Sad day for a Sebae

X

Xeniaamore

New member
Despite the title, I don't think this is funny at all. I apologize if I am reposting old stuff, but I couldn't find the specific info I was looking for.

So today I decided I would finally buy the big beautiful sebae at my LFS that I have been looking at for a couple months. I bought my "yellow sebae", only to find out it has been dyed an unnatural color. Now I did do research on sebaes before I bought, but I didn't come across the dye issue. I am deeply disappointed in the LFS, but that's another story. What I need to know now is how to save my mistreated sebae.

I have a 16 gallon cube with a metal halide light. LFS said size would be fine and that he'd appreciate the light. However, since he is dyed and distraught, do I need to cut the lights back for him until he is the right color again?

Again, sorry for reposting. Shame on me for supporting a crappy Industry that dyes anemones, but it was an accident.
 
It's a very sad fact that it is still common practice in many of the collection countries to bleach (with cyanide and other chemicals that are for sure bad) and dye H. crispa and other tan colored anemones. In their twisted and stuck in the past minds it adds value and commands a higher price. I wish wholesalers and dealers would complain about this more and refuse to pay for bleached or dyed anemones.
As a customer I would return it to the store and tell them that having such items damages their reputation.

As for a so treated anemone - its chances for long term survival are slim to none. It will live for a couple of months and then slowly wither away. The only chance for survival would be that it could pick up some Zooxanthellae from another anemone or coral and regain a natural color.

The whole nonsense of bleaching and dying anemones came up in the 70s and 80s when anemones wouldn't last in a home tank either way and colored anemones added to the rainbow spectrum of bleached and dyed coral skeletons that were all the rage then (at least with the uninformed hobbyists).
 
I talked with Steve Robinson of Baja Reef precisely about this and he told me that while we as the (educated) end recipients of these animals (fish & corals) have made great progress in saving what makes it halfway alive here, in the traditional collecting places not much has changes since the beginning. The conditions fish and inverts have to endure until they reach the exporter in the country of origin are often beyond horrible.

Many fish that are shipped are already death candidates because they were never given a chance to recover from previous tortures before being put into another bag with too little water (water = weight = shipping cost) and spend another 30 to 40 hours in their own pee (which turns to ammonia and burns their skin and gills). The exporters quite literally count on our abilities to fix the fish later and often don't even make an effort to improve things.

For example of 100 clownfish only 5 actually make it to their final destination. Places like the Solomon islands or Fiji are among the better ones and fish from there have higher survival rates than their counterparts from Indonesia or the Philippines where fish are often transported for days overland in regular busses.

In the end it's all about the money.
And the most customers are shockingly uneducated - they see a pretty fish (or anemone) and buy it, not knowing that it is already half dead. So why would anybody change the system that is seemingly working well, except for the uneducated customer who things he may have done something wrong - and is most certainly right about this in multiple ways.

99% of all fish and inverts that get sold in stores die way before their time, most don't even make it to the one year mark in captivity.

All this gives those who wants to shut this hobby down ample ammunition.
It would be in the industries own interest to fix the things that are wrong. Most fixes would actually save money and only require a bit effort on education.

We would have a fraction of the problems we face now if these animals were collected and shipped properly.
:furious:
 
Does anyone know the actual method used to dye these creatures, or is it a trade secret? I ask because my sebae if evenly yellow throughout, and I feel like by knowing the method we can have a better chance at survival. Also, can you buy a product that contains zooxanthelle so that the anemone may take up his natural color?

Thanks for the responses. I will keep the anemone because I love him but I'm going to give the LFS a piece of my mind.
 
Its looked pretty much the same, bright yellow and not completely stuck to the bottom. In my tank though, it's mouth is wide open, which doesn't look good.
 
It's in the interest of the industry that fish/marine life die immaturely. Otherwise people will soon run out of space in their tank and will not need to buy another fish.
 
Xeniaamore said:
Does anyone know the actual method used to dye these creatures, or is it a trade secret? I ask because my sebae if evenly yellow throughout, and I feel like by knowing the method we can have a better chance at survival. Also, can you buy a product that contains zooxanthelle so that the anemone may take up his natural color?

Thanks for the responses. I will keep the anemone because I love him but I'm going to give the LFS a piece of my mind.
Click to expand...

I'm sure they use something that won't fade too fast (so likely not food coloring).
I tried the Zooxanthellae product and the anemone didn't take up any.

The best you can do to extend its life foe a while is try to feed it - if it takes the food and is still able to actually digest it.

Ultimately it will likely die unless it manages to pick up some Zooxanthellae from another anemone or coral.

