2nd attempt at carpet, this time red!

[sufunk]

Slakker,
based on everything in the tank i doubted i had any copper, even trace amounts but to be sure, i bought a copper test and it was zero.

E.J.,
That pic was the day that i got it. I had just fed it a small piece of shrimp hoping that it would eat and stay in the spot i had placed it in if i fed him. I think that is the only reason it looks like there was a small gape. I remember distinctly telling my wife and friends how happy i was that first week or so because the mouth was so tight and healthy looking with no gaping at all.


Based on how the nems looked when i got them(especially the red) and how they then went downhill after almost the exact amount of time in my tank, i'm pretty sure it's something with my tank. They both started acting and looking the same after about 10 days in my tank.


I can't figure what could be affecting them this way but having absolutely ZERO effect on my other corals, fish and inverts
I don't know what else to even try testing that could be making the nems react the way that they are.

 

[sufunk]

Well, a few hours ago he actually puffed up pretty good and closed him mouth up tight and stopped gaping completely.

Unfortunately, now he has deflated a bit and is gaping a decent amount and it looks like he is smoking slightly

He is excreting some kind of milky liquid making it look like a little smoke is coming from him. I assume this is not good? Any idea what this is about?

 

[Lance M.]

I think you may have a male carpet and it's expelling it's sperm into the water. Check your water params, I would recommend a water change.

 

[sufunk]

I just checked parameters again

nitrates-0
nitrites-0
ammonia-0
phosphates-0
sal.-1.0255
calc.-420
ph-8.0
kh/alk-8.0/2.86
copper-0
temp-81

The ph and kh/alk are a little low but i have been using a buffer and raising it over the last few days. Nothing else seems to be affected by it???

I just did about a 30% water change a few weeks ago, right before i got the anemone. I'll try another but i wont be able to do it until probably Monday or tommorow night at the earliest. The way the nem looks right now, i'd be pretty surprised if it is still alive Monday night

 

[Lance M.]

How often do you do water changes?

 

[sufunk]

Every 4 weeks almost always. A few times i've been lazy and maybe went 6 weeks at the most.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Wondering if something is building up in your tank. Perhaps some chemical interaction b/t something and the haddoni. Just trying to think of ideas here.

I know I do a 5 gallon WC every week and my two haddonis are doing great. My tank numbers are about the same as yours.

 

[sufunk]

I can't for the life of me figure out anything that could be building up that i haven't tested for but i'm sure open to any suggestion. Anything anyone can think of lemme know and i'll try and find a test kit for it.


Does anyone know or have heard of something that would be toxic to an anemone but seemingly wouldn't affect fish, sps or lps? I did do an interceptor treatment for red bugs maybe 4-5 months ago. I have probably done at least 10 water changes since then though. After the treatment, i did probably 6 30-40% water changes in 6 weeks. I hadn't thought of it but possibly that could be related???


The only thing even remotely near the carpet is a small acan lord colony which is about 6 inches to the left, a aussie scolymia which is about 8-10 inches to the right, and a candy cane frag about 6-8 inches above it on the rocks. I wouldn't think any of theos would be a problem and none of them are within 6 inches of the carpet I made sure to give it a lot of room in case it moved or just expanded more than i thought it would.

 

[Lance M.]

I think if you started doing a 25% pwc once a week, you will have better luck with keeping the anemone. PWC isn't just to remove nitrates that build up it's also to replenish depleted trace elements and buffers to the water. I think you will also see your pH go back up to around 8.2 with more frequent water changes and you'll no longer need to dose.

I do a 25-30% pwc every week and don't have any problems with my btas or lta.

HTH

 

[Racing1]

I agree with Lance M. You need to do weekly water changes. If you have that many SPS and LPS your water is being stripped of essential elements that are not being replaced soon enough. I would also try to get him closer to your lighting. 150w MH on a 180 is not getting alot of lighting to the bottom of a 24" tank.

 

[E.J. Coral]

Do you have any sponges or big soft corals? Do you run carbon? In each case how long did it take for them to die?

