anemone question

[Adnuces]

okay I just got a gbta and I placed it in the spot where I thought it would be good. The anemone promptly settled in BUT he sunk his foot deep into a rock and is facing the back of the tank. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can get him out and turned around facing the front??????
The spot he is in makes it virtually impossible to feed him there......

[Ninong]

I've never kept anemones but I know that Entacmaea quadricolor likes to find a spot where it can insert its foot deep into a crevice so that the column is out of the light. It also prefers a spot with decent water current so that it will receive a steady supply of food (it thinks it's still in the wild). And it likes fairly strong light. Obviously it has found a spot that it thinks meets its needs. The only problem is that it's facing the back of the tank instead of the front.

You can either remove some of the rock structure to get it out, if possible, or you can try to encourage it to vacate its present condo and look for a new home facing the front of the tank. Some people have reported success in getting an anemone to move by holding an ice cube against its column. You will probably need tongs of some sort to do this.

Good luck!

[BubbaWPB]

Your bta doesn't care if s/he is facing the back or the front of the tank. If you try to move him, he'll probably move right back (if he doesn't get sucked into a powerhead and shreaded).

My bta is under a rock and faces the back. I only see his tips when he is fully inflated. He has been there for about 9 months. I'm just glad that he is healthy and is not "on the move".

Your bta knows where in the tank it will survive best. Trying to move it will just cause stress and possible injury.

[Adnuces]

Well I have no problem with it facing the back other than the position it is in doesn't allow me to feed it. Also, it is positioned under an overhang and gets very little direct light there. Will it move to be in better light? towards better food? I will leave it be for a week or so but I don't want it to starve to death where it is or die of lack of light when there is ample light in the rest of the tank??????

[zhenya]

I would leave it alone for a few days if it was my anemone. I am pretty certain that it will start moving or simply stretch towards the light soon. Most of my anemones are attached somewhere behind the rock structure but stretch out towards the light in the front/top of it. Like Ninong had indicated, they like to hide their foot in the crevice for protection but will outstretch for the source of light. Just give it couple of days to settle in and it will start moving again, not necessarily detach but will stretch out more.
Just some of my experience with the BTA's.
Good luck!

[kevinpo]

The anemone will move to an area of more light on its own if it feels the current location does not have enough light. They can go months before they starve. It will begin to wander if food or lighting become an issue.

HTH,
Kevin

[Ninong]

okay I just got a gbta......

One point I forgot to mention is that it is quite common for E. quadricolor to go into relative hiding when first introduced to a new tank. In other words, it's first home may not be it's eventual choice. It may simply wish to stay there for rest and recuperation, or whatever, and then it will move out on its own to find a suitable spot when it's good and ready.

[smidoid]

One point I forgot to mention is that it is quite common for E. quadricolor to go into relative hiding when first introduced to a new tank. In other words, it's first home may not be it's eventual choice. It may simply wish to stay there for rest and recuperation, or whatever, and then it will move out on its own to find a suitable spot when it's good and ready.

Ok. Now I'm wierded out! Are you saying that anenomes are mobile? Of course you are! Sorry, be thick, but how to they manage that? Not that I've looked all that close but I didn't notice any means of traction on them?

[zhenya]

Ok. Now I'm wierded out! Are you saying that anenomes are mobile? Of course you are! Sorry, be thick, but how to they manage that? Not that I've looked all that close but I didn't notice any means of traction on them?

Marc,

They don't have legs, it's true, however they use their foot and inflating/deflating technic to be quite mobile. Not like a shrimp, of course, but they do move around the tank quite a bit if unhappy or looking for that perfect real estate spot.

[smidoid]

Ah! Like a one-legged starfish. That's still weird! As my eldest daughter (12) puts it... "Eeeewww...!"

It must be pretty odd to watch - quite wacky I imagine if you did it in time-lapse photography I should imagine!

How about aptasia then Gene? Can they do that? I -think- I might have two (misnamed them Xenia in a different thread). I've watched two of them - tiny ones to be sure - creep out from holes in the LR and sort of wave in the "breeze". If they are aptasia, they're for the chop <i.e. a lemon injection>- but I don't want to kill something useful!!

