Help! Anenome got sucked into power head!

FroMan · 06/29/2006, 05:03 PM

I had purchaced an anenome over the past weekend. This is my first one. It has spent the last few days wandering around the tank. I didn't think it was a big deal, just looking for a place to call home.

I came home this evening and was perplexed as I couldn't find it. I looked at the power head and it was stuck to the bottom!!!

I've removed the bottom screen, but the anenome is kind of wound up in it. I tried to gently pry it off, but it is stuck pretty good. I left the screen on the sand bed with the power head off.

Any ideas? Is this thing toast? Shoud I just take it out before it dies and fouls the tank?

rkelman · 06/29/2006, 05:12 PM

Can you take the power head apart and unwind it? Is it stuck in the screen or around the impeller? I'm no expert but from what I've read anenome's don't heal well. Personally I'd move it to a qt tank or something from what I've heard they can really foul a tank bad if they die. Good luck that's really a shame for this to happen to a creature that could be very old.

crustin · 06/29/2006, 05:12 PM

i cut one off a rock one time, and the peice that was left grew another one

Sk8r · 06/29/2006, 05:45 PM

This anemone is very likely toast. They may tolerate cutting, but not shredding. If you can ID a part of his main body that is undamaged, you might take a razor and try to isolate and regrow that part in a very quiet qt tank, but for the rest---he's not in good shape. He will soon turn to very bad-smelling slime and poison your tank with ammonia and stray nematocysts, to put it unpleasantly. Act now, with a razor, if you can find any of him that's whole, once you get him out. Otherwise, just dispose of him entire. Run carbon in your tank and skim like mad, while testing for ammonia and nitrate. Remember that he is a 'colony' creature radially arranged, and part of him can be alive while other parts are dead. Try to respect his divisions if you have to dissect him and you will have a better chance of having some of his sections reorganize without the dead part.

reefdiva · 06/29/2006, 06:01 PM

My Sebae anemone gets sucked up by the top power head very often,but the bottom grade attachment on most power heads keeps it from actually get sucked up enough to do any real damage. I just pull the grade off the power head,and the anemone will let go itself on its own...it probably just thinks it being attacked. so prying it loose will just further the stress..let it be,,and it will let go on its own. In a couple days the aneomone will be pretty much back to normal. This is my exsperience with the situation..hope it helps.

Sk8r · 06/29/2006, 06:27 PM

Wow, here's hoping for the poor creature. Mine have not come to such a good end.

If you can get him out intact, abort all advice about sectioning him up, for sure. And get a shield on that power head, if you can contrive one. I have a bad area of my tank I have protected with a fine plastic mesh grid sold as, of all things, embroidery canvas in hobby stores.

DaveBrader · 06/29/2006, 07:26 PM

about a year ago, I had an Anemone get caught in the overflow. Tore it up pretty good, and I had to remove it from the overflow and flush the remainder of the mess.

However, interestingly, just a couple of weeks ago, I was harvesting some Chaeto from my sump, and found five beautiful Rose Bubble Tips about the size of a 50 cent piece. They have grown in the sump with no lighting other than the lights I run to grow my macroalgea, and no special feeding other than what comes along thru the sump...

I was very excited, and have given four of them to some people with Nano Tanks that wanted a small Anemone. Hopefully they don't over feed him so much he outgrows that Nano tank in too short a time.

Dave

FroMan · 06/29/2006, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sk8r
This anemone is very likely toast. They may tolerate cutting, but not shredding. If you can ID a part of his main body that is undamaged, you might take a razor and try to isolate and regrow that part in a very quiet qt tank, but for the rest---he's not in good shape. He will soon turn to very bad-smelling slime and poison your tank with ammonia and stray nematocysts, to put it unpleasantly. Act now, with a razor, if you can find any of him that's whole, once you get him out. Otherwise, just dispose of him entire. Run carbon in your tank and skim like mad, while testing for ammonia and nitrate. Remember that he is a 'colony' creature radially arranged, and part of him can be alive while other parts are dead. Try to respect his divisions if you have to dissect him and you will have a better chance of having some of his sections reorganize without the dead part.

Everyone thank you for your advice. Right now it looks like it has backed 90% of its self out of the screen at the bottom. It did not get shredded from what I can tell by the impeller.

I'm making up a bunch of water tonight to do a water change tomorrow just in case. I'm hoping that it will pull through over night. Although I have my doubts. I will check on it in the morning.

My other fish do not seem to be affected by it. They are all swimming around normally.

If it hasn't started to regain some of its "normal" shape size by morning, I'll pull it out of the tank.

