Oh please help me & my anenome/clownfish!!

MechEng99

MechEng99

aka Reef'd Up
I'm embarrased and sad to be posting this.

I have a wonderful bf who tries very hard to buy me nice things...and for our anniversary, he bought me a clownfish/anenome pair. I spotted them at the LFS three weeks ago...looked great then...looked great every week. Of course, I wanted them, but knew I shouldn't, so I didn't.

My boy knew I wanted them...and got them, without realizing their specialized care requirements. :sigh: (We've had *that* talk many times.)

Last night, they both went in my tank. The clownfish took maybe all of two minutes before it was happy in its anenome. The anenome looked perfect, happy, and healthy (I think?) I fed it...and it moved the food toward its mouth...and ate very well.

I have a 40g long (10g sump) with 260W PC's...I know different anenome's have different requirements, and I'm on the low side. The tank has been going for 3 months now with perfect parameters. (I do have some corals.)

Now, my questions. What type of anenome is this? I've tried without success to find one similiar. Any ideas on the clownfish type without a better picture (or any links to great clownfish ID pages?)

And last...and the worst...

I woke up this morning to find a dark gray spot on the otherwise white part of the column (above the red). The tentacles above this dark spot were retracted...and the mouth was oozing zooxanthelle (brown)!! Nooo!!! The spot is maybe the size of a dime. Did this lil guy get bumped in the night...or is this a really horrible sign? I'm extremely perfectionistic with my tank...and I can take great care of him...as long as money doesn't add up (college student...they eat better than I do.)

146723hurt_anenome.jpg

146723Anenome.jpg
 
what are the parameters of the tank now?

I'm not sure about the anemone type, but the clown looks to be something in the tomato complex to me, but I can't really tell from the pictures provided.

btw, anemone poop can be brown too... :)
 
Hm, I didn't think along the lines of poop. I just saw the injury...saw the brown ooze...and thought bad! (small glimpse of hope!) :)

Tank parameters:

Calcium 450 ppm
PH 8.4
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 0 ppm
SG 1.024
Temp 76 degrees F

Anything else? Thanks sooooo much...and yes...I do believe he's somewhere in the tomato category (single stripe...yada yada)
 
what you have is
LTA = long tentacle anenome and
Tomato clown

Here are some info about it:

Macrodactyla doreensis, Long-tentacled anemone

These anemones have very long (up to 5-6 in.), smooth, thick tentacles sometimes with longitudinal stripes extending into the oral disk. The tentacles originate from a round flat oral disk, distinguishing it from the condylactis anemone. The foot of the base is almost always bright red or orange.

Good Points- They are hardy if kept under Metal Halide lights. Under lower light levels they seem to slowly waste away. They come in a variety of patterns and colors including purple. Accepted by Clarki clowns, tomato-type clowns and pink skunk clowns.

Bad Points- They must have bright lighting. They normally live with their base buried deep in the sand and sometimes have a difficult time finding an attachment spot in a reef-type tank.

TOMATO CLOWN (Amphiprion frenatus) The Tomato Clownfish is also found throughout the Pacific in association with the Bubbletip Sea Anemone. This clownfish has also been known to use coral in the absence of a host anemone. Another hardy clownfish that can attain a length of 5” in nature. Characteristics are one white vertical stripe behind the eye. Another clownfish that can be territorial and aggressive with other members of its own kind .

These are the anenomes that they would host:

Bubble Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor)

Long Tentacle Anemone (Macrodactyla doreensis)

Sebae Anemone (Heteractis malu)
 
Great post kttsf! Thanks so much! I'm guessing my lighting will not take care of this baby huh?

Thevillageidiot...I won't comment on your name, but um, in the first picture, the spot is almost dead-on center in the picture. :-D It looks like a horrible bruise on the otherwise white tissue.
 
mecheng i had an LTA and they really do need allot of light a fully grown LTA needs at least 250 of mh right above them,
Ii however did keep mine alive under 130w of pc but it was right under all 130w and i had very good water quality keep it fed and keep it high up right under the lights and you might be ok
 
Good news!

I just checked on it (I've been in bed sick today...yuck)...and I think it was just poop! The *bruise* and brown ooze are all gone...and it's fine looking! Sorry for crying wolf...but the brown ooze and bruise look really scared me! Heaven forbid I kill a creature!

Yesterday I stuck it right by the input from my sump right up high by the lights...it hasn't moved...is VERY sticky...is eating well...and is gaining a lovely green flourescent sheen to it. Hmm...now...do I do the *right* thing and take it back...or gamble? :sigh:
 
sorry to say but not only your light is not good enough but I honestly don't think your tank is mature enough for any type of anenome right now. In the future if you want to try your hand on anenome, I would advise you to start with bubble tip anenome. They are more hardy but doesn't mean it is easy to keep them. Be good and resposible to your livestocks.

Here are some good links to clowns and anenome. I hope it will help you.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i1/Clown_anemone/Clown_anemone.htm


http://fins.actwin.com/species/anemone.html
 
Cover your intakes and overflows if you're keeping it near them!! The "bruise" I think I see looks more like a little slime coating on the base, which can happen when first introduced.
 
a) you take it back
b) bf gets admonished for not following instructions
c) bf gets special treats for thinking of you
d) (some point later) bf gets shown metal halide lights on RC, ebay, et al and directed to buy these first.

good luck.
 
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