Concerned about Anemone

robertkukla · 29 Dec 2010

Hi
i got this Anemone from my cousin a week ago , he thought it would look good in my tank , my concern is i dont have the knowledge to look after it , i have a 4ft tank with a 4ft sump DSB , i have 6 x t5 54 watt lights and 3 x t8 30 watt lights, the Anemone is about 400mm diameter when open, i have fed it mussles and hake in small chunks about 1cm in size, i would hate it to die on me, should i keep it or should i sell him for what he paid for it.
My tank has been running for 11 months now.

durleo · 29 Dec 2010

What lighting are you using and what flow do you have in the tank? He looks pretty healthy and if you have Metal Halides or good T5 you should be fine. Is he moving around?

Anemone · 29 Dec 2010

The anemone does look healthy...from what I can tell.

Is this anemone a H. magnifica? If so, you may need MH, likely 250W MH at a minimum.

robertkukla · 30 Dec 2010

i dont have MH, i have 6 x t5 54 watt lights and 3 x t8 30 watt lights, and it is a H. magnifica, he is not moving around he has stayed in the same place now for 4 or 5 days,there is plenty flow in the tank , i still think i need to sell him to someone that can take care of him correctly

Falcon · 30 Dec 2010

dont panic...your lighting will be adequate as long as he is more to the top of the tank.i will post pics of the type of rock structure magnificas like they like a rock that alowws them to be on the peak so to speak.

feed him hake once a week and it will be fine,if you sell him he will probably go to a worse home and die anyway...i suggest you research a little bit more and keep him.

oh yes and make any powerheads or overflows nennie proof ASAP.

Ask if you have any more questions on the care,I have two the one for over two years and its doing great.they like some flow to be on them directly but not too hard or concentrated.

whats the exact dimensions of your tank lol 4ft doesnt say much

?also what power heads you have in the tank...maybe post a pic or two of your rock set up

Anemone · 30 Dec 2010

Falcon said:
dont panic...your lighting will be adequate as long as he is more to the top of the tank.i will post pics of the type of rock structure magnificas like they like a rock that alowws them to be on the peak so to speak.

H. magnificas don't typically do well long term with T5 lighting. Out of all the different species, this one requires the most intense lighting. MH is the better option here.

robertkukla · 30 Dec 2010

Anemone said:
H. magnificas don't typically do well long term with T5 lighting. Out of all the different species, this one requires the most intense lighting. MH is the better option here.

ths is my concern it came from a tank that has no MH but i dont know how long it was in that tank, i also dont have the cash flow to get 2 x MH at this point.

Falcon · 31 Dec 2010

Anemone said:
H. magnificas don't typically do well long term with T5 lighting. Out of all the different species, this one requires the most intense lighting. MH is the better option here.

Hi Brenda,I'm not sure I agree,maybe they haven't been properly cared for with regards to stable water conditions etc?

As I've been keeping one for the past 2 years under phillips 865's t8(lotsa lumens per cubic meter though,equivalent to a decent mh or t5 set-up so newbies dont try this!) and for the past year under t5 in the tank Ive moved it to...it came in the same colour that it is now and has doubled in size over the past two years so I guess time will tell,but for now I'm confident they can be kept under t5's.It should be noted however that I have my t5 unit around les than 3cm from the water surface and the magnifica is just a few inches lower on the highest part of the reef so indeed it loves lotsa light and needs it.

robertkukla · 31 Dec 2010

ok i have moved it higher up to the lights so now we will see time will tell, i hope this works !!!! :thumbup:

Tony · 1 Jan 2011

I saw a H.magnifica at two metres deep and forty metres deep when on my trip. The one at two metres barely had any current and a lot of light and the one at forty metres had tons of current but not a lot of light

Anemone · 2 Jan 2011

Falcon said:
Hi Brenda,I'm not sure I agree,maybe they haven't been properly cared for with regards to stable water conditions etc?

As I've been keeping one for the past 2 years under phillips 865's t8(lotsa lumens per cubic meter though,equivalent to a decent mh or t5 set-up so newbies dont try this!) and for the past year under t5 in the tank Ive moved it to...it came in the same colour that it is now and has doubled in size over the past two years so I guess time will tell,but for now I'm confident they can be kept under t5's.It should be noted however that I have my t5 unit around les than 3cm from the water surface and the magnifica is just a few inches lower on the highest part of the reef so indeed it loves lotsa light and needs it.

I'm not convinced that the above anemone has reached its full potential. It is looking a bit pale in my opinion.

Although an anemone doubling in size may be a sign of good health, it can also be a sign of insufficient lighting, which will eventually lead to poor health. If an anemone is not getting adequate light, it will increase its size in an attempt to obtain more lighting. From the picture, I believe this is what is happening.

