Jump to content
Premium Aquatics Aquarium Supplies

Floundering_Around

Recommended Posts

Floundering_Around

As the title says, one of my new RFA is injured. A little backstory...

Day1: I just got six RFA from Reefapalooza this past weekend. By the time the plane landed and I was done acclimating, it was the wee hours of the morning. I just dropped everything into the tank, holding the RFAs against the rock for a few seconds so they would stick. Didn't even think to take my historically voracious peppermint shrimp out, mistake number one. Saw the male/larger of my shrimp go after one of the nems but it was already situated in the rock so it just closed and reopened.

 

Day 2: It's now Tuesday morning and my pink nem is not on the rock and has fallen/moved underneath it. Into the shrimp's lair. I pick it up and move it back to the top of the rock and it seems fine. Fast forward to the evening and I need to go to work. Nem is back under the rock but looks fine so I rush out to, mistake number two.

 

Day 2 (night?): came home from work at three in the morning and I don't see the nem at all. Looking under the rock, I see the male shrimp happily picking away at something. That something happens to be the foot of MY NEM. Yank the nem out and put it in its shipping cup and stick the cup in the first chamber of the tank's sump (AIO tank). To late to do anything so obsessively check the nem about five times before going to bed

 

Day 3/current: Woke up, tore up my tank apart, and yanked out both of the stupid shrimp. Stuck the little brats in a bucket with an air stone. Nem is still in the back of the tank. Doing a little prodding, it looks like the shrimp ate directly through the mouth and through the foot. Saw on another forum to do the good ol' sniff test to see if the nem is dying. Smells fine, still has it's color, has light from my fuge light, but is all curled up on itself. Is there anything i can or should do??? I know RFA can be pretty hardy but this is one of my favs and was a gift so I'm pretty bummed out

Link to comment
DSFIRSTSLTWATER

that sucks to hear man. I'm going to follow along in case anything like this happens with the ones I have. I don't have anything to add so I'm sorry. Only thing I can contribute is that I have read that they can recover if its not too bad.

Link to comment
Floundering_Around
1 minute ago, DSFIRSTSLTWATER said:

that sucks to hear man. I'm going to follow along in case anything like this happens with the ones I have. I don't have anything to add so I'm sorry. Only thing I can contribute is that I have read that they can recover if its not too bad.

I'm really hoping it does. If it was a bubble tip, I probably wouldn't be too worried since you can propagate those by cutting. However, I don't think it works to same way for RFA

Link to comment
DSFIRSTSLTWATER

I think you're right on that...I think as long as it didn't die it has a chance to recover. Is there anything else that may pick at it in the tank? I don't have anything crazy in my tank so I unfortunately do have experience with them healing or dying. Hopefully someone will chime in for you. Best of luck with him hope it gets better.

Link to comment
Floundering_Around

Only three hermit crabs and two snails. If it was the hermits, I would expect them to go for the tentacles first and cut off pieces rather than go through the mouth

Link to comment
DSFIRSTSLTWATER
21 minutes ago, Floundering_Around said:

Only three hermit crabs and two snails. If it was the hermits, I would expect them to go for the tentacles first and cut off pieces rather than go through the mouth

Yeah probably not hermits I have three and they don't really mess with my flowers..

Link to comment

I had the same thing happen to me about 4 years ago with a peppermint shrimp it started to stab at the mouth so I got the shrimp out but the damage was done and it died 3 days later

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
DSFIRSTSLTWATER
9 minutes ago, ReefFish said:

I had the same thing happen to me about 4 years ago with a peppermint shrimp it started to stab at the mouth so I got the shrimp out but the damage was done and it died 3 days later

Damn so they don't do well with damage then?

Link to comment
Floundering_Around
5 minutes ago, ReefFish said:

I had the same thing happen to me about 4 years ago with a peppermint shrimp it started to stab at the mouth so I got the shrimp out but the damage was done and it died 3 days later

okay, I'll keep my eye on it just in case. I don't even think I can feed it since there's a hole in it 😞 I'll pick up some iodine tonight and give it a quick bath to see if that helps

Link to comment
Floundering_Around
1 minute ago, DSFIRSTSLTWATER said:

Damn so they don't do well with damage then?

I find that really interesting. Others say they're super hardy and can be shipped dry and will bounce back once they hit the water, amongst some other really interesting anecdotes

Link to comment
DSFIRSTSLTWATER
Just now, ReefFish said:

They are very hardy but not to cuts or rips

hmm that's really good to know. Thanks for the little heads up on that. 

Link to comment
Floundering_Around
1 minute ago, ReefFish said:

Mouth wide open 

Shriveled up

Not sticking to anything

And the last is smelling really bad and melting apart

well, we have three of four. Now it's up to iodine and prayers

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Floundering_Around

Oh wow. For a "hardy" anemone they're kinda wimps when it comes to cuts. I guess it's cause they sexually reproduce rather than tearing themselves apart. Thanks for taking the time to go through your photos for me @ReefFish Shame you lost such a gorgeous nem too 😞

Link to comment
1 hour ago, Floundering_Around said:

well, we have three of four. Now it's up to iodine and prayers

It is suggested to give anemones with tears a double the dose iodide bath. The prognosis is still iffy at best—hope he makes it. If he does become sticky again, try feeding enriched foods. 

Link to comment
Floundering_Around
3 minutes ago, Aurortpa said:

It is suggested to give anemones with tears a double the dose iodide bath. The prognosis is still iffy at best—hope he makes it. If he does become sticky again, try feeding enriched foods. 

Will do. I'm hesitant to prod it anymore but it hasn't moved from where it's sitting in the cup even though there is a gentle current. I want to check on it every five seconds like that will help anything 😩

Link to comment
Floundering_Around

It's the next day. Gave the nem a bath in betadine; made the water so dark you couldn't see the nem and had it soaking for seven minutes (Most stores no longer sell 100% iodine 🙄).

Gave it a sniff test this morning and it doesn't smell like death so hope prevails. I'll give it another bath tonight but I won't make the water as dark as I did.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...