Re: New Sebae Anemone, Inadequate Environment, More Research Needed – 3/20/08
Hi Brenda,
<Hello Shanon!>
Thank you for your response!
<You’re welcome!>
I'm sad to hear my tank is too small for the anemone. My LFS has a tank that is yet smaller (maybe 10-12 gallon) which has a large bubble tip and a maroon clown.
<Minimum tank size recommendation for this fish is 30 gallons.>
The bubble tip appears healthy.
<It won’t stay healthy long term and this is a poor representation of how to care for these animals.>
Will you please tell me the reasons why the anemone requires a larger tank (not to question your knowledge, but for my understanding) and what size tank would be suitable?
<Anemones need pristine water conditions. The chances of this happening in a 16 gallon tank are slim. With a larger volume of water, the water quality decreases at a slower rate. Add the fact that you don’t have a protein skimmer, the chances of survival have decreased even more. Ammonia is extremely toxic to anemones. When an anemone dies in a tank, it pollutes the water quickly. A dead anemone can wipe out even a much larger system. In a 16 gallon system, you will likely end up with nothing. Anemones also grow quickly. They can reach 18” or more. When they have outgrown their space, they move to find a more suitable place. There isn’t going to be any space available to move to in your current system. This will cause stress on the anemone. Stress causes death. I recommend 40 – 50 gallons of water volume, or more, for anyone new to keeping anemones. I also recommend the tank be an established environment.>
I am feeding krill to the anemone twice weekly, though he rejects it about an hour later.
<Try smaller pieces until you can find the anemone a new home (1/8” sized portions).>
I also feed Marine Snow twice weekly and Mysis shrimp every other day for the clown fish.
<Mysis shrimp is also a good choice for the anemone. Marine Snow is useless for anemones. Anemones need raw meaty foods, no exceptions here.>
I did mean salinity 1.022.
<This is much too low for anemones; 1.026 is best.>
I test it with a hydrometer (is this adequate?).
<I don’t recommend using hydrometers. A refractometer is more accurate.>
The hydrometer says that 1.026 is out of the safe range.
<1.026 is closer to normal salinity of the ocean.>
I guess I need a lot more information to understand how the system works.
<Keep researching. You will find many answers to your questions here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm also read through all the Related FAQs at the top of the above link.>
If not power heads then what should be used for water flow?
<Pumps need to be outside of the main display. I recommend a sump/refugium. Either will add more water volume. A refugium will allow you to grow macro algae. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nutrientcontrol.htm >
I thought I needed the hermit crabs to clean the tank and keep nitrates down, is that wrong?
<It is not “wrong”. However it is not the best option in such a small tank. I do keep hermit crabs. However mine are kept in the refugium. crabs are opportunistic feeders. They are known to kill small sleeping fish, eat polyps, snails, and bother anemones. >
I believe the toad stool is the way to go for now. I would still like optimum lighting. I have not been able to find better lighting to fit my 18 inch tank width. Do you have a suggestion?
<Check with the manufacturer or the place you purchased the set up to see if they offer a lighting upgrade. However, be careful that you don’t add too much that you have heat issues.>
Thank you for the info on the chemistry.
<You’re welcome!>
I will start doing my own tests immediately.
<Great!>
I will be sad to see the anemone go but I think the toad stool is a good solution until I get a better understanding of my system and upgrade to a larger tank.
<Indeed.>
Best regards, Shanon
<Good luck to you Shanon! Brenda>

Re: Bleached Sebae Anemone, Zooxanthellae... no referral...  - 3/15/08
Thank you Brenda for your help!
<You are welcome!>
I picked up some Silversides soaked a piece in Selcon and fed it to the Anemone this afternoon.
<Excellent!>
The Sebae ate the piece of Silverside but continued to leave his mouth open and then "pucker up" for about two hours.
<I would not be overly alarmed with this.>
(I've been a "worry wart" so I continued to watch it....)
<I understand, I was once new to anemones also! I learned a lot, quickly! However, I do recommend doing as much research as you can. Also continue sending in your specific questions to us.>
The Salinity is 1.022
<Your salinity is much too low! Gradually bring up to 1.026. Do this by topping off daily with pre-mixed saltwater mixed to 1.026. Once you have reached 1.026, go back to topping off with RO or RODI. I must stress here, this must be done slowly. It will take days. Anemones do not like change. Changing any parameters too fast will add more stress, likely resulting in death with this one.>
and the temp is 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
<Perfect!>
I've included pictures taken during my 2 hour watch.
<Yes, I see them. The anemone is not healthy, but does have hope! I do have some concern over the shrimp that is in the picture. Is it bothering the anemone? They have a tendency to steal food from them, several hours after the feeding.>
Thank you again for your guidance!
<You are welcome! If you run into any more problems/questions, don’t hesitate to ask! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you both! Brenda>