When it comes to long term keeping of this anemone, you are going to need more intense lighting. Two years isn't long term when we are considering an animal that can live hundreds of years.

Falcon · 3 Jan 2011

The colour is definitely darker purple(pic taken with cellphone hence colour appears washed out and pale).

As for long term approach if it seems to be needing more light in the future i'll provide it but for now i'm happy with the growth as it doesn't seem to be simple inflation but actual growth .

This coupled with the fact that it does not move at all leads me to believe its a happy camper,maybe hes loving that direct flow he is in now as tony pointed out they are found in high flow conditions.

Falcon · 3 Jan 2011

Tony said:
I saw a H.magnifica at two metres deep and forty metres deep when on my trip. The one at two metres barely had any current and a lot of light and the one at forty metres had tons of current but not a lot of light

Hi tony,could you tell if there we any differences between the ones at lower levels and the ones at higher levels?colour,size,tenticle lenght etc? as I'm thinking the ones at lower levels probaly rely more on caught food rather than algae to give them the required nutrients compare to the ones at the top that get the nutrients more from algae in the tentacles?

robertkukla How often are you feeding it?

Anemone · 3 Jan 2011

Falcon said:
The colour is definitely darker purple(pic taken with cellphone hence colour appears washed out and pale).

Since the clownfish isn't washed out or pale I'm still not convinced that this anemone is where it should be.

Here is an example of what the H. magnifica looks like in the wild:

[ame="http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Sea-Anemones-Heteractis-Magnifica-and-Clown-Fish-Amphiprion-Nigripes-Posters_i6009826_.htm?AID=1577398651"]Sea Anemones (Heteractis Magnifica) and Clown Fish (Amphiprion Nigripes) Photographic Print at AllPosters.com[/ame]

Unfortunately, most can not get the H. magnifica to thrive in aquariums long term.

Falcon said:
This coupled with the fact that it does not move at all leads me to believe its a happy camper,maybe hes loving that direct flow he is in now as tony pointed out they are found in high flow conditions.

That tells me it has found the best place that has been provided, not the best place that could be provided.

robertkukla · 3 Jan 2011

robertkukla How often are you feeding it?[/QUOTE]

i feed it every second day , but it is moving around and as far as i know this means it is unhappy, im now reconsidering on getting rid of it , i feel i dont have the adequit lighting for it, i dont want to have this beautiful thing die.

Falcon · 3 Jan 2011

if its moving its probably not happy,but please sell it only to someone who can take proper care of it,give it away for free if you have to to the right home....Insist on the guy having lotsa experience with nemmies before and he should be willing to show you his set-up.I know it sounds extreme but if you want to sell to save it then do it the right way

robertkukla · 3 Jan 2011

i will do that thanks Falcon

CW · 3 Jan 2011

Hey falcon.
Im just reading your quote to a fellow masa buddy.
Whats nennie proof?

Falcon · 3 Jan 2011

Anemone said:
Since the clownfish isn't washed out or pale I'm still not convinced that this anemone is where it should be. Possibly not ideal but it definitely is darker than in the pics which are taken by basic htc cellphone camera so not very well rendered.

Here is an example of what the H. magnifica looks like in the wild:Sea Anemones (Heteractis Magnifica) and Clown Fish (Amphiprion Nigripes) Photographic Print at AllPosters.comto be honest thats a highly edited pic below you can find a more realistic reef scene pic of magnifica's and the colour of mine is the same as some of the yellowish ones,interestingly I also have a smaller magnifica which is much darker brown and still recovering so this leads me to believe that either its not a magnifica or magnifica's dont all have the same colour as there are also brown ones on the pic below?

Unfortunately, most can not get the H. magnifica to thrive in aquariums long term.Hopefully I can as I certainly seem to be on the right track,I'll get back to you on this one in the future

That tells me it has found the best place that has been provided, not the best place that could be provided.True the best place is the ocean

One factor that does concern me is the tentacle length,mine seems to be a bit shorter than wild specimens,whats your take on that brenda?could that be a possible sign of less flow or food etc?or is it individual specific like in the case of bubble tips?

Falcon · 3 Jan 2011

CW said:
Hey falcon.
Im just reading your quote to a fellow masa buddy.
Whats nennie proof?

basically it means that all intakes to your pumps and overflows are properly protected,maybe brenda can post some pics for us of hers or else search for ways on the net, as i chose the route of going closed loop and that means my pumps get water from the overflow and they are not in the tank.

The reason for this is anemones sometimes move and when they get too close to a pump they get sucked in and minced....killing the poor anemone and more likely than not most of you tanks inhabitants.