up between a bunch of rocks, and dug a hole in the sand for him so that he'll stand up... but I don't know what else to do.  It keeps trying to stand up; some of the tentacles will inflate, and it'll rise up several inches from the base, then fall back down again.  If I prop it back up between rocks, it repeats the cycle and just gets taller and taller until it flops over again.
<Sounds like it's on the verge of death, sorry to say>
I have no other anemones, and the tank has been running for about a year and a half.  None of the fish are picking at it that I've seen.  I have a leather coral on the other side of the tank that appears to still be doing well.  The tank is a 36g bowfront.  I don't have a protein skimmer.  Lighting is 130W PC (one true actinic).
<You have nowhere near enough lighting.  Next time, ask questions first, purchase second>
Any clues?  I know it's hard to explain without pictures and without being here to see it, but I just find it weird that it would have died that quickly.
<I don't.  Improper collection, improper acclimation, stress, low energy reserves, combined with poor lighting>
  I just checked my water parameters again; the water doesn't smell but my alkalinity and nitrates are way above normal (pH 7.8, alkalinity 260, nitrites < 0.5 ppm, nitrates 100 ppm).
<Well that explains the death right there.  Horrible water quality - your pH should be ~8.2+ at night, nitrites should be 0, nitrates should be less than 5ppm measured as nitrate ion>
  I'm going to do a water change tomorrow and see if that cures those problems (can't do it tonight, no supplies, it's midnight).
<Please do, and please read further about the husbandry of marine aquariums.  Look into your filtration/water circulation>
Thanks
<No problem.  With proper conditions, anemones can outlive their owners, but those conditions do need to be met.  A few weeks of diligent reading should ready you, and give you time to get your tank in order>
- Will
<M. Maddox>

More Anemone Woes…  9/23/05
<Adam J here.>
Bryan here and I must first say that this is the best informative website I have found on marine life, keep it up you guys are the best!
<Yeah I like this place too.>
My question is about 2 LTA's I have in my 55gal, these are the only two inverts in the tank and not sure exactly how there health is.  First tank conditions
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-12
<Try getting this as close to zero as possible, increasing the frequency of water changes is the easiest way.>
Ph-8.5
Salinity-1.022
Temp-77
Substrate-crushed coral
Seaclone 100 skimmer
330 BioWheel
Maxijet 900 powerhead
<You may want to add a few more of these.>
Lighting- 2ea 15w Actinic 03 blue, 2ea 15w Actinic full spectrum lights (I hope tomorrow I will be adding 1 ea 110w
Actinic 03 blue light and 1 ea Aquasun 110w white light (both are VHO bulbs)
<More lighting is definitely needed, as the current scheme is highly insufficient for the anemones, if they continue to be subjected to this they will meet a quick demise, so yes please upgrade.>
40lbs live rock (just coming to life, started them as base rock, but have awesome coralline growing now)
15 hermits
1-Clarkii, 1-yellowtail damsel, 1-purple Anthias, and 1-yellow tang (very small and will move as he get older)
<Glad to hear it.>
Anyhow, the blue LTA I placed in the middle of the tank on a rock, overnight it move down the rock to a spot in between three rocks where there is water flow, but not very strong and not in the brightness area of the tank (can't see if it foot is buried or not).  This does puzzled me because right now lighting levels is not where it needs to be.
<Not really puzzling at all, the anemone is doing what comes naturally, moving to the substrate in which it can hide its “foot.”>
The Clarkii has taken to it very well, in fact, unless he is coming out of the LTA at night he has not come out for 2 days, not even to eat.
<You can use a turkey-baster to direct food to him.>
The colors look fine, but is there a chance it's dying?
<Without food and light….yes it will eventually die.>
  I am not sure it is eating since the Clarkii will not leave. I started feeding it ChromaPlex and also use iodine supplements.
<I would use “heavier” meats of a marine origin, (i.e. squid and krill).>
On to the green/purple LTA, from the time I put this one in, it went from being 4" to pretty much closing up.  I can't tell if it is moving or if it is just the current pushing it around.  I gave it a little help by placing next to two rocks, but still nothing, just laying on the bottom on it's side.  
<Not a good sign.>
Until my slow shipment of lighting arrives which was suppose to be here before the LTA's, I have place a Halogen light next to the tank shining in LTA direction, is this a bad idea?   
<Better than nothing.>
I also notice that it's mouth stays open for extended periods of time, and occasionally the base inflates for awhile than deflates.  What is going on with this LTA?
<Likely in a slow demise at the moment.>
Should I move the LTA to a hospital tank where I can provide 3-4w per gal? Until my other fixtures arrive?
<Moving the animal may further stress it, leave it be for now.>
Also the foot on both LTA's look fine when placed in the tank and still do (bright orange/red).  Should I be worried?
<Well to be honest these anemones rarely acclimate and thrive in captivity, for the average hobbyist I rarely see them live longer than 2-3 months, they do best in shallow tanks with a DSB in which to bury their foot.  They also prefer “intense” lighting. To give them the best chance, keep water quality pristine and target feed 1-2 times weekly.  Furthermore having two in a 55 gallon is not a good idea, I have seen up to 30” in diameter. Please read in the LTA FAQ’s for more detail http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ltafaqs.htm .>
Thanks Bryan
<Adam J.>

