New anemone

F

Fish gazer

New Fish
#1
Jun 30, 2011
3
0
0
#1
Can someone help with some info?
I just purchased a new anemone and this is my first. Firstly, where the heckers is its mouth?!? I having some difficulty trying to figure out how to feed it! Second, my clownfish seem to be completely ignoring it. Haven't even gone close. Should I be worried for it's health? When I put it in the tank, it took about 2 hrs before it nestled itself into a spot in the sand beside a rock and hasn't moved. Not sure what type it is, possibly a sabae. It's a yellowy color with purple tips
Also, on the topic of the clownfish, the seem to stay very high up in a corner. Is this normal?
Any help from more experienced fish people would be appreciated.

Temp. 81
Salt 1.023
PH 8.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 30
 

arcab4

arcab4

The Big Fish
The Big Fish
#2
Oct 22, 2002
1,554
30
48
46
Sunny Southern California
#2
mouth is in the middle when it opens up. when you give it food, it should close up and retract and drag the food to it's mouth. hit or miss with clownfishes and anemones. sometimes they take to it right away..sometimes it takes some time..and sometimes they never take to it. that's good it hasn't moved. means it's found a place it likes. a picture would be helpful in determining what it is. how long does it stay at the top of the tank? i've had clownfishes do that and then stop. not sure why.
 

F

Fish gazer

New Fish
#4
Jun 30, 2011
3
0
0
#4
Thx for the info. With respect to the comments on my nitrates, maybe you can help there too. I know they re too high but i can't seem to lower them. The reading that ive done says the best way to lower it is doing partial water changes. I have done 3 15-20% water changes in a month with no change! I feel im causing more stress to my inhabitants for no reason. It actually looks like my thick finger leather coral is dying, not opened up and seems to be losing it's color in spots that get more everyday. And my starburst coral is closing more than usual as well.
Unfortunately, after almost a week my anemone is still without a clownfish friend :(. Strangely, today I noticed a hermit crab take up residence, maybe he felt sorry for it.
As for the clownfish.....they are so weird. At night they are right in the corner next to the valves and right at the top. So close that their fins stick out of water and last night I was worried they were trying to escape!
 

Lotus

Lotus

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#5
Aug 26, 2003
15,115
13
38
Southern California
home.earthlink.net
#5
How old is your tank? Often, tanks less than a year or so will have nitrate problems. Do you have a refugium? Those certainly help with nitrates. How much is your skimmer pulling out? The corals won't be happy with high nitrates, so it's certainly worth looking into ways to get those lowered.

Your salt is a little low, too. It's better to aim for 1.025 or so if you have corals and anemones.
 

M

mlipst

Small Fish
#6
Jul 22, 2008
49
0
0
#6
Regarding the clownfish, I have two that spend the night around the top/rear of my sump overflow box. They seem to be more secure there. They too have ignored my anemones. One of them has jumped into the overflow box on several occassions at night, probably chased there by its sometimes aggressive tankmate. Without a lid on the tank, it might have ended up on the floor. I have had them for eight years; so, all in all they are pretty healthy fish.
 

TRe

TRe

Elite Fish
#8
Feb 20, 2005
3,645
1
0
ft. lauderdale
#8
As far as getting your Nitrates down? Do weekly 25-30% water changes until your get the results your looking for! How exactly are you doing your water changes, that it causes "stress to your inhabitants"? You want to make sure that your temp and PH are the same in the new water as the old. Itll be less stressful if you use some type of siphon hose to drain the tank. Also I use a small pump, to pump the water back in
 

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