Getting the black back in my SI Percs

[Toddrtrex]

or at least my attempt at it. I got this pair back in January, and they looked great,

About a couple weeks later I picked up an LTA from a local shop. It only took them 6 days to be hosted by it,

Shortly after that, the female decided to kick the male out of the anemone. During that time I noticed that the female started to lose her black dorsal fin, whereas the male still had his. I would say about 2 weeks later she let him back into it. Then he started to lose the black on his dorsal fin, but it wasn't as bad as the female -- since she was in the LTA longer.

You can see the difference here,

Finally a shot from this week, it has gotten really bad. The clowns are otherwise healthy. And I feed a variety of foods --- Rod's food (( 3 different types )), LifeLine's herbivore mix, Prime Reef and Spectrum pellets.

 

[Toddrtrex]

So today I decided to try something. I had an "extra" Haddoni in one of my other tanks. My Clarkii pair kept digging around it and it wasn't happy. So they started to be hosted by another Haddoni in that tank. So I decided to move it to the tank with the Percs. (( I had seen a thread about WC percs getting their black back when they were hosted by a Gig. I don't have any Gigs, but figured a Haddoni was worth a shot. ))

So, I pulled the LTA, and moved the Haddoni over --- if it was that simple, it took a couple of hours to do. The Haddoni was still in my hand when the percs decided that they wanted to be hosted. I really thought it was going to take a while, so needless to say I was very pleased by that. Now we will just have to wait and see what happens. I am not going to change anything else about the tank, so that if they get their black back I can be fairly certain it was the change to the Haddoni.

Will keep this thread updated with pictures, so I can follow any changes. This Haddoni is normally a lighter tan color, but since it isn't fully open yet it has taken on a slightly darker/greener color.

Here are tonight's pictures.

Lastly a shot of them out of it,

 

[ExtremeClownfish]

I'm very interested in seeing what happens. My male onyx has lost a ton of black because of my bta. Great experiment, keep us updated!

 

[ocellaris123]

Wow that is a drastic loss of black. Hopefully they color back up for you. My True percula pair did not appear to lose any black when hosted by my BTA's but they were not of the onyx/SI variety. What did you do with the LTA?

 

[vaporize]

it happens to my w.c. onyx all the times, without any anemones in bare QT, usually around 2 months

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15497511#post15497511 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Betito
I'm very interested in seeing what happens. My male onyx has lost a ton of black because of my bta. Great experiment, keep us updated!

I am too, I am hoping that something will come from this. But, at least the clowns seem happy, it was hard to get the LTA out of that tank without getting them too --- they didn't want to leave it.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15497526#post15497526 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ocellaris123
Wow that is a drastic loss of black. Hopefully they color back up for you. My True percula pair did not appear to lose any black when hosted by my BTA's but they were not of the onyx/SI variety. What did you do with the LTA?

It was harder to notice in person, since it was slowly happening, but when I would look back at old pictures I could really see it.

For right now the LTA is in a tupperware container in my 75. In the past I had had issues with a Haddoni and LTA in the same tank -- so I am using the tupperware to make it easier to remove it if I have too. But, so far they both seem okay -- granted it has only been 24 hours. However when I first put it in the tank, it came out of the tupper, and went right into the Haddoni. It was there for all of 10 seconds, and looked like death. Though it is happy now,

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15498036#post15498036 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vaporize
it happens to my w.c. onyx all the times, without any anemones in bare QT, usually around 2 months

The reason that I think it was because of the LTA is that the female was hosted first, and lost her black first. And if it turns out that the Haddoni doesn't bring it back (( or not anemone related )) that is okay, I think I like the layout of the tank better now.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Of course there hasn't been any color change, but the Haddoni seems to be settled in pretty nicely. It was attached to the bottom of the glass (( in the 75 )) and the underside of a rock its foot was buried under. I had to chisel the rock apart to get its foot free.

A shot from the right side of the tank. The white balance is a bit off.

And a FTS shot, think I am going to put a clam and some open brains in the open sand area.

 

[ExtremeClownfish]

What type of lighting are you using? I know this has shown to make a difference in onyx coloration. Also, I wonder if there is anything you can supplement their diet with to aid in re-gaining the black? I think astaxanthene only improves orange coloration. Maybe something high in protein?

 

[vaporize]

you using metal halide by any chance?

 

[amore169]

That's a very drastic change, they look like 2 different set of clowns, please keeps us posted what u find out.

 

[OrionN]

Keep us posted. I think in 1 month the clowns will be back to their normal coloration.

 

[SethSPST]

Todd, what size tank are they in?

 

[patriots81]

that sounds like a cool experiment. keep us updated.

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15502332#post15502332 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Betito
What type of lighting are you using? I know this has shown to make a difference in onyx coloration. Also, I wonder if there is anything you can supplement their diet with to aid in re-gaining the black? I think astaxanthene only improves orange coloration. Maybe something high in protein?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15502745#post15502745 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vaporize
you using metal halide by any chance?

Using a single 250 watt DE. Right now it is the Current 14K bulb, I tried the Phoenix bulb for a while, but without supplemental lighting, I don't care for it.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15502828#post15502828 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by amore169
That's a very drastic change, they look like 2 different set of clowns, please keeps us posted what u find out.

Don't they though? Almost depressing.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15503129#post15503129 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by OrionN
Keep us posted. I think in 1 month the clowns will be back to their normal coloration.

I sure hope that you are right. At least it can't get much worse.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15503251#post15503251 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SethSPST
Todd, what size tank are they in?

They are in my 33 cube.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15503911#post15503911 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by patriots81
that sounds like a cool experiment. keep us updated.

Thanks, and that I will. I am going to keep everything else the same -- same food, same lights, etc. and see what happens.

 

[patriots81]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15504077#post15504077 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Toddrtrex
Thanks, and that I will. I am going to keep everything else the same -- same food, same lights, etc. and see what happens.

hopefully something positive happens

 

[dalston]

Wow as others have said, that's a very drastic change, I can see why you want that black back, they were a stunning pair.

Oh, and I wish I had an 'extra' haddoni just lying around

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15504941#post15504941 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dalston
Wow as others have said, that's a very drastic change, I can see why you want that black back, they were a stunning pair.

Oh, and I wish I had an 'extra' haddoni just lying around

he he he. That is the problem with liking Haddonis too much, you end up with 4 of them. This one is my least colorful, but has been with me for 10+ years, so I could never get rid of it. Had managed to make it through a lot of my screw ups.

 

[gioNVA]

this happened to my Rod's onyx. It took about a year and a half to get most of the black back.

 

[OrionN]

My Rod's Onyx fade with H. magnifica. As soon as I put them in with my H. malu (or crispa???) it turn black again in a month or so

 

[vaporize]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15511371#post15511371 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by OrionN
My Rod's Onyx fade with H. magnifica. As soon as I put them in with my H. malu (or crispa???) it turn black again in a month or so

OrionN, do you have any picture of the actual anemone? (suppliers tend to label purple LTA as purple malu... so hard to determine which is which).

Thanks,