AH! RBTA split! Clone doesn't look well.

[Zukari]

Hello RC! So I had to move my reef a few weeks back - and everything went great except for my anemone. He is massive, or was - and when I was taking the reef down he moved, and naturally I didn't notice. So when I pulled his rock out, I kind or ripped his foot in two by about an inch.

Fast forward two weeks - he has finally split and the mother is looking excellent - she is big, red, and eating/sticky.

However the clone looks like, for lack of a better word, a turd. It had tentacles but seems to have dropped them, and has moved to a high flow spot. It is still clearly holding on to life - but I think my anemone just split off so the entire thing wouldn't die?

Here are some pictures. Should I euthanize this or is there still hope? I don't want to nuke my tank!

http://imgur.com/a/UNwIJ

I'll add more with the way it looks now when I see him, he's in a strange spot I can't get a good shot. It almost looks like the clone is trying to split again. But when do you know one of these things has really given up?

Thanks!

 

[Zukari]

Here is a pic of the sick clone
http://imgur.com/AYuNR
And this is a full tank shot with the mother on the bottom right
http://i.imgur.com/Qfxwt.jpg

 

[steelhead77]

As long as it's anchored to a rock, it should be ok. If it lets go and starts floating around the tank, it's likely done for. A ripped foot is not a good thing for anemones, but they do survive that trauma. Heck, they get chewed up in power heads all the time and survive that. Just leave it alone, keep an eye on it, and do not try and move it or otherwise interfere with it. My bet would be that in a few days, it will be fine.

*Edit* - So you posted a pic as I was typing my response. Even though it does not look good, it looks like it's attached to a rock. I still say give it some time. These are remarkably hardy creatures who have survived for millions of years with little interference from us.

 

[Zukari]

Right on thanks for the quick reply. I have hopes it will live but I'm just nervous about it. The clowns still go up and hang out with it - even if only for a moment. It's been in this state for about 4 days.

Is there any kind of amino acid or dosage that would help to heal the damage? I have never dosed with anything before but ... could it help?

 

[steelhead77]

IMO, stay away from dosing anything. You want a stable tank. Dosing can introduce a whole host of problems. From dosing too much, to dosing too little, to forgetting to dose, etc. Try to add as little "stuff" as possible to your tank, including your hands. Let your tank mature on it's own and try and keep your parameters in check and everything will be fine.