Another Condy Anemone Question!

[ProHaloSniper]

Hello.

He finally perked up last night, but today, he looks like he is getting smaller and more retracted in...Is this normal? My water is perfect and I fed him a shot of Marine Snow today.

Please let me know ASAP.

--Jim C.

Sorry for being so worried.

[papagimp]

try feeding him more than marine snow for one. condi's devoire small fish too. Maybe some mysis or krill bits.

as for perfect water quality, not that I don't belive you but what are your tank parameters and what equpiment are you running on it? Size of tank, lighting, flow stuff like that. how long ago was he purchased? did you acclimate him suffciently if recently purchases?

Condi's, even though not the best anemone IMO and should be avoided by all except those who know their natural settings and behavoirs, are extremely hardy for anemone. Sounds like he's stressed over something.

[ProHaloSniper]

Sorry.

Params:

Tank: 6 Gallon Eclipse System
Temp: 78-80*F
pH: 8.4
Trites: 0
Trates: Less than 5
Ammo: 0
sG: 1.022

I just added him yesterday. I drip acclimated him for almost 2 hours and released him. He looked really limp but perked up after a few hours. Over the course of the day, he has just seemed to be getting smaller and more retracted in his body.

I am going to go ahead and do a .5 to 1 gallon water change.

Let me know if this helps!

--Jim C.

[demonsp]

Raw shrimp cut up small enough for him. Place it right on a tenticle and he will grab. Marine snow is for coral and not all coral need it. The anemone is an invert and requirs real food.Dont take this wrong but if you want a successfull aqurium then research what your doing. Learn the basics and research any new addition before you buy.

Can you tell us about your setup from size to age to all equipment used and amount of LR and LS and all stock.

[ProHaloSniper]

I'm not gonna take anything wrong demonsp...I did a good amount of research before buying, just never found out anything about what they will do if something is wrong.

I just cut up a small piece of shrimp and he began to eat it, but he is really looking lousy. He's just kinda...meh...laying there. He is moving tho.

Any suggestions!!? HURRY!

--Jim C.

[papagimp]

Well, only thing listed I'd fix is the salinity, raise it to 1.026. More of a personal preference, but 1.022 would be fine for fish only but for a reef, higher would probably be better. If you have no corals just an anemone, still need to treat the tank as if it were a reef setup. Anemone's can be very delicate. And when I say hardy for an anemone, that's just what it means, hardy for just them, but still not hardy compared with many other species of corals and inverts.

Since you just added him yesterday, I wouldn't be freakin' out just yet. He's probably still ticked off from the relocation and new home. Give him a few days and then start to worry.

[papagimp]

Forgot to mention, if all you have is the stock lighting on that eclipse, than you didn't do enough research. he'll require higher lighting although they can fair okay in lower lighting than many of their brethren.

did you happen to come across in your research that they are not a "host" in the wild? In case your hopes were clownfish with him. Clowns can host in them, but it's so not natural, lol and they stand a higher chance of being eaten than with anemones that naturally play host to other livestock.

[ProHaloSniper]

Would he get angry over a flow issue? I dont think so. He was right underneath the return on the filter. Not sure if that would make him angry or not.

--Jim C.

I am cuurently doing a water change now!

[demonsp]

Flow, water quality , feeding , amount of LR and LS , age of tank.
THey will shrink to release waste and whene stressed. Just be ready to feed whene he opens. But dont over feed . Just a little and every other day .
Can you give all your tank specs as it would help narow it down?

[ProHaloSniper]

Tank Specs:

Eclipse 6
Stock Lighting ( I made sure it was okay, but ordered a better light in case)
8lbs LR
6lbs LS
(2) Percula Clowns (hosting in the store)
(2) Pepp Shrimp
(2) Anemone Crabs
(2) Green Polyps (Nano Sized) They are doing great!
He just tore into a piece of raw shrimp, so lets see what happens. I did a very tiny water change with pre-mixed water as well.

--Jim C.

[demonsp]

Did you add premixed water to the low tank to increase level and add trace elimates?

[ProHaloSniper]

If you are referring to a sump, I do not have one.

--Jim C.

[robnuti]

My BTA closes up all the time, he is pooping. When I originally put mine in my tank he pouted for a couple of days then he opened up.

Mine does not like a lot of flow. I recently added new power heads and he got mad and hid under a piece of LR until I rearranged the PH.

[papagimp]

Well for one thing, you didn't make sure the light was okay, cause the stock lighting on an Eclipse 6 is no where nearly enough to keep an anemone. it's a mini, little bitty flourescent tube, which may not even be sufficeint for the GSP. Tank is far to tiny IMO for a pair of clowns as well, regardless of clown species.
anemone crabs are notorious for not fairing as well in captivity, they are filter feeders not so much scavengers, so make sure to dose enough phytoplankton/zooplankton to keep him alive. And finally, far to small for 2 peppermints IMO, 1 maybe (MAYBE) but not 2.

please don't take any of that as gripping at ya, just educating ya.



Robnuti, what type of powerhead and flow are we talking about? Anemones DO like a bit of flow, but if you just have a laminar flow in the tank it's the wrong type for reef inhabitants. Most prefer a very chaotic flow. Some species do like laminar but those are typically more difficult species of corals to keep, like non photosythetic sea whips and similar.

[ProHaloSniper]

papagimp,

This tank is temporary, at best. I am currently gathering for a 75 gallon reef in my TV Room (A big TV and SW fish just seem to go together)

Ill take your advice, robnuti, and let him "poop." Ive only had him for 24 hrs!!! Lets see what happens after a week. How long is his digestive cycle, usually.

Nobody else really bothers with him, and he has plenty of flow in there, so lets see what happens. As for the light, I confirmed with 4 sources that the stock one was enough for a condy, in a 6 gallon tank. Its on 12 in" deep at the most!

--Jim C.

Ill post a picture soon and maybe someone can shed some light on his condition.