BTA vs wave maker

[AGWL]

It ain't pretty, y'all.

My older BTA (Sagan) has never been able to find a spot he's happy in, at least not longer than a few days at a time. (My newest BTA bebopped around the tank for a few hours, found her rock, and has been happy ever since.)

Sagan, though, has always tended to stay in the top back corner of the tank, near the protein skimmer. He'd move around, but primarily in that area. There's a wave maker near there and I'd switch it off whenever it looked like he was moving in that direction. He always ate well, taking fresh shrimp from me 1-2 times a week. My tomato clown loves him.

Then this morning, the clown was in a part of the tank he doesn't normally go to (he stays near his anemones). Sagan had moved along the back wall of the tank, which he'd never done before, and wedged himself behind another wave maker. It did not end well. There were pieces floating around, everyone.

I turned the wave maker off, obvs, and moved it. Sagan's foot was still engaged on the glass. I gently moved him and put him down on the substrate near some rocks. He was moving slightly, but the hermits started picking at him (jerks) so I've pulled him into a container by himself.

It doesn't look like he's expelled anything. His foot is engaged and he's still moving slightly. I offered a piece of shrimp; he contracted around it and seemed to take it.

I'm cleaning my QT tank and setting it up for him to recuperate, but really.... is there any hope here?

 

[Reefing102]

I think there’s hope. I’m not seeing any immediate damage to the foot so that’s a good thing. I’d definitely give it time by itself and watch it closely but it looks pretty good from what I can see. @Anemone @OrionN thoughts?

Any damage to the oral disk?

 

[AGWL]

Not that I can see. I put his container in the tank near his regular spot, so at least he won't get cold and there'll be water flow. I just worry about the hermits going after him. I can move him to the QT if need be, but.... I just don't know what to do here. Clown is very sad and confused.

 

[griss]

Agree with Shane and Ned. Had a large Blue Carpet years ago that has a run it with so early prototype propeller Wavemaker that looked worse and eventually pulled through.

 

[ct_vol]

Less than ideal, but I've had one that did that and it pulled through. I've also had a couple that were mangled far worse than that and didn't.

Try to get all the "pieces" out though. Last thing you want is to have those decomposing and creating more issues with the other inhabitants. Best of luck!

 

[OrionN]

I would get the clown fish away from the pieces of anemone. Collect all the “frags
“ that you can. I would not be surprise if you ended up with several anemones out of this.

Don’t feed him until he is healed.

 

[AGWL]

He's looking so much better today! Keeps trying to leave his isolation chamber.

 

[Reefing102]

Looking good!

 

[Anemone]

I had one get wrapped around a fluval intake and get pretty trashed. It eventually made a complete recovery.

I think yours will survive, but it could probably use some hand-feeding (small pieces of krill, held near the mouth until the mouth expands and envelops it worked for me) to help speed the recovery.

Kevin

 

[AGWL]

I had one get wrapped around a fluval intake and get pretty trashed. It eventually made a complete recovery.

View attachment 32387874View attachment 32387875

I think yours will survive, but it could probably use some hand-feeding (small pieces of krill, held near the mouth until the mouth expands and envelops it worked for me) to help speed the recovery.

Kevin

Thank you, Kevin. He's doing really well and has been taking small pieces of shrimp. I'm just trying to figure out how long to leave him in his recuperation box.

 

[Anemone]

As long as you can still feed him, and he won't end up back on the wavemaker, you can put him back in the tank.

Kevin

 

[AGWL]

As long as you can still feed him, and he won't end up back on the wavemaker, you can put him back in the tank.

Kevin

He apparently got fed up with being in isolation and managed to leave overnight. He's right back in his usual corner on the glass by the filter intake. Shrug. (Ignore the spirorbids; they've taken over.) We'll see how it goes over the next little bit.

Thank you for your help, everyone!

 

[Reefing102]

Looking really good

 

[griss]

Sure is looking good.

 

[Twisk]

Not that I can see. I put his container in the tank near his regular spot, so at least he won't get cold and there'll be water flow. I just worry about the hermits going after him. I can move him to the QT if need be, but.... I just don't know what to do here. Clown is very sad and confused.

When I first started out I had a crab. He would bother everything and everyone when feeding time came. My LFS gave me a separator glass. It was a sheet that had rows of holes at the bottom and the top. There was a wide 5” mid section with no holes so the crab couldn’t climb up (at least not without a challenge). It worked great to separate him when needed. As well as the biting damsel when I had to put my hands in the tank. The separator broke years ago, and the crab and damsel is long gone now so I have no real need for a new one.