Bubble tip anemone

[coolwaters]

wow that thing is bleached.

 

not knowing what it really is before you buy it isnt a good idea.

[Gazchap]

Well it has sagged unbelievably now. Looked to be secreting some sort of film-like substance this afternoon. Fed it again but it did not seem interested. Still attached to the rock, though, so it must have some strength.

 

In a desperate attempt, I called the LFS because I now believe I may not be the best person to save it. They were quite happy for me to bring it back quickly and also want to test my water. They did say they would not sell it in a poor state because it's not worth the aggravation.

 

I cannot get there until tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed it will be OK until then.

[cheryl jordan]

Well it has sagged unbelievably now. Looked to be secreting some sort of film-like substance this afternoon. Fed it again but it did not seem interested. Still attached to the rock, though, so it must have some strength.

 

In a desperate attempt, I called the LFS because I now believe I may not be the best person to save it. They were quite happy for me to bring it back quickly and also want to test my water. They did say they would not sell it in a poor state because it's not worth the aggravation.

 

I cannot get there until tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed it will be OK until then.

 

What they say and what they did are two different things, they sold you a badly bleached anemone. They either do not know anything about anemones or they do not care.

 

Sound as though the anemone is expelling it zooxanthellae.

 

Take the anemone back if you feel that is the best idea at this time, but do not assume that you were at fault. I myself would be mad as hell and find a different LFS. Just me though.

[Gazchap]

I'll get criticised for this but, to some degree I do want to defend the LFS; they have always given me sound advice and have steered me away from buying the wrong sort of coral for my tank - they won't sell me certain types I have enquired about. They are marine keepers themselves. I take my share of the responsibility if there is definitely something wrong. While it is no consolation or excuse, could it be that this anemone is the right colour, or dyed and not bleached at all?

[nibor]

If it was that pale when you bought it, it was already bleached. Anemones expel their zooxanthellae when stressed by inappropriate conditions, this is why it is pale. To stand any chance of recovery it needs excellent and stable tank conditions, feeding and strong lighting. I read an article that stated 90% of anemones imported for the aquarium trade do not make it past the first year. The conditions they endure through the wholesalers, regional distributors, transporters... leave many in a sorry state by the time they arrive at the LFS let alone our tanks.

 

I suggest you return it asap and think about keeping one again 6 or 12 months down the line. That's a lot of animal decomposing in your tank if it dies and could cause further carnage.

 

Your open and honest stance throughout this thread is refreshing, especially compared to the tang nonsense I just wasted 5 minutes of my life reading.

[Bill Nye]

If it was that pale when you bought it, it was already bleached. Anemones expel their zooxanthellae when stressed by inappropriate conditions, this is why it is pale. To stand any chance of recovery it needs excellent and stable tank conditions, feeding and strong lighting. I read an article that stated 90% of anemones imported for the aquarium trade do not make it past the first year. The conditions they endure through the wholesalers, regional distributors, transporters... leave many in a sorry state by the time they arrive at the LFS let alone our tanks.

 

I suggest you return it asap and think about keeping one again 6 or 12 months down the line. That's a lot of animal decomposing in your tank if it dies and could cause further carnage.

 

Your open and honest stance throughout this thread is refreshing, especially compared to the tang nonsense I just wasted 5 minutes of my life reading.

 

 

Lol that tang thread is funny but anyway...

 

I would not defend that LFS. They know full well that animal was not really long for this world when they sold it to you. While I will give them a little credit for taking it back from you, they really shouldnt be selling animals like this in the first place. I also did not know how long your tank was set up for and assumed you were ready to care for it. Anemones should only be kept in very mature tanks, and are not really suited for smaller nano aquariums due to their size and water quality requirements.

 

The sad truth is that most anemones dont last very long in captivity and should only be purchased by experts. The thing is that anemones can live for 100 years on the reef and that they do not reproduce as quickly as coral. I have read somewhere that when coral is taken from the reef you can go back a year later and the spot it was taken from will be recolonized, but when an anemone is taken it will take a long time for another to replace it.

 

As a beginner, anemones are very cool and attractive and most purchase them not knowing the true facts about their care. I place alot of blame on LFS who carry these animals because they know full well that 90 percent of the ones they will sell will not make it longer than 6 months but continue to push them to novice reefers. I would chalk this up as a learning experience, as the anemone you purchased probably wouldnt of survived no matter who bought him due to his condition prior to you getting it.

