Help diagnosing the loss of my anemone...

[jgvergo]

I'm sad to say that my anemone died yesterday and I'm trying to understand what happened so I can prevent a similar occurrence in the future. Any thoughts on this are very much apreciated. Here are the facts...

85 gallon DT, 115 gal total water volume
Ammonia - 0.0
Nitrites - 0.0
Nitrates - 0.05 (maybe 0.0, it's hard to tell sometimes with my test kit)
dKH - 9.5
Ca - 430
Mg - 1500 (I increased the MG levels fro 1350 to 1500 about a month ago in an effort to grow coralline)
My tank is almost 6 months old. I had the anemone for 3 months during which time it seemed to be very healthy. I typically target fed it chopped-up shrimp. I assume it also ate some of the mysis and cyclops I feed the rest of my inhabitants.

About 2 weeks ago, I increased the flow and changed the flow pattern. To my surprise, the anemone moved a couple of times. However, it looked healthy up until 1-2 days ago. Then I noticed that it was not eating as well and it looked like it was becoming less attached to the bottom of the tank. Yesterday I found the remains in my powerhead.

That's everything I can think of. Thoughts?

 

[greg 45]

There isn't a simple answer to this. Your nem might look happy on the outside but on the inside there might be a infection. When they are ill or not happy they don't give off a warning sign. They aren't like fish or sps . Moving around is ok they do need to find a happy spot . Moving for extended periods of time not so good . I spoke with a few people at the RAP show here and the best knowledge passed on to me was if we could genetically clone them we would be better off. Try to purchase a healthy nem from a person you know or someone who had the nem for some time. If you mail order be prepared to treat the nem , this takes time and patients . Hope some of this helps.

 

[jgvergo]

There isn't a simple answer to this. Your nem might look happy on the outside but on the inside there might be a infection. When they are ill or not happy they don't give off a warning sign. They aren't like fish or sps . Moving around is ok they do need to find a happy spot . Moving for extended periods of time not so good . I spoke with a few people at the RAP show here and the best knowledge passed on to me was if we could genetically clone them we would be better off. Try to purchase a healthy nem from a person you know or someone who had the nem for some time. If you mail order be prepared to treat the nem , this takes time and patients . Hope some of this helps.

Greg, I guess I assumed that having it for three months was an indication that it was healthy. I did mail order the nem, but I thought I was well past the point where I needed to worry about it. What should I have been treating it with? I did not do anything special with the one that just died.

 

[greg 45]

I know nem keeper have them over 2 years and they perish for no reason. I wish that I knew all the answers. There are a few on the board who also have been doing this a long time. A few good people and yes missing some OrionN taylor t . Look up some of there articles this may help.