[alim84]

I have a 25 gallon reef tank set up with about 20 lbs of live rock, a percula clown and two blue chromis. I purchased a rose bubble tip anemone yesterday afternoon...i placed him on the live rock and a few hours later he had migrated up to the very top of the glass near the filter (assumming he wanted to be nearer the current). Seemed fine this morning, but this afternoon, he is completely closed up....i can only see a couple of his deflated tentacles sticking out...he is exctreting a brown stringy substance. He has been closed now for an hour or maybe more....i don't have a lot of experience with anemones and got the bubble tip because i was told it was a good species for beginners.....whats going on? is this just a normal excreation process and he will open back up soon, or is there something wrong?

[wozza]

what lighting do you have it under?
i dont know if this is the case with yours.
but my beadlet anemone Beadlet Anemone, Actinia equina (British Marine Life Study Society)
closes on a daily bases for about and hour or two then is open again, they do it to replace the stale water with fresh water.
as for the brown stringy substance i can only hazzard a guess.
i am NOT an expert on them so this realy is a guess, i could be its symbiotic zooxanthellae being expelled because its unhappy????
hopefully someone more experanced can tell you im wrong
cheers james

[alim84]

well now it seems to be coming back out, but its extremely deflated, and the mouth is extended....i cant tell if its moving on its own either.....maybe its dead... i hope not! i only got him yesterday and i dont know WHAT could have killed him! anyone else have any suggestions/explanations?

[zhenya]

Hi alim84,



Rose bubble tip anemone is known as Entacmaea quadricolor, and it is most certainly not an A.equina. The difference would be that the the Actinia has beads under it;s column, where E.quadricolor has them on the tips of the tentacles.
Since you just added this anemone to your tank it is quite normal for it to go through adjustment period and travel a bit. it will find it's perfect spot to settle and will stop moving after that, providing that all other variables are in order. That means lighting, current, etc.
The brown substance you saw could be either zooxanthellae or it could be waste. Anemones will often deflate and look like they are on the last leg when they are expelling waste and then reappear normal again.

How long is your tank been set up?