The slow healing of a bleached sebae

[Nebthet]

I thought I would make a seperate thread showing the progress of the small silver dollar sized sebae anemone I got on June 30th, as it regains it's coloring and axzoanthae sp??, I can't ever spell that right.

Here it is on June 30th when I first got it. The tentacles were sticky, but the foot was reluctant to place itself and it took a good 24hours before it settled down on my rock work.

Ten days late, and my smallest Juvenile clown is using the sebae as a host at night.

19 days later and a few of the tentacles are noticeably darkening in color.

And today, 25 days later those same tentacles and more surrounding them have darkened even more.

At this time, I am direct feeding it small Ocean Nutrition pellets and mysis once week directly. Indirect feeding more than likely consist of additional tank weekly feedings of Reef Roids and Coral Accel, both of which are fed on different days.

Once this anemone is fully healed and has it's color back, It will be moved to the bottom of my tank in an enclosed but open area in the back where it can grow to it's hearts content without the worry of it stinging any corals.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Maybe it is just my eyes and/or monitor but it looks more bleached in the last 2 pictures, compared to the first 2. Granted, in the first 2, it looked like it still was yellow from being dyed.

 

[Nebthet]

No, it is just the flash from my camera when the pics are taken with lighs on.
The other two pics were taken when the lights were out.
The sebae is in a really hard to get to area on the back right of my tank, and near impossible to photograph with any accuracy.


If it was bleaching more, there wouldn't be any of the brown developing on it at all, and I definately wouldn't be posting about the improvment.

 

[Nebthet]

Here is a couple more pics from today showing the improvement.
This is lights off with flash pic like the first two I took for a better comparison.
My mini clown is using it as a host.

 

[Chuu]

never seen a camera pic that bad in my life lol XD

 

[Nebthet]

It is a point and shoot canon on zoom with lights out and flash and I can only get so close with being able to still make out what I am taking a pic of.
I am thinking of getting a new camera eventually when I can afford it.

I just wanted to be able to show the improvement in the sebae and show where it isn't bleaching any more than it was when I first got it and that it is actually improving.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Should try taking the shot with the tank lights on -- using a flash with the tank lights off is going to make it look really washed out/bleached.

 

[Nebthet]

Actually with the tank lights on full with my camera the white balance can't compensate so it is washing it out more than the night shots. Those were the two pix where you commented earlier that the anemone looked more bleached out. So I took the night pics instead.

From what I have read in the reviews the balance on some of the newer DSLR Canon cameras has much superier control and more options to help when using them with flourescent lighting the older cameras just don't have.

I will have to also get a shot to show you where it is in my tank to show why it is as hard as it is to get a decent shot of it to..

 

[Volturi21]

Let's not get into the technicality of the various ways of camera shooting. The important aspect here is the improved health of the H. Crispa. Looks like it's zooxanthellae is regaining. IMHO, I would try feeding it more "meaty" types of food rather then pellets and mysis. Anemones have more of a carniverous diet in the wild and doing that should help it recover and grow a bit faster.

Sources: I've already been down this road.

 

[Nebthet]

Thanks volturi.

I stared it on the small stuff to get it to eat at first.
I do have frozen squid and the bigger shrimp in the freezer ready to be chopped up. I have to feed it the smaller stuff right now because it is a small nem and I didn't want to over feed it in the beginning as that could do just as much harm as not feeding it at all.

With this improvement I definately plan on upgrading to the meatier foods and when the anemone is large enough then it can get silversides.

 

[davocean]

If I unfocus my eyes just right I can see bigfoot petting the loch ness monster!LOL
I also agree, tank lights on w/out flash will show us what you are trying to show us much better, since that is the point here.
Otherwise it does look even more bleached, but I'll take your word for it.
Try playing w/ camera settings, maybe even a tripod if you can.
Stable water and good light are best.
Spot feeding will help, but don't worry about it too much, mysis is plenty fine, maybe raw shrimp or scallop once a week or so.
Mine came back and I didn't spot feed for the first year and a half, light is their main source of energy.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Let's not get into the technicality of the various ways of camera shooting. The important aspect here is the improved health of the H. Crispa. Looks like it's zooxanthellae is regaining. IMHO, I would try feeding it more "meaty" types of food rather then pellets and mysis. Anemones have more of a carniverous diet in the wild and doing that should help it recover and grow a bit faster.

Sources: I've already been down this road.

Thing is, with this type of thread, it is some what important to talk about camera settings.

 

[Nebthet]

I definately think you are correct that I am going to need a tripod in order to get a good lights on no flash shot. Once I get that I will take a couple pics.. In order to get these pics right now I have a small 4 inch my 2 inch area of the tank in order to be able to be able to get the shot.
A tripod would work wonders and allow me to shoot at a lower ISO to let more light in without worrying about my shakey hands.

 

[Nebthet]

I tried to get the best pics I could without having a macro or telephoto lens and tripod to help. This will at least give you an idea where it is in my tank and why it is hard taking a decent pic of it. But, I am trying.

These three pics were taken with full lights no flash at ISO 1600

And this photo was taken with the same lighting no flash ISO 800.

 

[davocean]

Hmm...that nem should be down in sand bed, and I'd be worried about how close it is to that vort.
What lighting do you have?

 

[Nebthet]

I put the anemone there to give it as much light as possible to assist in getting it zooxanthalae sp?? back. There is a nice space back there too for it to move should it find the lighting too bright. Once it is well on its way to being colored up and larger in size I am going to coax it gently into moving to the back of my tank where I have a 1 foot by 6 inch open space on the left side specially set aside for a large anemone.

Also that is why the vortech has the foam cover on it. 1 of my clownfish is still really small, about 1.5inches, and I didn't want it to get sucked in there. Also the vortech is about 6 inches away from the anemone. It is an MP20 runing at about 70% and the flow going into it is rather gentle. My clowns don't get sucked into the foam at all even at 100% flow rate. The anemone would have to specifically detach itsself and or move to the vortech and get around the cover first. But seeing how it hasn't moved much from where I put it other than to settle down in the rock work and expand I can only figure it is happy for now. My BTA has moved more than the sebae.

My lighting is T5ho Tek 6x39w with
- 2 x actinic plus Giessman
- 2 x blue plus Giessman
- 1 x Actinic white UVL
- 1 x 75/25 UVL

actinic plus are on from 6pm to 2am.
the rest are on from 8pm to 1am.

 

[Nebthet]

This weeks pix

 

[jasonrp104]

In the pic with the crispa circled, is that another one on the bottom left?

 

[Nebthet]

No, in that pic on the bottom left it is a white tipped elegance coral.

 

[Nebthet]

This is an updated pic of my sebae from tonight. It's tentacles continue to get darker and larger as it heals.
This is almost two months in my tank now.