I would urge anyone not to buy such a bleached and dyed anemone. I would also tell the store that you won't buy it because of what has been done with it. I would even go so far to inform other interested customers
Buying such an anemone only encourages this kind of nonsense to continue.
At this point I would also avoid buying any bleached anemone - especially not crispas as they were likely bleached to get a "pretty white anemone"

More info about this can be found here:
The Tragedy of Artificially Colored Live Corals

Or google dyed anemone


Xeniaamore said:
Its looked pretty much the same, bright yellow and not completely stuck to the bottom. In my tank though, it's mouth is wide open, which doesn't look good.
Click to expand...

Not fully attached over several months is not a good sign to begin with and an open mouth over an extended period of time is usually the telltale sign of a sick anemone. With a non dyed anemone I would suggest treatment, but with this it would likely be an exercise in futility.
 
horseplay said:
It's in the interest of the industry that fish/marine life die immaturely. Otherwise people will soon run out of space in their tank and will not need to buy another fish.
Click to expand...

Really?????
When my existing tanks are full I usually buy new tanks (isn't that what Petco's dollar sales are for?)
In 8 months I went from 1 to 4 (not counting the 8 QTs. And there is still plenty of space in the house :lol2:)
 
ThRoewer said:
I'm sure they use something that won't fade too fast (so likely not food coloring).
I tried the Zooxanthellae product and the anemone didn't take up any.

The best you can do to extend its life foe a while is try to feed it - if it takes the food and is still able to actually digest it.

Ultimately it will likely die unless it manages to pick up some Zooxanthellae from another anemone or coral.

I would urge anyone not to buy such a bleached and dyed anemone. I would also tell the store that you won't buy it because of what has been done with it. I would even go so far to inform other interested customers
Buying such an anemone only encourages this kind of nonsense to continue.
At this point I would also avoid buying any bleached anemone - especially not crispas as they were likely bleached to get a "pretty white anemone"

More info about this can be found here:
The Tragedy of Artificially Colored Live Corals

Or google dyed anemone




Not fully attached over several months is not a good sign to begin with and an open mouth over an extended period of time is usually the telltale sign of a sick anemone. With a non dyed anemone I would suggest treatment, but with this it would likely be an exercise in futility.
Click to expand...

Yes this is very wrong on so many levels!!!! But you have to admit this pink finger leather is Outstanding :beer:

2A.jpg
 
With a non dyed anemone I would suggest treatment, but with this it would likely be an exercise in futility.[/QUOTE]

What treatment would work for a non dyed anemone?
 
The weird thing is, he is attached to the bottom of my tank now, but his mouth is still open. I dint want to give up on this guy, anything I can do to try to save him I need to do.
 
ThRoewer said:
Really?????
When my existing tanks are full I usually buy new tanks (isn't that what Petco's dollar sales are for?)
In 8 months I went from 1 to 4 (not counting the 8 QTs. And there is still plenty of space in the house :lol2:)
Click to expand...

Really :lol: Your 4 pairs of clowns will live like 30 years. You will probably need a bigger house soon.
 
Xeniaamore said:
What treatment would work for a non dyed anemone?
Click to expand...
See Sticky: Protocol for using antibiotics to treat infected anemones

Xeniaamore said:
The weird thing is, he is attached to the bottom of my tank now, but his mouth is still open. I dint want to give up on this guy, anything I can do to try to save him I need to do.
Click to expand...
You can try, but it will likely die despite all your efforts.
Your best bet would be to return it, ask your money back and then go looking for a natural colored (usually tan/light brown) specimen.

BTW: do you have a picture of the anemone?

horseplay said:
Really :lol: Your 4 pairs of clowns will live like 30 years. You will probably need a bigger house soon.
Click to expand...

A percula pair will do fine in a 10 gallon tank and I can fit plenty of those :lol2:
 
Well, Jerry is still alive and seems to be improving. He has been firmly attached to the same rock for several weeks and stretches during the day and closes up at night. He's still not really eating and he is still yellow, but overall I think he is going to make it. Thanks for your prayers, and I'll let you know when he is tan again.
 
Xeniaamore said:
Sorry, I don't know how to post pics (just using a smart phone), but I'll keep you informed on how he is doing.
Click to expand...
email yourself the picture that you took with your smart phone. Edit it as you want, resized it to 800X800 max size.

When you post go to the "Go Advanced" option. There you can see a button to manage attachment. You can upload the picture and attach it to your post.

You can search how to post picture on Reef Central also and will get detail instruction if mine is not clear.
You can google anything and get the result

Best of luck with your anemone

BTW, if you are too new and cannot do search on Reefcentral, you can google search it and you will get information you need.
 
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