About a week ago I purchased a green carpet anemone. When I introduced it into my tank it looked good for a few days but it has just recently done something weird. It opens its mouth wide open and you can see its insides. Is this something that carpet anemones normally do or should I get ready to build a coffin?
Carpet Anemone Question
- Thread starter rich2103
- Start date
green carpets are notoriously difficult to keep... they require very high light, strong current and need a fairly big demilitarized zone around them with no other critters.
what are your tank specs -- size, lighting, current, fish load and other inverts? also, how long has your tank been running? i think i gleaned from a previous post that you have a 55g with 200W of PC and actinic lighting -- this is definitely on the low side.
i noticed that you had the same problem with a brown carpet anemone back in march -- you might want to give yourself more time to get additional experience/learning before trying again with these very challenging critters.
what are your tank specs -- size, lighting, current, fish load and other inverts? also, how long has your tank been running? i think i gleaned from a previous post that you have a 55g with 200W of PC and actinic lighting -- this is definitely on the low side.
i noticed that you had the same problem with a brown carpet anemone back in march -- you might want to give yourself more time to get additional experience/learning before trying again with these very challenging critters.
My tank specs are as follows
55 gallon
60 lb of LR + 80 lb of LS
220w lighting PC
wet/dry filter
pacific coast imports chiller CL-280
4 powerheads
2 circulating
2 direct flow
red sea wavemaster
Livestock
Yellow Tang
Blue Tang
Maroon Clownfish
Bluetail Damsel
Horseshoe Crab
Tube Anemone
Sea Apple
Green Carpet Anemone
various crabs and snails
Acropora coral
brain coral
yellow finger sea fan
brown mushroom coral
flowerpot coral
christmas tree coral
Temp: 76 F
Salinity: 1.026
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 1.5
pH: 8.4
My LFS said the anemone will do well under 220w of PC. When I purchased the anemone it was under T5 lights. The brown carpet anemone died due to a high temperature fluctuation due to the lights. I have purchased a chiller since then which corrected the problem. My tube anemone is doing fine. Laura D said this was a sign of poor health, well is there a way to fix this?
55 gallon
60 lb of LR + 80 lb of LS
220w lighting PC
wet/dry filter
pacific coast imports chiller CL-280
4 powerheads
2 circulating
2 direct flow
red sea wavemaster
Livestock
Yellow Tang
Blue Tang
Maroon Clownfish
Bluetail Damsel
Horseshoe Crab
Tube Anemone
Sea Apple
Green Carpet Anemone
various crabs and snails
Acropora coral
brain coral
yellow finger sea fan
brown mushroom coral
flowerpot coral
christmas tree coral
Temp: 76 F
Salinity: 1.026
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 1.5
pH: 8.4
My LFS said the anemone will do well under 220w of PC. When I purchased the anemone it was under T5 lights. The brown carpet anemone died due to a high temperature fluctuation due to the lights. I have purchased a chiller since then which corrected the problem. My tube anemone is doing fine. Laura D said this was a sign of poor health, well is there a way to fix this?
I don't know of any sure fire way to help an anemone along other than be doing the best you can to provide it perfect water quality.
Here is a nice information sheet put together by some knowledgable folks on anemones. It is a pdf file so you will have to have adobe reader to see it.
http://www.carlosreef.com/AnemoneFAQ.pdf
Here is a nice information sheet put together by some knowledgable folks on anemones. It is a pdf file so you will have to have adobe reader to see it.
http://www.carlosreef.com/AnemoneFAQ.pdf
rich2103":11r8u37z said:
your LFS may well have misled you -- 220w of PC lighting is definitely on the low-end for the long-term health and well-being of a carpet anemone...
if you weren't aware, your flowerpot is most likely goniopora, one of the most difficult corals to keep alive over the long-term.
i know this is lecturish, so take it with a grain of salt -- but your stocking list is by all conventional wisdom wildly inappropriate for a 55g tank -- it's not big enough for 1 tang, let alone 2 -- and isn't big enough for 2 anemones of different species. it's also most likely not big enough to prevent a horeshoe crab from starving over time, and do you realize that your sea apple has a good chance of killing everything in your tank if it becomes stressed from changes in salinity, PH or if it's attacked? they can release a toxin that can wipe a tank out in short-order, and with so many things in such a small tank there's a better than good chance that your sea apple will go toxic.
understood that my reply didn't contain any actionable information... but i'm curious if you're aware just how far outside the realm of what's generally considered reasonable you are... or if you're aware that many of the items in your tank are generally only appropriate for very experienced aquarists...
with everything going on in your tank, your anemone could have been harassed by something, a victim of chemical warfare or could be responding to less-than ideal water chemistry/lighting.
just to let you know "krullulon" the sea apple that I have is a non-toxic apple. The flower pot that I have in my system I have had since I started the system in Jan. The tangs do just well together. I had problems with worms in my sand, which is why I have the Horshoe, so the next time you make any uninfromatable comments, do your research. By the way I have had reef tanks for years, I just never had a carpet or any anemone for that fact which is why I am curious and asked you people.
rich2103":o5sv704w said:
like i said, my response was a lecture and should be taken with a grain of salt. but since you mention it...
my take on your aquarium is that it's not going to be successful over the long-term because your tank inhabitants are stressing your system and appear to be beyond your experience level based on your comments and questions -- that's just my feedback, and my take on why your anemone is in decline. if you are successful, more power to you.
your tank has only been running since january, so it's too soon to tell what your husbandry techniques will get you in the long-term.
