Ritteri Anemone

[avenad]

I think my anemone is either splitting or dying. From what I am seeing online, ritteri are not prolific splitters. My husband was the one who suggested that it might be splitting (possibly just to keep me from getting upset) but I am concerned about the other occupants on my tank. We have had the anemone for probably 4-5 months. He kept it in his tank until a little over a month ago when my tank was finally ready for it. Everything has been fine until yesterday. It stayed semi closed most of the day and wasn’t really interested in food. My husband suggested I feed it a small piece of shrimp but it mostly sour it out. Today, it is emitting a chunky white discharge. It is stretched relatively far across the back glass and the mouth looks extremely weird. It is slightly more open today than it was yesterday.

 

[lapin]

First of all howdy

Can you get a picture of the mouth and the whole thing?

If it is stressed do not try feed it anymore. Food will not help it right now.

 

[avenad]

Hello back!
Here is a close up of the mouth and one of the whole thing. After it didn’t take the shrimp, I kind of gave up on food for it.

 

[shred5]

Mags do split. I known people who have had them split but I have never witnessed it myself though.

That one looks really large but if it is ejecting stuff that is not food I would maybe think bacterial infection.

Mags especially large ones can be hard to move and can get torn real easily allowing for infection.

 

[avenad]

It quite large. When it is fully extended it is probably about a foot and a half wide. It’s sort of got a thread of white goop coming out of it right now.

 

[2Sunny]

What lighting do you have? How old is the aquarium? How many gallons? Can you list some of your parameters like temperature, salinity, and pH? Do you have a nearby LFS that can test for nitrate and phosphate?

That behavior is not unusual for a Ritteri when it is unhappy with new surroundings. It is not usually a sign of splitting. Do not bother trying to feed it when it looks like that.

 

[shred5]

Yea I had a H. Crispa for several years that got real large so I got a bigger aquarium for him. I went to grab the rock I thought he was on but he actually was slightly attached to another rock too. I think he got a little tear in his foot.
He looked fine for several weeks and then he went down hill. I tried to get some cipro but by the time I got it he was gone.

I cant say for sure what is happening. My Mags would deflate every once in a while when I had them.. Sometimes when in a new tank it may be adjusting to new lighting or what ever and look stressed. It may be stressed from not optimum conditions. What bothers me is the white discharge.

 

[avenad]

i have my husbands Loop. He only used it for a about six months before he upgraded to a larger tank. The tank is about six months old. Temp runs about 78°. Salinity is 1.025. The closest store to me is an hour away but my husband has an entire testing kit.

 

[avenad]

This one has been doing swimmingly. I was trying to think and I believe it has been in my tank for a little over a month now. Maybe longer. He has shrunk up before but usually it was a passing phase and he’d go back to normal. This charge is what is bothering me as well. I am used to a little bit of discharge after eating or something but this is just copious amounts.

 

[Jon Fishman]

Does not look like the type of extension and “flow” I would expect from a healthy Mag that size

 

[avenad]

Does not look like the type of extension and “flow” I would expect from a healthy Mag that size

No, that is what I am thinking. Normally it’s large and just kind of billows.

 

[2Sunny]

You want to eliminate the easy and obvious first, meaning nitrate, phosphate, and ammonia, and very important what lighting?

Here's my tank from 2011 and some of my past anemones that I sold just so you have some perspective of my background:

 

[avenad]

You want to eliminate the easy and obvious first, meaning nitrate, phosphate, and ammonia, and very important what lighting?

Here's my tank from 2011 and some of my past anemones that I sold just so you have some perspective of my background:

Those are beautiful. I am going to attach a screenshot of the lighting I have. My husband is working right now but should be home soon so I will use his test kit to get those levels.

 

[lapin]

Perhaps @OrionN can help

 

[gig 'em]

I would say that thing looks like death. When the mouth is that wide and gaping with deflated tentacles, treating it in a hospital tank with ciprofloxacin is usually the best immediate solution. Increasing flow to assist in gas exchange can also help, but the appearance of this one looks more urgent to me calling for medication to turn things around.

 

[OrionN]

I would treat it with an extral large tank, use 20-30 gal of water rather than the standard 10 gal of water since it is so large. Need to start treatment ASAP if there is any hope.

 

[2Sunny]

I am on the opposite side of the cipro discussion. I do NOT recommend treating any anemone ever with cipro. All evidence to the contrary is purely anecdotal, and is very popular among fans of Orion because he is a doctor so his word is considered "expert". I do not agree. Take that for what you will.

 

[OrionN]

I am on the opposite side of the cipro discussion. I do NOT recommend treating any anemone ever with cipro. All evidence to the contrary is purely anecdotal, and is very popular among fans of Orion because he is a doctor so his word is considered "expert". I do not agree. Take that for what you will.

Why is that? From my expreiences since trying to keep anemones since 1980, in all the cases, at this stage, without treatment the anemone will not make it.

 

[OrionN]

@2Sunny
The type of evidences we see in treating anemones with antibiotic are Observational Evidences.
We/I observed a cohort of sick anemones, most did well and live with antibiotic treatment.
We/I also observed a cohort of sick anemones that almost 100% died without treatment.

You are wrong in saying that these are "...purely anecdotal". You obviously does not know much about clinical trials or scientific experimentation and observation.
While the best evidence is in the form of control, double blind trial. Obviously we do not have the resources or the mean for this. Scientific advancements are full of observational evidences. There are limitation with each type of evidence. We need to recognizes and use them as such and compensated for their limitation, cannot over interrelated and reach wrong conclusion. Commonsense play a huge part in any advancement. Certainly antibiotic treatment for sick hard to keep anemones is a fairly large advancement in keeping anemones alive in captivity.

Have a happy Thanksgiving.

 

[Sdot]

Awww this kind of breaks my heart...two of my favorite people on this forum are at odds with each other. @2Sunny gave me the idea of keeping a magnificent anemone after seeing pictures of his beautiful reef along with his mag anemone in it. I decided to take the journey and keep this challenging anemone. FYI- I don't recommend most do this if your journey was anything like mine...they are advanced anemones for sure.

When I decided to go down the rabbit hole, @OrionN treatment method saved my anemone I believe. I would not recommend this method unless all other options have been exhausted, it does take a toll on the animal in my experience and caused it to bleach. Its a long road back, but I believe it saved mine.....

This is the progression of my purple mag:

Received it 03/07/20

Deflated later that day.
03/08/20 - Observed deflating again
03/09/20 - Observed deflating twice this day

03/10/20 - Started treatment

After treatment (9 days)i put it back in my display...looked great for a few weeks, then i noticed it was shrinking and losing color.

By June, its lost just about all of it colors and was half the size it was when i got it.

Thanks to covid i spent the next 3 months slowly getting it back to health and I'm now at the point where I feel its ok....Its now the middle of November.........

So i would caution anyone thinking about keeping them to really have your crap together....these are in a completely different league than bubble tips or LTA's. I have kept all 3 and current have bubbletips as well.... I completely understand why they are deemed expert only.

Just my 2cents.