Heteractis Magnifica Propagation- 30 minutes ago in my kitchen!

[Reefahholic]

Wow, this reads like a novel. Best of luck with the mags. I've never been courageous enough to propagate one--not that I want any new ones. I'm intrigued by your multiple tank setup. You could charge admission fees if you keep going, you will have your own public aquarium ; )

These tanks are in my small dining room of my apartment. Kinda feels like my little LFS on this side of the house. It's really peaceful sitting over here on this sofa. When friends stop by, they will come and look at each tank right when they come through the door. Lol

Thanks for the good luck wishes! Need all the luck I can get.

 

[D-Nak]

Despite not looking the greatest, I have high hopes for you. My gigantea got chewed up by an MP40 twice and made it through both times without a scar. Though the mag was probably stressed because it was recovering from the forced split, my gut tells me that they're going to pull through just fine.

 

[Kaman8]

Good luck, I hope they will make it.

 

[Reefahholic]

Despite not looking the greatest, I have high hopes for you. My gigantea got chewed up by an MP40 twice and made it through both times without a scar. Though the mag was probably stressed because it was recovering from the forced split, my gut tells me that they're going to pull through just fine.

I sure hope ur right. I tell you...with these Magnifica's you just never know what's gonna happen. Same way with the Gigs...

I just sit here a lot and watch them when I'm here by myself.

I try different things and see how they react.

 

[Reefahholic]

This should keep them working tonight.

 

[DasCamel]

Interesting idea of keeping them stimulated by light cycling.

 

[Reefahholic]

Works!

 

[Reefahholic]

Update: Post light schedule and Septra DS





That PH really got him good.



Missing a couple fingers on this side. Apparently it got him twice I guess.?

 

[hypnoj]

following. Best of luck!

 

[Reefahholic]

Thanks, just trying to keep them alive at this point. After the accident, they haven't been doing well. I'll post pics today.

 

[Reefahholic]

Update:

Well...they are surviving, but far from thriving.

I've been nursing these two like new born babies.

The one that got sucked into the powerhead is doing better than the other. His wounds are healing quickly and his mouth is moving slowly to the center. I just got him eating again.



In this pic, you can see the mouth is moving to center. It's no longer on the edge. He has fully defined mouth now and is able to eat. He should start thriving soon.



This is the one that wasn't sucked into the powerhead. Surprisingly he has been doing worse though. When the other was sucked into the powerhead, both were without flow and the water was cloudy. Between the two, this one was affected worse and was a lot more sensitive to the conditions. His cut was healing well at first, but now has slowed down and almost seems to not be healing at all.



In this pic, he's actually trying to eat. I think his mouth is formed just enough were he can get a little food. He was able to digest the food from last feeding.



If you notice in this pic, he's inflating. I sign that he's trying to eat. I have been teasing with food and light to provoke inflation. Otherwise, I'm sure both would be dead now.



Both eating...



Closing on the food. Notice wounds are healing well.




Other one closing on his food. Notice how his tentacles are more inflated. Fresh water through their tentacles is like fresh blood in our veins. They got to have it to survive. That's the trick when they get sick. Trying to get them to inflate at least every other day. Otherwise they will die on you. I had one mag that I actually pumped water into him and firmly believe it saved his life. I've used a small pump and also a syringe to force inflation as a last resort on mags that are severely sick and fixing to die.

 

[DasCamel]

Nice, improving the nems circulation. I was using a turkey baster on my Haddoni to clean around few times a day when it was sick. But definately on the right track getting them to stay active and prevent any stagnation of their fluids.

 

[Reefahholic]

Nice, improving the nems circulation. I was using a turkey baster on my Haddoni to clean around few times a day when it was sick. But definately on the right track getting them to stay active and prevent any stagnation of their fluids.

Yeah it's been very helpful. Can't wait till they start to recover if they ever will.

 

[Reefahholic]

Update:

It's been a battle keeping these two alive with a lot of ups and downs.

They are still alive, but not growing and one isn't healing that well.

I hope I can get them past the deflating stage and let them heal up. They need to eat to grow.

 

[addictedreefer]

I think it's time to get them in a well established display tank. Although I certainly appreciate the efficacy of treatment tanks and the use of antibiotics in certain situations, I feel as though sometimes we go a bit overboard - i.e. treating before concrete signs of infection and for excessive periods of time. Think of it this way: what would we say to someone who came on here and said that they planned to keep a mag or gig long term in an unestablished 20 gallon tank with no live rock, no filtration (besides large daily water changes), and a whacky lighting schedule? We would tell them they were nuts and doomed to fail. Although the drawbacks of a treatment tank are typically outweighed by the benefits of antibiotic treatment in cases of serious infection, I believe that the practice can do more harm than good where no serious infection is present or has been controlled.