to the best of my knowledge, there's no such thing as a non-toxic sea apple -- there are relatively safe sea cucumbers, but sea apples specifically are pretty sketchy. please read http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/ ... invert.htm for more information on sea apples -- it's a good place to start.
as for the tangs -- compatibility isn't the only issue. these fish grow quite large -- even the yellow tangs will reach 8", and they're the smallest. they produce quite a bit of waste as well, and a 55g is simply too small to keep 2 tangs and your system healthy for more than a short time.
fwiw, it seems that for someone with years of reefkeeping experience you're not very well informed -- you seem to know very little about anemones, for example, yet you continue purchasing them.
as far as the "you people" thing goes, don't lump everyone in with me -- i'm a newbie myself, and you'll most likely get real help and no lecture from the moderators of this forum. however, there's no reason why you shouldn't also have BS called when BS appears to be present. 8O
rich2103":229eyz09 said:
You should note taht he siad somethine along the lines of "conventional wisdomw says..." There are always exceptions, angels that don't eat corals, tangs that get along swimmingly, damsles that arent' little bastards that are tough to catch, etc. That doesn't make the conventional wisodm wrogn in general. But I doubt you will get away with that *many* exceptions to conventional wisdom for an extended period of time.
Heck I had a few cichlids in a frehswater tank (including a Jack Dempsey) that were the nicest community fish I've ever seen. I had fully intended to have to pull the others out when the cichlids moved in (and was getting a tank ready) (the cichlids were from a friends tank disaster). But i never needed to move anybody, they got along just fine with my community tank.
That doesn't mean it was a good idea, just that I got lucky. My marine experince is more limited, have helped set up lots of tanks, but have only had fish in mine marine stuff, I move aroudn too much ofr a more delicate reef tank, though it looks like that will be stopping soon, and then I'll be looking to put together a reef of my own. So I'm not saying anything about your tank as I've never had a reef, but what was said does reflect "conventional wisdom" and while that''s not always correct, its often a good starting point. And its certanly a good startin point when you don't get too see the tank in person.
Hi, Just wanted to stick in a link to a flower pot article. I bought one too. Mine is doing great. I was happy untill I read the article at the bottom of this link. Seems they only live a year. I will not purchase another one. After you read, click home there is carpet anenome stuff there too. I found that site trying to see pictures of all the corals that are talked about here. Remember you never know how people feel when typing, I bet it is all friendly advice though. Good luck.
Thank you guys for helping me out so much with this problem. Krullulon, I didnt mean you to take that you people thing the way you did. According to a reference book that I have, the toxic sea apples are the ones colored yellow touching red, mine is purple touching red. The link that Laura D has given me really did help a little.
FWIW,
extending the actinopharynx can be a sign of lack of oxygen, it an also be cuased by the anemone doing a water change in its body cavity. The other known cuase of this symptom is a bacterial infection, if this is the case your anemone will die. Be sure it is recieving good water flow and oxygen. I don't see you listing a skimmer, this may be the problem as there isnt enough dissolved O2.
See TRA Vol 2 for more info.
HTH
extending the actinopharynx can be a sign of lack of oxygen, it an also be cuased by the anemone doing a water change in its body cavity. The other known cuase of this symptom is a bacterial infection, if this is the case your anemone will die. Be sure it is recieving good water flow and oxygen. I don't see you listing a skimmer, this may be the problem as there isnt enough dissolved O2.
See TRA Vol 2 for more info.
HTH
BTW whats the refence book you have that claims some sea apples to be non toxic? Are they not filter feeding animals?
Pseudocolchirus violaceus (Theel 1886), (Australian) Sea Apple, Violet Sea Cucumber... Eastern Indian Ocean and Western Pacific. Can be deadly toxic if disturbed... do not keep with Sea Urchins, predatory Sea Stars (e.g. Protoreastor, Asthenosoma). Sensitive to poor, changing water quality. Largely a filter feeder
From WWM.
Pseudocolchirus violaceus (Theel 1886), (Australian) Sea Apple, Violet Sea Cucumber... Eastern Indian Ocean and Western Pacific. Can be deadly toxic if disturbed... do not keep with Sea Urchins, predatory Sea Stars (e.g. Protoreastor, Asthenosoma). Sensitive to poor, changing water quality. Largely a filter feeder
From WWM.
Is the Anemone sticky at all to the touch?
Will he eat? If so feed him a bunch of real meaty items every day.
I have kept a green carpet for about 2 years now. He is near the top of my tank in a medium current area. He was directly under PC lighting for a little until I finished my 3 400watt system. He is now very happy under the said lighting and has since probably grown 4X his original size. I think regular feedings keeps them happy and prevents movement.
HTH
_________________
Prison Break Forum
Will he eat? If so feed him a bunch of real meaty items every day.
I have kept a green carpet for about 2 years now. He is near the top of my tank in a medium current area. He was directly under PC lighting for a little until I finished my 3 400watt system. He is now very happy under the said lighting and has since probably grown 4X his original size. I think regular feedings keeps them happy and prevents movement.
HTH
_________________
Prison Break Forum
I asked this question thinking it was a lack of oxygen also "What does the mouth look like? Does it look like a ping pong ball, is it round and white?".
I have had one a couple of years also but it does not like a lot of flow & it hated MH lighting. I put it under MH in Dec. and it started to look terrible so I put in in a different tank with lower lighting. Mine only eats once a week he wont take any more food than that. It is about 14" when fully open.
Kaye
I have had one a couple of years also but it does not like a lot of flow & it hated MH lighting. I put it under MH in Dec. and it started to look terrible so I put in in a different tank with lower lighting. Mine only eats once a week he wont take any more food than that. It is about 14" when fully open.
Kaye
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
