Anemone shrinking

[Dustinmicks]

Hey all, I recently got a rainbow bubble tip anemone about 2 weeks ago, it was doing fantastic at first and then over the past few days it shrunk down and has been looking sad and depressed, a few times I thought it was dead and pulled it out and put it in a bowl to monitor it which probably stressed it out more. It's still moving, the night before last I saw it stretch one of its tentacles out once the lights turned off and only the blue light was on. I'll post pictures and my lighting schedule and water parameters.

Nitrates were high, I have a small zoanthid which is doing great but I also have a small bit of Xenia which shrunk down to almost nothing, is still alive but just a fraction of its size, hasn't turned brown or anything and a small favia frag that is bleached and dying/dead. So I tested my water realized the nitrates were about 80 ph was 7.8 so I started dosing no pox and eight.four to bring up ph, that's when the anemone took a turn for the worse, went from happy and outstretched to wandering and deflated. I know I shouldn't have moved it but I didn't want it to nuke my tank, all of my other creatures are doing great. I have a small 10 gallon that I was considering moving it to to isolate it but I have two juvenile domino damsels in there and I'm not sure if they would fight with my clownfish, and the other issue is it's just a small 10 gallon with a top fin top on it with regular white and blue LEDs which I don't think would give the anemone the lighting it needs.

Before dosing anything

July 28
Salinity 1.021
Ph 7.8
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 80

August 5
Salinity 1.023
Ph 7.8
Ammonia 0
Phosphate 0
KH - ~100

The last photo is the anemone today

 

[Dbichler]

Anemones hate changes and sounds like your tank is still fluctuating. Stabilize and let it be.

 

[Dustinmicks]

Anemones hate changes and sounds like your tank is still fluctuating. Stabilize and let it be.

Yeah I didn't realize how sensitive they are. I feel bad for it. To quote my girlfriend "don't, they're not sentient"

 

[Jekyl]

The ph booster you used most likely spiked your alkalinity along with it. Parameters were out of whack before introducing. Hate to say it but as it looks now the anemone probably won't make it. Transferring to a hospital tank and going through a cipro treatment might be the only way to save it.

Anemone require a mature and stable system.
Parameters in the range of 8 alk, 20 or under nitrate and phosphate around .5 or lower.

 

[Dustinmicks]

The ph booster you used most likely spiked your alkalinity along with it. Parameters were out of whack before introducing. Hate to say it but as it looks now the anemone probably won't make it. Transferring to a hospital tank and going through a cipro treatment might be the only way to save it.

Anemone require a mature and stable system.
Parameters in the range of 8 alk, 20 or under nitrate and phosphate around .5 or lower.

I do have a tank I could set up as a hospital system, I'll just have to get a small light for it. That might be my best option then. It would be good to have anyway, and I don't want this creature to just die off

 

[Jekyl]

I do have a tank I could set up as a hospital system, I'll just have to get a small light for it. That might be my best option then. It would be good to have anyway, and I don't want this creature to just die off

Crossing my fingers for you. The way the anemone looks now isn't very hopeful. How old is your tank?

 

[Dustinmicks]

Crossing my fingers for you. The way the anemone looks now isn't very hopeful. How old is your tank?

Maybe three months now, should I just bin him and try again next year?

 

[Jekyl]

Maybe three months now, should I just bin him and try again next year?

I always recommend at least 6 months old. This let's you get accustomed to managing parameters. Make sure you have good alkalinity, phosphate and nitrate tests and can keep things stable

 

[Dustinmicks]

I always recommend at least 6 months old. This let's you get accustomed to managing parameters. Make sure you have good alkalinity, phosphate and nitrate tests and can keep things stable

Ok, well he definitely died, I took him out and luckily nothing else was affected. I had no idea they were so sensitive. I have a master test kit from nutrafin that tests for 10 or so parameters, but I have trouble with the colour matching tests, my eyes work well but it just seems so subjective. I'll just stick with the easy ones for a bit, my zoanthid seems to be absolutely thriving and multiplying without any help or even having to keep the water too clean

 

[Jekyl]

Ok, well he definitely died, I took him out and luckily nothing else was affected. I had no idea they were so sensitive. I have a master test kit from nutrafin that tests for 10 or so parameters, but I have trouble with the colour matching tests, my eyes work well but it just seems so subjective. I'll just stick with the easy ones for a bit, my zoanthid seems to be absolutely thriving and multiplying without any help or even having to keep the water too clean

You sure that test is for saltwater? Never heard of it.

 

[Dustinmicks]

You sure that test is for saltwater? Never heard of it.

You can do both, but yes there are specific instructions for saltwater.

 

[Jekyl]

You can do both, but yes there are specific instructions for saltwater.

I would invest in some salifert or red sea tests instead. I wouldn't be confident in the ones you have.