Anemones.....stupid anemones.

I have purchased a total of four anemones in the six months my tank has been up. First was a bubble tip that lasted around a month. Second was a condy that lasted a day (that one I'm blaming on the LFS as even in the worst conditions it should have lived past a day). Third one was a more mature bubble tip that lasted two months. I never did find that one. Assume he died.

Trouble is that when I get these they always move away from the light.They hide in hard to reach spaces making it hard to target feed them. I've target fed them squid and also zooplankton.

I've tried to keep them in moderate lighting since they seem to move away from the light, but still. Not much luck.

So I bought a beautiful rose colored anemone the other day thinking that it's six months and he should be good, but he's moved out of the light, too. Luckily he stayed in a spot where I can get to him with my syringe for feeding. I feed every other day - either zooplankton or a piece of squid.

Is there anything else I should be doing for this guy? I've had luck with almost every other fish and coral that I've had, but these anemones are killing me. First three I could say tank wasn't mature, but by now he should be doing at least ok.

Side note - I have moved all of the stinging type corals to the other side of the tank from this guy. Frogspawn, Long Tentacled Plate (though that's another matter!), and even the tongue coral, though I'm not sure he stings.

 

Ive had a hard time with them as well, but I got a clondy that has lived for at least six months longer than I thought he would I nonly feed him cyclopeze and brine shrimp, my maroon clown hosted in him and loves him but other than that I have no idea why he lived and the others didnt.

 

I'm reading up more on them. Apparently the rose bubble tip is photosynthetic. I've been feeding him zoo-plankton and pieces of squid. He opens up more at night than in the day, but I still keep him higher up - exposed to the light for photosynthesis. Seems to be doing ok so far in that he hasn't run and hid yet.

 

Interesting thing happened tonight. My rose bubble tip split in two. Thought he was going to die.

 

Congrats on the new anemone. I wish my RTA had the splitting gene. He still may, I've only had him a few months.

Wait til your RTA splits and it's clones split some more, than sell the clones.

I must be very lucky. I have never had a anemone die. I have 3 now. A rose bubble tip, a long tenticle and a sebae.

 

Thanks, but I'm not patting myself on the back yet. One half is moving; the other half isn't. He did close up slightly when I was about to retrieve him, thinking he was dead.

 

I'll bet he's just still recovering.

 

Good news. Both parts have planted their feet. Now I just have to figure out why it split in the first place.

 

Some RBT's carry the splitting gene, it's normal.
You can see some vids of them splitting on you tube. Wait until it and it's clone splits and they split and they split etc...
I think with the clone the two won't sting each other, but I don't know that for sure.

 

As indicated, one of the clones just split again. It was interesting - one of my clowns was hosting on it and then it moved and split.

 

Congrats!