We can't allow ourselves to lose sight of the fundamentals of care for hyper-sensitive creatures like gigs and mags: excellent and stable water quality, optimal randomized multidirectional flow (provided by protected power heads), and good lighting. These requirements and countless other intangibles can only be met in a well established reef tank (or the ocean).

Reefaholic, I don't think you will see any improvement until you get these guys in your DT. IMO, these nems did not need treatment in the first place as they showed no sign of infection (you could have always removed them for treatment if they did). What I see now is a slow decline due to less than optimal conditions.

Best of luck whatever you decide. Truly beautiful specimens.

 

[Reefahholic]

I think it's time to get them in a well established display tank. Although I certainly appreciate the efficacy of treatment tanks and the use of antibiotics in certain situations, I feel as though sometimes we go a bit overboard - i.e. treating before concrete signs of infection and for excessive periods of time. Think of it this way: what would we say to someone who came on here and said that they planned to keep a mag or gig long term in an unestablished 20 gallon tank with no live rock, no filtration (besides large daily water changes), and a whacky lighting schedule? We would tell them they were nuts and doomed to fail. Although the drawbacks of a treatment tank are typically outweighed by the benefits of antibiotic treatment in cases of serious infection, I believe that the practice can do more harm than good where no serious infection is present or has been controlled.

We can't allow ourselves to lose sight of the fundamentals of care for hyper-sensitive creatures like gigs and mags: excellent and stable water quality, optimal randomized multidirectional flow (provided by protected power heads), and good lighting. These requirements and countless other intangibles can only be met in a well established reef tank (or the ocean).

Reefaholic, I don't think you will see any improvement until you get these guys in your DT. IMO, these nems did not need treatment in the first place as they showed no sign of infection (you could have always removed them for treatment if they did). What I see now is a slow decline due to less than optimal conditions.

Best of luck whatever you decide. Truly beautiful specimens.

Well, the problem with that is I have several other mags in my DT. One mag with infection can spread it to all of them. Then you're looking at a lot of time treating, a lot of money for salt, and money spent on antibiotics.


I just broke one of my own rules. I was siphoning the tank doing a WC and sucked up the weaker one in a 3/4" siphon hose. I wasn't close, but the diameter is so large that it got him from about 4" away. I use a large hose sometimes for the speed.

I tell you, it's been mistake after mistake with these two. If the weaker one can bounce back off of this, it will be a miracle.

:headwalls:

 

[Reefahholic]

addictedreefer, after taking a step back and looking at all the pictures and thinking about everything that has happened so far, I believe you may be right.

Right now I only have 1 mag in my DT which is already sold. The other two I have left are in treatment tanks due to recent infection.

So I think I'll try my luck and stick these two in my display. I think with my ATI 54W T5's, Jebao WP25's for flow, and well established tank that they may perk up quickly..heal and grow.

I think sometimes we need an outside perspective to realize some things.

Thanks for your reply. Both are in my DT.

 

[Tkieu78]

I actually just did the same thing yesterday. My mag was looking bad. I treated him for 5 days. On the last 2 days I didn't see a difference mouth still gaped a bit. Decided to throw him back into my display tank. This morning he looked perfectly normal closed mouth full extension. Actually looked happier then it did in the HT tank

 

[Reefahholic]

I actually just did the same thing yesterday. My mag was looking bad. I treated him for 5 days. On the last 2 days I didn't see a difference mouth still gaped a bit. Decided to throw him back into my display tank. This morning he looked perfectly normal closed mouth full extension. Actually looked happier then it did in the HT tank

Mags definetly like an established tank.

If you have other mags, just know that one can spread infection to all.

Glad he's doing well!

 

[NeverlosT]

When my mag was relatively new he got sucked into my WP40 while traveling. He was beaten up pretty well. I left him in the DT in a tupperware with lots of holes up at the top, turned on the UV sterilizer, and let him ride.

After a week or so, he was largely healed, so I caught two of my clowns, and put them in the anemone-prison with the mag. They stimulated the nem a bunch and the anemone began to eat.

After another week or two, I put the nem and clowns back in the tank, its foot had become sticky again and it locked into a rock crevice and has been there ever since.

The wounds are all healed, and it does eat, albeit slowly. I have to guard it after feeding to keep the damn cleaner shrimp out of it.

Mag has looked good for quite some time, I feed him about once a week.

Anyhow, if you put it in a DT, definitely use a UV sterilizer, maybe it will help you out with infection.

Good luck!