New Clown and Anemone

[anarchtech]

I found these two at Petco. I couldn't resist. I sure am hoping they live. This little guy loves the Anemone. I think I got a real find. He was all in the thing at the store and the sales guy said it was his Anemone and he ran all the other fish off it. I put them in the tank and he was back in it in maybe 10 mins after a really a quick fly through.
These are the only 2 I plan on keeping in the tank. It's a 12 gallon Nanocube.

PH 8.4
0 Ammonia
0 Nitrates and nitrites
Tank temp is 72% and the flow looks pretty good.
I hope the Nanocube will provide enough light. Any suggestions?

 

[GSMguy]

nice both look healthy a find from petco i bought a long tentacled from petco and it was very healthy hope you get rid of those damnsels

 

[anarchtech]

Lol, thanks, they looked pretty healthy in the store. After the hour ride and transfer the Anemone has contracted. I'm hoping he likes the new digs. If not I'm gonna make it happy somehow. This clown is crazy about the Anemone. I hope I'm not in over my head.
I might have to trade the Damsels in soon. They are a riot though. I put some more live rock in with them the other day and the little one has found a little cave. I walk by the tank and he pops his head out.
My girlfriend said tonight "Wouldn't it be easier to have 1 large tank instead of the 2 small ones" I said yes it would, explained that lights were a fortune and this and that. Anyway I can be on the look out for a great deal on a used large set up. And it was her idea so I'm all in the clear.

 

[GSMguy]

lol everything i do i make my girlfriend think it was her idea i am swithcing my 50 gallon to t5 and somehow it will be her idea just need to tell her pink coral needs t5s

 

[GSMguy]

those damsels will start to chase everything else

 

[anarchtech]

Excellent plan on the T-5's

They are in a different tank, so they just chase each other. The clown and anemone are solo atm and due to tank size will probably stay that way. I need to get a clean up crew though.

 

[MrsDorothy]

anarchtech, pm me your email address if you're close to millington. I don't know where Oak ridge is, but I received an email from someone this morning about a 75g tank with stand, canopy w/5 lights. The complete setup is 250.00. If you are interested I can foreward you this email.

 

[anarchtech]

I got to looking at the Anemone this morning real good. He was shrivled up in places and I was freaking, he has puffed out some with the light back on. Anyway there is some green stuff in one spot under him. I thought it might be rotting and felt terrible. Turns out I think it's a different problem,
It's an Emerald Crab I believe. There was one priced on the tank I got him from but I didn't see the crab. Now I do he seems to be laying under the Anemone and I can't tell if it's alive or dead. It hasn't moved today at all. Can I remove it from the anemone? Leave it alone? I dunno what to do. Humm thought I might could scoot it out with my themometer and it is a crab for sure. No sign of life and it won't move.

 

[55semireef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8576771#post8576771 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GSMguy
nice both look healthy a find from petco i bought a long tentacled from petco and it was very healthy hope you get rid of those damnsels

I can't believe no one has said your Sebae is very bleached. A bleached anemone is not a healthy one. The clown looks good though. BTW, your going to need to upgrade your tank within about 5 months. Your Heteractis Malu will outgrow your nano easily.

When I bought my Sebae it was also bleached. Worse than yours. However, I knew it was bleached when I got it and was confident I could bring it back. I have had it for 2.5 months now.

When I got it:

Couple weeks ago

About now:

This is a perfect example of what a healthy Sebae should look like. As you can also see, it has grown too and thats why you need to upgrade your tank.

 

[anarchtech]

Wow yours looks great! Yeah mines pretty bleached, not quite as bad as the picture cause I adjusted the white balance due to the original had an odd blue tint over the whole picture.
I may need to upgrade my lighting. I might get a JBJ Viper 2 150w for it.
Any thoughts on the crab under it? It's attacked somehow and I'm afraid to get to aggressive removing it.
The clown takes food to it when I feed him but it's not eatng yet. I only put it in the tank last night so I'm not going to worry just yet.
More worried about the crab atm.
Thanks for all the replies so far.

