Anemone Acclimation
- Thread starter abozoki
- Start date
Not sure I've ever seen actual numbers for acclimating anemones but 15 min temp only seems a bit crazy imo. I would say a good 1.5-2 hours would be a good time and definately adding water whether by drip or other method. Not sure what it is with people anymore and rushing acclimation nowadays. When you consider that you plan on keeping things for years what's so bad about taking a few hours before you put in in the tank?
I drip acclimated for 30 minutes, making the drip faster every 5 minutes, then floated to get same temp for 10 to 15 minutes, then poured off most water and did a fast drip (to provide a serial dilution). The Anemone is happy and eating.
Thanks, to everyone for the advice. Now if I can just get him to move to where I want him.
Thanks, to everyone for the advice. Now if I can just get him to move to where I want him.
Adding this post, although late, because I see a lot of garbage and half-baked theories on these online lists on this topic, and treasure these animals deeply for they are not only widely misunderstood, but also slaughtered by fish stores, wholesalers, and hobbyists alike in alarming numbers every week. It's no big help that most of the folks writing the books aren't opening 20 and 30 box shipments from Bali and elswhere on a weekly basis, and it's also pathetic that things like financial greed and general lack of care as to where these things end up create these 'trade secrets' that would not only improve the business as a whole, but cut down on senseless slaughter of these animals which should, for the most part, be left on the rock they were found on in lieu of being stuffed into plastic 'coffins', and shipped halfway around the world to end up in a dumpster in hackensack... (editorial rant page ends here)
I acclimate anywhere from 10 to 50 anemones a week. As I purchase my livestock direct from overseas shippers, the condition on-arrival tends to range from fair to poor or much, much worse. Many of these animals come in with either the mouth completely torn through and the animals entirely prolapsed, even tentacles ruptured, and basically a brown soup in the bag. The methods I use are as follows, these are nearly foolproof in my experience:
I drip the anemones in a specimen container hung on the outside lip of the tanks, not a slow drip, but using a hooked, unrestricted dripline that naturally stops the drip when the tank level is reached, every 5 minutes or so I pour off most of the water. This is mainly to rinse the anemone of any excess slime, bile/digested food matter, and necrotized cellular matter.
When the water poured off is clear enough (usually about 5 cycles of the above), I transfer the anemone(s) immediately to a plastic mesh basket/isolation container, and place this directly in front of a powerhead and directly (6") below T5 or equivalent HO flourescents.
Severely damaged specimens remain in this basket for as long as 24 hours, most 'fair' to even 'poor' pieces completely recover after even an hour or so in this condition, and I am able to release them into the display tank. The criteria I look for before releasing are, aside from the obvious recovery signs, are the anemones adhering to the box, 'tensing' when touched, etc...
This may seem as a rushed method, but I've seen, many, many live anemones tossed away (and have been guilty of much before arriving at this near 99% success method) because of lack of proper techniques.
Your average wholesaler acclimates their anemones by sorting them by the dozens into 5 gallon buckets, and siphoning sytem water onto them with a 1" hose (or rather, blasting them) I've seen this method recover what, for lack of a better term, appeared to be piles of puke into full, flowing specimens overnight. Most people lack the sheer tank volume to use that method, but it pretty much blows the whole concept of temperature as any kind of factor when it comes to adjusting these animals. The most crucial things I've found are:
1) clean them out, and the quicker the better.
2) give them plenty of circulation, perhaps in excess, and more important don't give them a route to get away from it until they are healed...
and
3) get them under ample lighting.
Sorry to the slow and low drip 'methodologists' out there, but take a chance, you might be pleasantly surprised.
any feedback is welcome
and
good luck!
I acclimate anywhere from 10 to 50 anemones a week. As I purchase my livestock direct from overseas shippers, the condition on-arrival tends to range from fair to poor or much, much worse. Many of these animals come in with either the mouth completely torn through and the animals entirely prolapsed, even tentacles ruptured, and basically a brown soup in the bag. The methods I use are as follows, these are nearly foolproof in my experience:
I drip the anemones in a specimen container hung on the outside lip of the tanks, not a slow drip, but using a hooked, unrestricted dripline that naturally stops the drip when the tank level is reached, every 5 minutes or so I pour off most of the water. This is mainly to rinse the anemone of any excess slime, bile/digested food matter, and necrotized cellular matter.
When the water poured off is clear enough (usually about 5 cycles of the above), I transfer the anemone(s) immediately to a plastic mesh basket/isolation container, and place this directly in front of a powerhead and directly (6") below T5 or equivalent HO flourescents.
Severely damaged specimens remain in this basket for as long as 24 hours, most 'fair' to even 'poor' pieces completely recover after even an hour or so in this condition, and I am able to release them into the display tank. The criteria I look for before releasing are, aside from the obvious recovery signs, are the anemones adhering to the box, 'tensing' when touched, etc...
This may seem as a rushed method, but I've seen, many, many live anemones tossed away (and have been guilty of much before arriving at this near 99% success method) because of lack of proper techniques.
Your average wholesaler acclimates their anemones by sorting them by the dozens into 5 gallon buckets, and siphoning sytem water onto them with a 1" hose (or rather, blasting them) I've seen this method recover what, for lack of a better term, appeared to be piles of puke into full, flowing specimens overnight. Most people lack the sheer tank volume to use that method, but it pretty much blows the whole concept of temperature as any kind of factor when it comes to adjusting these animals. The most crucial things I've found are:
1) clean them out, and the quicker the better.
2) give them plenty of circulation, perhaps in excess, and more important don't give them a route to get away from it until they are healed...
and
3) get them under ample lighting.
Sorry to the slow and low drip 'methodologists' out there, but take a chance, you might be pleasantly surprised.
any feedback is welcome
and
good luck!
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