How do you move an anemone?

[kennyeberly]

I have a 14gal bio cube with some live rock a Diamond goby and a peppermint shrimp and a small anemone and I can't get the anemone to move off the mushroom it came on how do I move it without hurting it?

[Tankster]

You could try directing a powerhead at it. I've also heard an ice cube on its foot may cause it to release.

[kennyeberly]

I've tried both of them and still won't move anything else??

[ReefTech]

Why do you need it to move? If it's bot moving then that usually means it's found a happy spot in your tank. If that's the case then it's going to be difficult to move.

[kennyeberly]

Because I don't want it on the plastic mushroom that it's on, I want it on a rock.

[Tankster]

move the mushroom somewhere else, the anemone will probably move on its own eventually.

[ReefTech]

Any idea what kind it is? Different species will usually try to attach at different areas. For me, bubble tips that I had always attached their foot to the bottom of the tank while their body stuck out between the sand and rocks while a sabae anemone I had would always attach himself in the rock work

[kennyeberly]

I have a bubble tip, and we tried to move it to a rock by placing the mushroom near it several times with no luck.

[ReefTech]

That's the thing with anemones, they're gonna do things on their terms and when they're good and ready. So again, it might be days,weeks, or months before they feel the need to move to a new location. I understand that that's not the ideal spot but if it's happy enough that it doesn't want to move at all, I'd consider that a win when it comes to anemones.

[kennyeberly]

I guess you're right as long as it is doing good I'm lucky and thanks for everyone's help I'm new to reef keeping and I see all these beautifull reefs and I want one lol....

[ReefTech]

It will happen with time. Your best friend in this hobby is patience. Took me awhile to truly accept what that meant. If you haven't already, post some pics of your setup. I'd love to see it.

[kennyeberly]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/14/32df9f2eff28f2859aa194c558d08596.jpg

[kennyeberly]

When I get this one figured out I'm going to upgrade to a 120 gal

[kennyeberly]

And thanks again for your help

[kennyeberly]

One more thing I've been fighting green algae how do I get rid of it

[ReefTech]

Gonna need some more info about your current system such as, water changes... what kind of fresh water do you use. How much water do you change and at what intervals. How do you have the filtration set up and what do you use for filtration. How long do you run your lights for. And so you have/use any reliable test kits to test your parameters? Usually hair algae tends to be a phosphate issue either over feeding or not using ro/di fresh water if mixing your own water for water changes. Plus if you use any type of filter pads make sure they're checked and replaced frequently otherwise they just turn Into nitrate factories which can lead to other issues with nuisance algae

[kennyeberly]

Okay well I think you probably answered it I do mix my own water and I do 3-4 gal at a time once a week and I use the bio cube filter pads and a chemi-pure elite in the center and my lites are on from about 8am to 10ish..I went on a 7 day cruise and when I got back it was there oh I feed every other day

[kennyeberly]

And I use a api saltwater master test kit

[ReefTech]

Do you have an rodi filter? And you could also remove those filter pads and just put in its place some live rock that will fit in the chamber. I know a lot of people with biocubes that end up doing that. I would absolutley reduce the lighting period, in a tank that small and with just a nem in there, it only needs to run a couple hours a day. Maybe try 5-6 hours. Plus keep track of how old your bulbs are, the older they get the more the spectrum they put out changes which can also lead to nuisance algae

[kennyeberly]

Okay but I don't just have the anemone I have a Dimond coby , the damsel I started it with a peppermint shrimp and a urchin they don't need anymore lite then that?

[kennyeberly]

And I think I have a starfish that was a hitch hiker and a snail of some kind as was the urchin

[kennyeberly]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/14/ac328e8877366062e0b4231458b88db8.jpg

[ReefTech]

I saw those critters in your tank, I was just referring to the ones that are photosynthetic and needs the light to produce their food. The fish and urchin won't be affected by the change in light period, they don't need it to survive.

[kennyeberly]

Okay thanks for taking the time to answer my dumb questions I really appreciate the help you go to the fish stores here a I get whatever opinion the kid that is working that day has and it seems like they all contradict each other. ...thanks again I'm sure I'll have more before long lol

[ReefTech]

Not a problem...never a dumb question. There's always someone here on CaptiveReefs that's willing to help. LFS stores can be hit or miss when it comes to advice. Best thing to do is just what you did earlier, post on the forum and get a couple opinions about a topic and then you can use that info to make your mind up.

