When to begin antibiotic treatment, s.gig?

[Slickcg33]

Title says it all I need to know when to pull the trigger and remove the anemone from my display to treat with antibiotics.

A little info:

I recently purchased a beautiful blue s.gig (01/04/13) and has been in my Solana aquarium (20x20x20aio) since Friday.

Since placing the anemone in the aquarium it has attached to live rock, however it IS deflating once daily at around the same time. Everyday about an hour or two after lights turn on the anemone will deflate for about four hours and then re-inflate. When inflated the anemone holds a "healthy" shape, however its mouth looks pretty pitiful and is not closed. The anemones folds do get blow around by STRONG current, but for the most part it holds it shape (MP10 at 100% reef crest mode)

We all know the symptoms of the "deflating spiral of death" and I don't want it to happen with this specimen.

Bellow are attached photographs.

Ive already gone the extra mile and purchased ciprofloxacin and i am ready to take it out of the tank and QT with antibiotic if needed. I just don't know if its needed or necessary at this point. At what point should I take it out of the tank?

Tank info:

Tank: 34gallon Solana aquarium 20x20x20 been set up and running for 2+ years.

Lighting: Two Kessil a150 Sky blue 10k and Ocean blue 15k. currently only the 10k led light is on as to not light shock the anemone. Aditional two 12.5" 6 watt Stunner Ecoxotic LED Magenta/453nm Blue for supplement

Circulation: stock return pump and MP10es Aquamaxx HOB protein skimmer.

Stock: Multiple soft and Lps corals as well as three clams, Two Clarkies and a bi-color Blenny. Clean up crew.

Pics and video attached.

Disclaimer: I'm aware this anemone will quickly outgrow the tank... i have a 90gal set up about a foot away when it does.

Thanks!

 

[D-Nak]

I would take it out and begin treatment immediately. Gigs should not ever deflate daily, even when acclimating. The gig has decent color but had the typical signs of a sick gig -- "balding" appearance and short tentacles. Does it ever flatten out and look like a puffy pancake?

 

[Slickcg33]

Hasn't flattened out yet, no puffy pancakes...

 

[OrionN]

You need to treat him early. Healthy Gigantea do not deflate at all. They shrink down a little at night but do not deflates.
If you can, take the rock that it attach to to the treatment tank rather than try to remove him from the rock that he is on.
Good luck

 

[Slickcg33]

After treatment, assuming it is successful, should I discard the rock or can that be placed back into the tank?

 

[Slickcg33]

My journey begins...

Day 1 in treatment tank 1/9/13 @ 1am

 

[Reef1589]

The one i just treated that atached to a rock i put the rock in my display tank after treatment and saw no ill affects on anything......but the gig sat in treatment tank for a week without meds...on display tank water and i ran carbon..... Before introducing it to display tank......

Some may advise against it... But i didnt have any negative happen...

Good luck

 

[Reef1589]

Double post

 

[OrionN]

I would use the rock like before. Antibiotic should breakdown quickly and won't cause any problem for the tank. Short course like the way we use will not cause any problem.
In literature, the problem is repeated and continuous discharge of antibiotic into the environment that is a problem. In human, repeated exposure to sub therapeutic/or too short course level of antibiotic will cause selection of resistant strain. These strain then passed on to other patient an on and on...

 

[OrionN]

Once he is healthy, don't worry about that tank been too small. Anemone grow as quickly as you feed them. If you don't feed them, they will not grow much or grow at all. You will likely loose most of your corrals unless you move them from the sphere of the anemone.

Call me optimistic, but I think your anemone will do just fine with treatment. I am that confident in the treatment course if begin early. You won't even need luck other than avoid bad luck (anemone craw into the PH). I would advice getting an egg crate and divide the heater, filter intake and PH from the rest of the tank so that it is impossible for the anemone to get to it. He will seek higher flow and will naturally head toward these point (not random movement)
Personal experience, I barely avoid disaster with treatment of my Magnifica. The day that I put in the divider, he craw right on to it. Without it, I would have puree anemone soup for sure.

 

[Slickcg33]

14 hrs in QT 330pm EST

14 hrs in QT 330pm EST

Thanks for the replies.

Minh, I did the best I could with protecting the nem in this tank as I don't have any egg crate or any other item that would create a barrier and not reduce flow. I put an MP10 mesh cover over the Korrilia PH and zip tied filter pads around the HOB filter intake. I will move the heater closer to the side per your advice though.

