Sea Anenomie

Question
I just got my first salt water tank on Monday and added an anenomie on Wednesday afternoon.  How long does it take for them to open up and show their tentacles?

Answer
dear Lucy,
   Am I correct in assuming that your tank is only running for a couple of days? If that is the case, and I hate to tell you this, but it is too soon to add anything living to the tank unless you filled it with seawater, heated to the proper temperature. You can buy real seawater at petco or other retail pet outlets that handle saltwater fish. The problem is the saltwater needs to be conditioned and the tank needs to cycle. If your pet place will take the anenome back for a little while and hold it for you it may still be okay but they are very delicate creatures and need certain conditions to survive. They will usually show their tentacles so they can feed but if things are not to their liking they may not open or only last a short time if they do. Have you tested your water for ammonia, ph, salinity, and temperature? Its very important that these different conditions be correct to support saltwater life. Make sure you tell the person selling you animals for your tank the time it has been running and bring them a sample of water to test it for you. They can then make recomendations as to the type of life you system will support. Please let me know how you make out. Good luck, gerry.