Sea Apple in nano tank

[Lewis2000]

Hello everyone,
I am looking for some advice in keeping a sea Apple in my nano tank. I know that if stressed they can nuke the tank, and that's why I'm not putting it in my DT but in a small tank dedicated just to the apple.
Just a few questions:

What to feed the apple and how often?
Can you usually tell after if they have excreted their toxins that the tank is contaminated?

My plan was to get the apple settled in the tank for a few weeks befor introducing a pair of clowns, would adding fish to a sea Apple tank be too risky?

Has anyone had success in keeping this invert, tips etc. All would be much appreciated.

Thanks, Lewis

 

[Lewis2000]

Anyone??

 

[jraker]

how small would the tank be?

 

[Calappidae]

Sea Apples are kinda like crinoids, but not as impossible.

They are frail and need fed a ton of food (I want to say 3 times a day but I'm uncertain, I don't think they're THAT demanding..).

They often get huge (keep bioload in mind in addition to feeding) and require very stable parameters. The slightest swing can mean bad news. They can be comparable to anemones, in that they pick a spot they're happy with, and then stay there. Make sure to have a nice moderate flow for them.

So there's a summary about them, now to the actual questions..

Nanos aren't the best setups for them.. cause like I pointed out, small swings can kill them, bioload from feeding and the big guy himself can be bad. Good water flow is harder to achieve as pumps are generally weak, and powerheads are a bit overkill, if we're talking a standard biocube without a powerhead, you may be in good shape.

Adding clowns could be alright, could not be, clowns are weird.. if they do something really stupid like try to host it, it may stress the cuke out. I've seen them host really dumb things like rocks, powerheads, and my personal favorite, a fish net I left in the tank too long. You can give it a try, but cukes are better off with fish that will ignore them (gobies, maybe small blennies).

Lastly, there is a way to tell when toxins were released... when everything is dead. Once they're released it's pretty much too late. Have one heck of a skimmer and carbon ready if you want any chance.

I know a gal who loved Sea Apples and has had good success with them for awhile, but I can't confidentally say I know much about the caring procedures she takes myself. (feeding, tank setup).

 

[Lewis2000]

Thanks for the info, my tank is 7 gallons ( 35 litres) HOB filter and skimmer. Do you think that might be too small??

Thanks in advance, lewis

 

[jraker]

I've seen them host really dumb things like rocks, powerheads, and my personal favorite, a fish net I left in the tank too long.

i gotta try that out

 

[Betta132]

I'm pretty sure a 7g is a bad idea. Theoretically, it's possible, but a tank that small is already so hard to keep stable. Adding something with such a big bio-load means you'd need to monitor parameters multiple times a day and probably also do multiple tiny water changes a day. Sea apples are pretty big, and they're really messy. Not worth the trouble.

Also, a 7g tank is too small for clowns, both because of space and because of bio-load issues. About your only options are tiny gobies.

 

[Brian Crook]

I have never once directly fed my sea apple, and he's been in my tank for well over a year. I didn't know you could feed them directly!

Mine looks great, just as bright and chunky as the day I got him. He just uses his little feathers to sift through the water all day long. He's never moved once from his spot...haha

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

7g is way to small for a sea apple. They need a larger, tall tank where they can move around and find a perfect spot where they are happy and can feed. If the tank isn't big enough, aside from the other valid issues mentioned above, the sea apple may not be able to find a suitable spot and will just end up stressed out and will die. Not to mention if theres very little space, they could get damaged by pumps. Considering how large sea apples get, a tank less than 40 gallons is really not suitable.

 

[MrMarth]

I can't speak towards nano care, but I can give you my feeding schedule. My sea apple is in a large exhibit so it is getting some food from the "reef" but I still target it every other day (I'd recommend as frequently as your biological filtration can handle).

I feed Shellfish Diet 1800 from Reed Mariculture and Roti-Feast from Reef Nutrition. In the past, I also fed Nanno 3600 from Reed. Sea apples can only eat very small food (less than 53 micrometer.)

I take 1L of tank water and add 3-5 drops of each food in a container. Then I take a turkey baster and "paint" the feeding appendages from about 2" away. If the apple pulls in its appendages one at a time, you're doing a good job; it's eating. If the appendages all come in at once, you scared it (also pay attention to your shadow, they are light sensitive and can get startled by a shadow over them.)

I usually take about 10 min to slowly feed out the liter and give the sea apple time to catch most of it. With a dedicated system, you could turn off the pumps for 30-min or so, and it could continue to eat for the duration.

A better way would probably be to drip the solution into the tank over a longer time period, perhaps with a peristaltic pump. For a small tank you don't have to worry about the apple still getting enough to eat (in larger tanks it's more difficult).

Keep in mind that the concentrated algae cultures can cause serious water quality issues if you don't have a strong biofilter.

Here is a good article on Sea Apples.
www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/3/inverts

My Sea Apple

Hope that helps!

 

[Saxman7]

Check out my thread I posted on my Nano Nps Display tank I run at my job. I Have 2 in the 10 gallon nuvo. one of which is approaching a year and they have been doing phenomenal. Colder water, yes- but parameters are not the enemy