GBTA

CandyCane · #1 04-19-2011, 03:31 AM

Two or three days ago I got a yellow stripe maroon clown and a 1" green bubble tip anemone host for it to live in. It took to the tank right away after being added and opened up really big, didnt move around much. Clown is doing great but I have not been able to get the anemone to eat shrimp chunks or silversides. Today I tried moving the light over it a little more and when I got home it was shrunken up, very dark brown foot, mouth wide open, and completely off its rock just floating around on the tank bottom. The little 4cm clown has been trying to nurse it back.

So far all I could think of doing was topping the tank up with fresh water and turning the lights off. Right sided the anemone. It put its foot back down but is now trying to squish itself under the rock... I'm so confused about what happened.

cathyg_99 · #2 04-19-2011, 03:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CandyCane

Two or three days ago I got a yellow stripe maroon clown and a 1" green bubble tip anemone host for it to live in. It took to the tank right away after being added and opened up really big, didnt move around much. Clown is doing great but I have not been able to get the anemone to eat shrimp chunks or silversides. Today I tried moving the light over it a little more and when I got home it was shrunken up, very dark brown foot, mouth wide open, and completely off its rock just floating around on the tank bottom. The little 4cm clown has been trying to nurse it back.

So far all I could think of doing was topping the tank up with fresh water and turning the lights off. Right sided the anemone. It put its foot back down but is now trying to squish itself under the rock... I'm so confused about what happened.

if its not eating whole chunks i would take a turkey baster and shoot the bloody/brine shrimp over it, that seemed to help mine... it didnt go brown or float but it did shrivel up and open its mouth WIDE

mws · #3 04-19-2011, 04:07 AM

shrimp chunks should not be bigger then nems mouth and have no shell on it.
I never had any luck with silversides, I think because of the bone.
You have to give it a week after the move to settle down and be comfortable, before you start feeding it.
Did you say it's 1 inch big? then it differently will not take anything bigger then a mysis shrimp.

CandyCane · #4 04-20-2011, 01:37 AM

Okay thanks a bunch

nobody ever told me at the store what size of food to feed. I've got tuns of frozen food around I'll try squirting some its way tonight. It's been about 4 days now, should I actually wait another 3 days? Also I adjusted the lighting and stuck it between a bunch of big rocks in the sand so it couldnt get flipped over by my clown freeking out about it. Today it opened up big again, still doesnt have a "sticky" feel to its tenticals though so doubt it would eat....?

mws · #5 04-20-2011, 03:10 AM

You should wait as long as it takes for it to be happy. There is no point to feed an upset nem. If the tentacles are not sticky food will probably irritate it even more and you will be to square one again. Some people never feed there nems, food is not something it required daily.
Don't touch it, let it find a spot it likes, even if it doesn't looks like a good spot to you. When they stressed, they will move to a spot with no light at all. When my nems split, some will go to heal into shaded area and move out when feeling better.

CandyCane · #6 04-20-2011, 03:29 AM

Okay, I didnt like touching it or moving it but that last night my clown was pushing into its foot while its head got mushed into the sand. It wasnt going to live if I hadnt flipped it and made sure clown couldnt mess it up again. Today it had moved back into the light a bit so fingers crossed everythings slowly getting happy

Money pit · #7 04-20-2011, 04:01 AM

If it isn't eating yet, do the best you can to give it light. It will need the nourishment to regain strength. Also you said the mouth was wide open.Is it still open, and if so is the tissue surrounding the mouth firm or slack ? If slack, when you look inside do you see white noodle like stuff ? BTW re inflating is a good sign, it may have just deflated to evacuate waste, they do this through the mouth. If it is inflated, with a closed mouth. It would be best to just leave it. It will find a comfortable spot and settle down until it decides to move again. Handling can be stressful, but you can run your fingers lightly through the tentacles without causing a problem. I know most fish stores wont mention this, if they even know, but its better to have your nem settled into the tank and doing well before adding a clown. Clowns can be stressful, with all the attention they devote to the host.

CandyCane · #8 04-20-2011, 04:29 AM

Ya I wish they would have told me to let the anemone settle in then get the clown in at least a couple days... I would have came back but whatever. I don't really like the staff at that store all they want is money instead of loyal customers

Madreefer · #9 04-20-2011, 04:39 AM

Your supposed to feed them? I've had a LTA for 9 years and I have never once fed it. It has never ate any of my fish either.

Money pit · #10 04-20-2011, 04:54 AM

You don't " HAVE " to feed them. Like other corals they will get nourishment from the NO3 in the water, and also from the light. If you have clowns, often they will feed the nem for you, and it will also feed on the clown poo, and fish food that floats past. Not sure about LTAs but with BTAs, if you feed them they get big fast, so if you want a big BTA feed it.