Introduction of a New Nem, follow along!

[Amoo]

Busy with indoc, just wanted to share this with you guys on the quick. The nem has been in my tank literally less than 10 minutes. This is an example though of why if you want almost 100% success with your clown hosting a Nem, you want to put them together with their Natural Sea Hosts, not just ones that MAY host in a home aquarium.

This is two Piccasso's, both captive bread, have been in an H Mag before in my system, but this is a completely new nem in a completely different tank.

Sorry about the crap phone pic, still working on getting this thing adjusted, I have a busy next 4 hours ahead of me at minimum.

 

[Amoo]

I'm going to document this with pictures so people can see how I receive and acclimate a new nem so follow along if you guys want a school lesson. I'll go into where my light intensity is currently at, what par the nem is at, what the nem itself is telling me by how it looks...etc. Stay tuned

 

[Florida Sunshine]

Do you have a list of what type of anemones naturally host what type of clown? I saw one years ago but can't seem to find it now.
Thanks

 

[Amoo]

This is the one I quick reference the most as it has legitimate scientific documentation to go along with it.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm

 

[Amoo]

*Important note, I HAVE to run a scheduled errand, Anemone has been in the tank for 35 minutes, 25 of those with the gyre running. I am turning my Gyre off while I am gone and using just the return pump for flow until I return as not able to obserrve and too great a chance of walking as lights currently ramping up. Will return shortly.

 

[keddre]

*Important note, I HAVE to run a scheduled errand, Anemone has been in the tank for 35 minutes, 25 of those with the gyre running. I am turning my Gyre off while I am gone and using just the return pump for flow until I return as not able to obserrve and too great a chance of walking as lights currently ramping up. Will return shortly.

Curious on why you want to turn it off, wouldn't you want to leave it on so that your nem can find a spot while the tank has its usual flow pattern?

 

[dylana407]

First, beautiful clowns. I think that clowns that have been hosted would naturally look for another host when they are moved or lost their host. Whereas clowns that have never been host will takes a while for natural instincts to kick in? My 2 clowns have been with my 2 BTA for about 6 months and they have come close to the BTA. They are still small. I hope when they get bigger/older they will be hosted.

 

[Amoo]

Curious on why you want to turn it off, wouldn't you want to leave it on so that your nem can find a spot while the tank has its usual flow pattern?

Not if it can't be supervised. It's impairative that you are able to keep an eye on your new nem for the first few hours as it is acclimating to your lighting and your tank. The chances of him walking due to lack of flow on a newly acquired nem vs the chances of him finding the power head and becoming soup are too high.

First, beautiful clowns. I think that clowns that have been hosted would naturally look for another host when they are moved or lost their host. Whereas clowns that have never been host will takes a while for natural instincts to kick in? My 2 clowns have been with my 2 BTA for about 6 months and they have come close to the BTA. They are still small. I hope when they get bigger/older they will be hosted.

Every fish is obviously an individual. That said, I personally have not seen a pair of clowns paired with a natural in the ocean host, whether the clowns were captive bred or wild, that wouldn't go into a nem at most within a few hours of it's introduction to the tank. There's going to be one offs here and there, but 99 times out of 100 proper pairing leads to success.

 

[Amoo]

Ok let's back up here and review how we got to where we are at.

10:30: nem was received and immediately bag was removed from box and placed in sump to temperature acclimate. At this point I have not seen the Nem yet.

10:50: Nem is removed from sump, bag opened and immediately dumped into a clean and dry 5 gallon bucket. Salinity is immediately checked, and reads 35 ppm. At this moment I have both a QT setup along with everything in my "How I Cipro" sticky to convert that qt into an rx based on the condition of the nem. It's now time for visual inspection and scoring based on the system I talk about in that thread. Mouth is inspected and it 95% closed, foot is inspected for any tears or damage none are found. Nem looks slightly deflated as to be expected after a trip from Wisconsin to GA but not droopy. Tentacles are inspected for stickiness and are consistent with that of a healthy specimen. AT this point the Nem is given a score of 1. Does not show any immediate worrying signs beyond the expected stress level from a trip of this length. No discoloration and no expelling of Zoos in the bag/water dumped into the bucket. 3 or better and I send the nem into a stable DT as quickly as possible assuming matching salinity. Please remember all of this is critical and must be done as quickly as possible as the nem is now sitting in a bag of water that has been opened which means toxicity levels very rapidly increase.

