Green Bubble Tip Anemone won't turn green!!!

[strainedpeas]

Hi all,
I have had my green bubble tip anemone now for about 6 months. It is being hosted by my paired clowns and is overall fairly happy. However it can't be that happy because it never has turned green! Not even close! It's pure white. When I bought it it was white and today it is still white.

Any ideas on how it can not be white anymore? It looks strange not being a color...

Thanks,
Katie

 

[kbuser92]

Its expelled all of its zooxanthelae. Have you tried feeding silversides weekly? If its been bleached that long, I'm surprised it's still alive, honestly.

 

[Aquarian]

What lighting is it under? It sounds bleached, any pics?

 

[strainedpeas]

T5, I will get pics.

 

[strainedpeas]

I feed it pieces of shrimp when I have it and mysis shrimp weekly. It's always been stretched out which makes me think it's the lighting...

 

[Aquarian]

What is the watts of the fixture?
How big is the tank?
How old are the bulbs?
Like Kyle said are you feeding it?

 

[strainedpeas]

pic is upside down but that's the kind of light. They are less than a year old. The tank is 29 gal. and I feed it mysis shrimp and occasionally quartered pieces of shrimp.

 

[salt_for_brains]

Wow, that is a resilient anemone which is great. Depending on your tank size and light wattage the T5 should be plenty. Which in the state it is in now it wouldn't be able to handle too much lighting intensity anyway. I would feed it small portions of mysis, raw shrimp, squid, etc... Very small portions is key. I would do it two or three times a week as long as it accepts it. I would also try soaking the food in Selcon or something similar. It should start coloring up. It takes months to bring one back from a bleaching like yours is experiencing but it can be done.

 

[kbuser92]

It does look stretched. Maybe try moving it up as well, but only if the foot isn't attached or planted. And I would change from "feeding when I have it" to making sure you have small portions to feed every 2-3 days. It will only need a little chunk.

 

[salt_for_brains]

Just a side note------ you didn't list any of your parameters which could help eliminate any other issues. Stable water parameters are crucial when keeping anemones as well as flow and lighting.

 

[Aquarian]

+1 to both, some good advise. Also fluorescent lights can start shifting wavelength around a year old you may want to replace them soon.
Im surprised the nem isn't trying to move up on its own.

 

[rrbigdog]

+1 on the stable water.... I have a LTA and a Condy. The condy was white when I bought him but even he is now a tan color.

It might be me but that looks like a sebae to me which tend to be white/tan.

 

[strainedpeas]

I don't actually know my parameters.. I used to have a sebae when my tank was about 4 months old which didn't make it more than two months. This one has been a real trooper. I haven't quite had these bulbs a year - only maybe 9 months or so. My anem is planted and has been in the same spot since day one, but he is always pretty stretched. The piece of rock that he is planted on is also the home to my two clowns where they frequently lay eggs so I wouldn't want to move it I don't think. My local fish store I go to sold it to me as a green bubble tip - I really wanted a rose but they didn't have any.

 

[Big K]

Can you even be sure that it is a Bubble Tip? There are other types of nems that are naturally white right?

 

[strainedpeas]

I'm not sure anymore! I don't know how I could tell what it is or should be. Like I said I bought it thinking it was a green bubble tip

 

[Kelz88]

Hoiw many bulbs does your fixture have? If it is only two it may not be enough light, nems need a tonne of light

 

[kbuser92]

There's no anemone that is naturally a pure white.

 

[Big K]

Um, Condys and Sebae are pretty darn close. Which would mean it's not nearly as bleached as if it were a BTA. Just spitballing.

 

[kbuser92]

They can be off white, light tan or light yellow, but the should not be white. That's a sign that they've expelled their zooxanthelae.

 

[Sakura2282]

I have my doubts about that nem being a GBT. For me it looks more like the one on this picture, but I'm not nem expert.