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Anemone With Damaged Foot


Snow_Phoenix

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I need a bit of guidance. Day before yesterday, my mini maxi nem took a walk around the tank and was stung very badly by my hammer coral. It then retreated to the opposite side of the tank, crawled up the glass and was stuck to the back grates of my wavemaker/powerhead. I managed to peel it off gently but it's foot is damaged quite badly by the grates.

 

The nem was always bleached, but was recovering in my 20G DT and already regained a light green color. Today, it's transparent around the edges and the coloration has become fluorescent (bleached again). It's also no longer as sticky as it used to be and has shriveled up to 1/3rd of its original size. I've isolated it in a floating mesh basket in my 20G, but I'm unsure of how to proceed.

 

I would like to save this nem, but how do I go about it when the foot is still damaged and it's losing color all over again? 😞 

 

---> Add-on: This nem is being hosted by a white spotted nem shrimp. The shrimp was very, very unhappy when I isolated the nem - she spent the whole day trying to host multiple corals around my tank, before resorting to climbing into the mesh basket and re-hosting my nem. So should I separate her from the nem again? Will she die without a nem?

 

Can my nem be saved? (I'll try to snap a pic and post it later) 

 

Many thanks in advance. 

 

-Snow

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RayWhisperer

Bleached and torn is bad. Torn isn't too bad by itself. 

 

Ideally, isolating the nem in an established, clean system is best. However, most dont have that option. I'd leave the nem in the basket, if no other tank is available. I'd see about fixing the baskets position where it gets good, but not overpowering light. Kinda difficult if you have leds.

 

Increase feedings to the nem while keeping the water as clean as possible. Foods soaked in selcon, or something similar. The food will give it energy much needed now. If it wont accept food, that's bad. 

 

I'd isolate the shrimp, too. I've never had the white spotted, but I've had other pereclimens species. They all ate tentacles occasionally. No big deal for a healthy nem. But for one as bad off as yours would be nothing more than a stressor.

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Snow_Phoenix
5 minutes ago, RayWhisperer said:

Bleached and torn is bad. Torn isn't too bad by itself. 

 

Ideally, isolating the nem in an established, clean system is best. However, most dont have that option. I'd leave the nem in the basket, if no other tank is available. I'd see about fixing the baskets position where it gets good, but not overpowering light. Kinda difficult if you have leds.

 

Increase feedings to the nem while keeping the water as clean as possible. Foods soaked in selcon, or something similar. The food will give it energy much needed now. If it wont accept food, that's bad. 

 

I'd isolate the shrimp, too. I've never had the white spotted, but I've had other pereclimens species. They all ate tentacles occasionally. No big deal for a healthy nem. But for one as bad off as yours would be nothing more than a stressor.

Hi Ray, thanks for responding. Right now, I don't have a separate empty QT available to isolate the nem in, so the basket would have to do, but as you've mentioned - it's a pain trying to make sure the basket isn't floating directly under my PAR38. 

 

I tried feeding it, but it's no longer sticky and won't even close up to accept the food. 😞

 

I've isolated the shrimp. She always, always finds a way to crawl back into the basket and rejoin the nem. She tried hosting random corals around the tank when I separated her and was dissatisfied. I can always separate her again, and this time throw another layer of mesh over the mesh basket (like a cover) to prevent her from getting back towards the nem ---> will do this first thing in the morning, it's 4 mins from midnight here.

 

Is there any hope for the nem with all the conditions I've listed? It's not melting yet, but yes, it's damaged, bleached, not sticky and not eating. I'm trying my best to save it if I can. 

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RayWhisperer

Give it time. It may turn around for you. 

 

The mesh you've suggested is a good idea. It could also provide some shade from the lights for your nem

 

I'm not sure how well water is transferred through a basket. Flow from the tank MAY not be enough. I'd suggest lifting the basket and swishing it, a few times a day. That'll effectively "change" the water in the basket for you. Increased water changes might be in order, as well. If you run a dirtier system.

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Snow_Phoenix
14 hours ago, RayWhisperer said:

Give it time. It may turn around for you. 

 

The mesh you've suggested is a good idea. It could also provide some shade from the lights for your nem

 

I'm not sure how well water is transferred through a basket. Flow from the tank MAY not be enough. I'd suggest lifting the basket and swishing it, a few times a day. That'll effectively "change" the water in the basket for you. Increased water changes might be in order, as well. If you run a dirtier system.

I switched over from a basket to a mesh box. This way, the shrimp can't crawl into it, but she's still trying to host it from the outside of the box. There's a lot of holes in the box, so there's continuous flow through it. Will do the swishing thing too, as suggested. And yes, I'll up the WCs accordingly. Thanks for all the help, Ray. I appreciate it. 

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RayWhisperer

Hope it pans out for you. Nems seem to respond well to clean water. I tore my maxi not so mini completely in half once pulling rocks out. One half seemed ok, the other was like yours but not bleached. A few weeks of wcs and I had 2 nems. 

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Snow_Phoenix
50 minutes ago, RayWhisperer said:

Hope it pans out for you. Nems seem to respond well to clean water. I tore my maxi not so mini completely in half once pulling rocks out. One half seemed ok, the other was like yours but not bleached. A few weeks of wcs and I had 2 nems. 

Thanks, Ray. I had two previously, but I lost one months ago in my previous mantis tank. It bleached as well, but also developed a hole right through the mouth to the bottom and pretty much melted. This nem pulled through and was slowly recovering. Sucks to see it bleach again, but I'll continue to isolate it. Once I begin transferring my fish back into my DT (it's going fallow now due to Ich + flukes), I should have a *free QT to treat the nem separately. Until then, it'll remain in the mesh box and I'll keep WCing. 

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