10:55: Nem place in what I feel will be an ideal location for flow and lighting with power heads turned off.

Here's a good shot of it's physical condition within seconds of putting in in the DT which is why I chose the DT over the QT or RX tank.

11:15. Nem has responded well to current PAR, appears to be settling in. Showing slight inflation and mouth remains closed. Clowns have already found it and are beginning to introduce themselves. Nem is not being agitated or pulling away or reacting poorly to this acclimation so tank is not separated to allow Nem to settle. Power head(s) restored to normal flow.

11:35: Nem has not moved, continues showing improvement. Tentacles are becoming more inflated, mouth remains very tight. Current par level is checked:

Knowing I must be out of the house for about an hour the powerheads are now turned back off until I return.

12:45: Return from errands, immediately check condition of nem. He has continued to slightly inflate, has moved approximately 2 millimeters higher on the rock which it typical for this species as they will most always climb to the highest point of the rock structure they are placed on to get as much light as possible. Power head flow is restored immediately and PAR is checked.

 

[Amoo]

Ok for those of you guys doing this without a PAR meter, please pay very close attention to how I describe the way the Nem is acting and responding to both flow and lighting. Acclimation can and has certainly been done without a PAR meter, the important things are to know the signs and differences of how your chosen species reacts when it is unhappy with one or the other or tank conditions...etc.

 

[Amoo]

1:10: Nem is beginning to stretch out it's foot showing it is happy with it's placement. As you can see the foot is looking very flat against the rock surface and is not bubbled out like it mat be trying to move itself. You can see from the picture the beautiful red column which this species can sometimes rarely have. Tentacles continue to inflate. Mouth remains the same or slightly stretched, but not droupping and not of any concern. PAR is measured at 175 as peak PAR will begin at 2pm and is expected to be between 275-350 PAR based on the PAR numbers recorded in my Amoo's Pasture Thread linked in signature. Clowns continue socialization with Nem.

Once the base of the foot is fully stretched out on that rock I'm expecting the nem to either start to extend it's base or shorten it's base, which will indicate either a happiness or displeasure with the currently lighting conditions. DD stated specifically this Nem was previously kept under metal halides so light acclimation is of extreme importance here. Close attention must be paid to how the Nem reacts to the light as we hit peak lighting conditions for the tank as it's physical body language will indicate either a happiness or displeasure.

 

[Dystinction]

Great thread, and interesting read through.
I'm not really a Nem guy myself, however, I always find it interesting and educational to follow along.

Questions:

1. What type of anemone is this?
2. You mention PAR a couple of times. Are you monitoring PAR, or checking the PAR level that the anemone settles at, for a reference point/historical data? Or are you looking to settle the anemone into a specific PAR zone?

Thanks for the great information, and keep it coming!

 

[Amoo]

Great thread, and interesting read through.
I'm not really a Nem guy myself, however, I always find it interesting and educational to follow along.

Questions:

1. What type of anemone is this?
2. You mention PAR a couple of times. Are you monitoring PAR, or checking the PAR level that the anemone settles at, for a reference point/historical data? Or are you looking to settle the anemone into a specific PAR zone?

Thanks for the great information, and keep it coming!

1. Heteractis magnifica - http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/hetmagnifica.htm

Many of you know this Nem by it's common name Ritteri.

2. I have the Apex par meter and I have a list of expected PAR levels in my tank in my pasture thread as mentioned. I do not feel the need to regularly monitor PAR, so most of the time the meter is outside of the tank. I'm currently spot checking PAR about every 30 minutes and making a reference to it in relation to how the anemone is responding. Keep in mind I set this PAR levels for this tank based on my experience keeping this species. I may end up having to tweak slightly up or down based on how it responds. Either way I'm not attempting to force him into a certain PAR, I'm watching him tell me what PAR he wants.

