Anemone release a toxin?

[brubakron]

I purchased a rbta yesterday, and it had been doing fine in the tank. Tentacles were thick, and it was hosting two fire clowns immediately. A few minutes ago I went in to my fish room and the water was cloudy, a white color. This is a Biocube 29 so it is a small tank. I did a quick 5 gallon ware change with water from my large tank. I am currently making and getting up to temperature 10 allows of nsw. I also put on a better skimmer to try and pull anything out. There is a clam in the tank that is still out, so I am not sure if there is any danger here. The anemone, from what I can see, is shrunken up. Could the clown fish have triggered this? Is there anything else that I need to do?

 

[lnevo]

Run some carbon if you can.

 

[brubakron]

Run some carbon if you can.

I forgot to add that I am running carbon, changed out the Biocube filter once I noticed the cloudiness.

The anemone is completely deflated, and it has white stuff protruding from its mouth area. Could it be that it is just excreting waste, or is on its way out?

 

[lnevo]

From some quick searching it sounds like its his guts...it could recover in a few days or it could be on it's way out. But either way in a 29g it's gonna be rough.

 

[brubakron]

Ok, I did about another 8 gallon water change, and will see hoe it is in the morning. Nothing else seems to be bothered that much by the cloudiness. The anemone still has a firm grasp on the glass and a rock, so I think that is at least a good sign.

 

[ReeferKimberly]

Separate the nem from the clowns if you have not. Put a strawberry basket around it or separate it somehow. They will mess with it and it will not be able to recover. Small nems often cannot cope with larger clownfish. I don't know how big yours are or how small the nem is but yeah, clowns often damage new nems.

Also you are going to want to watch the tank overnight, set alarms to wake yourself and have water ready as I see a good possibility of more changes being needed, good luck!

 

[Anemone]

A few minutes ago I went in to my fish room and the water was cloudy, a white color.

This sounds like something spawned. Could be your BTA, or could be your clam. Either way, water changes and wet skimming will remove the organics, and everything should be okay.

Kevin

 

[brubakron]

This sounds like something spawned. Could be your BTA, or could be your clam. Either way, water changes and wet skimming will remove the organics, and everything should be okay.

Kevin

I am thinking that you are right about the BTA spawning. This morning the BTA is looking healthy again, and the water is clear. I don't see anything that seems to be impacted the way it would if a toxin had been released.

 

[lnevo]

Glad things are looking better!!!

 

[brubakron]

Glad things are looking better!!!

Thank you. So the next night the anemone looked great again, and then shriveled up, but not was released into the water column. It then looked fine later in the night, a couple of hours after the lights went off. I am thinking that maybe it was still adjusting to the lights. Since then it has looked healthy all the time, and also ate a large silverside.


So my next question for you clownfish and anemone experts is - I was planning on putting in the gbta and black and white clowns at the same time as the rbta and fire clowns. I have read though that the fire clowns are much more aggressive, and may cause issues as I try to add other fish. The tank is currently lightly stocked compared to where it will be in the next few years.

If I add the gbta and black and white clowns now, I can still add the rbta and fire clowns down the road without too much trouble right? Lets say I add them in 6 months to a year. I have already moved the gbta and black and white clowns into the 75 fuge under the same light from the old tank. This way the gbta could adjust to new water parameters first. It has acclimated so I plan to move the clowns over and anemone over where it will now have to adjust to the new LED light (had been under T5s that need to be replaced). Anyway this explanation go too long, and thanks for the input.

 

[xtlosx]

This sounds like something spawned. Could be your BTA, or could be your clam. Either way, water changes and wet skimming will remove the organics, and everything should be okay.

Kevin

+1... sounds like a spawn, but could've been a stress spawn... who knows.

 

[Pez68]

Thank you. So the next night the anemone looked great again, and then shriveled up, but not was released into the water column. It then looked fine later in the night, a couple of hours after the lights went off. I am thinking that maybe it was still adjusting to the lights. Since then it has looked healthy all the time, and also ate a large silverside.


So my next question for you clownfish and anemone experts is - I was planning on putting in the gbta and black and white clowns at the same time as the rbta and fire clowns. I have read though that the fire clowns are much more aggressive, and may cause issues as I try to add other fish. The tank is currently lightly stocked compared to where it will be in the next few years.

If I add the gbta and black and white clowns now, I can still add the rbta and fire clowns down the road without too much trouble right? Lets say I add them in 6 months to a year. I have already moved the gbta and black and white clowns into the 75 fuge under the same light from the old tank. This way the gbta could adjust to new water parameters first. It has acclimated so I plan to move the clowns over and anemone over where it will now have to adjust to the new LED light (had been under T5s that need to be replaced). Anyway this explanation go too long, and thanks for the input.

You have a Biocube 29, and you're asking about adding four more clowns and two more nems? To the 29G tank? Right now you have two clowns and a nem, along with a clam? No. You cannot have more than one clown fish pair in a tank that size, let alone THREE pairs of clown fish. You cannot add two more nems and four more fish to a tank that size, either... .

1) The clown fish pairs will kill each other. You will end up with just two left, if you are lucky.

2) That, to me, seems like complete overkill for a 29G tank. Way too much bioload...

 

[Anemone]

This is a Biocube 29 so it is a small tank.

So my next question for you clownfish and anemone experts is - I was planning on putting in the gbta and black and white clowns at the same time as the rbta and fire clowns. I have read though that the fire clowns are much more aggressive, and may cause issues as I try to add other fish. The tank is currently lightly stocked compared to where it will be in the next few years.

Um, you want 4 clowns in a 29 gallon tank? No. Period. No discussion.

You will end up with 2, or perhaps only one clown in the end.

Kevin

 

[brubakron]

I was not clear in my description. I have two pairs of clownfish and two anemones. I plan to move both pairs into a 265 gallon dt - My question was if I need to move them in at the same time, or if I can do the black and white first and the fire clowns down the road due to the possibility of being super aggressive.

 

[Pez68]

Putting multiple pairs in any tank is going to be a risk, as once they pair up and mature, they are extremely aggressive and territorial towards other clowns. You will need to try and separate the two sides of the tank with a rock wall so they have their own "territory". The most aggressive should always be added into the tank last, but coming in with an anemone already, it may not matter. I believe it is possible to get them to coexist, but you will need to watch them closely and split them up if they start battling it out. Once they start fighting it will only end one way. With dead fish.

Are they fully grown and matured clowns?