Sk8r · 06/29/2006, 07:29 PM

So glad to hear that! Wise precautions---it was definitely stressed, but seems to have nine lives, for sure.

sloshesv · 06/29/2006, 09:11 PM

This is one of the advantages of tube anemones.

Amphiprion · 06/29/2006, 10:04 PM

Yes, just leave it alone for the time being and see how it does.

nathan_unsane · 06/29/2006, 11:13 PM

the only anemone that moves around is a carpet anemone. My others (sebea and rock flower anemone) don't move AT ALL! they have their little hole in the rock (lol) and havn't moved since i put them there

nathan_unsane · 06/29/2006, 11:14 PM

do anemones move around becuase their hungry?

or do they just get tired of being in one place?

benray4fun · 06/30/2006, 12:48 AM

Most anemones that move around are looking for favorable current more so than lighting.

I've had two stuck the same way, one died and the other survived. So I guess it depends on how bad the injuries are... IMO, leave it alone screen and all at the bottom and unplug the power head for now. Feed the fish normally to put nutrients into the water column as the anemone is a filter feeder and this will help'm. Do not do a water change as this will stress an injured anemone even more. Just leave'm alone and if he's gonna live, he'll come around by the end of the week..."good luck"

FroMan · 06/30/2006, 04:27 AM

as of this morning, 60% or so of the arms have regained their shape. It looks much better than it did last night. It has also moved locations from where it was.

I guess I'll have to see what it looks like after work

sloshesv · 06/30/2006, 08:22 AM

I had 2 beautiful BTA's that stayed put for over a year until one got a bug up it's ......foot. Then it moved into the other's space and all heck broke loose. I found them both nice homes and visit one often.

reverendmaynard · 06/30/2006, 08:55 AM

I've had this happen to my condy. It was stuck on the pre-filter pretty good, so I cut the pre-filter into pieces to get it off. It sure looked like a goner that day, but within a few days it started looking better, and now, about a month later, it looks better than ever.

If it's just the tentacles that are damaged, it should recover fine. If it's innards got sucked out of it's mouth, maybe not.

After that happened, I fashioned a screen out of gutter guard to keep anything from getting within 1" of the pre-filter.

FroMan · 06/30/2006, 04:00 PM

Well it definatly looks better than last night.

I just fed the tank and shot a few mysis its way. It grabbed on to the mysis and curled its self in to eat. Perhaps sunday or monday it will be back to normal?

06/29/2006, 05:03 PM	#1
FroMan Insane in the Brain Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Vernon, CT Posts: 1,389	Help! Anenome got sucked into power head! I had purchaced an anenome over the past weekend. This is my first one. It has spent the last few days wandering around the tank. I didn't think it was a big deal, just looking for a place to call home. I came home this evening and was perplexed as I couldn't find it. I looked at the power head and it was stuck to the bottom!!! I've removed the bottom screen, but the anenome is kind of wound up in it. I tried to gently pry it off, but it is stuck pretty good. I left the screen on the sand bed with the power head off. Any ideas? Is this thing toast? Shoud I just take it out before it dies and fouls the tank?

06/29/2006, 05:12 PM	#3
crustin Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: ga. Posts: 470	i cut one off a rock one time, and the peice that was left grew another one __________________ never give up Current Tank Info: 90g semi- reef

06/29/2006, 05:45 PM	#4
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	This anemone is very likely toast. They may tolerate cutting, but not shredding. If you can ID a part of his main body that is undamaged, you might take a razor and try to isolate and regrow that part in a very quiet qt tank, but for the rest---he's not in good shape. He will soon turn to very bad-smelling slime and poison your tank with ammonia and stray nematocysts, to put it unpleasantly. Act now, with a razor, if you can find any of him that's whole, once you get him out. Otherwise, just dispose of him entire. Run carbon in your tank and skim like mad, while testing for ammonia and nitrate. Remember that he is a 'colony' creature radially arranged, and part of him can be alive while other parts are dead. Try to respect his divisions if you have to dissect him and you will have a better chance of having some of his sections reorganize without the dead part. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

06/29/2006, 06:27 PM	#6
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Wow, here's hoping for the poor creature. Mine have not come to such a good end. If you can get him out intact, abort all advice about sectioning him up, for sure. And get a shield on that power head, if you can contrive one. I have a bad area of my tank I have protected with a fine plastic mesh grid sold as, of all things, embroidery canvas in hobby stores. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

06/29/2006, 07:29 PM	#9
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	So glad to hear that! Wise precautions---it was definitely stressed, but seems to have nine lives, for sure. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

06/29/2006, 05:12 PM	#2
rkelman Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Belleville, Ontario Canada Posts: 3,438	Can you take the power head apart and unwind it? Is it stuck in the screen or around the impeller? I'm no expert but from what I've read anenome's don't heal well. Personally I'd move it to a qt tank or something from what I've heard they can really foul a tank bad if they die. Good luck that's really a shame for this to happen to a creature that could be very old.

