Sick Sebae?

[Hopeful Reefer]

I got a sebae anemone about a week or so ago from a friend in trade...she was bringing frags over to me and she had stopped to get the anemone for herself...well, she saw something of mine she wanted and the fact that I didn't have an anemone for my 2 clowns...so, she gave me the anemone she had just bought for herself as well...

Here is the thing though...it won't attach...I started it off in one area of the tank and thought it was too much flow because it was moving...that was before I realized that they like lots of flow...it moved under a rock ledge and I thought it would be compromised under there so I moved it to another part of the tank...it still never attached...in this area, it started really doing something wierd...it started flipping itself upside down!!

I kept flipping it over and it would do it again...it has been eating when I target feed it...but then last night it turned only what I can describe as "inside out thru the mouth" and the tentacles deflated...the whole thing seemed to be shrinking...so, I turned the lights back on, put it back in the original spot right side up of course and left it alone for the night hoping for the best...

This morning it has reinflated and is no longer inside out which I take to be a good thing...but, it has rolled backwards a little and gone upside down again...(pics below)

Anyone have any ideas what I'm doing wrong or if something is wrong with this anemone? I think she said it came from PetCo, so that could be a major problem to start off with...tank has been up for about 8-9 months and the water params are doing well...no Ammonia, Nitrate or Nitrite...and I have 2 T5s and a 150w MH light...right now it is in a sort of cave area so the lights are a non-issue at the moment...

Some help please...

 

[55semireef]

Hi Jason, I would first like to tell you that your Heteractis Crispa (aka Sebae anemone) is bleached. Bleaching is when there is a lack of zooxanthelllae algae or a depletion of it within the tissue of your anemone. A healthy H. Crispa should have a brownish, creamy color to it, not white. Anemones that refuse to attach, deflate often and that have gaping open mouths in general is a negative sign.

The best thing you can do for is do a 20% water change and run some fresh carbon. Keep up with the feedings too. Feed your sebae small pieces of fresh fish, shrimp, scallops, krill and/or squid. Your sebae needs energy so frequent feedings (everyother day is fine) will help your sebae.

At this point it's really hard to tell if your Crispa can be saved but it's worth a shot. Good luck!

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

I thought some sebaes came naturally white with the purple tips? Every one that I've always seen sold as a sebae has been white with purple tips...kind of hard to tell from mine but that is what mine is...

As for the shrimp and such...just get a few shrimp from the grocery store and cut a few small pieces and feed it that? Or will frozen mysis, blood worms and cyclopeeze work? That is the current combination I'm giving my tank...

As for turning upside down and not attaching...any suggestions there?

 

[GSMguy]

its bleached sebaes are brown or colored not white.

bloood worms and cyclopeze wont work anemones eat flesh/meaty food
turn it upside down and build it a lil depression where it can take root without blowing over.

its an uphill battle to get an H Crispa like that to come back
good luck.


also as far as nems go H crispa can tolerate lower flow.

have you been to see atlantis aquariums in richmond? if not you are going to the wrong LFS

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

Actually, there are 2 really good LFS here in the Richmond area...Atlantis and Fish World...I go mainly to Fish World because it is closer and also because they have done really good by me trying to help with stuff in the past...haven't been to see them about the anemone because of a lack of time and also because my friend didn't get it from them...

So, do I need to buy raw shrimp from the grocery store or will frozen mysis work to feed it?

Also, in an effort to try to get it to attach, I have it against a rock with my fish net slightly holding it in place...pumps are off at the moment as well...a friend of mine said that is how they got their anemone to attach...so I'm trying that...it isn't pinching the animal or anything, just enough to keep it in place to facilitate attachment...

 

[55semireef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10410333#post10410333 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hopeful Reefer
I thought some sebaes came naturally white with the purple tips? Every one that I've always seen sold as a sebae has been white with purple tips...kind of hard to tell from mine but that is what mine is...

As for the shrimp and such...just get a few shrimp from the grocery store and cut a few small pieces and feed it that? Or will frozen mysis, blood worms and cyclopeeze work? That is the current combination I'm giving my tank...

As for turning upside down and not attaching...any suggestions there?

No sebaes should be a tan creamy color. I like to buy frozen packs of orangic shrimp from the grocery store. When I feed I just cut a piece of shrimp off and feed.

 

[homeagain]

sorry to here about your anemone mine is doing the same thing so I need the same help as you so I'll be waiting to see how your is doing as for getting it to attachI put mine side by side 2 rocks trying to keep it in one spot it is still trying to turn over and can't get it to eat I try every day and this is my second day and won't eat I'll still try if ypu dine out what is wrong with your let me know

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10411251#post10411251 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 55semireef
No sebaes should be a tan creamy color. I like to buy frozen packs of orangic shrimp from the grocery store. When I feed I just cut a piece of shrimp off and feed.

