Anemone ICU

[robert829]

Hey, folks. Hope this finds you well.

Soooo... Sadly I am worried that my poor little LTA is doomed to die. However, he is currently thriving. But let me start with some background.
I went to my LFS (one of the national chains) b/c I needed something for my other pets (dogs). While there, I ran into the guy who helped me setup my hugely successful freshwater tank many months ago. To make a long story short, he told me about the company's commitment to only purchase captive-bred-and-raised saltwater stock. So when I heard this info about trying to end reef-poaching, I was ecstatic with the idea of supporting this. So before I knew it, we got to talking more, and I ultimately ended being on the receiving-end of the question, "so you ready to make the jump to saltwater?"
Needless to say, I made the jump. Over the course of this past month (the tank is just shy of a month old), here's what has happened.
The 30g tank was setup with live-sand and gravel as the sub-straight, there are a host of live rocks in as well. The tank was setup and conditioned for a week with no livestock. Then I added two Clarkiis for a week. Then an anemone for week (I know, gasp! I didn't do enough research before adding him so early). And then a dwarf angel and a shrimp for a week. I'm done with livestock for a while. And the tank seems to be in good order currently...
The pH is 8.0-8.2. NH3: 0. NO2: 0. and NO3: 10-20. The SG is 1.023. The temp is 82f. Everyone is eating and behaving well. And trace-mineral were added as well.
But... let's get to the anemone. So he was a small LTA when I got him, maybe a about a half-dollar in size at the most.... so we're talkin small. It was a bit of a traumatic harvest from the LFS. The girl really beat the snot out of him when she got him out. In fact, I was positive he was dead when I got him home. None the less, I tried to press on. So I acclimated him for a good hour or so. I then put him in the tank. He immediately attached to a peace of slate I had buried under the substrate for him. I pointed a powerhead at him... and then we were off to the races. He ate a small piece of fish that night. Since then he has done very well, it's been about a week now. He eats everyday (typically a small shrimp or small piece of raw cod). He's very active. Anytime I do something that require me to temprarily turnoff or move the powerhead that blows on him, he immediately tries to detach and go house hunting for better flow. It's hilarious, b/c as soon as the current is back on him, he settles back down and chills out. Also, of note, my little clarkiis are OBSESSED with him. They so desperately want their host-anemone. However, I currently have a wire-mesh strainer over him to keep the clowns out, which really jacks them all up. They have actually dug the substrate away from the cage, and gotten in with him. So it really is like an
"Anemone ICU".
So here are my questions, when can I let the clowns "have at him"? He's grown probably about an inch since I've had him, he's maybe 2.5 inches wide now. The clarkiis are about the same length, maybe 2.5.
Secondly, should I get another, bigger anemone for the clowns to host with in the mean time?
And besides just letting everything else take its course, is there anything else I can do to help the anemone possibly make it? I'll be honest, I'm surprised he's been doing this well for this long.

 

[Squishie89]

Here is what I did for my anemone in a similar situation; http://wamas.org/forums/topic/63589-please-help-my-anemone/?fromsearch=1

 

[robert829]

Here is what I did for my anemone in a similar situation; Please Help My Anemone - General Discussion - WAMAS Forums

So your post has completely floored me. It was like a soap opera. I was glued to the progress of A1. Seriously, thanks for that post. That was very informative!!

 

[Squishie89]

I am glad it helped. I hope you can rehab your anemone as well.

 

[Naiad]

It will be a long time before it is big enough to let those clowns host. Few questions. Have you seen him poop? This may sound strange but if all that food he is eating is not coming out you may end up with a problem. What kind of lighting do you have and how is the little guys color?

 

[Trex]

Do you have a picture of the anemone? Want to be sure of the ID --- I have yet to hear of an M. doreensis (( LTA )) being captive raised, which would be against the company policy; that makes me question the ID, which will change the care requirements.

Would like the anemone to be at least 2 times the size of the clowns, and since you have a pair, 3 times would be better.

 

[robert829]

Sorry for the delay... R2R never told me that I had a reply. See below.

 

[robert829]

**UPDATE** Pics included.
So, hey all. Here's the scoop. It has been a dramatic couple of weeks. So the lights are the Fluval 7500k Day/Night LED Strip Light (500 lumens). It seems fairly adequate so far b/c as you'll read, we're doing ok.
After the wire-mesh strainer that was protecting Andrew began to rust/corrode, I tried to find something saltwater safe... i.e. a berry basket. However, here in the yuppy Philly area, those dang baskets are impossible to find. So in an effort to limit the stress on the little guy (Andrew), we got a much bigger anemone. We put him in the tank and all looked fine. This big one seemed to settle in nicely over the coarse of that day. Then I woke the next morning to a 911-anemone-emergency. The big guy got up for a stroll over night and found his way to the mesh-protected powerhead!!!!! Eeeeeekkkk! However, only about 10 or so tentacles made it into the mesh-guard, and none made it to the turbine. So after spending about 15 minutes, I finally managed to get him free... w/ NO LOSS of appendages. However, he was a sick sick sick boy! He bloated up w/ water to probably 5 or 6 times his "normal" size and looked like he was only moments away from expelling his stomach. I also think he was expelling some of the toxin from his nematocysts b/c our beloved coral-banded shrimp went to investigate and litterally became paralyzed and died in moments. However, we waited it out. Surprisingly enough, over the next couple days, he steadily improved. Currently I think we are almost back to full health.
So the big guy is currently doing ok... his tentacles were probably 6-8 inches long when we got him. He has not filled up like that since he was at the LFS... but I'm hopeful. He is minimally eating... although his clowns are desperately trying to feed him. Andrew, the small one is absolutely thriving. He eats and poops like a champ. He's fed 1/2 of a re-hydrated brine shrimp 5 days a week. He's sprouting new tentacles and all! An interesting development has occurred, though. The clownfish pair has split. The big Clarkii (presumed Female) has gone to the big anemone, and little Clarkii (presumed male) has gone to the small anemone. They even go as far to steal food from each other's anemone to take back to their own, but they aren't at all territorial. So fascinating.
I have ordered berry baskets which should be here on Monday for the little anemone, back in the ICU he goes. We have separated the two anemones on either side of the tank. We also have crushed coral for substrate. We have put fine sand in cups and buried those in the coral, and they REALLY seem to be loving that.
Trace elements and minerals are added bi-weekly or so. And all of our values are basically negative, including phos now (weren't checking that originally). We've also had about 3 algae blooms since we ran into all the problems. The water stays clear w/ only a day or two of brown or green algae on the glass. The snails also help to mitigate that somewhat... I believe.
Otherwise, anymore suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Squishie89]

Smart move to get the big guy, that helped mine a ton when I put her back in. Sounds like you are doing all the right things and keeping on top of it, good for you!