Rock Flower Anemone Information and Appreciation Thread

[BulkRate]

Huh... I feed mine almost every day. But I target feed only a tiny bit of decap'd brine shrimp eggs/V2O Zooplankton rather then larger-ish chunks of mysis. They get a bit of Larry's reef frenzy once a week.

 

Not disputing Frank @ VIP... I assume they know what they're talking about. But I find that I start losing baby nems if I don't at least give them some small particulate food every 2-3 days.

 

EDIT: do not know what the heck is going on with my orange/white frilled RFA - has spat out close to 30 baby anemones by this point.

[FlowerMama]

Doesn't sound like anything unusual, at least they weren't released early- one day when I had my 60 g after a water change the next day I had tons everywhere but they looked like baby pellets on the sand, they didn't proceed to grow but there were hundreds.

[getmealemon]

Update on some of my poorly anemones. Several have lost a good deal of colour, size, are less puffy and the skirt is more stubby rather than long. I've only found info rbta's which documents similar and suggests they are starving which i find hard to believe because i generally feed every 3 or so days. I thought about another tank change i made also, about two months ago i put a second Kessil A360W over the tank, is it possibly the extra light caused some nems to dump their Zooxanthellae and make them poorly?

 

Bulkrate - i just read a post from 2014 about you reviving a rock nem that hid in a shady/poor food spot for some time....any similarities in how mine look?

 

I've included some then and now pics to show colour loss and appearance.

 

 

 

[BulkRate]

That's a shame! So sorry for your setback.

 

How long did it take them to get into this state? IMO they don't just look like they're starving, they look mad. Could be one or more of the following:

 

1. Maybe they're being hit with too much light for too long? Add a piece of window tinting film on your top (if running with one) or turn off/down the newer Kessil for a few days. Not sure on this as mine occupy the upper 1/3 of the tank and seem to love intense light. Could just be my own light is too weak, mind you.

 

2. Have you added any commensal shrimp recently that maybe are attempting to be hosted too aggressively? I had this problem a couple of times, both with "oddball" anemone shrimp (a periclimenes yucatanicus and later with a periclimenes brevicarpalis. They'd pick at the tentacles and make the anemones miserable enough to move all over the tank; a couple ended up looking a lot like your sad photos until said shrimp were removed.

 

3. Finally, are they actively feeding when food is introduced? Sick nems tend not to eat - I have no idea whatsoever as to how to treat them as one would zoas or such.

 

Rock flowers are pretty tough... they can bounce back from a lot. Case & point the one you read in that recovery thread is today about 3" across and back to a pretty similar color pattern as it was in its original "before starvation" photo.

[seabass]

getmealemon, in the bottom pic, it looks like there are some other anemones present. Do you have aiptasia? I agree with BulkRate in that they look irritated.

[BulkRate]

getmealemon, in the bottom pic, it looks like there are some other anemones present. Do you have aiptasia? I agree with BulkRate in that they look irritated.

 

Good eye, man!

 

Now that I'm looking for 'em it looks like there's one or two spiky-tentacled non-rock-flower anemone at the edge of where each (well, the last two) rock flower anemone would be unfurled were it happy with life. Blends in really well under that lighting, it seems. (or is a camera/blue washout issue)

[getmealemon]

That's a shame! So sorry for your setback.

 

How long did it take them to get into this state? IMO they don't just look like they're starving, they look mad. Could be one or more of the following:

 

1. Maybe they're being hit with too much light for too long? Add a piece of window tinting film on your top (if running with one) or turn off/down the newer Kessil for a few days. Not sure on this as mine occupy the upper 1/3 of the tank and seem to love intense light. Could just be my own light is too weak, mind you.

 

2. Have you added any commensal shrimp recently that maybe are attempting to be hosted too aggressively? I had this problem a couple of times, both with "oddball" anemone shrimp (a periclimenes yucatanicus and later with a periclimenes brevicarpalis. They'd pick at the tentacles and make the anemones miserable enough to move all over the tank; a couple ended up looking a lot like your sad photos until said shrimp were removed.

 

3. Finally, are they actively feeding when food is introduced? Sick nems tend not to eat - I have no idea whatsoever as to how to treat them as one would zoas or such.

 

Rock flowers are pretty tough... they can bounce back from a lot. Case & point the one you read in that recovery thread is today about 3" across and back to a pretty similar color pattern as it was in its original "before starvation" photo.

 

1. Although i added an extra kessil i've just remembered i turned them both right down so possible not enough light. Tank is only 8" deep and kessils sit pretty close to surface. I run my lighting on at 0830 and off at 2130 - no ramp up or down. What lighting do you use? Just wondering how much light they can handle safely.

 

I had some literally melt a couple of weeks back (they were removed from tank before they decomposed). The ones in the photos above have been looking poorly for a few weeks but do not appear to be melting just slowly fading away.

 

2. Only other tank inhabitant is a blue damsel. There is alot of amphipods, mini brittle stars and bristleworm but i have not seen any actively troubling a nem but again can't say for sure they aren't.

 

3. They will eat when offered food, the skirt isn't really catching it and folding it in but when i drop something on the mouth it swells and eats it.

 

I might have to experiment and actively feed one or two of the poorly ones and maybe have one kessil bright one weak and see if theres any difference in the nems.

[getmealemon]

getmealemon, in the bottom pic, it looks like there are some other anemones present. Do you have aiptasia? I agree with BulkRate in that they look irritated.

