Lesson learned, got lucky this time

[stefdvm]

I've had my tank up for about 14 months and finally decided to add an anemone. She's likely to be the death of me because I'm neurotic about my critters... Brought her home and put her into quarantine - after drip acclimation. She did great for a few days and then she just flopped over and started to come loose from the rock. I repositioned the rock to put her on top so she wouldn't fall but she kept sliding - so I freaked and pulled her out of quarantine and popped her and the rock she was on into the DT thinking the better light and more stable parameters would be a better option. Yah, could have been a stupid move but... She continued to slide and I just "knew" she was dying. As I now know, she just didn't like her position and she was moving. Since then she will alternately look great one day and be all shriveled the next. Seems that's just a BTA thing and I'm like a nervous new mom.

As if her everyday status weren't stressful enough stress for me - she eventually decided to set up on the side of a rock at the front of the tank which was great, and she seemed happy there. I came home on Saturday to find the rocks toppled, with her squished between the one she was stuck to and the one it was sitting on top of. Needless to say, I flipped out, righted her rock - she didn't look good. I grilled my girls like it was the Spanish Inquisition because they sometimes try to "pet" or "play with" the more sociable fish and have knocked rocks down before. They all swore innocence - my bf pointed out that there was no water on the floor which usually accompanies their play - apparently they aren't yet smart enough to hide their tracks well.

I was a little confused as to what had occurred - one of my sons thought maybe a dog had bumped the tank and dislodges the rock... As I was obsessing, I realized that the bottom layer of rocks appeared to have shifted. I started this tank with reef saver and a little pukani. It all fit together nicely and was stable until I had to take it apart to catch my 2 psychotic damsels that were killing everything else. I never did get it back like it was, and if knew it was a little shaky, but I hadn't worried about it because I was already working on the new set up and knew I'd be moving the rocks to the bigger tank soon enough - or so I thought.

I have a neat little pistol shrimp that I love... He's fairly sociable for a pistol - decorates the entrance to his den - hangs out in the doorway, comes out to get food every day as soon as he knows I'm feeding. However, he has built himself quite the underground mansion. His tunnels extended across nearly the entire width of the tank and he has at least 4 entrances that I can see him at. I'm guessing that he went a little too far this weekend and something collapsed down there, taking the rocks and the anemone with it. Fortunately both he and the anemone survived.

I did, however, learn a very important lesson and made 2 decisions about the new tank, things I didn't know when I set this one up, things that didn't occur to me. I've been reading as much as possible and planning for months now for this upgrade. I've seen posts about setting rock directly on the glass rather than on sand, about stabilizing rock by connecting it together, neither one of which I did in my current tank, neither one of which seemed so crucial until this weekend - both of which will be done in the new set up. I'm just glad that I didn't lose any livestock to my ignorance.

The anemone still freaks me out with her inflation / deflation cycles but she seems ok. She's moved to the back of a lower rock now - maybe a smart move on her part after the fall, though now it's hard to see her. And the shrimp is no doubt renovating after the collapse. I'm pushing ahead with the upgrade - want to get some of the rock moved over before it falls over again...

 

[Coelli]

I completely and totally relate to this post.

Another thing you can do to stabilize rocks is place egg crate on the bottom of the tank. This helps keep the rocks from sliding. I have a pistol shrimp/yasha goby pair and a yellow watchman who all live under the same rock. The rock doesn't have a flat bottom, it has lots of gaps and tunnels underneath, so they've never seemed to mind! The watchman even uses one of the tunnels to go from underneath to the exit hole a couple of inches from the sand. I call it his balcony.

Anyway, consider egg crate. You can't see it under the sand and it's good peace of mind (especially here in CA with our quakes).

 

[e048]

If I had kids and they even as much put a finger in my tank they'd get the scolding of a life time and maybe a little tap on their kid heads for even doing it

I don't even let adults touch my tanks

Anemones are weird they seem fine one day then sad the next then they move to somewhere random and then move again and again they're never happy

I had a similar story with a long tentacle he moved and moved and moved and stung every coral along the way after three days I had enough and sent him back to the lfs

Stung and killed a blue maxima clam, birdsnest, my huge hammer (basketball size) and 4 headed rescue torch, he killed a bunch of trash palys too and are a cleaner shrimp all in the course of 3 days so after that no more anemones for me... Except mushrooms they're kind of anemones

 

[kmbyrnes]

My granddaughter likes it when the fish eat out of her hands, but she knows much better than to get in the tanks when I am not around. Fortunately, they are now all covered with canopies that require Grandpa' help.

BTA's are finicky. I have a Clarkii that is just too agressive for nems. The maroon has claimed an RBTA that has been in one spot for over 18 months. She can go from 8 inches of waving tentacles to what looks like a pile of slime in 5 minutes, then right back to hosting the clown.

I have done tanks with and without eggcrate, and I find as long as the rocks go in before sand, things are stable enough.

The great thing about this hobby is that we are always learning, somtimes good and sometimes bad, but it makes us better stewards of our tanks.

 

[stefdvm]

The new set up I'm working on came with a custom built canopy that is heavy as all get out... construction is a bit awkward and I would have done it differently, but it came with the tank and will serve it's purpose well, and I am certain that none of my girls will be able to open it, which is fine with me. No one has so much as touched even the outside of the glass since the last incident where they toppled the reef - I didn't exactly go ballistic - I went silent - and all 6 of my children know that that is the far worse option. If I yell, you stand a chance; if it clamp my mouth shut, you'd better run. The girls took off to their rooms, and I didn't see them again for hours :lolspin:

The anemone has settled herself on the back side of the lower rock that she was squished against, and it shielded by the conch shell as well; she seems happy there and is inflated and waving her tentacles more often than not. She's eating well (I feed her every 2-3 days) so I'm going to try not to worry every time she deflates. I think my tank is stable enough for her. I'm sure that I will begin to worry more (again) when the time comes to switch to the new tank; then I'll worry about whether the new parameters, the new lights, etc. will suit her... haha! It's like having more children (like I need that... 3 cats, 3 dogs, 3 sons, 3 daughters and the fishtanks... at least I only have 2 jobs at the moment)

 

[ZeeSparrow]

Ooh, silence is definitely the worse option. I remember my mom doing that when I was a kid. I'm pretty sure her eyes were going to fall out and she was about to burst a blood vessel at the same time. Hiding is a darn good idea! :thumbsup:

Glad everyone is okay after that incident!