Something crazy is going on with my anemone...

[Hami]

I have had an anemone for a while now, but it started looking funny. If anyone has a reason why please share.

 

Edited August 1, 2019 by Hami

[Melfy77]

Well I can see the pic...but no clue as to what's going on...looks like it's sitting on a cauliflower but clearly I'm seeing things lol

[mcarroll]

You should be able to copy and paste the picture into your post for ease of viewing.

[mcarroll]

Is he inside out (guts out) and upside down?

 

No clue why this would be the case. Maybe he's eating something too big for his mouth?

 

He also seems bleached. 

 

What are your big 5 system parameters right now?  (ca, alk, mg, no3, po4)

 

Any recent changes to the tank?

[Hami]

I don’t know, but my nitrates are around 20

and I haven’t fed him anything directly for a few months, nothing in my tank is missing either.... is it going to die

[Clown79]

In the pic it looks like there is some algae. Dino, gha, cyano?

 

Have you tested the water?

 

We need a bit more info on the system, maintenance, parameters, to be able to help better.

[mcarroll]

5 hours ago, Hami said:

nitrates are around 20

This makes me more curious than before about phosphate levels.   If high nitrates are indicating low-phosphates, then that's one problem even if it's not THE problem.

 

Need a test for PO4....and the rest wouldn't be bad to have too.   Can you get some tests done at the LFS?

[Hami]

Well I am also 15, so I can’t just drive to the nearest Lfs which is still an hour away

[Justind823]

What kind of lighting do you have? It may have been on a slow decline since you recieved it. 

How old is your tank and how long have you had the anemone?

[Hami]

I just have leds that came with the aquarium, and I added some fluorescents.... I have have this aquarium since January, and the anemone since April 

i don’t know if this matters but the anemone never ate, and wasn’t really sticky...

[Hami]

It would grab onto the food, but then I just let it go.

[Clown79]

Standard leds and fluorescents don't provide enough light or in the right spectrum for most corals or anemones.

 

Lighting is their number 1 food source.

 

It could be a combination of issues from lack of lighting, parameters, lack of nutrients, algae. 

[Hami]

My other corals are doing just fine, but there is (like u said) a great deal of algae 

[Ratvan]

4 minutes ago, Hami said:

My other corals are doing just fine, but there is (like u said) a great deal of algae 

Do you have a Clean up Crew in the tank to combat the algae?

[Hami]

I have a turbo snail, but I was afraid to add others because of my dottyback and the possibility of them running out of algae; since turbos get so big. The dottyback didn’t like the snail the way it is I was afraid to add to much, and just let them get slaughtered.

[mcarroll]

Unless you want to be the one who manages 100% of the leftover algae in the tank you will have to figure out a solution to this conundrum.  Snails do a lot of hard work.

 

Certainly if there's already long algae present you'll have to take care of at least that part.  Your snail will only graze the low spots and keep them low.  Fish may or may not go after the longer stuff.  

 

Has the fish actually killed snails in the past? If it is only a worry that it might happen, then I would probably go ahead and add a few new Cerith snails and see how it goes.  If it goes well add a small bunch more.

 

You could add mithrax and hermit crabs.  For hermits I would stick with very small blue-legged hermits.

 

 I still can't explain what your anemone is doing or what's happening to it, but the tentacles do look fairly intact and healthy given the overall state of things. There's a good chance that whatever this is is temporary… At least that's my guess.

 

Can you post a full tank picture? A picture including the lighting system you have would also be useful...along with any other details. 

[Hami]

Okay I will when I get home... about the hermits how do you get new shells for them.

[Ratvan]

1 hour ago, Hami said:

Okay I will when I get home... about the hermits how do you get new shells for them.

LFS, online, craft shops, the beach

[Hami]

Do you just throw the shells in the tank? Do it matter the size?

[Ratvan]

I have about 15 shells of varying size and shapes between two hermits. Theyll need to move up in size as they grow. Yeah I just plopped them in the tank and watch to see who changes into what

[Hami]

Do they just stop growing, or how big do they get????? Sorry about all of the questions this is my first reef tank 

[Ratvan]

Depending on the species of crab they do have max sizes red legged/scarlet grow to just over an inch across.

 

Ask away 

[Hami]

Well which type of crab would be the best?? I would also like to put in a Pom Pom crab or 2 later... would they coexist with hermits

[Ratvan]

I have blue legged and scarlet legged as they both eat different things. They can fight unless you have plenty of shells. I started my first reef in April so very new myself and havent tried any other crabs.

 

This in the 50g? I'd manually remove as much as possible and then add 5 or 10 hermits see how well they do at controlling the algae and see if you need more or something else. 

[Hami]

Yes the 50g