In addition to the anemones original health prior to removing from DT, open mouth, daily deflating, I forgot to mention that it was not sticky to the touch.

Observations 14 hours in QT:

The negative, or neutral:
The anemone still has an open mouth and is expelling zooxanthellae and the anemone is still not sticky to the touch. The anemones tentacles are MUCH shorter and stubby then when in the DT. Looks like a Haddon at the moment....

The positive, or neutral:
The anemone appears to have a firmer stance then when in the DT (could just be because its not up against an MP10 anymore). The anemone has not moved from the rock I have placed it on since being placed into QT. As far as I know, the anemone has NOT deflated yet today, crossing fingers(which would be the first day since I've had it that it has not deflated...) I missed the morning observation since I am on a night shift schedule so the anemone could have deflated early morning. However since it has been in my care it has been deflating from 1pm EST to about 5pm EST, and upon waking up I would find the anemone deflated and then watch it re-inflate over the next couple of hours. Today I woke up at 3pm EST and the anemone was not deflated so.... I'm assuming it hasn't deflated today...

I will be swapping out 5 gallons with the DT water later today, shut off the lights and then add 250mg cipro for the 10 gal tank

Pics attached...

 

[D-Nak]

The last photo shows the gig expelling dead zoox that looks like pellets. This is typical of a sick gig. Other nems that are otherwise healthy expel zoox that appear as a brown stringy mass. Stickiness is not necessarily a positive or negative indicator of health, though my healthy gig packs a potent sting (it gives me a rash which sometimes turns into welts). Also, sick gigs don't move much, so it sticking to the rock is not an indicator of health either. I had a sick gig that remained on this same rock until the day I removed it.

Continue treatment and keep us updated. Good luck!

 

[Reef1589]

Upon adding mine to treatment tank....it started to release a whole lot of zooxanthellae algae... (why i thinkbit bleached so rapidly) ... Like i stated in my treatment thread...i think the rapid expelling of the zoo...may be the meds working on the gig....pooping out infected waste...toxic zoo's.... As some medicines do on humans...they make u go to the bathroom sometimes.....

Now im no where near a scientist or medical doctor... But it was just an observation i made...

Othera can chime in

 

[Slickcg33]

2nd dose

2nd dose

Well, i removed 5 gal and added 5 gal, turned off the lights and added Cipro... and well the anemone didn't respond well... Deflated immediately worse then i have seen it yet...

 

[OrionN]

I recommend take 5 g out of the treatment tank, then drain 5 g from your tank into the treatment tank and add new 5 g to your reef tank. The add 250 mg antibiotic to treatment tank. I just dissolve the tablet in front of the PH.

If you use the water from your reef tank, there will not be any change in water condition or temp.

 

[Slickcg33]

I recommend take 5 g out of the treatment tank, then drain 5 g from your tank into the treatment tank and add new 5 g to your reef tank. The add 250 mg antibiotic to treatment tank. I just dissolve the tablet in front of the PH.

If you use the water from your reef tank, there will not be any change in water condition or temp.

That's exactly the procedure I followed, i read up in you mag thread that you did it that way... No idea why the anemone responded so poorley... Everything was the same with parameters.

Edit: in hindsight perhaps it was a combination shock of turning off the light and then immediately performing a water change and adding the new dose of antibiotics...

 

[OrionN]

Did it re-inflated shortly? When the light turn out, Gigantea tend to contracted a little.
Good luck with him.

 

[Slickcg33]

Did it re-inflated shortly? When the light turn out, Gigantea tend to contracted a little.
Good luck with him.

It reinflated a couple hours later but is still looking pretty pitiful...

 

[Slickcg33]

update

update

Observations 30 hour mark in QT tank:

The anemone is not responding well to treatment. Significant bleaching and balding is starting to occur. The anemone no longer has a "firm" stance and appears to being blow around by the current. The anemone's mouth has gone from open to now gaping....

Off to bed, hopefully when I wake up and check later I'll have good news to report, but as of right now it is not looking good...

pics attached.

 

[OrionN]

He does not look great but far from non savable. Make sure you temp is at least 80 degree. It OK if he release zooxanthallae but if he start to slough his inner tissue, likely he is a goner.
Good luck with him.