[Gazchap]

It certainly is a learning curve and a humbling experience at that.

Thought I had done well on the patience front, following all the advice to add slowly. In hindsight [20-20 vision you know] it looks as though I have got caught up in the excitement of being ready to add livestock and simply adding it maybe a little too quickly.

When I bought the anemone, I was actually in the LFS to buy another soft coral for my clowns to host, to distract them from trying to host my zoas, which obviously close up on contact. I never planned on an anemone but, in the heat of the moment, I guess I was simply naive and, with some advice from the LFS, bought one that I thought was an unusual colour.

After much thought, I'm hoping returning it will be the best course of action; it was being hosted by a clown in the store and another fish doing the same may perk it up.

Anyway, I'm not looking forward to my trip back there. It's almost a tail-between-your-legs kind of visit.

Put simply, I guess I really should have known better.

[nibor]

Put simply, I guess I really should have known better.

And so should they, you took their advice.

 

If you like the anemone look, frogspawn and hammer coral are easier to care for. Of course your clowns may still decide they prefer the zoanthids.

[reef keeper]

And so should they, you took their advice.

 

If you like the anemone look, frogspawn and hammer coral are easier to care for. Of course your clowns may still decide they prefer the zoanthids.

and they can't move around your aquarium unless you move them.

[Gazchap]

My decision to return it to the LFS was based on how I saw it this morning; sagging, secreting some sort of mucus, tiny retracted tentacles.

 

I returned home from work an hour ago and it is completely different. If I didn't know about bleaching, I'd say it looked healthy. Here are some pictures taken just now.

 

I'm re-thinking my plans to return it as extra movement will only cause more aggro.

 

On another note, the LFS said I may find it difficult to keep frogspawn and the like. Although they had them, they didn't think my tank was suitable...even though I asked a couple of times.

 

Anyway, let me know what you think about these pics...

[Weetabix7]

The thought that Frogspawn would be harder to care for than a BTA sounds a little off to me.

Nem looks much better in those pics.

Is it possible it was just pooping earlier?

[Kool-cat]

That BTA is bleached. Try feeding it a small chunk of scallop, shrimp or silver side.

[nibor]

The thought that Frogspawn would be harder to care for than a BTA sounds a little off to me.

Nem looks much better in those pics.

Is it possible it was just pooping earlier?

 

+1 Apart from the calcium/alk thing you need to keep on top of with hard corals, they are much more forgiving.

 

It does look better. Have you checked out Karen's Rose Anemones yet?

[reef keeper]

If you do get frogspawn or hammer i had some trouble with tissue recession and i read that it might be starving so i started feeding it oyster pheast and it still looked bad so i added iodide and wow the hammer is fully out and tissue recovering skeleton. If you don't dose iodide maybe try that or maybe some type of vitamin.

[Gazchap]

Yeah I read a lot of it when given the link. Going to have another look now.

 

I have fed this anemone three days out of the four I've had it. It has been marine cuisine each time. Don't want to overfeed obviously.

 

Seeing it now I'm really in two minds. Bleaching aside, I think it's a pretty anemone and don't want to abandon it. This morning I guess I was frightened of it wiping out my tank, being as it looked on its last legs. By the way, the clown in the picture isn't really as big as it looks; it's just in the foreground. It's about 1 inch.

 

Thoughts on my next move would be welcome.

[reef keeper]

Well i would take it back unless it looks really healthy, im a little parenoid now with the anemones i had a huge long tenacle it was awesome clownfish swimming in it and one night it just died and hurt my corals pretty bad and killied my shrimp. Just do what you feel is best.

[nibor]

Give it chunky meaty foods. It will take the food in its tentacles and move it to the mouth. If it doesn't, remove the food immediately so it doesn't foul the tank and try again the next day. Try some uncooked prawns, shellfish or whitebait. You want it to eat like a pig at this moment.

[Bill Nye]

Yeah I read a lot of it when given the link. Going to have another look now.

 

I have fed this anemone three days out of the four I've had it. It has been marine cuisine each time. Don't want to overfeed obviously.

 

Seeing it now I'm really in two minds. Bleaching aside, I think it's a pretty anemone and don't want to abandon it. This morning I guess I was frightened of it wiping out my tank, being as it looked on its last legs. By the way, the clown in the picture isn't really as big as it looks; it's just in the foreground. It's about 1 inch.

