questions about anenome

[delandwendy]

I have just purchased an anenome (heteractis crispa) from an online company in which i thought that i had done ample research about, but am now worried that it will perish. The anenome looks okay - a bit bleached but has "sticky" tentacles, a closed mouth and usually quite full. However, it hasn't been eating and my question is should i "force feed" it or leave it alone? Can anybody suggest an appropriate food for it? I've been trying raw shrimp which it will grab but not bring it towards it's mouth. It also rolls about the tank at least once per day...should i try to anchor it in sand or agian...leave it alone? It also shrinks down from time to time (once this week). It has been in my tank now for approximately 8 days. My tank is 30 gallons (too small?) and is 4 months old with 50#live rocks, 2 ocelleris clowns, 1 damsel, 3 shrimp and many crabs & snails. No corals yet but lots of button polyps. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!!

[Shagsbeard]

What lighting do you have... I know someone will ask...

[delandwendy]

i know...i see that i left that out. I have PC lighting but the exact numbers i don't have in front of me as i am at work!! I must admit, i bought a package deal from LFS in which they assured me ;-) that the lighting would be adequate for what i wanted...an anenome with some corals & clowns. I'll follow up when i get home today.

[isotope21]

Force feeding will cause more harm/stress than positive effects. To attempt a feeding, suck up mysis or another "easy to grab" food and squirt it toward the anemone's mouth. If it doesn't respond at all to that, I would start preparing for the end, i.e., you might want to start thinking about removing it prior to its decay and a complete fouling of your 30g.

The bleaching is a very bad sign. Did it arrive bleached? Do you have a "stay-alive" guarantee?

30 gallons is "too small" in the sense that anemones, esp. species like H. crispa, are very demanding of water parameters. The relatively low water volume can obviously get out of whack far more easily than say a 300g system.

Also, don't attempt to position it or anchor it in the sand. Anemones are motile, so it will either find its "happy place" or perish regardless of your well-intended, but futille, assistance.

Best of luck. In the future I would recommend avoiding H. crispa and try to obtain a tank-raised E. quadricolor (bulb/bubble-tip).

Last, welcome to RC!


Pete

[delandwendy]

aarrhhg! This is pretty much what i figured. Yes, it arrived bleached....and yes i have a guarantee. The tentacles are mostly white but 2/3rds the way down are a nice brown, so i had some hope that it would do ok. As far as getting rid of it prior to it messing up my tank...i don't want to throw it out if it's alive...anything in particular i should look for? Thanks!!

[reefallen]

I agree with what everyone has said. Additionally, PC lights are usually not enough for H. Crispas. The only kind of nem you would be able to successfully keep in your tank is a BTA or RBTA. Also, your tank should typically cycle for at least 6 months prior to adding an anemone.

I would definately look into your return policy as well as hold off on getting another nem for a few months for the greatest success. Hope that helps.

[hansonfam]

I wouldn't stress about it yet. Is its mouth gapping? Does it look like its inside out? When i first got my lta it didn't eat for 2 weeks. And now it is the size of a dinner plate easily. And i did have to anchor it to the sand as suggested by many people here. Just dig a hole where you would like it(doesn't always mean it will stay there:) ) and put it in the hole and bury it foot with the sand. Mine has stayed put there ever since.Which has been 4 months i guess now. I just added a 10 inch Sebae last night and did the same with him and he is all settled and happy today.The problem with rolling around is they can get hurt on power heads or hurt other corals. I would give it some more time with the food and do what the others suggested with trying the target mysis. And depending on you wattage you made need to upgrade the lights to keep him long term. I kept mine under 600 watts of pcs untill last weekend,. And he got huge quick with a couple times a week feedings.
Hopefully all will be good.
Let us know how its doing.

Lisa

[puffer21]

[welcome]
and how long has your tank been running

[isotope21]

Once they start dying, it all happens pretty fast. Watch for: gaping mouth, turning inside out, turning into goo, "deflation" without reinflation during the daytime, scavengers picking at it, etc..

[petoonia]

How is your water movement. My crispa likes no strong currents on it. Try turning off power heads, or your source of water movement, and see if it starts to settle down a bit. Then adjust so it isn't getting any strong water currents. Mine is very sensitive to the slightest adjustment in water flow.

Give it awhile before feeding let it get settled in. My anemone love krill, clams, or mysis shrimp. I chop the food up really small for it almost shred it. Then feed it with a turkey baster. Do not force feed it that will only hurt it.