06/29/2006, 06:01 PM	#5
reefdiva Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Temple,TX Posts: 100	My Sebae anemone gets sucked up by the top power head very often,but the bottom grade attachment on most power heads keeps it from actually get sucked up enough to do any real damage. I just pull the grade off the power head,and the anemone will let go itself on its own...it probably just thinks it being attacked. so prying it loose will just further the stress..let it be,,and it will let go on its own. In a couple days the aneomone will be pretty much back to normal. This is my exsperience with the situation..hope it helps.

06/29/2006, 07:26 PM	#7
DaveBrader Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: St. George Utah Posts: 268	about a year ago, I had an Anemone get caught in the overflow. Tore it up pretty good, and I had to remove it from the overflow and flush the remainder of the mess. However, interestingly, just a couple of weeks ago, I was harvesting some Chaeto from my sump, and found five beautiful Rose Bubble Tips about the size of a 50 cent piece. They have grown in the sump with no lighting other than the lights I run to grow my macroalgea, and no special feeding other than what comes along thru the sump... I was very excited, and have given four of them to some people with Nano Tanks that wanted a small Anemone. Hopefully they don't over feed him so much he outgrows that Nano tank in too short a time. Dave

06/29/2006, 09:11 PM	#10
sloshesv Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: ft myers, fl Posts: 723	This is one of the advantages of tube anemones. __________________ It's just sloshesv, your Honor Current Tank Info: 55 gallon reef, 20 gal seahorse and leaf fish

06/29/2006, 10:04 PM	#11
Amphiprion Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mobile, AL Posts: 6,611	Yes, just leave it alone for the time being and see how it does. __________________ You've done it now, haven't you? Current Tank Info: 40g breeder patch reef w/ seagrass; 2-250w XM 10K; Vortech MP40wES & MP10wES; BM Curve 7 skimmer; carbon & occasional GFO

06/29/2006, 11:13 PM	#12
nathan_unsane Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: central florida Posts: 461	the only anemone that moves around is a carpet anemone. My others (sebea and rock flower anemone) don't move AT ALL! they have their little hole in the rock (lol) and havn't moved since i put them there

06/29/2006, 11:14 PM	#13
nathan_unsane Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: central florida Posts: 461	do anemones move around becuase their hungry? or do they just get tired of being in one place?

06/30/2006, 12:48 AM	#14
benray4fun Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hartford, CONNECTICUT Posts: 1,147	Most anemones that move around are looking for favorable current more so than lighting. I've had two stuck the same way, one died and the other survived. So I guess it depends on how bad the injuries are... IMO, leave it alone screen and all at the bottom and unplug the power head for now. Feed the fish normally to put nutrients into the water column as the anemone is a filter feeder and this will help'm. Do not do a water change as this will stress an injured anemone even more. Just leave'm alone and if he's gonna live, he'll come around by the end of the week..."good luck"

06/30/2006, 04:27 AM	#15
FroMan Insane in the Brain Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Vernon, CT Posts: 1,389	as of this morning, 60% or so of the arms have regained their shape. It looks much better than it did last night. It has also moved locations from where it was. I guess I'll have to see what it looks like after work

06/30/2006, 08:22 AM	#16
sloshesv Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: ft myers, fl Posts: 723	I had 2 beautiful BTA's that stayed put for over a year until one got a bug up it's ......foot. Then it moved into the other's space and all heck broke loose. I found them both nice homes and visit one often. __________________ It's just sloshesv, your Honor Current Tank Info: 55 gallon reef, 20 gal seahorse and leaf fish

06/30/2006, 08:55 AM	#17
reverendmaynard Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: RI Posts: 1,490	I've had this happen to my condy. It was stuck on the pre-filter pretty good, so I cut the pre-filter into pieces to get it off. It sure looked like a goner that day, but within a few days it started looking better, and now, about a month later, it looks better than ever. If it's just the tentacles that are damaged, it should recover fine. If it's innards got sucked out of it's mouth, maybe not. After that happened, I fashioned a screen out of gutter guard to keep anything from getting within 1" of the pre-filter. __________________ Think for yourself. Question authority. Current Tank Info: 125 gal AGA, setup on 1/1/06; 29 gal seahorse tank, setup 10/21/06

06/30/2006, 04:00 PM	#18
FroMan Insane in the Brain Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Vernon, CT Posts: 1,389	Well it definatly looks better than last night. I just fed the tank and shot a few mysis its way. It grabbed on to the mysis and curled its self in to eat. Perhaps sunday or monday it will be back to normal?