How big of a piece do you feed? Will the 'nem wrap itself around any decent size chunk and feed on it, kind of like Frogspawn or Torch corals do?

Will Mysis shrimp suffice for now or should I get shrimp from the grocery store?

And does anyone know why it is trying to turn itself over?

As for attaching, I thought it might attach but when I took the net away it wasn't...net was there for about 3 hours...now it has just about rolled itself in to the same corner where it was found almost dead last night...I really want this creature to come back for me...need some help...and lots of luck!!

 

[homeagain]

sorry to here about your anemone mine is doing the same thing so I need the same help as you so I'll be waiting to see how your is doing as for getting it to attachI put mine side by side 2 rocks trying to keep it in one spot it is still trying to turn over and can't get it to eat I try every day and this is my second day and won't eat I'll still try if ypu dine out what is wrong with your let me know

 

[55semireef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10412529#post10412529 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hopeful Reefer
How big of a piece do you feed? Will the 'nem wrap itself around any decent size chunk and feed on it, kind of like Frogspawn or Torch corals do?

Will Mysis shrimp suffice for now or should I get shrimp from the grocery store?

And does anyone know why it is trying to turn itself over?

As for attaching, I thought it might attach but when I took the net away it wasn't...net was there for about 3 hours...now it has just about rolled itself in to the same corner where it was found almost dead last night...I really want this creature to come back for me...need some help...and lots of luck!!

You should feed your sebae small pieces like the size of your pinky fingernail. Honestly I would get some shrimp from the store. It's much better for the anemone.

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

Ok...so a quick update...I bought a few raw, 31-40 count shrimp at the store today to feed the H. crispa...

I also tried last night to get it to attach and it still didn't...so, I turned off my pumps and dug a small hole in the one corner of the tank (about 1" away fromt he glass on both sides) and put him in there...hopefully he will stay put in there...

Anyway, cut off a piece of shrimp from the tail (about the size of the last knuckle on my pinky) and fed it to the nem...came back about minutes later and the darn thing had it swallowed just about 100%...I could see the last of the piece of shrimp as the nem's mouth was closing over it...

Hopefully this is the start to the road to recovery...the color today, even though it was upside down again, was not totally white...around the fringes it was a very, very pale yellowish off-white color while the rest was still white...I'm hoping that if I continue to feed it some shrimp it will perk up and hang around for a while...I tried to get a pic of the shrimp piece being devoured but by the time I got my tripod out and set up the mouth was closed around it...

Any other suggestions to help speed this little guy on his way to recovery? Thanks for the suggestions so far... :beer:

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

Ok...so, it definitely took the shrimp into it's mouth...about an hour (maybe two) later, I noticed that the piece of shrimp I had fed to it had been spit back out...it obviously had been partially digested so I know the nem got something out of it...the clowns and my pseudo chromis did away with the piece lying around a short time later

With the state of my H. crispa, is it normal for it to eat what it needs and then expel the rest? Or did I just simply give it too big of a piece to eat...should I maybe feed it much smaller pieces 2 or so times a day to try to get it's energy back up enough to build up some new zooanthela (sp?) algea?

 

[55semireef]

I would try smaller pieces.

 

[hwyman]

i would try small silversides, or tear small pieces off a large silverside. when it has eaten only the bones and other hard to eat parts will be expelled. the shrimp may be to hard for it to digest.

I notice that when the water parameters change quickly our sebae will expand its mouth and sometimes look to be going inside out. Also when it was small and bleached it would expel the water and totally deflate. Also since it was bleached it shyed away from light until it was healther. As long as it is eating it will be ok, but honestly try silversides, they are easier for the sebae to digest.

 

[Amphiprion]

Silversides and fish based meats are best for this species, IME.

 

[55semireef]

I always used shrimp with my sebae and it thrived off it.

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

Been feeding my H. Crispa pieces of cut up shrimp the last week or two...about every day or every other day...when puffed up, it still looks white...but when it starts to retract a little (like at night when the lights go off) it is started to look a pale yellowish color...is this the internal zooxanthelllae algae starting to regenerate itself? how long should this actually take? Otherwise, the anemone is not really turning itself upside down anymore...it has decided to plant itself (unattached) at the base of my paly rock and one leather...go figure...

 

[hwyman]

sounds like its doing good. the algae will come back in patchs and will be brown to tan. it will lok pretty bad once the algae starts...ie brown and tan splotches all over it. it can take some time. when we first got it it took 4-6 months under 260 watts of pc. but the last time it bleached, due to faulty heater, it only took 2 months to come back.

 

[55semireef]

I had mine under T5s and it took about 1.5 months for it to fully color up. Congratulations on being patient with your anemone and keep it up!

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

Thanks...so, the really light yellowish patches are the very beginnings of the algae coming back then? Should I continue to feed it the shrimp only until one of the clowns finally fully hosts in it or continue until it is completely tan again? I thought the clowns will take some of the mysis that they get when I feed them and feed the H. crispa...