Another anemone hazard

[FishWife1]

I have a small BTA in a nanocube 12DX. I've felt pretty secure with it in there because there are no powerheads it can run into. Well, tonight when I went to check on the lighting in the back to make certain it was hitting my chaeto I saw tentacles sticking through the wall into the rear compartment. There is a small hole under the overflow which apparently has enough suction to pull in an anemone.

I immediately turned off the pump and began to tickle the anemone to make him retract. It pulled all of the trapped tentacles back easily enough but a small piece of its body was through the hole, too. I couldn't leave it there because I didn't want to leave the pump off all night so I gently applied pressure on the trapped portion kneading it toward the hole. It got smaller and smaller and after about 15 minutes of this it popped through and was free. I moved it to my other tank and it immediately attached to a rock. I don't see any damage but will look more closely tomorrow.

I just wanted to warn anyone who might have an anemone in one of the all in one tanks. Hopefully mine will be OK.

Laurie

 

[Azurel]

It should be fine....BTAs are very resiliant. I had one get sucked in to the strainer on a small HOT power filter and thought it was dead for sure. I tried getting as much of it out as I could which wasn't much so I pulled the strainer off the filter and left it at the bottom of the tank and 2 days later it was completely out and alive.It looked ragged but it healed in time. I have also heard of these anemones getting chopped up in filters and some of the parts turning into new anemones.....I'm sure you will be fine.
Good luck with it.

 

[FishWife1]

Yeah, he looks pretty good today. It was such a shock, though, looking into that compartment and seeing those tentacles. If it had been some piece of equipment I could have turned it off and waited him out but since that is the only oxygenation and aeration for the tank I had to try to release him asap.

Laurie

 

[Azurel]

Well you did the right thing for the situation...the proof is that it is still alive and well.