BTA and cipro no change pls help

[olonmv]

I recently (a few weeks ago) purchased a porcelain crab for my anemone thinking the anemone would host it. I’ve had a clown fish for almost 2 years and always wanted an anemone for it. In March I Got lucky and a wonderful opportunity presented itself to me. Acclimated the BTA and all was goin good until my clown started showing interest. Every time the clown tried to love on the anemone it would close up for a bit then open back up when “the coast was clear” this would happen periodically over the course of a couple of weeks. Long story short….my anemone apparently is a diva and refuses to host anything and would much rather die I guess. The crab also tried to love it and now the anemone just refuses to cooperate and open up. Got home one day and it wasn’t opened up to its normal glory. This went on for about a week and I decided to rehome the crab to my sons tank Thinking that the BTA would eventually figure out that his nemesis was gone and open back up. Nope. After doing some research I decide on doing a full in tank cipro treatment (thinking it had some sort of stressed induced infection) after he started to look like this and let go of his foothold of where he’d been for a few months and was on the sand bed. By the end of the day he was reattached to the rock work and has moved back close to his original spot but remains partially opened. I have not noticed a gapping mouth so I am at a loss.

Based on what I read on some other folk doin in tank treatments, I went by their suggestions:

1- 500mg pill crushed and diluted into 50ml of RODI. I dosed my tank based on the suggested dosing strength for 6 days (.6ml of solution for 12 gallons of volume) nightly at lights off. Yesterday was my last dosing day but my anemone hasn’t improved or gotten worse. Here is a shot of him this morning.

tank parameters are as follows.

alk 9.8
Nitrate 11.5
Phos .07
Salinity 34
Calcium 447
Temp 78

I haven’t really tested mag but based on how stable my calcium has been I imagine that mag is good too (I dose all for reef).

I hope y’all can help me get this guy back to his previous glorious self.

 

[olonmv]

This is the anemone a few days prior to introducing the crab.

 

[Tamberav]

What lighting?

prior to cipro did you run carbon? Not sure if the palys could irritate a nem but those certainly look to be the type full of palytoxins

I will say the rock doesn't look great to me.. what I mean is it looks pretty bare of organisms and no coralline. Kinda looks like texas holy rock.

Also take a tweezer to that bubble algae to the right of the nem and remove it.

 

[olonmv]

Lighting has been in place for over 2 years and has been running the same slightly altered (less reds and whites) AB+ schedule and is an AI prime 16HD.

prior to cipro I ran carbon as I periodically do. Only changes to the tank prior to the nem getting sick was the addition of the crab and I also introduced a denitrifier to the system which has brought my No3 down from 36 to where it’s at now. But that’s been over the course of a lil over a month. Past that, no change. The nem had been happy, minus the periodic irritation of the clown, for months alongside the paly’s.

 

[olonmv]

One thing. I did leave in my chemi-pure and my bag of purigen. Do you think that may have absorbed the meds?

 

[Tamberav]

Do you know if the nem was aquacultured or wild?

One thing. I did leave in my chemi-pure and my bag of purigen. Do you think that may have absorbed the meds?

not sure about purigen but chemi pure would.

 

[olonmv]

Do you know if the nem was aquacultured or wild?




not sure about purigen but chemi pure would.

I have absolutly no idea. I got it from a local reefer and it was in great health until the crab.

should I run another round of treatments with the purigen and chemipure removed or will this be soon to do another round?

 

[Tamberav]

I have absolutly no idea. I got it from a local reefer and it was in great health until the crab.

should I run another round of treatments with the purigen and chemipure removed or will this be soon to do another round?

Sounds like probably a split from theirs.

I think most people quarantine the nems for cipro.

I will say that bacteria in displays can also break down antibiotics rendering them ineffective. This is a known issue with CP and prazipro... probably others too.

FYI I have never had this problem with my BTA's so not speaking from personal experience of treating one. Just troubleshooting potential issues.

 

[olonmv]

I will say the rock doesn't look great to me.. what I mean is it looks pretty bare of organisms and no coralline. Kinda looks like texas holy rock.

The tank was started started just over 2 years ago completely dry. I went the super slow way because I had no idea what I was doin (still feel like I barely do at times) and wanted to go through the motions of learning.

not sure what you mean by bare of organisms. I have tube worms and now somehow a bivalve that is growing on the rock and also see amphipods running about before lights on.

now as far as coralline is involved. My tank has a history of growth and death of the stuff. It grows and dies even with stable numbers it seems.

ive never measured par on lights because I’ve got them set similar to folk with my exact tank but I am interested in knowing.

