My Magnificent Sea Anemone Journey....

[argiBK]

Mine definitely has a strong sting. If I’m doing tank work and am careless about brushing up against it, I can definitely feel it stinging/burning and the burn lasts a couple days. Giganteas seem to be more sticky, in my experience.

 

[Sdot]

Mine definitely has a strong sting. If I’m doing tank work and am careless about brushing up against it, I can definitely feel it stinging/burning and the burn lasts a couple days. Giganteas seem to be more sticky, in my experience.

Wow.. thanks for the information.

 

[Maxx]

Family i have a question.... how potent is the a healthy Mag sting? I know carpets are pretty potent and Bubbletips on the weaker end. I ask because feeding my Mag with tongs...i feel how sticky it is when removing the tongs.

I dont have particularly sensitive skin, but my old Yellow tipped H.Mag will burn the backs of your fingers/hands/wrists if you touch it. It feels like a chemical burn, (cause that's basically what it is) and you feel it quickly (within a few seconds) and it lasts for about 30 minutes. It isnt "painful" but it isnt pleasant either.
It took several years for it to get that "strong". Initially it was just sticky.

My current purple based one has never had a similar effect, and it's been in my care (for the most part) since Nov 2011.

 

[Maxx]

Magnifica does not sting much, not very sticky. However, when they do it is fairly potent. Magnifica often wipe out tank other than clownfish when they get partially damage by PH just like Gigantea and Haddoni.

I had one wipe out all fish except for my clowns after wandering into a powerhead. Including a Red Sea Regal Angel that had just started eating flake food....sigh.
That hurt.

 

[Sdot]

I had one wipe out all fish except for my clowns after wandering into a powerhead. Including a Red Sea Regal Angel that had just started eating flake food....sigh.
That hurt.

Wow.... good to know.

 

[Sdot]

I had one wipe out all fish except for my clowns after wandering into a powerhead. Including a Red Sea Regal Angel that had just started eating flake food....sigh.
That hurt.

Not to sound cryptic, what were the signs? Heavy breathing.... what?

 

[Maxx]

I honestly didnt have a warning.
Tank is downstairs, it was the day after Thanksgiving.
Woke up, went downstairs, and every fish by the clowns were motionless with expanded gill plates on the bottom of the tank and being blown with the current.
Externally, they appeared to look fine, so I'm assuming it was a respiratory issue related to nematocysts being released from the tentacles being shredded. But since a necropsy was not done on any of the fish, it's just conjecture from me.

I didnt lose anything else in the event, no corals, no shrimp, Derasa clam was fine, so were my clowns...so I'm assuming the gills were damaged by free floating nematocysts.

 

[gig 'em]

I honestly didnt have a warning.
Tank is downstairs, it was the day after Thanksgiving.
Woke up, went downstairs, and every fish by the clowns were motionless with expanded gill plates on the bottom of the tank and being blown with the current.
Externally, they appeared to look fine, so I'm assuming it was a respiratory issue related to nematocysts being released from the tentacles being shredded. But since a necropsy was not done on any of the fish, it's just conjecture from me.

I didnt lose anything else in the event, no corals, no shrimp, Derasa clam was fine, so were my clowns...so I'm assuming the gills were damaged by free floating nematocysts.

Same thing happened to me last year. I lost about 90% of my fish except for the smallest fish and my clowns. I hypothesized that the shredded stinging cells in the water stung the gills and made them swell up so the fish suffocated. Smaller fish were too small to allow the stinging bits into the gills and the clowns were immune. My own hypothesis though.

 

[Maxx]

That's as good as anything else I could theorize.
I can definitively state that anemones getting sucked into powerheads/pump intakes is bad for the anemone, and may not be good for fish.

Captain Obvious here saying stay tuned for more reef keeping tips and tricks next week.

 

[Sdot]

Hey Family and good evening. Another update...Houston we have progress! Ill take pix tomorrow if i dont forget, but the anemone is really starting to color up now....Its getting a light purple "haze" to it and its growing. I notice during feeding the anemone is very aggressive and very sticky, also the tentacles are getting longer as well.

Oh and on a side note.... the installation of my generator has begun!!

 

[Sdot]

Good morning family. As promised and i didnt forget!! Here is an updated pic from the same location for comparison purposes. You can clearly see its not nearly as bleached as it was before and is now getting a purple "Haze". Ill date stamp pix below.

Aug 6th

Sept 4th

Today Oct 5th

 

[argiBK]

Good morning family. As promised and i didnt forget!! Here is an updated pic from the same location for comparison purposes. You can clearly see its not nearly as bleached as it was before and is now getting a purple "Haze". Ill date stamp pix below.

Looking good! I'd say in a month it'll be back to full coloration.

 

[Sdot]

Looking good! I'd say in a month it'll be back to full coloration.

Thanks! and I hope you are right!!! Its been journey.

 

[Maxx]

Good morning family. As promised and i didnt forget!! Here is an updated pic from the same location for comparison purposes. You can clearly see its not nearly as bleached as it was before and is now getting a purple "Haze". Ill date stamp pix below.

Aug 6th

Sept 4th

Today Oct 5th

Hey Family and good evening. Another update...Houston we have progress! Ill take pix tomorrow if i dont forget, but the anemone is really starting to color up now....Its getting a light purple "haze" to it and its growing. I notice during feeding the anemone is very aggressive and very sticky, also the tentacles are getting longer as well.

Oh and on a side note.... the installation of my generator has begun!!

I'm jealous!

Is your Genset natural gas powered or another fuel source?

The nem is looking better day by day. I suspect full coloration is a little longer out than a month, but I bet it comes in sooner than you think. Keep it up!

 

[Sdot]

I'm jealous!

Is your Genset natural gas powered or another fuel source?

The nem is looking better day by day. I suspect full coloration is a little longer out than a month, but I bet it comes in sooner than you think. Keep it up!

Hey @Maxx, its uses natural gas that run my appliances in my home. Feeding for me has been the key its coming around.

 

[ca1ore]

Hey Family and good evening. Another update...Houston we have progress! Ill take pix tomorrow if i dont forget, but the anemone is really starting to color up now....Its getting a light purple "haze" to it and its growing. I notice during feeding the anemone is very aggressive and very sticky, also the tentacles are getting longer as well.

Oh and on a side note.... the installation of my generator has begun!!

Peace of mind = priceless! Particularly if you’re in the ‘path’ .... or live in a state with an old electrical grid ..... like CT.

 

[Sdot]

Peace of mind = priceless!

yes sir!!

 

[jamie1210]

Sdot, did you ever pinpoint what caused your mag to bleach? Was it just due to cipro treatment, or was it something else?

 

[Sdot]

Sdot, did you ever pinpoint what caused your mag to bleach? Was it just due to cipro treatment, or was it something else?

It was the cipro treatment for sure.

 

[Sdot]

Hey Family Sunday update! Pretty much more of the same.... still growing and getting more of its color back. I know I'm still a few months away, it looks like I'm moving in the right direction.