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RE: aclimating anemones

Anthony Calfo — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 07:45:34 GMT

As a rule... most of the typical/popular anemones that we use in the hobby are rock/creive dwellers.

The sand flat dwellers are rather uncommon or even unwanted for hobby use since you need a biotope tank for them (like the gigantea species carpet anemone)

RE: aclimating anemones

shadofax — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 04:53:21 GMT

Ok here is an update. Last night the anemone wandered into the lift tube again and this morning it was not very happy. I am so thankful for no moving parts in my aquarium. Here is some improvements that have helped the anemone

Rocks= instant attachment

Powerhead with sponge filter = massive amount of bubble tips again (was stressed due to being sucked into the bottom of the lift tube)

I will keep a close eye on it for the next few hours but it seems to be doing great with a MJ900 (230gph) of flow and the little rock "ring" I put around it to keep it in place.

RE: aclimating anemones

shadofax — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 17:58:40 GMT

Okay, I will put some rubble in the tank tomorrow in hopes that it settles in. I am almost 100% positive that it is water flow. The natural sunlight is great and there are no other living things that would bother the anemone in the tank. I think I might try a well protected powerhead to add flow to the tank and work on getting a larger air pump that will provide enough flow for the anemone.

RE: aclimating anemones

Anthony Calfo — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 17:38:25 GMT

they usually move because they are "unhappy" (poor water flow, noxious corals int he tank... inadequate lighting, etc). You must gently finesse these parameters to find a niche. In the meatime... try making a "campfire" of rubble/rock around the base with hopes that it will settle in. This species lives naturally in crevices.

RE: aclimating anemones

shadofax — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 17:09:22 GMT

O just so everyone knows my tank is at work and will have little supervision over the weekends

RE: aclimating anemones

shadofax — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 17:08:24 GMT

Well I hit my first snag in the road. As the day progressed the anemone still looked great with great expansion but it started to wonder. Well as it climbed the glass it fell off on its "face" I turned it back over and it started to wonder again. Well after doing this several time the amenone will not attach to anything and just sorta sits there. It still have bubble tips but it does not want to attach. The only thing I can think of is insufficient flow. Should I just leave the tank alone over the weekend and let it find its own spot or should I some how ramp up the flow a little. The lift tubes are making a fair amount of water movement but the anemone is barely moving in the current. I just need some advice so I don't continue to stress the anemone.

RE: aclimating anemones

Anthony Calfo — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 16:22:27 GMT

its true... reef creatures kept in aquaria that receive natural sunlight are almost incomparable. Focus on nutrient control keenly and you will enjoy all the benefits of this supplemental light

RE: aclimating anemones

shadofax — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 10:03:04 GMT

Thanks Anthony,

I will just leave it in the full sun and let it aclimate to that. It seems to really love the light though and has more than doubled in size since yesterday when I said it looked great.

RE: aclimating anemones

Anthony Calfo — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 09:04:53 GMT

wow... very tough to say. Impossible really. Entacmea occur over a wide range on the reef (well over 15 meters difference). As such... a wide range of light quality. Then... there is the issue of what your anemone had on collection versus what it has (pigments) now.

The bigger issue here is adjustment. Your anemone has endured stress and changes in pigmentation/zoox densities since it was collected. It simply need to be left alone my friend and not suffered even more changes in light. Let it adapt to what you presently have... and it will. No worries.

RE: aclimating anemones

shadofax — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 08:44:51 GMT

Ok well the anemone decided to go on a little walk. I think that the intensity of the sun today is starting to bother it. I did shield it from the light but then it decided to find the light again. It still has nice bubbles on the tips and is fully expanded it is just wondering around the tank. Should I take this as a sign that it is happy with most condition except light since it did not move until the sun came up. I figure I will slowly increase its exposure to the sun over the course of 3 - 4 weeks and see if it settles down but should I also give it a spot where it can get full sun all day if that is what it wants.

Also I need to do a little research but what type of UV light is essential for photosynthesis in anemones. I have a UV-A and a UV-B detector and was going to measure the intensity of UV the anemone was getting from the sun. If anyone can help me by telling me the type of UV it would help out a ton

Thanks,

RE: aclimating anemones

shadofax — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 06:23:35 GMT

Well today the anemone is doing awsome! The bubbles on its tips are so big it looks like the anemone is going to explode . I think the cheap windows they put in the building are great and allowing plenty of light through because this thing seems to be doing awsome. One thing I am worried about now is over illumination of the anemone and causing it to bleach. What are the first signs of bleaching so I can protect the little guy if it seems it is going to be an issue. Another problem I am having though is salt creep, I have been thinking of two solutions and didn't know which way to go.

1. powerhead with tons of sponge to protect the intake

2. large splash shield to keep the creep somewhat contained because the anemone seems to like the flow from the lift tubes.

Thanks for all the help and I will get pictures tomorrow (forgot me camera again)

RE: aclimating anemones

Anthony Calfo — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 12:14:14 GMT

glad to hear... very much looking forward to the pictures my friend. Please do start a new thread in time too to show your progress. It will be most helpful perspective to fellow aquarists

RE: aclimating anemones

shadofax — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 10:10:04 GMT

I received my anemone today and it aclimated very well. I floated the bag for ~1.5 hours while I ran some erands when I got back I drip aclimated it for ~45 minutes and then added it to the tank. It seem to be doing very well, it has attached to the bottom and is fully extended with nice bubbles on the tips (hmmm thats how it get the name bubble tip amenone ) and this has happen all in the first 10 minutes in the tank. Everything seems to be going great and I will be sure to add some pictures when I get a chance.

RE: aclimating anemones

Anthony Calfo — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 12:00:41 GMT

it hinges on the comment/caveat above regarding fast shipping (overnight or less) or not. There is generally less of an NH4 issue under good circumstances and the salinity or pH shock is a greater concern... hence the drip acclimation.

RE: aclimating anemones

shadofax — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 08:42:05 GMT

Anthony,

Thanks, that is what I was going to do but I did not want to slip up and hurt the already stressed anemone. I guess I always second guess what I should do when I know the life of an animal depends on it. My thought was that the addition of buffered water would pull the H off of NH4 and make a toxic environment for the litle guy if there were NH4 present. Do anemones produces a lot of ammonia/ammonium from their metabolism?

RE: aclimating anemones

Anthony Calfo — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 20:12:58 GMT

for shipping of short distances (overnight or faster) with a healthy arrival... drip acclimation of 15-30 minutes is fine. Discard (always) the shipping water before adding the new acquisitions to QT/display

best of luck!

aclimating anemones

shadofax — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 11:17:07 GMT

Well I just bought my first rose BTA for farming and I should be getting it Wednesday from marinedepot.com. I was just wondering what the best way to aclimate them to the new tank. My initial tank is a 20L that uses natural sunlight for lighting supplimented by 2x 20W NO's from Lowes and possible PC's if needed. The tank has 3 lift tubes for water movement and a sponge filter. These devices are powered by a Dolphin 5 air pump (might change to a piston pump for more power). I have a titanium heater for heat.

What will be the best way to aclimate the anemone so it does not stress out too much.

Thanks