Hey guys, I got a new bta yesterday for my picassos and the nem looked beautiful with it's vibrant green tentacle and pink tip. Anyway I turned down my MP10 to about 10-15% reef crest since I new the nem would be moving around. Everything was fine last night and it attached nicely to a rock. However I woke up this morning and my tank is cloudy. Further inspection I noticed my MP10 impeller housing(water side) disconnected and on the bottom of the tank with my new nem half sucked inside I pulled him out and put him inside a breeder box thats inside my main tank for now but it doesn't look good. I can see part of its intestine. Is there anything I can do to help it recover or is there no hope? I need help asap. Here's some pics of my nem's current state

By the way, I love the MP10 but it has already sucked up 2 of my cleaner shrimp and now my nem..has anyone had similar experience with the MP10?

A high percentage of anemone death are due to this, it seems to happen all the time. You really should cover powerheads with sponge/stocking to make sure this doesnt happen. Your situation is a bit different though with part falling off the mp10. I always turn extra filtration off for a few days to make sure its got a good hold. Sometimes they just let go and float to a different location instead of walking.

The only thing you can do is keep your water quality 100% and hope for the best.
I would do a water change or two ASAP to clear out the bad water that can only make its recovery harder. Also make sure you are running some good carbon to help get his mess out of the water.

Good luck, theres not much you can do but keep his conditions perfect.

during a re-scape i moved a 15 lb rock and a 12 lb rock together that my nem was attached to. i lost grip on one of the rocks and ripped my nem almost in half. i made sure to keep my waterchanges frequently and actually both survived. after 4 months of healing i gave half to my friend and its doing just great in his tank. dont lose hope.

Thanks guys, I've already done a 10% percent water change earlier. Just hoping for the best now. I've also took the nem out of my main tank and put him in a small container with clean water. Just crossing my fingers now.

make sure the container has a heater and some air stone

small container is going to be hard to keep the water clean, its going to fowl the water very fast. Also water will evaporate quickly and cause a spike in SG. Also temperature and oxygen levels can be an issue.

If it was me i would keep it in your display tank and keep a CLOSE eye on it.
But thats just me!

+1

Well I think I might just put him back in the main tank in a breeder box. But how do you know when he's did? The tentacles are shriveled and there's a hole through the middle of the nem. Also, half his body is pretty much gone. So how can I physically tell when he's gone? Thanks for everyone's response.

I have never lost a nem, but from what i hear they start to disintegrate and fall to pieces. Their foot will just turn to mush if you touch it. Also people claim that they have "the worst smell imaginable" when they are dead.

Dont give up hope though, anemone are pretty good at repairing themselves and getting better.
If its literally falling to pieces and smells like crap, then get rid of it. But make sure to check on it a few times a day so if it does die it doesnt sit there forever and fowl your tank.

if it starts turning into dust youll know....

just keep him in the main tank. your main tank has much more stable parameters and it gives him the best shot at survival

Well the nem is back in the main tank inside the breeder box. I will keep an eye on him every few hours. Hopefully he will bounce back. If not than its just more cash my MP10 ate up

People, people... Keeping that anemone in your display tank is quite possibly endangering everything else in the tank. Anemone's are toxic. When they die they can do nasty things. Of course this varies by species, but in general it's bad when they die in your tank.

These should help, read and then make your decision.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemhlthfaq6.htm?h=anemones+die
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/...tipanemones.htm

thats why he needs to keep a close eye on it. a bucket is even worse for its survivability. better to have it in stable params til it either turns around or finally gives up

+1

We know they can be toxic, but its the anemone's best chance at survival.
If it dies in your tank yes it can make a big mess, but if you check on it a few times a day and get it out of it dies there wont be an issue. If it dies and you let it brew in there for a day or more then yes your in trouble.

God i hate wet web media. Good info, terrible website with the <> and the <<>> they need to think of a better system to reply to messages for others to read. And whats the point of posting replies that say "read more" it just more junk people who are "reading more" have to sift through. /rant

Not being prepared for this type of situation isn't good either... Of course I'm not faulting him for not being prepared (I don't think anyone can be fully prepared to deal with every conceivable mishap in the hobby), but hopefully he knew what he was possibly getting into when he purchased the anemone. As was mentioned, anemones, for whatever reason tend to get shredded up in pumps.

Unfortunately, he may need to make a decision soon on whether he has the knowledge and resources to save the anemone while regarding the health and well being of his other livestock because they matter too, right?

How does it benefit him by putting his whole tank at risk to save one anemone?

Seems to me a real-life gamble on "double or nothing".

