Anemone stuck in filter. Ideas?

[TheGrog]

OK, my rose BTA that has been happy and content at one end of the tank has overnight transversed the length of the tank (almost 6' 125 gal tank) and this morning I found it half sucked into my HOT filter intake!!

The filter is a Whisper 6 series and the intake strainer is rather coarse (about 1/8" between slots).

All tank parameters are fine......so far.

I of course shut the filter down right away.

Now, I am unsure if it can get itself unstuck. It's foot is attached to both the strainer segment of the filter, the upper segment AND the back glass. The mouth is not sucked in, just about 1/4 of it's body. So anything I do will have to be where it is located. Tried taking a pic but my camera batteries are dead.

I am thinking of waiting and watching if it can get itself unstuck without any help from me. I wish I had some stainless cutters that I could cut the plastic strainer away so it could easily get itself out, but I don't. The plastic is pretty tough so just breaking it is not an option without risking hurting the anemone any more.

I am mixing water up right now for a change if necessary and trying to find another filter to run carbon.

Does anyone have any other ideas/input?

Thanks

 

[nauti1us]

Shut off the filter obviously...


Take the entire filter with anemone attached and place it into a bucket filled with tank water. The anemone will come out on its own. If the damage itsn't too severe...

 

[nauti1us]

you may need to take a razor blade and carefully slide it behind the anemones foot to get it off the glass.

 

[mfp4073]

Yeah, I had this happen to one with a powerhead. I took the powerhead apart, but it was stuck in the intake. I put the intake part on the sand bottom in the tank and it untangled itself and moved off after a few hours. Mine lived btw.

 

[Me No Nemo]

You can try putting some RO water in a baggie and freezing it. Then place the frozen baggie NEAR the anemone, not on it. If it is not badly damaged, it won't like the cold water and should disengage to find a better spot.

 

[TheGrog]

Well, I managed to get a small pair of hemostats (helps to be a surgeon sometimes) inbetween the layers of the screen and snap it off. Worked my way around the tube and got it totally off. The anemone is now free from the screen and I got it off the glass with a credit card and back to the rocks. . Does not seem to be badly damaged and the mouth is still intact.

Now I am just crossing my fingers and watching while I mix up more water. Don't have enough salt on hand (on order & being shipped to me) to get the QT tank up and running though so I will have to keep my fingers crossed that the rest of the inhabitants are not badly affected.

Stay tuned!

 

[lifesworksataol]

i just unplugged it and it got itself off

 

[cowboyswife]

Good luck, I hope the nem recovers

 

[akwtampa]

This happened to my rose 'nem about half a dozen times until I broke down and bought a reef ready tank.. All I would do was remove the end of the HOB and sit it on a rock and wait.. it would get out of there within an hour or two..

It's still alive and intact to this day.. In fact, I've got two now as of yesterday..

Aaron