Long Tentacle Tangled Anemone 10/11/05
Greetings and thank you for such a great site!
<Hello, and thank you for the kind words.>
I purchased 1 LT anemone a few days ago and have been very concerned with its health. Several of the little critter's tentacles appear to be tangled within one another. Imagine long clown balloons used for making balloon animals. The poor little tentacles seem to be tied up in this very fashion! I have observed 2 separate spots involving about 4 tentacles each. It almost seems like there is some fiber constricting these little clusters!
<It may appear to be tangled but I can assure you that this is not a problem. They will never be sticking up from the base at a 90 degree angle swaying in perfect unison as a popular cartoon would suggest.>
Additionally, it seems to have a difficult time staying "stuck" in its spot. 
<Anemones often have trouble adjusting to captive environments. It may still be finding the spot it wants.> 
It will appear to be stuck into the crushed coral only to roll over a few hours later and then recover once again. Should I attempt to move it to a rock for better "hold" and/or lighting? 
<No you can damage it in this way, furthermore the Long Tentacle Anemone is properly placed in the sand bed and not the rock work.> 
Its mouth is closed and it tentacles are inflated (save the "tangled" ones). 
I have a 55 G tank w/ 55 pounds of live rock
Emperor 400 and Aqua Clear 70
Berlin Air Lift skimmer
<You may want to upgrade this eventually, if its working out and you have no nutrient problems then disregard this.>
Two 65 watt 10,000K and two 65 watt True Actinic compact fluorescent Lamps
<These may be inadequate for the anemone, monitor it for signs of bleaching and be sure to feed it once per week.>
All test show levels at 0 (Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite)
pH hovering at 8.1-8.2
Any help you could give me is much appreciated.
<Read here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/macrodoreensis.htm, and read the linked FAQ’s as well.>
Brooke
<Adam J.> 

LTA deflated Tentacles / Cyano Problems  11/7/05
Good Afternoon,
I have a couple of questions regarding my 55g reef. I believe I may have a problem with my tank as I am experiencing some Cyano problems. Currently my water parameters are as follows:
Salinity 1.026
pH 8.2
Ammonia .5 -1
<Trouble>
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Phosphate 0
KH 10
My anemone will open it's mouth everyday expelling a slimy substance and it's tentacles are deflated.
<A good clue... something is amiss>
It seems to almost flip inside out almost everyday. I know an anemone in general is hard to keep, but it was fine for the first two months with the water chemistry not changing much. My maxima clam and pipe organs are doing just fine though. Everything else in the tank is fine except a yellow tang that has died recently from unknown causes, my best guess is starvation as the seaweed I've been trying to feed her is getting taken away by my Clarkii clown.
I actually only have about 25lbs of live rock and 15lbs what was sold as live rock but seemed like base rock. So if I count them, it'll be 40lbs which is probably too little for a reef tank.
<Is fine for this size, shape, type system>
I also have about 30lbs of Lava Rock
<This may be problematical... I would at least have the water tested for iron content>
I hope will eventually become "live." Should I buy more live rock?
<Would help, yes>
And if so, where can I purchase it at your site?
<Mmm, we don't sell anything (other than the books, pix we produce...)>
Here is my tank set up.
Standard 55 gallon
80lb live sand
260w power compacts with 130w 10,000k and 130w actinic
Tidepool I
Mag Drive 7
AquaC Urchin with Maxijet
And its inhabitants:
2 Damsels
Clarkii Clownfish
Fire Shrimp
3 peppermint shrimps
2 conch
1 brittle star
15 blue leg hermits
10 red leg hermits
15 Astrea snails
2 emerald crabs
bubble coral
Maxima Clam
Pipe Organ
LTA
Rusty gorgonian
Various feather dusters
Thanks for all your help!
<I would keep an eye on the anemone, be ready to siphon/vac it out if/when it dies... something is awry in your system chemically... I would remove the lava rock precautionarily (is this a word?), 
<<Not that I can find (other than a specific use in translated online Islamic texts), but we get your meaning.  Marina>>
and look into adding some new LR to replace it. Bob Fenner>