Misc.

Question
I have a 24 Gal. B series Aquarium, with id estimate 100ish lbs. of live rock a few live coral, 2 damsals, 2 shrimp, 10 snails and a few hermit crabs...Recently I added a Sea Urchin and a Haitian Anemone...the urchin has been doing Fine...hiding but alive... the Anemone on the other hand has shriveled up like he has died and some how found his way into the live rock nearly out of sight...Would you know possible causes of his illness/death or is this normal for them when new to a tank? also I recently removed a dead starfish...he made the water a little cloudy but i did a 50% water change. Could this has any connection to or is cause of the anemone doing this?

P.s. I recently had the question on the pool for the sharks... and the pool was just put up...we will be getting the `1300+ gallons of sea water from a local marineland this weekend if all goes well...the shark eggs we are getting are banded sharks...just giving you an update..will have pics soon, Thanks. Chris

Answer
Hi Chris,

    The starfish may have had something to do with it. The water becomes the anemones' structure and so permeates the animal. Anything other than high quality could be devastating. Besides water quality, anemones need appropriate lighting. The anemone is a hit or miss proposition, a healthy one will usually thrive. Gerry.