Anemones have always been very captivating sights to see in aquariums. Their amazing movement and their ability to host an anemonefish distinguishes them from most other organisms in aquariums. They come in all different shapes, sizes and colors, determined by things like their geographic origins. Anemones also change though from tank to tank, sadly, usually for the worse. This change in anemone behavior and appearance is due to immature tanks without sufficient needs for an anemone. This usually results in a bleached anemone.
You may be here because your anemone has bleached. What does this mean? It means your anemone is unhappy because it has lost its symbiotic zooxanthellae, presented by a loss of color. You may also read this in hopes of never having to go through the process of a bleached anemone. It can be long and painful. Most aquarium owners bring home anemones ecstatic about the possibilities of it growing and thriving with anemone fish. After a few cool months you may see a loss in color and your anemone turning a depressing white. Having a bleached anemone is a terrible feeling and usually results to frantically searching the web for solutions.
The truth is that having a bleached anemone sucks. If you really care about making it healthy again you must make a commitment and have great attention to detail. First you must figure out what were your tank’s problems. Was it poor lighting? Was it unstable parameters? A likely problem is a lack of nutrition. The best thing you can do is feed a bleached anemone twice a day until it recovers. A bleached anemone does not have the zooxanthellae to provide for its needs, so you must be there for it with constant care. It may be hard to bring one back, but it is certainly possible. This video contains further information on anemones, why they bleach and how to bring them back.
Editor’s Note: We’d like to welcome our newest member of the AquaNerd Family, George Mavrakis. George runs a very insightful and entertaining YouTube channel that is loaded to the brim with great clips. Thank you for your contributions, George, and we can’t wait to see what you have in store for us.
