Anemone Dilema... (pics included)

[kimsie]

First - I wanted to say thanks to all for your help with my tank decisions the other day! My niece is loving her new tank - she now has my 12g with my orange ocellairs pair and is so excited...

Then I have 2 tanks now...

1. 14g Biocube w/ GSM pair, their nem (debatable between H. Malu and H. Crispa - as per the anemone forum), and a diamond goby

Here are 2 pics of the debatable nem...






2. 30g Breeder w/ black ocellaris pair, black capped basslet, twin spot goby and target mandrien. This tank is also home to my H. Malu and a H. Crisa.

Here is a pic of my H. Malu (my avatar)


Here is a pic of my bleached H. Crispa when I first brought it home on Feb 19th.




OK! So that is the background.... Wanted to lay everything out for you so that you know what I'm dealing with. I also spend most of my day on the Anemone forum here at RC... so I've had a lot of conversations about these anemones...

My problem centers around my bleached H. Crispa. It has done nothing but downhill since I brought it home. When I bought it - it was attached to a rock - and I bought it on the rock. I thought this was a good sign and even though it was very bleached - I thought maybe it would be ok. (I've read that the bleached specimens don't have a long expectancy in captivity if they don't regain their zooanthelle). Well - after acclimating it and placing it and it's rock in the tank - it looked ok. Well after a few days - it moved off it's rock and hasn't fully attached again since.

It's not just floating around the tank - but it's not 'attached' either. And sometimes falls over. It has decreased in size (I know a very bad thing) and I'm really at a loss as to what to do. Velco at Auqatic Treasures suggested placing a light rock on it's foot - to help it anchor down and I tried that this morning. But yesterday it spent most of the day deflated and even had some of it's insides coming out of it's mouth at one point (but they went back in).


Anyway... the reason I'm posting this here now, is that I'm wondering if anyone locally has good experience with these anemones. I thought that I would be able to bring back a bleached one with care and attention - but obviously I'm not doing a good job of that. I don't think it's ever fully even eaten once in my care. I've tried a variety of foods, krill, silverslides, scallops, rods food... I had experience with BTA's before, and they did well, and my other 2 anmones are doing great. Full of color, very sticky, eat when offered food...

What do you all think - is this just a goner? Does someone out there with more experience with bleached h. crispa think they could do a better job than me? Is it possible he just doesn't like my tank?!

I don't know - If someone has any ideas for me - I'd love to hear them. If someone has had great experience with these and would like to try to rescue him - I would give him to the right person.

I'm really just at a loss as to what to do. When I got home from work last night and he was so deflated and looking so bad - it really struck me that something is wrong. I just don't know what to do.

I do think I've finally decided that I should be MUCH more careful with what anemones I buy. I think I've learned that I really need to get one from a local reefer rather than one that's been bagged and shipped.

Anyway - I'm open to suggestions! I have no idea what I'm going to go home to today - but I'll take more pictures of him and post it again. When I left his mouth was fully closed tight and he was partially inflated - but he's about 1/2 the size of when I brought him home...

 

[Reeferhead]

I don't think there is much you can do. If its floating around the tank free its either severly weaked and near death or really doesn't like the current parameters and it trying to escape to another part of the ocean.

You could try reducing your flow to give it another chance to attach.

Provide us with your tank specs and parameters, maybe there is something else your missing.

 

[kimsie]

I'm sorry - I guess I didn't describe it well - it's NOT floating around the tank free. It keeps itself in one place - but the foot doesn't actually 'attach' to anything. It just kind of stays in the same place.

It's so hard to describe. I'll see how it looks tonight and do some test so I can give you guys some readings from the tank. And I'll take some new pictures too...

 

[Reeferhead]

Sorry, I misread.

 

[kimsie]

Hmm... maybe it's a little hard to read because it's like 10 pages long!

Sorry - I swear I'm not always this long winded - just trying to provide as many details as possible.

 

[Reeferhead]

Details are a good thing That's why I keep all of my equiptment specs in my signature. It saves a lot of writing time when asking questions like yours.

BTW, any luck fragging that chalice?

 

[kimsie]

Ohh - good call on the signature... I'll have to get that updated. That might help! I'll have to figure out the right abbreviation's for everything...

Wasn't me with the chalice... I don't know who that was... Sorry!

 

[Reeferhead]

Sorry, I must be really off today. I had you down as trading me a chalice frag for some zoas but I think I got you confused with kpc01

I do have your name down for wanting to traded something though, any ideas?

 

[breutus]

okay it is definitely savable! and the fact thats it's not floating around the tank means that it is attached, even if not fully and happily it is attached, but you do have to keep your eye on it to make sure it doesn't decide to let go and fall over/float around.


as far as saving it, you need good strong lighting, and a decent sized established tank with a lot of things in the water column to feed it. The 30 gallon will possibly be big enough if it is established for long enough.
The big thing is it needs feed daily! ! ! it is unable to take in light without its zooanthle at the moment but strong lighting will help the algae thats it still has reproduce so feeding is essential

 

[breutus]

also what do you feed it? and how often right now is it getting feed,

daily feedings will go on for quite a while at least until it starts reproducing zooanthle algae, you'll be able to tell by the color returning. but it does take quit a while depending on what and how often you feed, and how strong your light is

 

[kimsie]

Thanks Breutus... I totally thought it was savable when I bought it... But I'm seriously wondering if I was wrong and it was either already on the way out - or it just doesn't like my tank.