I just have a hunch that the crab stressed it to the point to where it’s at now.

 

[olonmv]

Sounds like probably a split from theirs.

I think most people quarantine the nems for cipro.

I will say that bacteria in displays can also break down antibiotics rendering them ineffective. This is a known issue with CP and prazipro... probably others too.

FYI I have never had this problem with my BTA's so not speaking from personal experience of treating one. Just troubleshooting potential issues.

You’re absolutely spot on. The nem is a split from the momma. I did nothing other than acclimate it to the tank. It Walked around for a bit until it found its “spot” and had been there for months growing…….until, cue the crab.

 

[olonmv]

I think most people quarantine the nems for cipro.

Yes, from what I’ve read that’s the norm but, I’ve also read that some people have experimented with full tank treatments with results and without adversely affecting livestock so I thought I’d give it a shot and be a Guinea pig in the method. Only, I’ve seen no change for the better or worse in the nem. Everything else is normal.

not sure what to do now and I’d also like to see if healing the nem in tank with other livestock is possible. You know, For science.

 

[Jekyl]

Not having coraline is a huge red flag for me. Especially in a 2 year old tank. Using RoDi? IMO the crab had nothing to do with this. Anemone don't show stress immediately unless the conditions are really bad.

 

[olonmv]

Not having coraline is a huge red flag for me. Especially in a 2 year old tank. Using RoDi? IMO the crab had nothing to do with this. Anemone don't show stress immediately unless the conditions are really bad.

Yes, RODI since it’s inception. The reason the crab plays into this is because everything had been fine with the nem since March. I never worried much about coralline since I’ve read people had similar outcomes to mine with success. I figured I was just one of the lucky/unlucky few (eye of the beholder).

 

[Rtaylor]

Idk …. It doesn’t look like the typical signs of infection. I agree it seems like there is something in the water it doesn’t like. Maybe something we can’t test for. As an experiment you could separate it into a 5 gallon bucket with brand new saltwater and see if it perks up at all. If so, that would indicate something in the water in your display is an issue. I have found bta’s to like some nitrates…..especially if the tank it came from had much higher nitrates.

 

[olonmv]

Idk …. It doesn’t look like the typical signs of infection. I agree it seems like there is something in the water it doesn’t like. Maybe something we can’t test for. As an experiment you could separate it into a 5 gallon bucket with brand new saltwater and see if it perks up at all. If so, that would indicate something in the water in your display is an issue. I have found bta’s to like some nitrates…..especially if the tank it came from had much higher nitrates.

I probably could but, before doin all that…..wouldn’t my other nems which have been in longer also be showing signs of bad water quality if that was the case? Heck, I just recently added a new RF (couldn’t resist, it’s a tie die looking RF that I had never seen before) acclimated it and has been opening up fine.

 

[Rtaylor]

I probably could but, before doin all that…..wouldn’t my other nems which have been in longer also be showing signs of bad water quality if that was the case?

The issue could be toxins from the other anemones, so not necessarily. I was thinking the nem was relatively new to the tank….could be the reduction in nitrates it doesn’t like. I had an issue with a similar correlation with bta’s….

 

[Tamberav]

I think the crab was a coincidence. I keep nem crabs with my BTA's and they just casually sit near the foot and fan.

I asked about carbon as I was thinking maybe the palys are the problem.

Rock flowers are very very hardy although BTA's are not overly sensitive.

 

[olonmv]

The issue could be toxins from the other anemones, so not necessarily.

Even after a few days of fresh carbon? I just can’t seem to get past the crab being the culprit. I just seem to think it got so stressed it picked up an infection.

 

[olonmv]

I think the crab was a coincidence. I keep nem crabs with my BTA's and they just casually sit near the foot and fan.

I asked about carbon as I was thinking maybe the palys are the problem.

Rock flowers are very very hardy although BTA's are not overly sensitive.

That’s the odd thing. Even when the crab would just sit by the nem, the nem would close up.

 

[Tamberav]

Maroon clowns literally bite off the tentacles of their hosts (rude) and they manage.

That’s the odd thing. Even when the crab would just sit by the nem, the nem would close up.

Which leads me to believe the nem was already unhappy. Maybe any sort of extra stimulus just made the irritation more obvious.