Anemone Help!?

[10Gaquatics]

Ok, I have had this 3” GBTA for about 2 months. After a week of it being in the tank I added a 2-1/2” Maroon Clownfish to the system. The anemone was beaten up by the clownfish and all the long bubbly tentacles became short nubs and lost the bubble. After 5 days of the Maroon being in the tank I removed the Maroon, and let the anemone settle down and heal. BUT that was 2 months ago, and the anemone looks almost the same, it hasn’t healed much at all. I feed it  once or twice a week (mysis) and it always accepts it. It is under very strong 10 x 3 WATT LEDs it gets about ~340 par where it is. It is still very green-brown color. It expells waste maybe once a week. My tank is 10 months old. It is a 10 Gallon with SPS, LPS, and soft coral comapnions. I run chemi pure blue and a hob refugium packed with cheato algae. I do water changes once every 1-2 weeks. I dose Aquavitro Fuel and Seachem PhytoPlankton. Its other companions is an Ocellaris Clownfish (not hosting) and a Neon Damselfish, with some blue legged hermits and snails (nothing picks at it).

Its mouth doesn’t ever gape open. It is a little bit sticky to the touch. It gets 10 hours of lighting a day. (I also give it 1-2 hours of direct sunlight daily with NO ALGAE PROBLEMS. It gets a medium amount of flow. It still expands everyday to normal size, its just a majority of the tentacles are just short. Some have regrown bubble tips and some look like they are nothing. 

So after all of that is my questions

1.) Will it ever get better

2.) How long will it take to get better

3.) Should I trade it out for a different one at the LFS

4.) Has this happened to anyone else.

 

Parameters 

pH: 8.3

Salinity: 1.025

Temp: 78.5 F

Am./Ni.: 0 ppm

Nitrates: 2 ppm

Phosphates: 0.03 ppm

Calcium: 440 ppm

dKH: 9.5

Magnesium: 1430 ppm

Thank You!

 

[exosket]

I’ve got a pair of maroons now and they sure can beat the hell out of an anemone. The only way I’ve been able to keep my anemones happy is to have more than one. I have an old one that is still recovering from them. The nem finally had enough and retreated into the rock for months so they couldn’t reach it. He finally popped back out and looked pure white with no tentacles. It’s been over 6 months but is finally getting color back and growing short tiny tentacles. Maroons are just way too rough and when there is only one nem, they never let the poor thing have a break. If you have the patience, it will come back full force it just takes a very very long time. A couple months ago, I went and bought two 5-6” nems for them and everyone’s happy. The nem in the photo below all the way to the right was also pure white and the size of a quarter a couple years ago due to neglect/crash/clowns and came back amazingly. Hope you give your nem a chance. 🙂

[10Gaquatics]

Thank you, that helps a lot, so your saying it could take months for it to fully recover? BTW your nems look awesome!

12 hours ago, exosket said:

I’ve got a pair of maroons now and they sure can beat the hell out of an anemone. The only way I’ve been able to keep my anemones happy is to have more than one. I have an old one that is still recovering from them. The nem finally had enough and retreated into the rock for months so they couldn’t reach it. He finally popped back out and looked pure white with no tentacles. It’s been over 6 months but is finally getting color back and growing short tiny tentacles. Maroons are just way too rough and when there is only one nem, they never let the poor thing have a break. If you have the patience, it will come back full force it just takes a very very long time. A couple months ago, I went and bought two 5-6” nems for them and everyone’s happy. The nem in the photo below all the way to the right was also pure white and the size of a quarter a couple years ago due to neglect/crash/clowns and came back amazingly. Hope you give your nem a chance. 🙂

 

[RIP Sebastian]

Some BTA's lose their bubbles under different lighting. Some of mine are bubbly and others are straight-tentacled.

 

To answer your questions:

 

1) BTAs are actually really hardy, so, given time, it will heal.

2) I have no idea how long it will take.

3) I would keep it. 

4) My nems lost their bubbles, but they're totally fine. 

 

I would feed him some shrimp a couple days a week. That might help him gain back some strength.

 

-Nick

[10Gaquatics]

THank you guys! This is what I needed to hear!

[Oldsalt01]

If  u can find them, frozen Silversides make a great addition to the 'nem's diet, the only downside being the excreta is a bit disgusting.

[vegasgundog]

My understanding of nems....

No one knows why they bubble or don't. My two can't decide, one is a clone from the other. Feeding once in a while is ok, feed to much and you can pollute your tank. I read over feeding can stimulate splitting ....and I think that's why I have two. A frozen shrimp from the fish counter lasts a long time. Chop it into quarter inch pieces and thaw a couple in water before feeding. The larger the piece the more the nem will throw back up or poop out.

[10Gaquatics]

I do feed pieces of frozen shrimp once and a while, and it eats about half of what I give it. Thx for the replies.