I think I should clarify more... To be honest - I think the reason it's not floating around the tank is because I keep placing it in places where it can't get blown around... For a week and a half - I had placed it in the back corner of the tank a little wedged under a rock... eventually it broke free though and rolled somewhere else.... Then I placed it in the center of the tank - kind of surrounded by rocks - again it stayed for a few days - then eventually broke free.

I'm sure it's not happy and probably looking for food - but I can't get it to eat! It hasn't eaten in the little over a month that I've had it!
I've tried feeding it krill, table shrimp, scallops, silverslides... I know that's why it's shrinking. I can't get it to eat!

As far as measures I've tried to get it to attach - once I even covered it with a breeders net for 3 days so it could stay in one spot... took off the net - stayed there for a few more days - then released and moved again.

My lighting is an Orbit 36" 2X96w - total of 192 watts for 30 gallons (6.4 per gallon). I was told by many people (both at the LFS and on other forums) that this is adequate for these anemones. However - I'm now starting to wonder if it would be enough for a healthy one - but NOT enough to recover a bleached specimen.


BTW - your RBTA in your signature is just beautiful... I think I would have been much better off to stick with a BTA - but I wanted to try my hand at a new kind of anemone. Now I'm just sad...

 

[kimsie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12182146#post12182146 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reeferhead
Sorry, I must be really off today. I had you down as trading me a chalice frag for some zoas but I think I got you confused with kpc01

I do have your name down for wanting to traded something though, any ideas?

Oh - I don't think I had anything to trade you... I just mentioned once on one of your posts that I'm really close to you... I live in Fairview just next to Caseyville... Or maybe I told you that I'd buy some of your zoas if you ever want to sell rather than trade. I don't have anything good to trade right now...

 

[breutus]

Well watts per gallon in my opinion is a poor measurement especially when your talking about high light species, and I'm assuming a 36" 2x96 watt means Compact florescent? if so I don't think any high light species should be kept under CF solely Just IMHO. It's because they diminish so quickly, they cant hold a consistent par level over six months old. so unless your changing bulbs every six months...

I'm sure i could make room for him and try to get him healthy for you and then in 3-6 months after he's regained color either give him back or do what you want with him.

 

[breutus]

he needs to be fed phyto, zooplankton, and siversides. some days it needs to be blended together and very small and fine pieces, and on other days it needs to be decent size chunks of fish, if his mouth is big enough maybe even small fish.

 

[breutus]

"BTW - your RBTA in your signature is just beautiful... I think I would have been much better off to stick with a BTA - but I wanted to try my hand at a new kind of anemone. Now I'm just sad..."

thank you very much. you should see photos of them now after ten splits!

and just to let you know a recovering nem is not easy not matter what species it takes time and a lot of care

 

[kimsie]

Thanks Breutus - I do appreciate your opinion. I did talk to a lot of people before I got this guy that had kept H. Crispa under PC's for years and done well. However - maybe my lights just aren't strong enough for this guy.

Do you think I would be able to keep a BTA healthy under my lights?

This isn't my forever tank (is anyone's ) as shortly after we move I want to get a bigger tank (and therefore better lights). But since I won't have this tank for much more than another year at most - I don't really want to buy a brand new light system. I only wish that when I set up this tank I would have known what I really needed in lights. My bulbs are about 6 months old. I was told I only needed to replace them every year - so maybe I'm going wrong there and need new bulbs!

As far as your offer to take him in an see if you could rescue him. Maybe we should talk more about that. I really don't want to see him die - so if that means finding him a new home - I'm all for that. I would happily give him to someone where he would have a better chance.

One odd behavior though that I should note... Ever since I got him he has inflated MUCH more at night - and deflated or shrunk down during the day. All I've read on anemones and from posting on the Anemone forum... this means that the light is too strong or they're not used to the light... Isn't this odd? I've wondered about this a lot as I obviously didn't think my lights were too strong for him at all. In fact - when I had the breeder net over him for those 3 days (to help with placement) he was obviously partially shaded because of the netting. He was open fuller and bigger in those 3 days than I've ever seen.

What do you make of this?

 

[breutus]

it's not that odd of behavior and doesn't necessarily mean that the light is to strong, just that he is not getting what he needs from the light and is looking for food in the tank, which he finds at night typically like most corals!

oh and certainly on the lights! I actually made the same mistake not to long ago and bought CF the good thing is that the ballast will run T5's you just have to get endcaps and the right size bulbs! or when you get a bigger tank supplent with other bulbs as well. but a lot of people run tanks with just t5's

If the bulbs are fresh and outputting good par they would certainly support a BTA the seabea is harder to say they vary so much T5'S would do just fine with one though.

as far as getting it healthy for you I have no problem with that just PM me if you want to go over details.

 

[kimsie]

Thanks again for all of your help Breutus... I'll PM you again when I get home with pictures of the nem today and then details on my light fixture.

 

[kpc01]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12182146#post12182146 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reeferhead
Sorry, I must be really off today. I had you down as trading me a chalice frag for some zoas but I think I got you confused with kpc01

I do have your name down for wanting to traded something though, any ideas?

Not to Hijack the thread, but It was me with the chalice frag. I did actually frag it last weekend, now waiting to see how it does. I've never fragged it before so I'm not sure how I did. It is doing ok now but not "thirving" so I've been keeping an eye on it. Hopefully I will get it going good soon for you.

....back to the anemone talk