Zakary2003
Active Member
That's a great idea. I'll implement it tonight
Severely Abused BTA Anemone
- Thread starter Zakary2003
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Zakary2003
Active Member
Just a quick update: the nem has doubled in size, but it still doesn't like light and did not take kindly to the pvc connectors. It is currently eating a whole mysis shrimp every other day because it cannot photosynthesize. It is currently in a deli cup with a mesh lid in the overflow box of my waterbox cube 20. This allows me to easy feed it and keep it out of direct light while also protecting it from powerheads.
It still has no tentacles and no color. Does anyone have any suggestions to get it to regrow tentacles? I read a thread on here about giving a bleached nem a tentacle from a healthy nem to give it new zooxanthellae, but I don't think that will work until it has tentacles to photosynthesize with.
It still has no tentacles and no color. Does anyone have any suggestions to get it to regrow tentacles? I read a thread on here about giving a bleached nem a tentacle from a healthy nem to give it new zooxanthellae, but I don't think that will work until it has tentacles to photosynthesize with.
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Zakary2003
Active Member
Here is that thread about the tentacle transplant if anyone is curious. Thread 'Zooxanthellae Transplant for Bleached Anemones' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/zooxanthellae-transplant-for-bleached-anemones.758507/Just a quick update: the nem has doubled in size, but it still doesn't like light and did not take kindly to the pvc connectors. It is currently eating a whole mysis shrimp every other day because it cannot photosynthesize. It is currently in a deli cup with a mesh lid in the overflow box of my waterbox cube 20. This allows me to easy feed it and keep it out of direct light while also protecting it from powerheads.
It still has no tentacles and no color. Does anyone have any suggestions to get it to regrow tentacles? I read a thread on here about giving a bleached nem a tentacle from a healthy nem to give it new zooxanthellae, but I don't think that will work until it has tentacles to photosynthesize with.
Troylee
all about the diy!!!!!
Stop feeding it and get it in some flow and lower light… mine went through a blender and looks sad when it’s not in some decent flow.. crank the flow and it puffs up and looks half dead instead of melting away and spitting it’s guts out lol..
Zakary2003
Active Member
It will not tolerate even low light. I turned the light (ai prime 16hd with the saxby preset) down to 25% when I first introduced it to my tank and it would stay closed and shriveled all day until the lights turned 100% off. It would not even open under very low blue light in the evening. Feeding it has helped it grow, so why would I stop that? It is 100% bleached and cannot get food from photosynthesis, so wouldn't stopping cause it to starve (These are actual questions, not a rhetorical response)? It already looks significantly better than when I brought it home so I am very hesitant to change what I am doing in such a dramatic way without good reason.
Zakary2003
Active Member
Yeah that nem certainly looks beat up, but it still has some color and seems to be in good hands. If you read the original post I made, this one was neglected with no light for over a year, so it is a very different situation. Idk if I mentioned this or not, but there was also very little flow and they rarely topped off the water, so salinity was also too high and constantly swinging. It's a different situation and I think it would continue to wither away if I stopped feeding it, and it just isn't adapting well to higher flow or any amount of light.
Mr_Knightley
Valuable Member
It's reacting to light like that because it doesn't have fluorescent proteins to protect it from the light anymore. I see nothing wrong with doing a tentacle transplant now, they it might not have tentacles it can store and use the zoox in its oral disc as well. Good on you for keeping it alive for so long, that's really not easy. Wishing you the best.
jabberwock
2500 Club Member
Been a couple weeks? This journey may take months...
Zakary2003
Active Member
Yes I know. But I still wanted to give an update and look to see if anyone has any suggestions. I'm new to reefing and to anemones so I'm going to be asking a lot of questions. I'm definitely a little in over my head with this one.
jabberwock
2500 Club Member
I am learning from this thread myself. Keep up the good work!
Zakary2003
Active Member
Unfortunately I had to move my tank a few hours away to my college dorm room and the little anemone does not appear to have made it. He's currently in an acclimation box but he isn't sticking or reacting to touch
Troylee
all about the diy!!!!!
Mine actually pulled through after going through a blender lol… it’s small now but looks healthy and bubbles up and is happy… I haven’t fed it yet but will soon.
Zakary2003
Active Member
The problem is mine is bleached from its prior neglect, so it needs to be fed to survive and its in no state to feed. I'm not super optimistic about this guys chances.
TinyReefObsession
Active Member
I’m so sorry! I know we were all rooting for the little guy. How long ago was the tank move?
Zakary2003
Active Member
This is day three
TinyReefObsession
Active Member
Okay, hopefully still stressed from the move… poor little guy. I don’t know much about the timeframe, but when my tank was moved in from my neighbor across the hall, my (huge/ healthy) nem still looked puffed up and different for at least 2 days. Hopefully this guy is just temporarily hating life and will come back around.
Zakary2003
Active Member
Hopefully. He really doesn't look good though. Almost like he is on the verge of disintegrating.
Troylee
all about the diy!!!!!
Make sure he’s got some good flow on him so the water exchanges etc.. you’d be really surprised what these these things make it through.. here’s a before, blender and current picture.
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