 

Thoughts on my next move would be welcome.

 

I think your first step aside from possibly returning the anemone is finding a new LFS. This one has no clue. Anyone who would say you cant keep frogspawn but then sell you a BTA is obviously clueless or just trying to sell you a more expensive item.

 

As for the anemone itself, I think its really up to you at this point. Anemones that are this bleached have a poor track record of recovery, especially if your tank is not fully mature. Young tanks, even ones that receive perfect husbandry, can have swings in water quality levels. At this point, you can bring it back, get your money back (or credit) and get something you know is healthy and will thrive in your tank. Or you can keep it and hope for the best, but know that most likely this animal will not make it. If you decide to keep it, I would be very careful to watch it so when it starts to go you can remove it as fast as you can so it doesnt nuke your tank. I dont know how large your tank is, but that seems to be a very large BTA and can cause some serious damage when it dies.

 

If it were me I would return it and get my money back. You havent said how old your tank is, but I am guessing its not very old? IMO if you returned it and got something easy that would thrive in your tank you would be happier in the long run. You could also wait a little while and then purchase a healthy anemone when your tank is ready.

[Gazchap]

Bill, it isn't that old. In fact it's very young; two months. I'm still wondering whether this anemone is dyed rather than bleached. What do you think?

 

I wanted frogspawn as it looks nice and I thought my clowns might host it. I was told it is an expensive coral and my clowns might kill it.

 

I'm basically looking for a coral that will [hopefully] distract my clowns from my zoas. I'm letting the tank bloom from that point.

[cheryl jordan]

Maybe I havent seen alot of anemones but I have never seen such a bleached BTA before in my life haha! I feel like its common to see sebaes bleached but never btas. Kinda sad that a LFS would sell this to someone knowingly and keep accepting shipments of animals in this condition.

 

 

wow that thing is bleached.

 

not knowing what it really is before you buy it isnt a good idea.

 

 

That BTA is bleached. Try feeding it a small chunk of scallop, shrimp or silver side.

[Bill Nye]

Bill, it isn't that old. In fact it's very young; two months. I'm still wondering whether this anemone is dyed rather than bleached. What do you think?

 

I wanted frogspawn as it looks nice and I thought my clowns might host it. I was told it is an expensive coral and my clowns might kill it.

 

I'm basically looking for a coral that will [hopefully] distract my clowns from my zoas. I'm letting the tank bloom from that point.

 

 

I would say that it is bleached. Honestly it being dyed isnt much better as anemones that are dyed often become poisoned by the dye they use. I do not know what coral prices are like in the UK, but around here frogspawn can often be found relatively cheaply. I have not had frogspawn in a long time but from what I remember, as long as your calc/alk are good it was fairly hardy. Many people have frogspawn that hosts their clowns with seemingly low to no damage. I would imagine as long as you dont have Maroon or Clarkiis that the frogspawn will be no worse for wear. Toadstool leathers are often hosted by clowns as well if those are more common in your area. Another thing to think about is that clowns are very weird and will often host powerheads or live rocks even when a perfectly good anemone is 5 inches away.

[nibor]

Bill, it isn't that old. In fact it's very young; two months. I'm still wondering whether this anemone is dyed rather than bleached. What do you think?

It's bleached. Dyed anemones are usually funky colours.

 

I wanted frogspawn as it looks nice and I thought my clowns might host it. I was told it is an expensive coral and my clowns might kill it.

It would have much greater prospects than the anemone. How much did you pay for it? I reckon you should be able to find frogspawn, torch or hammer corals for 10 to 15 quid a head.

 

http://www.stm-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Online_..._Corals_18.html

 

http://www.fishmansfrags.co.uk/

[Gazchap]

Nibor, I paid £25. I'm going to keep it. The clowns are now hosting – which I think is pretty good after five days – and, when expanded, it is about 5 to 6 inches. It's truly a sight.

[nibor]

You are not going to find a 5 or 6 inch colony of frogspawn for £25.

 

Have you found Wet Web Media yet? This link is to the Anemones section. There is a link to an article about BTAs on the page and many of the other links will be of use.

[Bill Nye]

You are not going to find a 5 or 6 inch colony of frogspawn for £25.

 

Have you found Wet Web Media yet? This link is to the Anemones section.

 

 

lol i dont know if 25 pounds? is cheap but the people who sold it to you were probably really happy to even get that. Good luck with keeping him I hope he makes it.