Rock Flower Anemone Moved into Dark Hole

[wwarby]

I have a rock flower anemone which was happy on a rock where I originally placed him for a couple of months, then one morning I found it curled up in a ball in a back corner of my tank. I picked it up and placed it on a rock slightly lower down in the tank where it latched on for a couple of days, but then crept into a hole in the rockwork. Then this morning I noticed it had moved from that hole and was lying curled up in a swim through inside my rockwork where it was difficult to see. I tried to pick it up again, but instead fumbled it a bit because of the awkward angle, and suffice to say it's now tucked deep inside a crevice in the rockwork which must be almost pitch black and where I can't see it at all with no hope of manual removal unless I disassemble my aquascape.

It's a pretty frustrating outcome as the rock flower anemone was £100 - the most expensive animal in my tank and one of my favourites. Am I likely to see it again? Any ideas why it might have moved in the first place? I was feeding it chunks of meat once a week or so, and it seemed happy until it moved for no apparent reason.

 

[TokenReefer]

It will come out for light when it's ready I imagine. No xp with rfa specifically but my bta did the same thing and I was able to sort of convince it where a good spot was by blocking light in a v shape with the tip of the v pointed right at it and it (when ready) eventually came out nicely. Had to block other light though so it didn't have better options; also the flow has to be good there.... just my exp. Good luck with it.

 

[Bucs20fan]

Leave it be, Ive had the same thing happen. Youll do more harm trying to move it than anything. The nem will come out and find a happy place in due time.

 

[Nick Steele]

Agree with the above

While RFA don’t move as much as bubble tips they still move. I had one disappear for over two weeks before I found him upside down in a swim through. He came back out a few weeks later. I had 3 RFA (all the same size) at the time and the one that hide is still the smallest of the bunch.

 

[wwarby]

Thanks all - fingers crossed I see it again!

 

[Rp8]

Same thing as above. Let them be. They do what they want. You’ll know if the situation gets worse by how they act(or lack of) and a change in flesh texture

 

[wwarby]

Same thing as above. Let them be. They do what they want. You’ll know if the situation gets worse by how they act(or lack of) and a change in flesh texture

I definitely won't see any change in behaviour or flesh texture where it is at the moment unfortunately - it's not somewhere that I can see a little corner of it or anything, it's utterly inside the rock - the only reason I know where it is is because I knocked it into that position trying to pick it up and move it, and I could just about feel it with a gloved hand contorted around the back of the rock work. If it decides to make that spot it's new home I'll never see it again, so fingers crossed it decides it doesn't like total darkness and crawls back out.

I wish RFAs weren't so expensive - I really like it but at £100 each ($125) in the UK, I won't be buying another one in a hurry.

 

[wwarby]

I’m losing the will to live with this anemone. It floated out of the cave it had disappeared into, and I’ve since moved it about 6 times because I kept finding it upside down in some random place in the tank. My shrimps attack it’s foot when it’s upside down so I didn’t feel right leaving it alone.

Each time I’ve moved it, I’ve put it in a spot where it has a hole or a bit of jagged rock to grip onto and low enough flow for it not to be blown away and I’ve tried various light levels. Each time though it seems to have moved by the next day. Right now it’s riding around upside down on a snail’s back.

It seems to be alive still, from what I can see if it’s closed up body the colours haven’t faded, but it seems utterly unwilling to latch onto a rock right side up. Anything I can do to get it to behave? Right now I’m inclined to pretty much just leave it alone and see if it can find a sensible place to live on its own.

 

[Nick Steele]

I would leave it be tbh let it find its place to live. Mine seem to like being right against the rocks in the sand. 1 out of the three I have is actually on the rock work. I’ll grab pics in morning if you’d like.

Yeah it’s tough being an expensive coral that you’re not sure what it’s going to do. Luckily in the US they are cheap I think I’ve only paid 30 for my most expensive one and 10 for the other 2.

 

[Rp8]

They have their own mind for sure. 2 of 5 of mine I haven’t seen in a few weeks. They will find their own place

 

[wwarby]

I would leave it be tbh let it find its place to live. Mine seem to like being right against the rocks in the sand. 1 out of the three I have is actually on the rock work. I’ll grab pics in morning if you’d like.

Yeah it’s tough being an expensive coral that you’re not sure what it’s going to do. Luckily in the US they are cheap I think I’ve only paid 30 for my most expensive one and 10 for the other 2.

