RFA - Dying, Pooping, Something Else? Please help!

[rdck99]

I've had this RFA for about a year and it's always stayed in the same spot of my tank. I came home from work today and it had detached itself and was kind of rolling around in the current. I turned off the pumps and gently moved it back to where it's usual home was and it started oozing this white stuff out of its base and a little bit out of its mouth (you can see it spreading over the sand to the left of it).

 

I did do a water change last night but I don't think that's the culprit. I water change every week with the same salt mix and everything else is doing fine (including SPS, LPS, etc.). The tank is almost three years and very well established.

 

This is the only anemone I've ever had and this is the only time I've seemingly had a problem, so I'm kind of lost...any ideas?

 

[Mirya]

Congratulations, you are the proud owner of a bouncing boy RFA!

[jamescstein]

What Mirya is trying to say is that it appears to be a male RFA spawning.

[Mirya]

^ That

 

I spent most of this afternoon in an airport or flying, so I'm a little crazed atm.

[Nixperience]

Sperm cloud

[rdck99]

Okay, so nothing is wrong? Let him bounce around, finish his business, and he'll be fine?

 

How long will this period last? I thought about keeping the pumps off so not to disturb him too much but I obviously don't want to irk the other coral by not running pumps.

 

Thanks, all!

[jamescstein]

If you have a wave fan/pump turn it on. Your corals will appreciate the food.

[rdck99]

This was taken this morning...still all normal and well? How long does this process typically take?

 

[Mirya]

That isn't normal. Normally they just release their sperm, then going back to doing their thing -- ie sitting on their rock or whatever and looking pretty. Unfortunately, I don't know what is wrong with your nem other than they evert their mouth like that when they are stressed/sick. I would just suggest giving it some TLC -- making sure it is in a low flow area and perhaps target feeding with some small foods like frozen rotifers.

[rdck99]

Thanks for the reply. I'll do just that. Any other advice?

[rdck99]

My anemone is in a very low flow corner of the tank and he's not anchoring himself at all - it's almost as if he lost his foot entirely. If I nudge him, he responds by closing up, but I could literally roll him over because he's not anchoring himself to anything. When he's not being nudged, he's open and fairly normal looking, however, there is some brown stringy stuff coming from his mouth (tough to see in the picture), which could be just poop, but given everything else going on with him, who knows. Anyone have an idea what's happening to him and what I can do? Do them sometimes lose their foot and regrow them over a period?

 

[FlowerMama]

How often are you feeding? You want to make sure you don't overfeed so it doesn't rot in their stomach. The first pic did look like spawn but I've never seen a mouth stay engorged/inflated like that before.

[rdck99]

I spot feed once every week or two. That's it. The mouth is now back to normal (the whole things looks normal now) but it doesn't have a foot anchoring itself to anything.

[FlowerMama]

I guess just give it time, looks normal otherwise. If you clear out a spot and put it there and put some sand on top of it, will it stay and maybe anchor?