Bubble tip nems….gremlins

[A_Blind_Reefer]

I knew these things (Rose Bubbletip nem) were trouble. It’s impossible not to get a Mogwai wet when they’re in an aquarium. I never fed them after midnight either. You start with one, then there’s another, and another, and another….and then they’re eating popcorn on your couch watching Snow White.

I tried the nem cannon thing to no avail. Having the world’s most buoyant sponge probably didn’t help. Not being able to see was another hurdle. Any efforts I made just resulted in the nems moving, making more nems, broken corals and bloody knuckles. Admittedly, I let things get out of hand but I just couldn’t figure out a way for me to deal with them. They were overtaking some sps, and stinging everything they could so I went nuclear and pulled rocks. Something I absolutely didn’t want to do as there’s no way I could ever get them back together.

I spent hours yesterday (pretty much the entire day really) dealing with this. There was a post where someone stated that they pulled rocks and the nems just let go and fell off when out of the water. Yeah, no sign of that happening for me. I ended up pulling six rocks to get three that were covered in nems. Then I broke off frags from corals on those rocks to be re glued to new spots later. I tried rinsing the rocks to release the nems, no luck. I tried hot water, no luck. Mind you, I can’t see for ******* so I really didn’t know where they were. I finally gave up and threw the rocks with nems in the sump (I’m sure I killed off everything with the hot water so my skimmer should smell wonderful soon), and tossed the rest back in the tank. Glueing frags here and there and tossing the rest. I tossed a pretty large colony of wet thumbs mother of pearl as I just couldn’t figure out how to put it back.its a fast-ish grower so I kept a couple frags.

It was a major pita for me really. The rocks aren’t very stable either (everything was epoxied way back when I started this tank and could still function) as I just loosely placed them wherever they fit. So, we’ll see if I killed the corals in my madness or if they grow back. My fish hate me for trashing their home. I was going to try and clean up some other stuff while I was in there but I spent way too much time (frustrating time at that) dealing with this project that should really only have taken thirty minutes to an hour for most.

 

[edsbeaker]

It sounds like a very frustrating day! I had a tank way back that had a really well behaved BTA that stayed in the same spot and never split. I now know that this is not the typical outcome. I’ve tried a couple other times to recreate that, but splits then moving then capturing and disposing became my life! Never again.

I think the only tank I will ever have them is in an anemone tank!

Add to your struggles that you can’t see well… I think it must have been near impossible! BTW…you have a beautiful tank!

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Thanks! My picture taking skills are abysmal.

Yeah, I’ve heard others that have had the perfect nem as well. Some will even state that the nems only split when they’re not happy and usually blame flow or something. I’m not so sure. Maybe they split when they are happy, or depending on specific latitude/longitude, or if they smell skittles in the air….who knows.

I’m with ya on never again! A nem tank could be nice!

 

[FishTruck]

I had a gremlins situation too. To protect my corals, I was using a siphon tube to vacuum them off each undesirable rock (or at least beat them up so much they wouldn't grow for awhile). The ones that survived the "siphon transporter}... I put into a BTA "sanctuary" in my fish room. I went from one to about 30! I was going to give them away.

Then... they all just closed up. Both tanks. They are all dying. Mixed feelings! I am glad to take a break from the hassle, but. the ones I had looked really cool and the clownfish loved them.

If any of them pull through... I will let them live. If they all just regress and die... I will most probably likely never but them again.

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

I had a gremlins situation too. To protect my corals, I was using a siphon tube to vacuum them off each undesirable rock (or at least beat them up so much they wouldn't grow for awhile). The ones that survived the "siphon transporter}... I put into a BTA "sanctuary" in my fish room. I went from one to about 30! I was going to give them away.

Then... they all just closed up. Both tanks. They are all dying. Mixed feelings! I am glad to take a break from the hassle, but. the ones I had looked really cool and the clownfish loved them.

If any of them pull through... I will let them live. If they all just regress and die... I will most probably likely never but them again.

I get that. I would have preferred the nem cannon working and saving them in the sump for someone else to take. I tried the best I could. I felt badly giving them the hot water treatment but I was left with no other option, so saving them wasn’t in the cards.

Funny about clowns, mine never took to nems. One loves a brain coral at feeding time when the tentacles are out but none ever went near nems. Actually, now that I’m thinking about it a had rock flower nems years ago and one clown would flip it to rub on the underside.