<... RMF>

Health of Sebae
Partial Zooxanthellae Recovery – 2/2/08
Keep up the great work on this site guys!
<Hello, Brenda here, and Thank you!>
Anywho, to the question.
<Okay!>
I got this Sebae when he was completely bleached.
<Ouch!>
Mail order, not a good idea.
<Not always the best! Shipping is very stressful. However, this anemone may have been bleached before it was shipped. We unfortunately will never know the journey of this anemone.>
Anyways, most of his tentacles are a deep brown. The pictures do not do his color justice, but the only part of him that hasn't turned into a light brown is in the left side of the second picture I believe.
<Yes, I see this. This is a bit unusual. How long has this anemone been in your care? Typically when I see this sort of color pattern in anemones like this, I have to consider that this anemone may have previously been dyed. However, I am not convinced that this is the case here. If you would be so kind, I would like to see regular updates on this anemones progress.>
Will he turn into a deeper brown then this, or is this as dark as he will get in a home aquarium?
<It does appear to have some color, so I do believe zooxanthellae are recovering in this area. What are you feeding? How often and what sized portions? What are your water parameters, specifically, temperature, salinity, pH, and alkalinity? What size tank, and what lighting are you using? How long has this tank been set up?>
Thanks a bunch!
<You’re welcome! Brenda>

Re: Health of Sebae, Partial Zooxanthellae Recovery – 2/7/08
I usually switch feedings of frozen mysis, plankton, prime reef, mega marine and formula one.
<I would stop using any food that contains algae. Anemones are meat eaters. Mysis shrimp, Silversides, Krill, Lance Fish etc. are good choices.>
I usually feed the tank 1-2 times per week. The anemone gets a piece about half the size of his mouth.
<Good!>
Temperature is 77-79, salinity is at 1.024(I've been raising very slowly to .026 for awhile now).
<I recommend bringing the temperature up a bit. I would target 79 – 80 degrees.>
pH is almost always steady at 8.2, and alkalinity is at 10 dKH. It is a 30g tank, with 250w MH. The tank has been set up almost 10 months now. The Sebae has been in there for about 2. I think that is about it!
<It sounds like it has come a long ways in two months! Great job! Brenda>

Re: Sebae Anemone, Possibly Regurgitating, Stressed from Collection/Shipping – 01/21/08
Hi Brenda
<Hello Pam!>
Oh my goodness! This is so funny. I came home, and the Anemone had moved into a cave. I looked at him, and he looked fine except that he had moved (strange because he hadn't moved in 2 weeks since I put him into my tank). I asked my son, if maybe the Anemone was upside down, and he was looking at his foot. My son said..."OH...yea...that's it.. I didn't know they had a foot". He must have flipped upside down, then flipped himself and moved into the cave, or the current took him in there. He wasn't expelling anything at all and looks fine!! Yay!
I don't know if I should have left him in the cave or not, but I moved him back to his regular spot.
<Unfortunately, when an anemone of this type starts flipping itself upside down, it is usually bad news.>
Now if the darn clown would stop stealing his food! It's not that the clown is eating it...he's just kicking it out. I stood guard for a while, but as soon as I took my arm out of the tank, the clown went and dug out the small piece of silverside I had put in. I thought he was trying to eat it, but he isn't. He just threw it away.
<Try placing a strawberry basket that you find at the grocery store over the anemone until it is able to eat. Since your anemone is stressed, feed small portions daily. I would start by trying a 1/8” piece once a day. Gradually increase the size, but never feed anything larger than its mouth. Once the anemone has recovered, you can feed 2 – 3 times a week. I would suggest using silversides, krill, or mysis shrimp. Stay away from brine shrimp, it is not nutritional enough for anemones.>
So anyway, the Anemone is fine. It isn't regurgitating anything. He had just flipped himself upside down....or the current did. Thanks! Pam
<You’re welcome and good luck to you! Brenda>

Thank you Brenda.
<You’re welcome!>
The strawberry basket is a great idea. I'll give that a try. I have been cutting up the Silverside and only feeding it about 1/8 of a whole silverside.
<Try a 1/8 inch piece. You don’t want to stress the anemone any more than collection and shipping has already caused.>
I also bought some krill. He deflated SO much last night several hours after I got home, and I thought oh, this isn't good at all.
<It does not sound good.>
He was probably only a 10th of his normal size. Woke up this morning, and he was nice and inflated again. I have a feeling it's going to be touch and go for a while, but I am determined to be patient and nurse him back to complete health. Have a great day.
<You too!>
Pam
<Good luck to you Pam! Brenda>