Yes there is quite a few aiptasia in the tank. I've just had a look and there isn't any around some of the poorly nems and there is some around healthy nems that don't appear bothered by them. Not discounting it though so i'll get the tongs out tomorrow and remove what i can (they stick to the gravel so quite easy to yank them out without disturbing them much)

 

My only other thought is there is a large amount of flatworm in the tank, i know there pretty toxic if they die - not sure how many dying would cause an issue though.

[seabass]

Definitely work on getting rid of the aiptasia and flatworms.

[BulkRate]

If your infestation has larger-ish flatworms they may be being eaten by the anemones & then releasing their toxins directly inside the gut. A little bit of a stretch, but I know mine will take a stab at consuming just about anything that hits their oral disc - even fragments of macroalgae.

 

As for lighting, my tank's run from a KISS standpoint - OLD Ledtric PAR38 version 2 lamp about 8-12" off the water's surface, 12" deep tank. Don't have any dimming/control on it other than a timer with a 9 hour photoperiod. Anemones are about 5" below the water's surface & clumped in the center w/o any fading/bleaching on introduction, so I'd say they like pretty intense lighting. If I recall the treatment of my starved anemone, the tupperware basket it resided in for 2 months was in the upper 2" of the tank (admittedly on the edge instead of the center of the spotlight).

 

If they are simply starving what you're doing is pretty much what I had to do for mine. Drop a small piece of food onto its mouth every day until better & keep them from getting lost in the shade. As for trying with only one or two to start - may take 2-4 weeks to see an improvement so you may want to just feed all of them. They don't seem are far gone as the one I had to work with but you may have some more melt before seeing results.

[FlowerMama]

The Par38 Letric is what I had over my 8g Evolve and now over my 10g. Defintely takes care of my clam. My first anemone was in that tank, it was on the side of a rock so it wasn't getting directly hit. Is certainly a strong light.

[Proudgeek]

Just adopted a white one from the lfs ugly coral section

 

[FlowerMama]

I always love to have a white one as soon all the rocks are purple and they really stand out.

[spectra]

I have been on the search for a white one for a while.....I found one but it melted once I got it home.....

[Proudgeek]

[BulkRate]

I really like that orange tentacle/purple disc one on the right - very unusual. Where'd you get it, if you don't mind my asking?

[holy carp]

One of my 2 RFA's apparently spawned the other evening under the moonlights. When I looked at it, it was standing up tall, and the yellow center looked all milky on one side. At first I thought it had gotten an infection or fungus or something, but then I noticed the milky area was slowly drifting off into the current and 'dissolving' in the water column. The next day, the two RFA's both walked a few inches away from each other. Might this mean they are both males? The other one was always pretty mobile, but this is the first time this yellow centered one has ever moved. If the other is a female, how likely is reproduction?

[Proudgeek]

I really like that orange tentacle/purple disc one on the right - very unusual. Where'd you get it, if you don't mind my asking?

Yes. It is really gorgeous. I got these two from rare reef and arrived yesterday.

One of my 2 RFA's apparently spawned the other evening under the moonlights. When I looked at it, it was standing up tall, and the yellow center looked all milky on one side. At first I thought it had gotten an infection or fungus or something, but then I noticed the milky area was slowly drifting off into the current and 'dissolving' in the water column. The next day, the two RFA's both walked a few inches away from each other. Might this mean they are both males? The other one was always pretty mobile, but this is the first time this yellow centered one has ever moved. If the other is a female, how likely is reproduction?

I am not sure but this thread documents their reproductive cycle which should had taken place late september. One of mine has been active and showing off for about a week. I guess we will find out in 6-8 weeks

[BulkRate]

Ditto on the spawning here as well, about 2 nights ago. I'm already working at getting the last round 'o babies to get past the lentil stage.

 

to Proudgeek - their facebook page or off web site? I'm not seeing anything like what you've got there without possibly inviting Mark Zuckerberg into my life.

[FlowerMama]

That's awesome, I've never seen a purple center yet!

The fun part of it all IS discovering who is male and who is female. One day, I'm waiting for mine.

[Proudgeek]

Ditto on the spawning here as well, about 2 nights ago. I'm already working at getting the last round 'o babies to get past the lentil stage.

 

to Proudgeek - their facebook page or off web site? I'm not seeing anything like what you've got there without possibly inviting Mark Zuckerberg into my life.

From their website. They rarely post wysiwyg rfas so you need to check once in a while.

 

First time i see a purple one like this as well.

[FlowerMama]

Here are all my spawning videos from yesterday!!! I'm defrosting some mysis right now for them, I usually feed on Sun but they were busy getting it on yesterday so I just left them alone.

 

 

 

 

 

[seabass]

Awesome tank and videos Mama!

[seabass]

So I finally got sick of my nasty old algae covered rocks that my anemones were on, and decided to break them up and remove the anemones.


Tools of the trade


Bucket o' rocks


8 adults and 5 youngsters

[FlowerMama]

Awesome tank and videos Mama!

 

Thank You. I didn't scream but I did cry cuz I was so happy. It took a long time for me to figure out why I loved rock flowers as much as I did. And then I realized they were the first thing I saw as pretty after my husband died and to see life differently is a big deal when you're a widow at 41. I swear I've never done this much crying over a tank.

So I finally got sick of my nasty old algae covered rocks that my anemones were on, and decided to break them up and remove the anemones.

 

Tools of the trade

 

Bucket o' rocks

 

8 adults and 5 youngsters

 

The babies, so tiny, why did you break your scape up? I realize I'm not following a thread of yours so I don't know.