recovering mag questions

[Ruu]

I picked up a magnifica which has now been in the main display for about a month. It started off looking pretty good, but it soon became clear that it was ailing. Post qt it was doing better, but went back to daily inflate deflate cycles spewing black balls, lost stickiness and didn't eat , mouth open for extended periods - I didn't write it off but I wasn't hopeful.

It didn't die however - I started feeding freeze dried krill rehydrated with selcon and garlic extract, and it has really perked up over the last couple of weeks. It has stickied up, and I have been increasing feedings up to a whole krill a day. I haven't seen a deflate for about 6 days now, and that wasnt as bad as some I have seen. Mouth hasnt been gaping open for well over a week now.

Two questions...

How much food is too much? Tank bio load and parameters aren't much of a concern, so how much food should I try to shovel into a recovering magnifica about 10" in diameter? I can feed several times a day if that would help, but I don't want to overfeed it given that it seems to be making good progress.

At what point would a clownfish be a good idea? I was really waiting for a decent feeding response before thinking about fish (was thinking a. perideraion), but since I have that, is there anything else I should be looking for specifically?

Dave

 

[garygb]

I would suggest feeding with a variety of foods. I think PE mysis is a good choice, as well as fresh table shrimp, fresh fish from the seafood dept. such as trout, salmon, halibut, and, thought it's a freshwater fish, mine like tilapia, too. Also frozen krill, squid, or scallop will likely be accepted. I would not suggest feeding multiple times a day. In fact, I feed my mags about once a week. I used to feed them more frequently and it didn't seem to make too much of a difference. Since yours is in recovery mode, I would suggest feeding daily one of the previously mentioned foods approximately the size of a krill. I would cut the food into small pieces no larger than a pea. Small pieces of food are more easily digest by an anemone.

As far as a clownfish, some say it helps with acclimation, others say it interferes. I think your plan to wait until the mag has a good eating response and then to add a clownfish is a good plan.

 

[OrionN]

My opinion is that dry food are more difficult for them to digest. I would use frozen food human grade food rather than food for aquarium. I think feeding daily is a little too much, although your anemone is doing fine with daily feeding. I think they need time to digest the food. Undigested/incomplete digested food is a big problem for anemones. You can help them digest by feeding smaller size food and less frequent. I don't feed my anemone more often that every other day.
Any pictures?
Once healthy, I feed every 1 to 4 weeks.

 

[Ruu]

Any pictures?

Not a great picture, but definitely on the mend. There seems to be some improvement in color, and you can just about see the mouth in the center.

Dave

 

[Ruu]

My opinion is that dry food are more difficult for them to digest.

Did want to mention this too - though I would generally agree with you about dry food, I really do rate the freeze-dried krill. Once re-hydrated for a couple of minutes, you would never know that they were dry, and soaking regular frozen krill in selcon is orders or magnitude less effective than re-hydrating a freeze-dried one. It literally sucks up any liquid that you want to put it in - if you want to get some good stuff into anything, I would recommend them wholeheartedly.

Dave

 

[Ruu]

Well, I wouldn't normally have done this without QT, but since this is the first and only fish in the tank I cheated a little. He was in the anemone pretty much as soon as he realized that there was an anemone, which took him about 10 minutes.

The mag is still doing well - no deflates, much stickier, good feeding response and some decent color returning. Aside from being an absolute coward the fish is doing fine too.

Dave

 

[garygb]

Very nice. The mag is looking great.

 

[Ruu]

A question...

Though I am pleased with overall progress, the anemone's base hasn't really colored up beyond a light lilac (you can just about see it in the picture). Should I expect improvement, or is this just natural variation? I know that there are color variations for the base, but since this one is already a bit purple so I was hoping it might get more so.

Dave

 

[garygb]

The color in the base is due to pigmentation. With proper food and care, you should expect the base to be the anemone's natural coloration. It could be that its natural color is what you are seeing now. I have a purple based and it is a dark, distinct purple, and it was that way right off the bat. So with regular feeding and good care, in a month or two it will probably be its natural color.

 

[Ruu]

Things continue to go extremely well. I've cut back to feeding every couple of days now, and there have been zero deflates or any other negative signs for almost 2 weeks now, and the base is starting to purple up nicely, so I think I have my answer there.

I do believe that this one is going to make it. I shall post more pictures once I find my real camera in the coming days. I like it when things work out - I have a 50 gallon water change ready to go tomorrow to celebrate.

Dave

 

[garygb]

Very nice to hear your mag is doing well. The first month or so is the most touch and go, once established, this species is quite hardy. I will say, having had mags for years, you want to keep the water quality up. The only time I've ever had my mags move at all is when: my nitrates became detectable, another anemone was annoying it (even when not in physical contact), and when my percs were picking at its base because they needed more room to lay eggs. Otherwise they stay in precisely the same spot and attach very tightly. Best of continued luck and I look forward to pics.

 

[Ruu]

Very nice to hear your mag is doing well. The first month or so is the most touch and go, once established, this species is quite hardy. I will say, having had mags for years, you want to keep the water quality up. The only time I've ever had my mags move at all is when: my nitrates became detectable, another anemone was annoying it (even when not in physical contact), and when my percs were picking at its base because they needed more room to lay eggs. Otherwise they stay in precisely the same spot and attach very tightly. Best of continued luck and I look forward to pics.

This is where we stand this evening...

Dave

 

[garygb]

Looks healthy. It will be interesting to see if the base stays lavender or darkens up to purple. Either way it will be beautiful.

 

[Ruu]

This is where we stand tonight. Overall health still appears good, but not much sign of a change in base color.

Dave

 

[Ruu]

About five months later, and this is where we stand. The base color is pretty much identical to what it was previously, so I guess I can answer my own question there. I guess at this point I'm pretty sure it is going to make it.

Dave

 

[M Woodhill]

:inlove:

I'm pretty sure it is going to make it.

Dave

I guess we 2 have very similar color morph

mine was doing very great but now is riding down. I'm now setting up my qt and seeking cipro

 

[flakey]

wow that's a real stunner you have there...

 

[Reefahholic]

Great looking mag and looking healthy to me.

I wouldn't feed but twice a week.

Where did you get him from?

 

[Ruu]

Great looking mag and looking healthy to me.

I wouldn't feed but twice a week.

Where did you get him from?

I'm currently only target feeding once a week or so with freeze dried krill rehydrated with selcon (still swear by this). The clownfish ensure it gets fed something when they are fed though.

I picked it up at my LFS in blackwood nj. Where it originally came from (aside from "the indo-pacific") I do not know.

Dave

 

[Reefahholic]

Very nice color. Never seen one all green like that.