I've found this species to be very expressive with their bodys over the few years I have been studying them. Most Nems are, but this is my personal wheelhouse and passion. I do not consider myself an source level expert on them, but I am extremely well educated about them and very experienced with them. Just like some people believe Dogs and cats communicate with us based on their body language (pretty much proved but folks still don't believe), I'm of the belief Nems have their own way of showing and telling us when they are and aren't happy and what the potential problem is. Nem whispering if you will.

 

[Dystinction]

Very interesting.
Thanks again for taking the time to do this, and pass along some of your wisdom!

....you better not turn me into a Nem guy though!

 

[Amoo]

Very interesting.
Thanks again for taking the time to do this, and pass along some of your wisdom!

....you better not turn me into a Nem guy though!

You're safe man, I can't imagine why somebody would want something so primitive as this in their system

 

[Amoo]

2:00: Nem continue to stretch it's base. We're now beginning our midday peek PAR ramp which hit's it's max at 4:30. You can see how on the front side the foot looks bubbled, this is an indicator it is repositioning itself. What the picture does not show is the back side, which you can barely see off to the right and how it is firmly attached. If the whole foot looked like the front, he'd be getting ready for a massive float about. Current shape and activity of the foot indicates stretching out and widening it's base. The oral disc column has not begun to fully open yet. This is an indicator that it is still settling. It has begun showing signs of extending it's base vertically, which is a good sign. For the time being everything is about the foot as it is spreading out over the rockwork trying to get comfortable. My hope is this rock is smooth enough that it finds comfort, if it continues to wiggle around slightly shifting into tonight and to tomorrow I may need to modify (flatten) the top of the rock to allow it a more firm grasp. Currently things are continuing as hoped/planned/expected.

EDIT: Current PAR 286

Note the animal is obviously in constant movement, sometimes the blurry picture is the one that best illustrates the things I am talking about so as with this case, this is the one you guys get, sorry

 

[Amoo]

2:45: Tank feeding, testing and dosing all happen around 2:45 in my tank. I mashed my Reef Frenzy up extra tiny today as the main goal was to definitely NOT feed the nem. Fish were fed on opposite side of the tank and powerhead was turned off for 10 minutes.

3:00: Flow has been restored for 5 minutes. Nem didn't appear to catch any of the tiny tiny floating food particles that passed by which is good we DO NOT want to feed it while it's still acclimating. Too many variables. You can clearly see in the picture the foot appears to be about 95% stretched and settled. This is a good thing as that indicates it's likely to stay put. It has not yet fully opened it's oral disc, which is expected still at this point, but the base is starting to extend upwards. This is a very good sign and indicative of a happy nem. Over the next hour I will be watching the continued expanse of the column as well as the continued opening of the oral disc. Once we have achieved all of those things, we should be in the clear for the day. Current PAR is 309

Do note we're 4 hours post introduction into the tank and I'm still very carefully observing and looking for signs that tell me things are going well or something is off. Nems are definitely not a set it and forget it, especially so with the more difficult ones, but this same thing can and should be done regardless of species.

 

[Amoo]

4:00: Movement on this side of the foot appears to have stopped. The left side still has a little bit of a ways to go. He's slowly starting to extend his base vertically further but has yet to fully open the oral disc. That said he has begun starting to hold it out away from it's body more which is a sign it should begin opening soon. While still not fully open it does not appear to be shriveling from the light intensity and doesn't look to be trying to move away from it either. These are all things I'm slowly watching for as they tell me it's happy with the lighting it is receiving and it's not being blasted too quickly. 4:30 is max par in my tank then we head back down the other side. So far no signs of regression or anything concerning. We're past the watching the foot stage at this point and have moved into watching the base and oral disc. Current PAP is 319.

 

[Amoo]

4:30 Peak PAR 339

 

[CPL376]

one day you're going to wake up and that thing will be up the side of your glass. I too love anemones but it's going to get to where it wants to be no matter what you want. Good luck. Hopefully it will cooperate with you