Either way, good luck Reesies. Be sure to update us as to the outcome of this, for your own education as well as the rest of us.

you put your whole tank at risk every time you do anything to it. given this is more clear and present danger, if he has the resources and time to keep an eye on it, i think the best shot at its survival is to keep it in a stable tank with good flow it may pull thru. fwiw when i ripped mine in two i left them in the tank and they both ended up makin it. i dont think if i isolated them in a bucket i wouldve had such good results.

Reesies, if you feel comfortable and confident that you can keep close watch of your animal, then its only chance is in the tank, if you feel you cant, you may want to send it to the porcelain altar

Hi everyone, I know you all are trying to help and I really appreciate it so thank you all. Earlier today I did do a 10% water change and that seems to help a bit as things are slowly clearing up a bit. I have been keeping the nem in my main tank and have checked periodically and he seems to be as stable as can be meaning he's not falling apart or smelling yet. I guess "yet" is the key word. I also found my old hob ac70 and have cleaned it out and hanging on the side running some carbon to hopefully help clear the tank. I just checked the water params and everything seems good with only my pH dropping a little..here's the test results:
pH - 8.0
ammonia - 0
nitrite - 0
nitrate - 0
calcium - 430

Also, as I was reading through other threads I realized that MP's come with a sponge screen that is used to prevent this sort of accidents. I saw the it in the box when I first got the MP10 but it was folded in half and I didn't think much of it other than some sort of packaging for the head..I know stupid me. Lesson learned. Anyhow, it's on the unit know and seems to also act as a screen filter which is nice. Just the flow rate has reduced a bit with it on but no more impeller ingestion. Now lets hope nem makes it through the night.

I hope he makes it. Remember, guys: if it's not covered with a sponge, your anemone *will* get sucked into it, whether it takes weeks, months, or years to happen!

Well guys I've been keeping a close eye on the nem and he's starting to go south. He is slowly breaking apart although no smell just yet. So I went ahead and grabbed my old 2.5g and filled it up with the water from the main tank. Now he is in the 2.5g with a nice heater so hopefully hr wont die but if he does, than my main tank will be ok. Also as a precaution, I went ahead and did another water change tonight after I transferred the nem. Now the water is looking almost perfectly clear again and hopefully it will by the morning. I also have a slow gravity drip system for the nem for topoff just to keep the salinity in check. All params in both the main tank and the 2.5 are good for now. I guess I started becoming more afraid for the well being of all my sps, lps, and picassos that I had to move the nem. Now I'm feeling a little relieved and can finally go to bed. Tomorrow morning will be the tall tale sign of nems future.

hows the nem?

+1 any update?

a QT tank is fine just keep up on that water quality!

might need some kind of flow if possible tho

Hi guys,
Sorry to say that nem finally gave up this evening. I thought I tried everything to give him a chance I even tested the water every time I checked on him. I had topoffs on drip, heater, and minijet for flow but all this was not enough for the little guy. Now I have the sponge cover over the MP10 but its a little too late But since I have the quarantine tank up and running, I think I may just leave it that way and use it to quarantine all new livestock that I may get in the future. I also have new pics of the tank now and am posting it on my other thread "26Gallon Rimless with new Picasso pair" Not sure how to link yet?

upload the pics to photobucket and copy and paste the IMG code

Here's the link to my other post with new pics: 26Gallon Rimless with new Picasso pair

Reesies, Sorry your anemone died. Sucks, but getting sucked into a pump can be pretty bad.

As for your 26g, I'm reading through it now and I like the scape a lot.

Thanks ajmckay. The pics don't have a 3 dimensional feel to them. The scape is a bit different in person with 2 main overhang and a few caves and I like it too. Now I maybe I need to give nems another try since I've got the sponge on the MP10 now. Also I gotta get a bigger container for my RO/DI topoff water..don't think the 4 gallon is enough for 5 days since I'll be heading to Cozumel to do some diving in 2 weeks Its my birthday coming up so my fiancee wants to head there for our little winter getaway.

Tanks looking good!
I hope you have better luck with nems next time. I personally would shut off the mp10 for the first couple days if its just circulation. Let it get accustomed to your water and get a good grip on things. Then when it looks like its pretty much settled turn the flow back on. It will most likely move with the additional flow but at least you know its healthy if its got a good footing and closed mouth.

EDIT: But i would save that until your home from vacation (new nem) have a good time!

Yeah thanks nemmy..now what else should I add for fish?

Cozumel?!?

I'm jealous.

Yeah, we are going all inclusive on the 18th til 22nd. Will do a little diving as well. I'm definitely excited First time so does anyone have tips on where to go?

Hmm... it's been a loooong time since I was there. I remember taking this little skiff boat waaaay out...

Have fun! And take pictures (which should be posted here!).

Well we are officially leaving Wednesday morning and I will be sure to take some pics of the island. Also, I think I will do all my tank cleaning and feeding/topoffs on Tuesday night Hopefully everything will be ok when we get backl.