still problems with the anemone

  • Get the NEW AquariaCentral iOS app --> http://itunes.apple.com/app/id1227181058 // Android version will be out soon!

liquafaction

AC Members
Jul 1, 2003
325
0
0
48
Visit site
long tentacled anemone is still giving me fits. I posted in the new-b forum a while back about this, but figured this is a better suited place to post. I have had this booger for at least 2 if not 3 weeks now, and he has still not found a place to attach. I am also beginning to woder about his health. During the day when the lights are on, he looks wilted and his tentacle look deflated. He still has good color, other than his stump is not as red as it used to be. At night, he retracts a little (half bloom) but does not look so wilted. I have not been able to get him to eat frozen foods (mysis shrimp, brine, marine cuisine, and silver sides), though I do dose with kent phytoplank on occasion (for the whole tank). I did have a maroon clown fish hosting with him, but he lived a whole 10 days. I asked the LFS for help today, or suggestions. The response I received was "I do not know for sure what the problem may be. I do not own a salt tank personally, and am not very knowledgable in them." I told her about the death of the clown, and she said "well thats the problem, your anemone is probably pouting because he does not have clown any more. You should buy another clown. We just got in this beatuifull maroon clown the other day." I told her I would like to get another clown one day, and if she could tell me without a doubt that this is a tank bred clown, I would buy it. She said "I do not know for sure." After further discussion on the clown, and the mysterious death of my old clown, she said "A clown will not host with a hatian pink tip anemone anyway" Did you guys catch that I told her that it was a long tentacle, and she changed it into a condy for me.

Anyway, sorry about the long story, and gettin off topic. My anemone has not eaten the whole time I had it, should I be worried? Do you guys think death is pretty much a deffinate? Should I actually buy another clown to go with it? What does a dead anemone look like, so I may get rid of it starts decaying? Are maroon clowns tank bred now, are still cought wild?

thanks for yalls help.
 

OrionGirl

No freelancing!
Aug 14, 2001
14,053
342
143
Poconos
Real Name
Sheila
Can't offer too much in the way of advice--anenomes are tough customers to care for, which is why I don't encourage people to get them.

Keeping offering it food, and remove any uneaten stuff. Try smaller chunks--brine shrimp and prepared community formaula frozen food have always been acceptable to the anenomes in my tank. They don't eat daily, though, so don't bothedr offering it each day.

Maybe Corax can offer better advice--pretty sure he has a LTA.
 

reefpicker

AC Members
Mar 16, 2003
95
0
0
47
Shrewsbury, PA
Visit site
Hi,

I have nothing to offer on your anemone either, except that I hope you do not buy another one... Better let them live a happy life in the ocean...

But, I think that a lot of people here would identify with your LFS experience...

That is a major problem in the buisness...

I would not buy from that pet shop anymore...

Shop around, often you will find a store with someone knowledgeble working there....

I used to live in a big metro area... I only found 1, only 1, store that cared about the animals... And althought they had a lot of experience in SW, they still where in the 70s or 80s as far as reef tank technology.... But they where the best around... and I believe they are still the best around...

Some nice things they did:

1) They did not sell any obviously sick fish...

2) They would take and care for fish that had outgrown there owners tanks

3) Most of the clowns, neons, and dottybacks where captive bred. They in fact sold almost all the clowns that I raised at home.

4) They tried to keep there corals happy with good lights, although they where not VHO... Still they used the correct spectrum and lots of tubes... I have seen LFS where the corals looked like dead as soon as they arrived due to improper light...

5) In terms of FO and FOWLR they gave pretty good advice. They would sell you a fish but they would tell you exactly what to expect of it... (i.e if you got an angel they would ask if you had corals, etc)


This is just a general guideline so you and anyone else reading this post, understand what to look for in an LFS...

Good hunting. I havent found my ideal LFS out here in PA yet...
 

liquafaction

AC Members
Jul 1, 2003
325
0
0
48
Visit site
The bad thing is that this is the only fish shop for salt water in about 120 miles. I am paranoid of ordering fish because I cannot see them before I buy them. I have also read that fish in a small area contaminate water so fast that death is a definate. My understanding is that if fish are not out of a bag within an hour or two, that ph drops, and amonia peaks, and it messes the fish up even though they look active.
 
Last edited:

reefpicker

AC Members
Mar 16, 2003
95
0
0
47
Shrewsbury, PA
Visit site
Hi,

I think that they can be in the bag for a few hours... Usually they are not fed two days prior to the move... That way they do not cloud the water inside the bag. I believe they can be in there for several hours. Of course, a lot of them do die en route to the US from the Pacific... That is why you pay a lot for some of your fish ...

Too bad is the only shop around... Perhaps it would be better in your case to do most of your shopping online.

I live close to That Pet Place warehouse. They have a huge selection of hardware for your tank at low prices and they also have a so-so invertebrate collection and a good selection of tank raised fish...
 

OrionGirl

No freelancing!
Aug 14, 2001
14,053
342
143
Poconos
Real Name
Sheila
Okay--just read something from Reef Central that may be applicable. LTA prefer to attach to the bottom of the tank, with a hole in the sand they can retract into. Try digging a hole in the substrate, and place a medium sized rock in the hole. Put the LTA in the hole, next to the rock, and then leave it alone.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store