Anemone on my new LR.

[RudeBoy]

Hi all,
I just bought a new piece of LR on Friday and when i bought it home, I noticed it had something clinging to the underside of it. I confirmed with my LFS that it was a Bubble-Tip Anemone. I have to be honest, I've read about Anemone's but never really thought of owning one out of fear of not being able to properly care for it. Not to mention, I've read that they are not 'accepting' to fish other than Clowns, of which I have two in my tank. The Anemone has done nothing more than move itself from one section of the LR to another and 'pulsate' at times. How long does it usually take for Anemones to adapt to their new surroundings AND are my other fish in danger (Yellow Tang and Flame Angel). Thanks!

[Mikeman]

Your other fish aren't in to much danger, they'll just stay away from it. I would try and hand feed the bubble tip once it gets acclimated to your tank to promote growth

Alos how big of tank do you have and what kind of lighting?

[RudeBoy]

Sounds good to me, but, how do Anemones react to human contact? Also, it doesn't seem like this Anemone is liking my tank, It has burrowed itself into a portion of the LR and it almost appears to be flat. What's it doing?BTW, my tnk is 29 gallons and I have 60watt Power Compacts.

[Mikeman]

I would give it some more time, also is that 2 60watts bulbs or 60 watt total on the tank? If it is 60watts total its probably not enough light. Maybe some fellow reefers that know more about anenomes can jump in soon

[RudeBoy]

My lighting actually consists of a PowerCompact Retrofit Kit (24" kit)
with one 65 watt Actinic Blue (7100K) and one 65 watt Ultra-Daylight (8800k). The lights are perfect for what I have in my tank right now and I have them on about 10 hours a day. (2 hrs. of blues and 8 hrs. of whites). I noticed this morning that my anemone has moved itself to a back portion of the rock where you can barely see it. It seems to only 'pulsate' or act as if it wants to open when the lights are either off or only the blues are on. Once the whites go on, it just goes dormit. Strange. Oh well, i'm just gonna let it be and not worry about it. If anyone can give me some feedback on this type of Anemone from experience, I'd appreciate it.

[Biomanjcs72]

That's enough light to keep him alive, but not really growing fast. Feed him to make sure he gets everything he needs, and he'll probably be OK. He'll move around until he finds a spot he likes, then probably stay there, if he keeps moving around, he hasn't found a spot he likes yet. HTH

[RudeBoy]

Sounds good. I wanted to go with stronger lights but my LFS started me out with the P.C.'s because of my setup. They've been doing a great job so far. If I went up a step as far as lighting, do I have to go with a different ballast to use higher wattage bulbs in my P.C.'s? The Anemone was a little unexpected and I want to give it back to my LFS but the advised me to keep it. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't doing it any harm.

[SKRIZ]

your lighting is quite adequate for him. I have that in my 30 with a BTA. he'll be fine, just give him some time to find a home. he doesn't like much water movement around him, so he'll look for a quite place where he can also hide his foot from the light. if you can create a place like this and put him there (don't pry him from the rock though), it will speed up the process. otherwise, he'll eventually find a place. when he flattens out, he is just cleaning himself out.

[RudeBoy]

WOW! That's really good to know. I saw him flatten himself out and I thought he had bought the farm. I'd like to move him to a much lower part of the tank but not too far out of good contact with the light. How and when do you suggest that I move him. I definitely don't want him to settle in on LR at the back of the tank where he won't be seen.

[Biomanjcs72]

I'd just wait until he quite moving, you can't pry him off of the rock he's on, you'll damage his foot, and even if you move him, he'll just go to a spot where he's happy. If he's happy in the back of the tank, try rearranging your rock so that the spot he's on is more prevalent, but still has similar current, you just have to play with it until he's stable.

[RudeBoy]

Sounds good. What kind of food should I be feeding him once he decides to open up and how do I give it to him?

[Biomanjcs72]

YOu can feed him formula one chunks if you want. Squid, cocktail shrimp, krill, pieces of fish, whatever you choose (within reason, of course) just set it on his oral disk and his tentacles should almost automatically grab it, and he'll injest it. You won't have to do this but once or twice a week depending on the kind of food you give him. If he doesn't take the food, (and he's been fed recently, he's just not hungry yet) . I'm sure there are other folks with these in their tanks and can give you better feeding tips (as far as what, how often, etc.)

[RudeBoy]

Sounds good. Thanks a lot for your help.

[Green Mariner]

I have a small anemone looking critter that is about 1" or so in diameter with short stubby tentacles, and what might be bubble tips. Is this an aiptasia or did I get lucky and get a baby bubble tip?

You probably didnt get as lucky as you think, cause it probably is Anemonia majano , a small anemone which most people consider to be a pest. In most cases, this anemone can reproduce quickly and spread thoughout the tank, and like Aiptasia, can sting its neighbors quite badly. It's unlikely that you will find a biological control such as peppermint shrimp for these, however you probably will have better luck using an injection of limewater if you find that they must be controlled in your tank. For further reading, you can check out Terry Siegel's Article on Aquarium Frontiers where he describes his use of Chaetodon lunula for control of Anemonia (which should only be used in extreme cases in this author's opinion).

taken from the hitchhiker faq on reefs.org

HTH, Just in case!!!