Sebae questions.

[EVIL SS]

I was at my lfs the other day and bought a clown fish and he told me he had a sebae coming in the next day so I went back and picked it up. I got it here and drip acclimated it for about a hour and placed it in my tank near the middle in a V in my rocks in a medium to low flow area. The anemone is bleached but not near as bad as some I've seen on the boards it's more a creme color. Now is where my questions start. It's kind of small during times of the day and it will open and close open close. But at the beginning of the night just after the lights go out and the moonlights are on it really opens up. After 2 days of putting it in the tank the small clown really took to it literally laying on its side in the anemone and always in it. And ever sense it won't hardly leave the anemone just when I feed it will go a few inches from it to eat then return into the anemone. I've attempted to feed the anemone shrimp but it won't eat and the anemone don't seem very sticky when I touch it like the tentacles don't grab onto me. But when I do feed it shrimp if the current don't push the shrimp off the clown gets very defensive and will push the piece of shrimp off of it, but it seems to take bites of the shrimp and then bury its face in the anemone. Is it feeding the anemone? Is the anemone sick where it's not sticky? the anemone is still pretty much exactly where I placed it day one. And as said the clown never leaves the anemone. The water levels are great with a ph around 8.2. 78 deg temp. 1.025 salinity ammonia nitrates and nitrites are 0 The anemone has been in about a week
What should I do? Is this all normal?
Here's a pic of it Don't be fooled by the size of the piece of shrimp. The anemone gets to about double this size when it's open fully

 

[garygb]

It's still acclimating to your tank. Providing it with very good conditions, which based on your parameters you are, is about all you can do. Now wait and continue to attempt to feed every day or two. Do you know if the foot has attached to the rock? With crispas they like to attach to rock, a crevice or hole or sometimes under the sand. I have one and it wouldn't stay put if it was in the sand, but when placed up on the liverock it found a place and stayed.

 

[EVIL SS]

It's in a V in the rock in the sand bed and I can't see the foot I assume its attached cuz it hasn't moved

 

[garygb]

That's definitely a good sign. I would try small pieces of fresh seafood, PE mysis, shrimp, squid, etc.

 

[OrionN]

That piece of shrimp is too big. You need to feed it small pieced like 1/2 eraser head size. Remember Anemone is mostly sea water. It's actual mass is very small, and cannot eat that big of a piece of food, especially when it is not well.

 

[EVIL SS]

They told me at the lfs to feed it a piece about the size of my finger tip. Cuz it gets about 7 inches across fully open
But ill try smaller pieces. But now I have another question I woke up this morning and he was gone! I got to looking and it's way back under my live rock like where I can't get to it and can barely see it and the clown fish don't seem happy he can't get in his home lol
Is this normal I figured it would stay more out in flow is it normal for it to do this? I'm glad it's moving around now but not so sure on where it decided to go
Yes I have one powerhead making the current in the lower portion and the pump return making surface agitation

 

[garygb]

Yeah, the size of a pea is plenty big enough.

 

[EVIL SS]

The anemone is still under the rocks and has been there for 2 days. No light can get to it and its all closed up. It's kind of brown looking now What should I do??

 

[garygb]

Usually leaving them alone is best--up to a point. Pics might help.

 

[EVIL SS]

It's actually so far back I can't get a pic of it I can barely see it

 

[garygb]

If it were me, I wouldn't let it stay in the dark too long. If I thought I could gently get it back into the light without any risk or damage, then I probably would in a day or two. Also, in the very unfortunate event that the anemone is going downhill fast, you will want to be able to remove it before it completely disintegrates. Hopefully that isn't going to happen with your sebae, but it sometimes does when they aren't able to settle in.

 

[EVIL SS]

Well I finally got in there n move the rocks and got him today. He was flipped upside down. I flipped him over n his mouth was open but he still looked good but I did a smell test where he's been under there for so long n he doesn't stink at all. So I put him back n all the rocks back n put him back in he dident seem to want to attach Hopefully he does soon tho I placed him more underneath the power head so the flow won't push him around hopefully he attaches soon

 

[garygb]

Good luck. it's touch and go at this point. my fingers crossed it attaches and recovers. Exellent water quality is imperative.

 

[EVIL SS]

So it looks like this today. Still has not attached I pulled him up n smelled him n he does not stink. I've read they stink when dieing n he don't but I know the mouth gaping open n this color and deflated is not good

 

[Tmoriarty]

Sebae's are not easy to get to recover once they have reached that point. You can give it another couple days to see if it gets better but I would not advise removing it to smell it every day, that just causes increased stress.

When they start to go look for "holes" in the foot or disc, that is when they are done for. If it gets to far gone do not try to remove it by hand, it will disentegrate and spread across the entire tank, suck it out with a hose and siphon (if it is really that far disentegrated).

 

[EVIL SS]

So it looks like this today. Still has not attached I pulled him up n smelled him n he does not stink. I've read they stink when dieing n he don't but I know the mouth gaping open n this color and deflated is not good View attachment 215478