Mine also had whiter tips with darker colors towards the bottom, now it is starting to return to its natural color. Mine is also under PC lighting.

One other thing you should fill out your profile so we know what type of setup you have.

Good Luck!!!

[delandwendy]

well, i've tried several times to upload photos...it says i exceed my 50kb limit even though i have resized to below that...not sure how to do it, i guess.

[Amphiprion]

If you Heteractis crispa has not properly settled down yet (i.e. rolling around), then that is not a good sign. Lighting, feeding, etc. is irrelevant at this point--they will play a role AFTER it settles in. If it isn't properly attached, it will never get the appropriate signals to accept food. I would concentrate on improving water quality and environment to facilitate settling before you do anything. If you can, keep trying to get a picture up, as the anemone may not be H. crispa, which if reasonably healthy, is not picky about where it settles (i.e. rock or sand, but prefers its column to be concealed). Once it does settle, you lighting will be adequate and you should feed it heavily (as often as every other day) to facilitate growth and recovery.

[delandwendy]

Referring to water quality & environment...how would one improve that when the quality is already good? My parameters are all acceptable. Are you suggesting more frequent water changes or additions of some sort? I'm asking because i truly do not know. The anenome is not rolling around but it isn't attached.

[isotope21]

Remember that "acceptable" can be a very subjective term. Could you post your parameters? Having "the facts" often helps and will warrant more specific recommendations than just "improve your water quality." Your aquarium, all aquariums, regardless of the cleanliness of the water, are far dirtier than this organism's natural environment.

I'm still sticking with my original suggestion - you received a damaged H. crispa, common among that species (all Indo-Pacific imported anems really), and now you're fighting an uphill battle just so it can survive regardless of what you do.

best of luck,
pete

[Puffdragon]

If you try to bury the foot, I would place the base under a large piece of live rock also. It helped my LTA settle in.

[Randall_James]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8412532#post8412532 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by isotope21
Force feeding will cause more harm/stress than positive effects. To attempt a feeding, suck up mysis or another "easy to grab" food and squirt it toward the anemone's mouth. If it doesn't respond at all to that, I would start preparing for the end, i.e., you might want to start thinking about removing it prior to its decay and a complete fouling of your 30g.

The bleaching is a very bad sign. Did it arrive bleached? Do you have a "stay-alive" guarantee?

30 gallons is "too small" in the sense that anemones, esp. species like H. crispa, are very demanding of water parameters. The relatively low water volume can obviously get out of whack far more easily than say a 300g system.

Also, don't attempt to position it or anchor it in the sand. Anemones are motile, so it will either find its "happy place" or perish regardless of your well-intended, but futille, assistance.

Best of luck. In the future I would recommend avoiding H. crispa and try to obtain a tank-raised E. quadricolor (bulb/bubble-tip).

Last, welcome to RC!


Pete Only thing I would add is you have insuffcient lighting and your tank is way too new (3 months?) I would second a captive raised E. quadricolor (in about 9 months)

[SirSmapty]

I put a Condi in a tank that was only 2 month old and he's loving it. He's open and accepts food. I'll spot feed him bloodworms 2x a week. Yesterday when I came home he was anchored near the front of the tank with his mouth pointed towards the front almost like he was trying to tell me he was hungry. lol

[Amphiprion]

If the tank is 30 gallons, lighting is adequate. Many have successfully kept these anemones under normal output fluorescent. H. crispa is actually one of the better anemones for fairly lower light, being in the same light 'tolerance class' as S. haddoni and Entacmea quadricolor. If the anemone is in reasonable health from the start (an anemone can still be reasonably healthy, yet bleached simultaneously--I am referring more to physical complications), it can do very well under this lighting scheme. I don't consider this species picky, either. In fact, when well settled and taken care of, it is what I consider to be nearly indestructible. The only complication I could foresee if the anemone survives the initial settlement period is size--this species (despite what has been documented) reached up to around 24". Unfortunately, it doesn't sound as if yours is doing well to begin with. I say improve water parameters because a) it can't really hurt anything to try and b) anemones that just float around unattached are, in general, totally dissatisfied with the environment (or severly injured/too far gone) and if left in those conditions (no matter how 'good' they may seem), it will die. Good luck and I hope that the anemone recovers for you.