Just wondering about chemical warfare...

Does you camera have video? if so post a short clip and a FTS would be nice

 

[sufunk]

Thanks everyone for the responses. Please don't take my responses as questioning or not listening to your advice. I REALLY appreciate the help, i'm just EXTREMELY frustrated and nothing seems to make sense

Lance,
I do have miracle mud in my sump/fuge which helps with the trace elements,ime. I know some people dont like it or think it is worthless but the few tests i have for trace elements(magnesium, strontium, and calcium) always test a little higher than my water change water so i do believe that the mud system works, at least a little. Either way, would the reduced trace elements be enough to kill the anemones as fast as they are?

Also, if my trace elements were so low as to be helping kill the nems, wouldn't my sps growth/health be adversely affected enough to notice a change? Both times that i got anemones, i did a water just just a few days before. By 7-10 days later, the anemones had SEVERELY declined.

Racing,
i agree about the lighting but there isnt much i can do at this point. He is attached to a rock at the bottom and i cant get him off without stressing him much more than he already is. I put him down there because everything i have read is they like the sand rock interface and i figured if he wasnt getting enough light he would move. The lights are only about 3 inches off the water so the bottom gets pretty decent light. As with the trace elements, is only 150w halides so little that the nems would be severely affected within 1 week?

E.J.,
I dont have any sponges other than some really small various ones that have grown on the liverock over time. I do have a pretty small ORA toadstool leather but he is not close to the nem at all.

I run carbon for a day every few weeks.

The 1st nem took i believe 19 days to die. This one is on about day 20 or so right now.

Sorry, i dont think my camera has video and if it does i have no clue how to use it Trust me, all you would see is a pathetic looking, shrivelled and gaping nem

 

[Lance M.]

From my experience (and the experience I've gathered from MANY other successful reefers) I believe it will help . You want to make everything as close to perfect as possible and I firmly believe that frequent pwc's are key to success.

Try the weekly pwc. It's the only thing you haven't been doing and it couldn't hurt.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Think you should start running carbon all the time. I believe that there is something in your water that is effecting it. Carbon can't hurt, and it just might help.

I don't feel your lights are an issue. I had my yellow/tan haddoni under 65 *6 PC for 5 years ( in my 75 ) and even if it was the lights, wouldn't happen this soon.

 

[Lance M.]

If your going to run carbon don't use the cheap stuff. I've heard lots about the cheap brands leaching silicates into the water over time. Also carbon is only effective for about a week before it becomes saturated and either becomes ineffective or starts leaching everything it soaked up back into the water.

Carbon also strips the water of minerals.

 

[Toddrtrex]

I've been using Seachem's carbon. Have read that that is really good along with black diamond.

It may stripe some stuff out, but I think it is minor compared to the benefits. I personally run it 24/7 and have had good results.

 

[tpdpercula]

My experience with Haddonis (currently a blue [1 year] and green 1 month) I have noticed that my Magnificant Foxface like picking at the mouth and tenticles of the green. He is brave and has not been stung/eaten yet, Im waiting for the morning that I would look and see him half way down the nem mouth. Im planning on building a dedicated Haddoni tank since I just got a RR 150 from a friend and Im building an Eggcrate box for the nem tommorrow to seperate the nem from the foxface. Long story short go to your LFS and purchase a POND plant basket and seperate your nem from the substrate for a week or so and see if you noticed any changes in the nem.

 

[rkelman]

I really doubt you have a problem other than an unhealthy Haddoni.. I also don't think you last experience has anything to do with this one. You are doing everything right. Water changes and carbon are a good idea for sure but other than that you'll just have to wait. Your lighting is on the low side but do able I think. I had my blue under PC's for 6 months without issues. Have you tried changing foods? I feed only Krill and my blue is doing great. Good luck I hope it pulls through for you.

 

[Jan Helge]

Very nice!

 

[triggerfish1976]

The expelling of the sperm is sometimes a last ditch effort by the anemone before they die. I had a huge Red Carpet that went through a very similar acclimation and ended up dying but smoked right before it died.