UPDATE:

Looks like they are aiptasia (damn) so they are destined for that great reef in the sky unless someone can suggest a reprieve?!

Pity that. I thought I had something (else) useful that had hitched in with the LR. <sigh>

[zhenya]

Marc,

If those are indeed Aiptasia anemones I would nuke them becouse they reproduce rapidly, most times to plague proportions as you probably already know. Try searching for images of Aiptasia to compare your critters and see if they are a threat.
As far as theie mobility, I am not quite sure if they do move all that much. The reason I say this is that they hardly have any competition as far as real estate goes, and they can survive just about anywhere and in any condition.
Being zooxanthellate, one would think that they must have light to live but they can live in the darkness just as well.

[smidoid]

I'm about 99% sure, so I need to get a hold of a syringe (not now, it's 3AM!) from the local drugstore (maybe I'll need to pretend to be strung out!) and give it some lemon. It's pretty small right now, but I'm not willing to take chances with any other livestock later on.

[Adnuces]

I had a couple small aiptasia when I started up my tank. I purchased some peppermint shrimp and haven't seen one since. Either that or someone else is munching on them. The only other thing it may not have been aiptaisia and maybe it was just a small feather worm....

[Adnuces]

Update. Anemone is still sulking in his rock cave spot. I see him open up towards the back of the tank with sweepers out but not for long. I fed the tank cyclopeeze and sent some his way with a turkey baster last night and he promptly closed up either he didn't like the baster wash or he got some into his mouth....either way I am not trying to relocate him any longer other than I moved the lights closer to the front of the tank trying to encourage him to move that direction.........

[smidoid]

I chickened on the syringe. I figured even if I did look strung out, they'd check my arms...

So I removed the LR, got a pin, stuck it in (like old people used to do with Winkles in my part of the world) and munched it up. Then I applied a bit
of the strongest lemon juice I could find and blammo!

I'll let you know if it comes back!

[smidoid]

I had a couple small aiptasia when I started up my tank. I purchased some peppermint shrimp and haven't seen one since. Either that or someone else is munching on them. The only other thing it may not have been aiptaisia and maybe it was just a small feather worm....

I guess the problem with the "natural" predation approach is twofold.

1. You have to hope you get the right predator - and even then, hope it will take the bait.

2. How do you feed the predator afterwards? Some species only eat Aiptasia so that would pose a problem!

[greenbean36191]

Personally, I wouldn't be overly concerned about about it being in an area that you can actively feed it. E. quadricolor doesn't seem to be nearly as dependent on feeding as other anemones. That's not to say that it doesn't need any feeding, but as anemones go they really aren't all that well adapted to catch solid food. However, they seem to be extremely good at taking up dissolved nutrients and using their zooxanthellae.

In the lab, our anemones aren't target fed, though they do get some food the fish bring them. Most are doing well and growing. Back home mine don't get fed regularly and have been growing and splitting for a few years with no problems.

[BubbaWPB]

Update. Anemone is still sulking in his rock cave spot. I see him open up towards the back of the tank with sweepers out but not for long. I fed the tank cyclopeeze and sent some his way with a turkey baster last night and he promptly closed up either he didn't like the baster wash or he got some into his mouth....either way I am not trying to relocate him any longer other than I moved the lights closer to the front of the tank trying to encourage him to move that direction.........

BTA's will withdraw from stimulation (baster blast) or when they get food on their tentacles. You'll be surprised how long they can stretch and how small they can get when they deflate.

Marc, - not only do anemones use their foot to move, but some of them blow up like a big flying saucer with warts and go flying around the tank in the current... that's how they wind up as goo blowing out of a powerhead...

[smidoid]

Ah! I guess that could be a problem if the goo can seed more little anemones... (like more aiptasia, for instance). I just spotted little outcroppings of hydro...something thingys. Can't recall the exact name, but they're going to have to go too.

Still, the more I learn about this, the more fascinating the whole thing becomes.