Help Needed ASAP

[jctatc]

I am definitely a newbie to fish. I bought my boyfriend a 30 gallon aquarium. He has had saltwater aquariums before. At any rate. We added live rock, damsels, and two clown fish.

Levels were great. Fish happy.

We added an anemone. Please don't chastise me! I was not aware that we should have waited 6 months and simply followed the advice of my boyfriend and the attendant at the store.

At any rate, came home tonight (probably no more than 2 hours ago) and the anemone had attached to the heater. I specifically said this probably wasn't the best thing. He definitely burned his foot. We removed him within 2 hours to a QT. He has reattached in there.

I know that it will take some luck for him to survive but we will try.

However, what about the clowns and damsels? He did shed some as we took him off the rock. Any chance to save them?

We can't do anything until the morning when we have access to more saltwater, etc.

Thanks.

 

[bradleym]

Welcome RC! Sorry we have to meet under such sad circumstances.

Do a large water change, like 30-50% in the tank with the fish. Make sure the water is the same salinity and temp and they should be fine. When removing the old water, try to remove any pieces of the anemone you can find as well.

As for the anemone, what kind is it? Anything besides a E. Quadricolor (BTA) or H. Crispa (sebae) and healing the foot gets pretty unlikely. Not to be harsh, but with your limited experience, and new system, I would reccommend taking it in to a store with a larger more established system than yours, ESPECIALLY now that it is burnt.

 

[rssjsb]

Bradley's right about your display. I would do a water change and keep an eye on your fish. How big is the tank? The bigger it is, the better the chance that this will have no effect on your fish.

As for the anemone, the fact that it has reattached in your QT is a good sign. Assuming you've got adequate light for it in your QT, you could leave it in there for awhile to see if it heals up.

Long-term, the best way to keep something like that from happening again is to create a separate rock mound for the anemone that doesn't touch the walls of your tank. That minimizes the chances that the nem will end up on your heater or in a powerhead or overflow.

As you have learned, you really can't rely solely on the advice you get from people that work in an LFS. Listen, but always do your research first. If they conflict, assume your research trumps. Or go do more.

I don't say this to chastise you. Believe me, we've all been there.

 

[jctatc]

Thanks for the advice. I definitely didn't take any of it as chastisement. It has been a learning experience. Let's just say every free minute is spent researching some area.

Unfortunately, the anemone died. The next morning he wasn't attached and unfortunately there were pieces floating in the QT.

He obviously was alive in the main tank. The remaining fish (4 yellow tailed damsels and 2 saddleback clown fish) seem to be doing well. We have checked water quality twice and the levels are normal.

My only remaining question. Assuming, worst case scenario, toxins were released into the tank, how long until it affects my other fish? When can I assume we dodged a bullet?

 

[jbax]

have you done a water change yet? if so, you should be alright. how long has the tank been up and running? was the fish store in st pete?

i would email john at fish and other ichthy stuff (ichthyman@ichthythings.com) in oldsmar. and just explain to him your situation and all the details of your system. he is always willing to help as long as your willing to learn.

and there are alot of people all around you that are willing to help you out.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=72

 

[bradleym]

The issue isn't really toxins. That would only be an issue for your corals, if you had any, and the response would be immediate. For the fish, you would just have to watch out for rotting material. An anemone is so soft that when it dies, it all rots at once. So you end up would a huge ammonia spike if you don't remove the dead material fast enough. However, it seems that you probably are ok if you aren't seeing any ammonia issues by now. Especially if you did the water change I suggested earlier.