Anemone in powerhead, fish dying!

[Tegski]

Hello all,

I'm having a really bad week! Forgive my mistakes as I am learning the hard way. I recently purchased a "Darth Maul" BT Anemone from a lfs that I discovered after the fact was giving me horrible advice. This LFS sold me a Neon Dottyback for my 30g assuring me that it was a very peaceful fish fit for nano reefs. In the process of discovering that the Dottyback was killing off a Diamond Goby and a Royal Gramma, I had to take action. Well, the only way to catch it was to dismantle my aquascape, remove everything from the tank, and catch it. That was eventually a success.

My Anemone found a new spot and appeared to attach, so i kept my new Nero 3 powerhead going but on low with the included guard (not a Nem guard, small fish guard), just in case. Well, I woke up this morning to a shredded Anemone, milky white tank, you know the drill. Well, I scrambled to get water made and ready to do water changes. From about 9am-11am my Diamond Goby and my brand new and highly coveted Captive Bred Juvenile Blue Mandarin Dragonet started going down hill fast. They both appear to be dead. I've removed as much of the Nem as I could find, have changed roughly 15 of my 30 gallons so far and have another 10 gallons to change and water making constantly. Both fish have retained their color but appear to be totally lifeless. I tried a very gentle resuscitation method with no obvious signs of success, i've got my powerhead and a air line churning the surface to try and get oxygen into their bodies somehow. Is it possible these two types of fish ingested Nem pieces and that has poisoned them to death??

I'm very distraught on it because I waited 12 years to get a Captive Bred Mandarin, my dream fishy for 20 years. It was just the cutest little baby, I immediately took to it. Sad irony, I named it Pava Laguna from Fifth element as my tankmates have a Fifth Element theme....and the beautiful blue darling may be following in its namesakes foot steps.

Any advice? Hold a fishy funeral and never get a Nem again, or is there something I could try to get these poor kiddos back to life?

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

@Tegski Sorry for loss. In this hobby, an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure. Nems and mandarins I would never consider beginner organisms and really require a mature setup and experience. I'm not sure how experienced you are in saltwater tanks so forgive me if my assumption is incorrect. On the plus side, you can now consider yourself experienced and learn from this. I've never seen a successful reefer who didn't make similar mistakes early on, so gird your loins and carry on!

 

[Tegski]

@Tegski Sorry for loss. In this hobby, an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure. Nems and mandarins I would never consider beginner organisms and really require a mature setup and experience. I'm not sure how experienced you are in saltwater tanks so forgive me if my assumption is incorrect. On the plus side, you can now consider yourself experienced and learn from this. I've never seen a successful reefer who didn't make similar mistakes early on, so gird your loins and carry on!

I've had 3 Nems before, but never in a 30g. It's really the Nano aspect that is the learning curve. This one was perfectly happy until i had to remove the scape to get rid of the dottyback. I would say, for experience, I have enough to know I didn't want a Nem in the first place but was satisfying my fiance's desire and enough to know that Mandarins are Dragonets and not Goby's. That being said, reef is totally new to me so ALOT to learn!!

The Mandarin is an ORA captive bred, so it eats prepared foods. Wild caught are the difficult ones to keep because of their diet needs and basically anything less than 70 gallons wouldn't provide enough live food for them. From all my research over the years, they are otherwise hardy fish that can tolerate parameter swings, and most die from lack of a copepod population in the aquarium rather than from disease or parameters. With the captive bred, you can feed them prepared foods as well as occasionally dose a copepod population for their enjoyment.

 

[lmm1967]

Carbon needs to be running ASAP - can you put the fish in a small tank with new saltwater? (Not newly mixed - but never in a tank)

 

[RichReef]

You may have been better off making new water in a bucket, warming it up, and acclimating your fish to it while you cleaned up the tank. Maybe even swish some rock and put it in the bucket also for some bacteria.

 

[Tegski]

Carbon needs to be running ASAP - can you put the fish in a small tank with new saltwater? (Not newly mixed - but never in a tank)

Thanks for the advice! I immediately put in enough carbon for a 60g, and have to run to get more tomorrow to be able to switch it out often enough. I do not have a QT, but at this time have changed 19g of the probably 27g that it contains with a siphon to pull out any left over NEM i could get to. I have another 10g ready just in case. I have them in a breeder box, both are on their sides/backs with no movement, no response, etc. However, I have had a fish go into catatonic shock and the next day it perked up so I'm not ready to concede yet.

At the moment, my Duncan, zoas, GSP, toadstool, and Sinularia look solid, my 2 hammers seem to be upset, but I am not surprised. I have read this could take a domino turn over the next 36 hours, so trying to watch them closely. This is where the rookie in me comes in, would Iodine do anything for the corals or because this is obliterated Nem parts, it wouldn't apply?

 

[Subsea]

A friend who does set up & maintenance for 30 years here in Austin will not accept a client with bubble tip anemone. BTA have crashed many a tank. USE continuous activated carbon, then partial water change to get trace minerals in. Did you dose iodine before and do you have a reliable test kit for iodine?

 

[Tegski]

A friend who does set up & maintenance for 30 years here in Austin will not accept a client with bubble tip anemone. BTA have crashed many a tank. USE continuous activated carbon, then partial water change to get trace minerals in. Did you dose iodine before and do you have a reliable test kit for iodine?

Yes, I dose Red Sea AB+ and Red Sea Colors ABCD, but only a few drops every few days of the Colors as its a Nano and I'm trying to determine appropriate dosing. I have seen talk that Iodine helps corals almost like an antibiotic. However, grain of salt with anything I read once.

 

[Subsea]

Yes, I dose Red Sea AB+ and Red Sea Colors ABCD, but only a few drops every few days of the Colors as its a Nano and I'm trying to determine appropriate dosing. I have seen talk that Iodine helps corals almost like an antibiotic. However, grain of salt with anything I read once.

Depends on corals with respect to iodine. For certain, Xenia consume much iodine and activated carbon absorbs much iodine.

 

[Tegski]

Depends on corals with respect to iodine. For certain, Xenia consume much iodine and activated carbon absorbs much iodine.

No Xenia, but two types of GSP, a duncan, 2 zoas, a Paly, 2 hammers, the toadstool, and the sinularia, so they are consuming some iodine for sure. The water should contain trace elements and would likely have replenished most of them as this was a large water change. I will probably wait 24 hours before i dose anything just to not add even more variables to the system with the water change and microscopic Nem pieces everywhere.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Do a good water change and add Chemipure blue or Elite which comes in a pouch and will also keep phos and nitraye in check while polishing tank water.
Test ammonia and nitrate daily to assure reduction of toxins.

 

[Tegski]

Updates and questions:

Lost the Baby Mandarin and the Diamond Goby. So far, everything else has survived and looks fine. I did a 5gallon water change on it yesterday and almost ready to do a 5 gallon today.

I'm running SC Phosguard (was in there prior to Nem-Suicide) - Would you change out with fresh/switch with Chemipure?
I have a 40g amount of Activated Carbon in there. - How often should I change out?

I have a backup pack of Phosguard, a Pack of Chemipure Blue, and enough Carbon for a while.