Green Carpet Anemone losing color

hfa3501 · 09/30/2017, 09:57 AM

I bought a green carpet nem about 3mos ago - he has found his own special place in the tank, eating well (I feed Krill every 3 days), fully inflated, and has even gotten a bit bigger since he came home with me; however; when I brought him home he was a beautiful bright green; and now he seems to have lost some color......he is s till green but lighter, and it appears he is getting some brown alge growth on him....almost a dirty looking light brown. Like the kind of algae you get on your glass every couple days.

I think my water is ok
79 degrees
sal 1.025
Alk/DkH 10.5
Phos .03
Nitrate 0.00

I have a 65g cube, doing 15% water changes weekly
I don't have any nuisance algae in the tank (cyano) other than a small bit of red hair on one rock I can't seem to get rid of.

I will post a picture later today, I don't have one handy at the moment.

what am I missing? He looks healthy except for the color thing.

pfan151 · 09/30/2017, 10:28 AM

Sounds like he's just getting healthier to me. Probably was partially bleached when you got it and now it's regaining its zooxanthellae. If the algae is actually on top of it that would be unusual though.

Small Heavens · 09/30/2017, 11:13 AM

News have two kinds of colour, and the brown clolour that comes from the Zooxanthellae, is a sign of health, and as pfan151 said, it means the Nem is probably recovering from its trip and regaining health. The Bend also have a surface "skin tone" to them, and if you see the skin colour turning paler, it is probably too much light bleaching the surface, like placing a bright coloured cloth outside in sharp direct sunlight can pale it. Some pigments needs certain minerals but I'm just assuming that your water is pristine or pristine-ish and it's not the problem. I did bleach my Nem because I feared it would not get enough light and so I turned up the volume on the LED and it bleached. I turned it down and it's recovering.

But pale nems are doing bad and when they turn golden or reddish brown, they are getting better, so don't worry, cuz you're apparently doing just fine with your nem.

Small Heavens · 09/30/2017, 11:16 AM

Hmm, cannot find the edit button, pardon the typos!

hfa3501 · 09/30/2017, 11:23 AM

Here is a picture of my green carpet anemone - he looks "dirty" compared to what he was when I brought him home.

Is this normal?

hfa3501 · 09/30/2017, 11:29 AM

here is another picture of him

pfan151 · 09/30/2017, 12:33 PM

Looks pretty good to me. I think it will continue to get darker. Still looks slightly bleached. How deep is your sand? They like a deep sand bed.

hfa3501 · 09/30/2017, 04:01 PM

sand bed is about 3"

D-Nak · 09/30/2017, 10:04 PM

It's a standard green haddoni (versus neon green) so the green color with the brown tinge is normal. Keep up the good work -- your nem looks healthy.

hfa3501 · 10/01/2017, 02:15 AM

Ok, that's good to hear! Thanks everyone for your input! This is the first anemone I've had and I wasn't sure. I feel better now, knowing my little buddy is probably healthy!

Cliving1 · 10/01/2017, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-Nak

It's a standard green haddoni (versus neon green) so the green color with the brown tinge is normal. Keep up the good work -- your nem looks healthy.

+1 agree with the above. I have the neon, sometimes it looks fake haha. I enjoy the traditional coloring you have.

Small Heavens · 10/01/2017, 09:17 AM

Looks healthy and strong. Beautiful specimen actually, keep up the good work

09/30/2017, 09:57 AM	#1
hfa3501 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Strongsville, Ohio Posts: 99	Green Carpet Anemone losing color I bought a green carpet nem about 3mos ago - he has found his own special place in the tank, eating well (I feed Krill every 3 days), fully inflated, and has even gotten a bit bigger since he came home with me; however; when I brought him home he was a beautiful bright green; and now he seems to have lost some color......he is s till green but lighter, and it appears he is getting some brown alge growth on him....almost a dirty looking light brown. Like the kind of algae you get on your glass every couple days. I think my water is ok 79 degrees sal 1.025 Alk/DkH 10.5 Phos .03 Nitrate 0.00 I have a 65g cube, doing 15% water changes weekly I don't have any nuisance algae in the tank (cyano) other than a small bit of red hair on one rock I can't seem to get rid of. I will post a picture later today, I don't have one handy at the moment. what am I missing? He looks healthy except for the color thing.

09/30/2017, 10:04 PM	#9
D-Nak Registered Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 5,797	It's a standard green haddoni (versus neon green) so the green color with the brown tinge is normal. Keep up the good work -- your nem looks healthy. __________________ Tank info: 120 gallon 48x30x20 high DT. Clownfish breeding rack in full swing: C-Quest Onyx, Bali Aquarich P1 Picasso + Rod's Onyx, wild percula + Rod's Onyx.

09/30/2017, 10:28 AM	#2
pfan151 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: FL Posts: 1,897	Sounds like he's just getting healthier to me. Probably was partially bleached when you got it and now it's regaining its zooxanthellae. If the algae is actually on top of it that would be unusual though.

09/30/2017, 11:13 AM	#3
Small Heavens In Memoriam Join Date: Sep 2017 Posts: 246	News have two kinds of colour, and the brown clolour that comes from the Zooxanthellae, is a sign of health, and as pfan151 said, it means the Nem is probably recovering from its trip and regaining health. The Bend also have a surface "skin tone" to them, and if you see the skin colour turning paler, it is probably too much light bleaching the surface, like placing a bright coloured cloth outside in sharp direct sunlight can pale it. Some pigments needs certain minerals but I'm just assuming that your water is pristine or pristine-ish and it's not the problem. I did bleach my Nem because I feared it would not get enough light and so I turned up the volume on the LED and it bleached. I turned it down and it's recovering. But pale nems are doing bad and when they turn golden or reddish brown, they are getting better, so don't worry, cuz you're apparently doing just fine with your nem.

09/30/2017, 11:16 AM	#4
Small Heavens In Memoriam Join Date: Sep 2017 Posts: 246	Hmm, cannot find the edit button, pardon the typos!

09/30/2017, 12:33 PM	#7
pfan151 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: FL Posts: 1,897	Looks pretty good to me. I think it will continue to get darker. Still looks slightly bleached. How deep is your sand? They like a deep sand bed.

09/30/2017, 04:01 PM	#8
hfa3501 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Strongsville, Ohio Posts: 99	sand bed is about 3"

10/01/2017, 02:15 AM	#10
hfa3501 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Strongsville, Ohio Posts: 99	Ok, that's good to hear! Thanks everyone for your input! This is the first anemone I've had and I wasn't sure. I feel better now, knowing my little buddy is probably healthy!

10/01/2017, 09:17 AM	#12
Small Heavens In Memoriam Join Date: Sep 2017 Posts: 246	Looks healthy and strong. Beautiful specimen actually, keep up the good work