 

[55semireef]

Any crab that is even curious about an anemone is ususally trouble I would get rid of it. Just don't kill it please.

I fed my Sebae about every day to help recover it back from its bleached state. At first mine didn't really seem eager to eat either so I placed pieces of raw shrimp on by the mouth of the anemone and eventually my Sebae started gorging down anything.

 

[anarchtech]

How do I unattach it? It's stuck to the anemone, I don't want to harm either. The crab maybe dead.
I should try and get a picture, but it is to far under without really disturbing the anemone.

 

[Reef4Fun]

did you say the temp is 72F ? If so, shouldn't it be at least 78F ?

 

[anarchtech]

I got the temp up slowly yesterday to 78 and got a 50 watt heater, it seems to be working well. The crab was about 3 inches away from the anemone this morning. The anemone must have spit it out or the clown got it off cause the crab was dead as dead can be I was wanting to put him in my other tank.
The anemone is looking much more brown this morning also. but a lot smaller also.

 

[GSMguy]

i have a bubble tip anemone that runs away from my metal halide almost everyday it is pretty bleached im hoping i can keep it alive

 

[55semireef]

Zooxanthellae algae will not proliferate all in one day. It takes about a full 3 months for a bleached Sebae such as mine to become healthy again. Yours looked brown because it was partly deflated.

 

[anarchtech]

Now I'm wondering when do I call it quits on this poor anemone? I checked the water perfect with every test I have. Ammonia 0, PH 8.4, nitrates 0, Alkalinity normal, salinity 1.23, temp 78, This thing looks so bad atm I'm not even posting a picture. How the heck did I kill it in 4 days?
It's shriveled way up and the light has been on all day.
It's been through a lot of stress 1:30 min car ride, clown hovering over it 24/7, me picking at it trying to get the crab off, the crab, me messing with it like a nut trying to get it better.
I feel terrible. I hate it when I'm the cause.
How do I know when it's time to remove it so it doesn't leach ammonia or whatever they do and kill the clown?

 

[Sea Starr]

I TOTALLY agree with 55semireef... PETCO sold you an anemone that is "sick"... # 1 example and lesson to be learned... DO NOT purchase fish, anemones, etc... that you will become very attached to.... from part-time high school kids or employees who do not know much (if anything at all) about the hobby... do not call it quits..... your anemone needs A LOT OF TLC.... do the research... maybe QT him and bring him back.....remember your first post... " This little guy loves the Anemone. I think I got a real find.".... no one said it was going to be easy....

 

[anarchtech]

I'm afraid I might have tried to save him to death. The light is off now but the clown fish is laying on the anemone like some kid laying on his favorite teddy bear. I have never seen a fish treat anything this way.
The anemones mouth is still closed but the tentacles are so shriveled and small now. The mouth is still tight and the foot looks ok. Still, it's just so shriveled. The mouth opened a bit tonight and the clown fed it a little. He takes food right over it's mouth and drops it, but it doesn't exactly snatch the food up. I wish 55semireef had got this pair.
I got some reef builder and anti stress stuff from the best LFS in town,also changed the carbon out and put in the chemi-pure.
I'm still trying on it but I don't want to endanger the clown.
Yes I agree about fish and stuff from Pet-co but I figured better with me than here at pet-co. I hate it when my ego gets the best of me.
I think I'm just gonna deal with this one guy at the LFS I've been going to. He has a nice salt tank and seems to know his stuff.
There is nothing really in the tank. I got it from a guy who upgraded so it was established but nothing in it.

 

[anarchtech]

This thing is driving me crazy, this morning before the tank light came on the anemone was extended pretty good, not great but it didn't look like death on a stick.
The light came on and it's with drawing again. It's not that strong a light. I'm going to keep trying.