Carpet anemone shrinking/hiding

[bam123]

very easy to overfeed and stress carpets. less is more both in quantity and freq sometimes.

 

[Reefer79]

I wouldn't try and feed him solids as that will further stress him. I would try dosing aminos and making sure your water is pristine. Other then that, good luck. I would probably get rid of him soon if he starts to look much worse or if the clownfish leaves. You don't want his rotting corpse to kill everything else.

Both clowns are still happy hosting him. His mouth is still closed, he's not bleaching and doesn't seem to be losing tenticles.. He's just 1/4 the size he was before. I've been giving him small frozen krill due to his size. The other carpets get bigger pieces of fish.

 

[Reefer79]

very easy to overfeed and stress carpets. less is more both in quantity and freq sometimes.

So should I stop direct feeding him for a week or so and see if he improves? I was worried he wasn't getting enough being in the back of the tank.

 

[bam123]

I would leave it alone for a week. not enough food is rarely a problem when they host clowns. more likely a water quality issue, if other nems ok, let it do its thing

 

[Reefer79]

I would leave it alone for a week.

I'll do that and post an update. Fingers crossed thanks

 

[Reefer79]

T

I would leave it alone for a week. not enough food is rarely a problem when they host clowns. more likely a water quality issue, if other nems ok, let it do its thing

The only issue we had was phosphates went up to 1.0 due to a deep sandbed. We got a sand cleaner, it dropped down pretty quickly after cleaning that and doing a water change which we do weekly anyway, and we've just ordered gfo media for one of our reactors in hopes it doesn't spike again. We thought our 2 sandsifting starfish avd snails would keep it clean but clearly its not enough. All our other perameters are where they should be. Never had this issue with less sand. We've cut back feedings in the mean time to keep it stable.

 

[chizerbunoi]

That's what I thought. That's why I've left him alone. I attached what he looked like before he went into hiding as well as what he looks like now.

Your call but that does not look like a happy and healthy carpet. it looks like its dying.

 

[Reefer79]

Your call but that does not look like a happy and healthy carpet. it looks like its dying.

It's looked the same for 3 months, no changes. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Don't want to give up yet. My clowns would be lost without it

 

[chizerbunoi]

Why not move the carpet and clowns to quarantine where you can observe without having to remove that film off the back glass? Then you can provide it with special care and nurse it back to health? We buy from the fish store and then quarantine. We treat when required. I don’t see how this is any different even if it’s in your primary display. 3 months is a long time to not recover.

What if it’s your clowns that are hosting it to aggressively and is the problem? How do you know that the anemone is eating. Are you watching it to make sure the clowns are not stealing the food?

 

[Reefer79]

Why not move the carpet and clowns to quarantine where you can observe without having to remove that film off the back glass? Then you can provide it with special care and nurse it back to health? We buy from the fish store and then quarantine. We treat when required. I don’t see how this is any different even if it’s in your primary display. 3 months is a long time to not recover.

What if it’s your clowns that are hosting it to aggressively and is the problem? How do you know that the anemone is eating. Are you watching it to make sure the clowns are not stealing the food?

The only place we could put the anemone would be in the sump. We no longer have a quarantine tank. Our tank is too big with too much live rock to catch the clowns. I direct feed the anemone and I watch it eat, I always feed the tank at the same time so that the anemones can eat, he grabs the food and closes up, tenticles are sticky. Once he eats, he always opens back up. We have two tanks that use the same water so I could move him into the smaller tank but I don't want to stress him out anymore by moving him. There are no signs of dying apart from shrinking. Foot still firmly attached,closed mouth, eating and still sticky tenticles.

 

[Taylor t]

You need to identify exactly what kind of carpet that is. Your 2 doing well are most likely haddoni. That last one you posted looks like it could be a gig. Different needs. Carpets are not like BTA (my experience) they will NOT move when they need to. I would move it, and the rock it’s on if possible. Disrupting its footing is hard on them but if you can reposition the rock it’s on would be best.

I have a gig that I’ve had for a few years. I moved the tank a year and a half ago. When I put it in initially I knew it was on the border of the flow/light they like and I hoped it would skootch over a little on the rock it was on. It never moved. A year and a half later of extreme slow decline it deflated and got milky in color. Water is ok based on 6 others look good. I added a powerhead to add more flow, didn’t help. It needed random under skirt flow, linear flow doesn’t work well. It sat deflated a few days (NOT recommended to leave it if it’s never acclimated) but I’ve had this guy for years. I finally moved it last weekend to a spot I knew it would like. The next day it inflated, a few days later it looked happy again, but now it’s mouth sticks out a bubble of guts. It’s coming back I can tell by how it holds it’s folds and no longer milky in color. Moral of the story, carpets rarely move on their own if things aren’t good for them. They don’t have brains, they don’t know any different. When mine decline, they get moved, as I’ve watched too many melt away expecting them to move.

