Treatment Protocol for Sick Anemones

[Cell]

No need to get harsh, I was simply saying I would quarantine at that point. I actually have a recovering nem right now who was nearly as bleached as this, and since OP was unaware of the dangers of dead nems, that was why I suggested pulling.

OP, if you choose to leave it in the tank, make sure you are carefully monitoring. If it detaches from the rock, or its foot is no longer sticky, or if it starts to smell, those are all signs it is dying and more intervention is required. In the meantime, keep wracking your brain and see if you can think of any environmental changes that might have caused it to stress. You can also offer it some very small pieces of frozen mysis or uncooked shrimp. You want to keep the pieces very little because digesting food takes quite a bit of energy for an anemone, but it could probably use the extra boost with so much bleaching, as the xooanthelae that give it its color also provide nutrition and a bleached nem means they’re gone.

No, you weren't saying quarantine in this post. And it was poor advice. Sorry if offended.

That’s a pretty bleached nem, bud. I’d cut your losses and get it out of your tank before it runs the risk of doing some serious damage. Sorry to see it go, losing livestock sucks.

 

[mileysmustache]

No, you weren't saying quarantine in this post. And it was poor advice. Sorry if offended.

Sure, if you only quote half of what I posted.

Different husbandry doesn’t necessarily mean wrong husbandry and I was not out of line by suggesting to someone who was not aware a sick anemone could nuke their tank that they pull it, temporarily or not.

 

[Cell]

Nope, that was the entire post. You made another post 15 min later mentioning quarantine. No sense in arguing, you can see for yourself. The post I quoted was quite clear. Moving on now.

 

[Sdot]

Im glad i found this thread! I will be treating an anemone with cipro.... however i think i ordered the 500mg pills instead of the 250. Is it as simple as breaking them in half?

 

[lpsouth1978]

Im glad i found this thread! I will be treating an anemone with cipro.... however i think i ordered the 500mg pills instead of the 250. Is it as simple as breaking them in half?

Yup. I use a 5g tank for my anemone QT and cut the pills in 3rds (since actual water volume is only about 3g).

 

[Sdot]

Yup. I use a 5g tank for my anemone QT and cut the pills in 3rds (since actual water volume is only about 3g).

Thanks I was going to buy another aquarium... I currently have a 3 gallon of which i was going to use 2.5. do you think that would work? Trying to treat this beauty

 

[lpsouth1978]

I would think that will work. I do daily 100% daily water changes during the treatment period. I will be treating a purple Haddoni I just ordered, starting Saturday.

 

[Sdot]

I think treating for 7 days has been the most effective for me. Usually when the deflation stops, you'll want to treat for another 2-3 days afterwards. Deflation typically stops about the 4 day mark- give or take a day. Terminating treatment early can result in a dead anemone or a drug resistant pathogen. It is my opinion that "some" wholesalers are running low-level antibiotics in their holding tanks or stopping treatment too early. This is why some anemones do not respond to treatment. It's what we refer to in the hospital as MDRO's. (Multi-Drug Resistant Organisms) Moving on...


Using a 10/g Gallon tank has been the easiest for me. I use a lot of 5/G tanks as well to save saltwater. All you need is a small heater, powerhead, and egg-crate to protect the anemone. Put the anemone on one side and the egg-crate, heater, and powerhead on the other. When you do a water change, suck all the detritus off the bottom of the HT, but do not get close to the Nem. I have sucked up more than I can count and I believe that it resulted in a few deaths. I know, it's that one piece of sand, black pellet, string hanging around the column, etc..that will bug you to death. Trust me, just let it be unless you know you can get it easily without causing trauma to the Nem. As far as discarding the water, the light breaks down the antibiotic in the 24 hour period and you can just flush it or pump it down the sink with no ill effects. When you add new water, make sure it's heated, aged at least 24 hrs, and SG matched to previous HT tank water. That's basically it. Any questions, feel free to PM me for help or opinions. Or you can ask JustinKY and Clorox who will be here shortly. They both have experience as well.


One other thing I would like to note:

Bactrim or aka Septra DS works very well too. I recommend treating with that first. Lately, we've used Septra more than Cipro with fantastic results on S. Gigantea and S. Haddoni. Cipro seems to work the best on H. Magnifica's. Septra is made of Sulfamethoxazole 800 mg and Trimethoprim 160 mg. The dose is one pill to every 10/G. However, let it be known that Gigs seem to overdose on Septra after long Treatment times. This is not confirmed, but we think that's what happens. So going forward, it might be a good idea to dose half a pill to 10/G. Good luck!

So after the initial dose, remove and replace 50% of the water each day and continue to dose for 7 days?

 

[lpsouth1978]

So after the initial dose, remove and replace 50% of the water each day and continue to dose for 7 days?

You got it. I actually change as close to 100% daily as I can. Has worked well on all my carpets so far.

 

[Sdot]

Aight guys wish me luck! Today is the 1st day and the 1st time im doing this.

Took my Purple Mag out and into the hospital tank. Really nervous...i want this baby to live! I see stuff coming out of its mouth.....

 

[Sdot]

Please tell me this is normal... the anemone looks worse...

 

[Sdot]

I think the anemone is dead.... This photo was taken this morning:

 

[AcroNem]

I think the anemone is dead.... This photo was taken this morning:

I've seen and treated nems that looked like piles of goo and came back from it. It looks pretty bad but keep going until it's for sure a goner. How many days has it been treated?

 

[Sdot]

I've seen and treated nems that looked like piles of goo and came back from it. It looks pretty bad but keep going until it's for sure a goner. How many days has it been treated?

Today is day 3.

 

[AcroNem]

I'd keep going with treatment, do you have flow in your treatment tank?

 

[Sdot]

I'd keep going with treatment, do you have flow in your treatment tank?

Yes the top right hand corner is the circulation pump.

 

[Sdot]

I've seen and treated nems that looked like piles of goo and came back from it. It looks pretty bad but keep going until it's for sure a goner. How many days has it been treated?

Thats very promising... i really want it to make it.

 

[Lenett]

Very nice! Great job my brother!

Beautiful!

 

[beolson25]

Any update on that anemone? The most recent one?

 

[OrionN]

Here is a thread about this anemone
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-magnificent-sea-anemone-journey.700372/