[jolson10450]

for the algae get an emerald mithrax crab or ruby mithrax crab and he should do some good work on it.

to remove the anemone take the rock out of the tank and hold it upside down over top a small container with tank water in it. the anemone will stretch and hang down making it easier to remove. while holding it upside down take an old credit card and slowly insert it little tiny bits at a time between the foot of the anemone and the fake mushroom it is attached to. just do a tiny bit then stop and wait 10 seconds then do a tiny bit more and eventually you will see the foot start to let loose from the fake mushroom. it will get easier the closer you get to the end of the anemones foot. once he falls off into the container place the fake mushroom rock back into the tank. now take some rock rubble pieces and put them in the container with the anemone so he has something new to attach its self to and place the entire container back into the tank away from any other objects and in an area with minimal flow. after a day the anemone should reattach its foot to the rock rubble then you can pick up that rock rubble with the anemone and place it in the area of the tank you wish the anemone to stay and cross your fingers and hope he stays.

[kennyeberly]

Ok I'll try that thanks for your help

[kennyeberly]

And I will find one of those crabs today

[ReefTech]

Just be very careful if you try that method. Any damage caused to the foot of the nem usually spells certain death to the creature. If they get a cut or tear in their foot it leaves them open to infection and then they won't ever stick to anything and eventually they die. There's no method that's 100% certain they will stay in one place and the more stress you put them through to try and make them stay somewhere the more chance of damaging or killing them you put them under. The last couple bubble anemones I've tried I used the method above, I put them in a seperate container with small rocks, waited for them to attach, and then place that rock where I would like it to stay and they always moved on me. I just did this last night with a rainbow bubble tip I got in a trade and not even 3 hours after putting him in my 180 it moved to the opposite side of the tank.

[ReefTech]

The crabs may help but until you identify what is exactly causing the hair algae,you'll never get rid of it. And when the day comes where you've taken care of the algae issue you may have to remove the crabs cause sometimes they'll starve if they don't have enough and algae to eat or they can go after small fish at night time to snack on. I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be a negative Nancy about stuff just using my experiences over the years to try and help. I know the nem is not where you want it but the best thing you can do for the animals in your tank is to provide the most stress free environment for them in order for them to florish. I would personally leave the nem alone until it moves by itself. The credit card method can work but not always and it's so ooo easy to damage the nem in the process. I would work more on getting your water tested and getting your water parameters under control and reducing the photo period like I mentioned before. The nem very well might move on its on after you reduce the lights cause now it's used to, what 14 hrs of lights? If you went down to 5-6 hrs it might need to move upwards in the tank to get more light since it's not getting 14hrs anymore. If you have a LFS around you I would recommend taking a sample of your tank water to them and have them test at least nitrate and phosphate for you. Those api tests or not the most reliable or accurate for that matter.

[kennyeberly]

What test kit is accurate if the api isn't?

[ReefTech]

Salifert kits are great along with red sea kits. Both are solid.

[jolson10450]

i have yet to damage an anemone foot by that method and i have removed hundreds and also split anemones with a razor and still had 100% live. granted the water quality they were in was extremely good and helps immensely with the healing process.

I agree that they will usually never stay exactly where you want them so you have to be patient but you can set them there and just hope they stay, that is the best bet at trying to get them where you want them. They will most likely move.

as far as the emerald crab staving, i disagree. if you are feeding your tank regularly and a variety of meaty and vegetarian foods you should be fine, even if zero algae is present. they will go for the easiest food source which is usually leftover food sitting at the bottom of your tank or algae they are next to. they will only go after fish in the event that you are gone for a week and havent fed the tank and no algae is present and if they catch them. i have yet to see, in person, an emerald crab killing and eating a healthy fish. if a fish dies, it will eat it as would any shrimp and other fish and snails for the matter.

salifert is a great kit as well as red sea but like ReefTech stated, the emerald crab will help control the algae but you really need to figure out what is causing it. either bad RODI water, or water storage containers leaching phosphates etc... the chemipure elite will help a bunch so stay up on that.

if you want to try to get the anemone to move without removing it then turn the lights off and flip it upside down inside the tank, suspend it from a stick running across the tank and zip ties or something. you can also put it in the most shaded area in the tank and sometimes it will emerge from the spot it is attached to into an area where it can get more light.

good luck

[MizTanks]

IMO 14hrs is way to long of a photo period. 8-10 is plenty.

[kennyeberly]

Yeah I know I need to get a timer I turn them on when I leave for work and turn it off when I go to bed

[jolson10450]

you can buy a cheap $4 holiday lights timer at walmart. i use them on my nano.

[kennyeberly]

Success!!!!!!!!! And I didn't have to touch him actually my wife out smarted him. ..she turned the lites off and put a lamp next to the tank and it moved on it own!!!!

[ReefTech]

Nice.... smart idea

[kennyeberly]

Yep. ...All her idea lol

[MightiesKeeper]

Do you have a picture of your happy nem?