Best way to remove a haddoni?

[Octoberfest]

In the next few weeks I will be picking up a haddoni from an established reeftank that the owner will be breaking down.

She has had the anemone for over a year and it is very healthy. From the looks of it the foot is either attached to a piece of live rock or the bottom of the tank. It's buried in the sand, as it should be, and we can't see the bottom of the tank from the underside of the stand so we're not sure what/where it's attached.

So now comes the difficult question...removing it. What is the best way to safely remove this critter with no/minimal damage?

Also, would it be better to do this after the lights have been on and the anemone is expanded or would it be better to do this before the lights come on when it's retracted?

 

[ebacon]

If its on the glass remove sand around it and use a Tupperware container to slowly and gently slide the foot off the glass. Don't be in a hurry.

 

[Blitzburggirl]

Thank you for the suggestion. This Hoss is in my tank, and I thought I may offer a few more details, the anemone is in a reef with extremely deep sand, and is quite large. A full 18" in diameter, if not slightly more. When the lights are off.. it is down to about 12" inches or so.

The rock which it may have a bit of a hold on is literally a boulder, and is part of the live rock structure of the tank. In otherwords, they can't go together.

Between the rock, and the size of the anemone, there is no way (that I can fathom at the moment) to scoot a tupperware container near it. It is in a 180, right underneath one of the braces.

 

[Toddrtrex]

First, put on a pair of gloves -- it will stick to your hand otherwise.

Second, plan on this taking hours.

You are going to have to remove all the sand from around the anemone. Slowly, and I am slowly use your finger to separate the foot from the glass. If you start to get frustrated, stop, take a breather and start again. You do now want to damage the foot. The reason for using your finger and not a credit card is so that you can feel the foot and stop if things don't feel right.

The rock is going to have to be moved, but only when the foot is released from the bottom of the tank. At this point you can either wait for it to release from the rock (( odds are great that you won't be able to do it with your finger without damaging the foot )). The other option is to break up the rock with a chisel -- while the rock is in a bin with water. If you have to remove the rock/anemone from the water make sure that the anemone is supported, damage to an S. haddonis foot is usually a death sentence.

Again, taking your time is the key here, and plan on this taking a long time.

 

[Blitzburggirl]

Thank you for the weigh in Todd. I have as much of an interest in this as Octoberfest, obviously.

What type of glove do you suggest? This particular anemone grabbed my arm once, and I swear it took an hour for him to let go. I was reaching for a frag behind me, and it happened super fast.

Breaking the rock is no big deal, I just don't want to hurt the anemone, and removing the haddoni in a large bowl of water would be preferred, to removing him supported by my hand. That's why we were wondering if there would be a benefit to doing it when the anemone is "sleeping" as opposed to open and "alert." Hahhahaha it took me forever to choose those two words. I wonder, is there a better choice out there?

 

[Toddrtrex]

Sure thing.

I just use normal latex gloves. Heck, one time I had my hand swell up after getting stung trying to save a fish.

Before you start you can "irritate" the anemone -- sometimes just touching it do the trick -- which will cause it to expel all its water and retract into the sandbed. It will be about 1/5 the normal size (( or even smaller )).

Case in point;

Normal,

Withdrawn,

 

[Blitzburggirl]

LOL I've heard that haddoni's do that, but I've never seen mine do it! I've heard they also do that, then surface somewhere else.. thankfully, again, I've never seen it!

My haddoni will react to my touch, it's never caused a reaction for me (counting stars, and know it's only a matter of time) and it will squinch up in the area I touch. I tried, once, to just see where the foot is (curiousity) and kind of gently bumped it repeatedly all over.. it crouched down, but, really not much smaller than it's "sleeping" size. I did bury my hand down in the sand bed, as far as I could (it's a 6-8 in sand bed..) and it's amazing how strong the foot of these animals are. It felt like pure muscle.