Yeah, I’ve tried placing mine right down by the sand, and it still wandered off. I’ll leave it alone and see if it turns up somewhere I can see it. I wish they were that cheap here - I’d be a lot less bothered by it. They’re hard to come by at all in the U.K., especially in nice colours, and at least $100-120. Fingers crossed I eventually get a bit more luck with it.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

If its letting go and letting itself float around every day, then I suspect something is nibbling at it. Been there, done that. They can move, releasing is a desperation act, I'm sure something is bothering it.

 

[doubleshot00]

If its letting go and letting itself float around every day, then I suspect something is nibbling at it. Been there, done that. They can move, releasing is a desperation act, I'm sure something is bothering it.

Yeah they shouldnt ever let go. Just crawl around to find its favorite spot. I have 6 in my tank and only one went for a long journey. Three only moved 3-6" and 2 stayed put and have been there months. You can get them off if you have full access to them.

 

[jabberwock]

Yeah, I’ve tried placing mine right down by the sand, and it still wandered off. I’ll leave it alone and see if it turns up somewhere I can see it. I wish they were that cheap here - I’d be a lot less bothered by it. They’re hard to come by at all in the U.K., especially in nice colours, and at least $100-120. Fingers crossed I eventually get a bit more luck with it.

Everyone keeps telling you to leave it alone, but you are still trying to "place" it and likely causing it more stress.

 

[wwarby]

If it’s letting go and letting itself float around every day, then I suspect something is nibbling at it. Been there, done that. They can move, releasing is a desperation act, I'm sure something is bothering it.

Yeah, my peppermint shrimp is definitely interfering with it now although I never saw any shrimps bothering it before it let go except when I fed it and the shrimps would try to steal the food (I held them off using tongs as a barrier for a few minutes). Now though, the peppermint and the cleaner have both been seen picking at it’s underside.

I’ve left it alone for several days at this point and if it’s not dead or dying I’d be amazed. It’s spent most of its time upside down, scrunched up, looking thinner than ever.

I have a hunch it left the rock originally because it was getting too much light - I had placed it about half way up the tank, although it certainly could have been being picked on. Either way I’m not holding out much hope for it now.

 

[wwarby]

Everyone keeps telling you to leave it alone, but you are still trying to "place" it and likely causing it more stress.

I meant I had tried that previously, but yeah, I did try a few times to make it end up somewhere I wanted it, and it didn’t work out well. Doesn’t seem like leaving it alone is doing it much good either to be fair, but perhaps I’ve stressed it or it’s being attacked to the point where it can’t recover. Keeping my fingers crossed for it, but may have to chalk this one up to experience.

 

[TokenReefer]

If it isn't dead yet there's hope; give it time. The timeline for these things is more like weeks, not days. I think mine hid for a solid week before showing some interest in getting to the light...

 

[wwarby]

Sadly I think it is dead now. I have shrimps and hermits in my tank that are generally well behaved, but an upside down RFA was just too tempting for them and they've been picking at it's soft underside today. I didn't really know what to do about it - I've tried shooing the attack gang away with tongs but they just come back. I suppose I could have put it in a protective tupperware with a mesh lid, but I think it may have been too little too late anyway. I've left it in the tank just in case I've misinterpreted what I'm seeing, but I'd be very surprised if it recovers now.

 

[kevgib67]

Sorry to hear this, so frustrating. I bought my first rfa last spring, put it front and center on the rock. I was so pleased I was going to go back to my lfs and buy the other 4 they had. Then my skunk cleaner shrimp found it and began picking at it relentlessly. It moved a couple of inches the next day and again the shrimp was all over it and it stayed closed up like a ball. The fallowing day it wasn’t anywhere to be seen. The next day it was back and the shrimp was all over it. The next day gone and I never have seen it again. I really liked the colors. When the shrimp goes to a nursing home I hope to get a few and let them get established before adding another shrimp.

 

[wwarby]

Sorry to hear this, so frustrating. I bought my first rfa last spring, put it front and center on the rock. I was so pleased I was going to go back to my lfs and buy the other 4 they had. Then my skunk cleaner shrimp found it and began picking at it relentlessly. It moved a couple of inches the next day and again the shrimp was all over it and it stayed closed up like a ball. The fallowing day it wasn’t anywhere to be seen. The next day it was back and the shrimp was all over it. The next day gone and I never have seen it again. I really liked the colors. When the shrimp goes to a nursing home I hope to get a few and let them get established before adding another shrimp.

Yeah, mine seemed pretty happy where it was for about two months until out of nowhere it turned up in a corner of the tank. I really liked it but they’re too expensive here in the U.K. so I doubt I’ll try another one any time soon.