Anemone Never fully opens (with pic)

[bekindtoyurbuds]

I've had this anemone for about 5 months, when I bought at the fish store it was silver dollar size, nice and plump, with green tips. (I think its a bubble tip, not sure) When I brought it home it was nice and plump for the first day, then it started to move around the tank to find a nice spot, once it did it pretty much stayed there. If it did move it was only a few inches. I feed it a few times a week, but it still never opens and has not gotten bigger.

It pretty much stays this way in the same spot all the time, whats the deal? Will it ever open like it did at the fish store. I figure, if it was dyeing, it would have done so months ago.

<a href="http://s177.photobucket.com/albums/w221/bekindtoyurbuds/?action=view&current=Bubbletip.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w221/bekindtoyurbuds/Bubbletip.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[garygb]

It looks like a BTA alright. I would wonder about tank conditions, i.e., water parameters and lighting? Could you post those and a full tank shot?

[jener8tionx]

looks bleached...wil it take food?

[ko0ki3z]

it looks like to me its not getting much lighting

[bekindtoyurbuds]

My tank is a 34gal red sea max setup, for lighting I have Two 55 watt T5 10,000k/actinic power compacts providing 4 watts per gallon.


P.H. 8.4
Alk 2.3 (milli equaivalents per liter)
Amon 0 p.p.m
nitrite 0 p.p.m
Nitrate 10 p.p.m
Cal. 450
Sal 1.025

My water parameters are really stable, I've never had a water quality issue

As for the bta it eats a few times a week, and its near the top of the tank and out in the open ( I guess thats where it likes it)

Heres a few pics of the tank (it was taken after the lights went out)
<a href="http://s177.photobucket.com/albums/w221/bekindtoyurbuds/?action=view&current=FishTank2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w221/bekindtoyurbuds/FishTank2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

heres the lights
<a href="http://s177.photobucket.com/albums/w221/bekindtoyurbuds/?action=view&current=hood_pic.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w221/bekindtoyurbuds/hood_pic.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[jubjub]

how did you acclimate it? other then that im kinda stumped

[bekindtoyurbuds]

I put it in a container with the water it came with from the store, and slowly added water from my tank over 30-45 min till I doubled the water in the container then I put it in my tank.

It looked nice for the first day or two then went to crap.

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

How often do you do water changes? When was the last time you replaced the light bulbs?

[Haddonisreef]

id say the alk is abit low for me!

[chrisstie]

The Alk is in the other unit conversion. What is that in dKH like 8 or 9? you could probably go up to around 10. Man, I used to have that conversion in my head but now I've lost it.

I keep green BTAs in my red sea max so it can be done. It is also an awesome tank, mine doesn't get dirty and it does stay really stable. Its been easier to care for than my thrown together 55g.

That being said, the anemone is severely bleached and if it looked like that or close to it in the LFS it probably didn't ship well. Many dont. All that you can do now is wait and be patient. Feeding should help, and eventually it should recover the zooxanthellae that live in its tentacles and its color should return. This may happen to be brown at first but hang in there and hopefully it will recover.

I would recommend stronger lighting but I think upon recovery harsh lights without the algae in the flesh to absorb it wouldn't matter when it may thrive under more lighting as a healthy specimen.

Just be patient and do what your'e doing and hopefully it works out!

[Lmecher]

Does your anemone even have tentacles? It has started to consume itself. I know you think you have adequate lighting but sorry to say you don't, if you did your anemone would not look like that, it needs to be fed and brighter lighting/ moved closer to the light source. In my humble opinion, I don't think it's gonna make it, it's pretty far gone. They can linger for many months as they slowly starve to death. : (
Check out thiis link
http://www.karensroseanemones.com/starvinganemone.htm