Anemone question

[mark.payton]

Hello,  I have a previous post about my nem but it’s pretty old so I thought I’d start a new one.  I’ve had this guy about 6 to 8 months.  When I got it he was pretty bleached, I think his color has bee improving but today he looks a little out of sorts.  

 

Any advice is welcome.

 

thanks
 

My water parameters are:

 

PH - 8.2

Ammonia - 0.25

Nitrite - 0

Nitrate - 0

Salinity - 1.027

Calcium - 320

Temp - 79.4

[DevilDuck]

Nitrate 0 maybe an issue. You'll need some measurable nitrates for coral and anemones.

Looks like you have good coralline growth but your calcium looks a bit low. I'd keep it in the 400's ppm. 

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

He looks ok to me. Sometimes they get those long stringy tentacles. I’ve noticed in higher flows, they will often get more stringy tips. If I have them in a box, with low flow, they almost always bubble. 

[mark.payton]

Thank you for the info! 

 

What might have happened is that the nem let it's arms out, they got into the wave maker (I found little pieces of it on the substrate), which might have made him unhappy.

 

I've now used a bit of stocking to cover the wave maker so the nem can't get caught in it.

 

DevilDuck...what would you suggest to raise nitrate and what would your suggestion be for an end reading?

 

Thanks for the help!

 

Mark

[Tired]

A good general suggestion to raise nitrate is to not do excess water changes. If nutrients don't need to be lowered, other elements (calcium, etc) don't need to be raised, and there's no contamination, don't do a water change. Feeding more can help to produce more nitrates, and if nothing else works, nitrates can be dosed directly into the tank via bottled solutions. 

 

In the meantime, make sure to keep the anemone well fed. They generally do best if given a meal once a week or so. 

 

5-10ppm is a good nitrate level for most reefs.