Move that carpet to a better location AFTER you post better pics and identity it for certain, or you’ll be removing a rotting snot ball soon. My .02

 

[Reefer79]

You need to identify exactly what kind of carpet that is. Your 2 doing well are most likely haddoni. That last one you posted looks like it could be a gig. Different needs. Carpets are not like BTA (my experience) they will NOT move when they need to. I would move it, and the rock it’s on if possible. Disrupting its footing is hard on them but if you can reposition the rock it’s on would be best.

I have a gig that I’ve had for a few years. I moved the tank a year and a half ago. When I put it in initially I knew it was on the border of the flow/light they like and I hoped it would skootch over a little on the rock it was on. It never moved. A year and a half later of extreme slow decline it deflated and got milky in color. Water is ok based on 6 others look good. I added a powerhead to add more flow, didn’t help. It needed random under skirt flow, linear flow doesn’t work well. It sat deflated a few days (NOT recommended to leave it if it’s never acclimated) but I’ve had this guy for years. I finally moved it last weekend to a spot I knew it would like. The next day it inflated, a few days later it looked happy again, but now it’s mouth sticks out a bubble of guts. It’s coming back I can tell by how it holds it’s folds and no longer milky in color. Moral of the story, carpets rarely move on their own if things aren’t good for them. They don’t have brains, they don’t know any different. When mine decline, they get moved, as I’ve watched too many melt away expecting them to move.

Move that carpet to a better location AFTER you post better pics and identity it for certain, or you’ll be removing a rotting snot ball soon. My .02

I love this comment. Straight to the point. I'm not sure what type it is, it just said carpet like my other two, is there a way of knowing? I moved it on the rock it was on last week, but it returned to the spot he's in now. He does get light flow and light in the back but not as much as the two in the front of my tank which is why I'm assuming he likes less flow and direct light. I've not fed him. This week incase it hurts him. I'm going to give him till Friday and see what he does, if no changes I'll move him into my smaller tank to watch closer. I have tube anemones in there which is why I've not moved him in there yet, I think there will be chemical warfare next to eachother?! I'm watching it like a hawk atm, any changes I'm pulling him out. I posted a photo of what he looked like when I bought him. As well as today's... With a flash so it looks brighter than he is

 

[Reefer79]

What he looked like without the flash. Maybe you can tell me what type of carpet it is?

 

[shred5]

I love this comment. Straight to the point. I'm not sure what type it is, it just said carpet like my other two, is there a way of knowing? I moved it on the rock it was on last week, but it returned to the spot he's in now. He does get light flow and light in the back but not as much as the two in the front of my tank which is why I'm assuming he likes less flow and direct light. I've not fed him. This week incase it hurts him. I'm going to give him till Friday and see what he does, if no changes I'll move him into my smaller tank to watch closer. I have tube anemones in there which is why I've not moved him in there yet, I think there will be chemical warfare next to eachother?! I'm watching it like a hawk atm, any changes I'm pulling him out.

Yea that does not look good: it is bleached and the tentacles are sparse.
Probably a gig but really hard to tell from the pic.
It probably was kept in less light and bleached and is why it is hiding.
Gigs are also harder than hadonis.
Gigs are rock dwellers and haddonis are sand dwellers.

 

[Reefer79]

Yea that does not look good: it is bleached and the tentacles are sparse.
Probably a gig but really hard to tell from the pic.
It probably was kept in less light and bleached and is why it is hiding.
Gigs are also harder than hadonis.
Gigs are rock dwellers and haddonis are sand dwellers.

I just posted a photo of him when he was bought. He was alwats a bright green under blue lights. Darker in normal lighting.

 

[Reefer79]

My other two

 

[Taylor t]

If that’s a gig, and sure looks like it, it’s best chances of survival is in the hands of an experienced gig keeper, and even then, it’s regressed a LOT since you first got it. Check your local forum to see if there’s anyone near you that can help. You need someone that can help in person at this point, or someone with tons of time to type. Bearer of bad news, very low odds to get that guy to come back. Sorry. Bright side, 2 out of 3!

 

[Taylor t]

Blue or purple spots under the disk confirms gig as ID

 

[chizerbunoi]

I agree it looks like a gig. Everyone has to learn somewhere and sometime. Don’t give up yet and do more research. Look up all of Taylor Ts threads. He is an expert gig Jedi master. His tanks are outstanding.

Read up on the cipro treatment and see the threads by orionN. Learn how to treat it so that you know what to do if the other carpets start to go south.

 

[Reefer79]

Blue or purple spots under the disk confirms gig as ID

looks like purple spots 8nder

If that’s a gig, and sure looks like it, it’s best chances of survival is in the hands of an experienced gig keeper, and even then, it’s regressed a LOT since you first got it. Check your local forum to see if there’s anyone near you that can help. You need someone that can help in person at this point, or someone with tons of time to type. Bearer of bad news, very low odds to get that guy to come back. Sorry. Bright side, 2 out of 3!

My fish/coral dealer is a professional, he's got a 5,000 gallon tank he can swim in, he's coming over tonight to have a look avd take him home if we can get him out. He's moved further up the rocks, still visible but will need to dismantle some rock work to get to him. Do you think my other two carpets ARNT gigs? I've had them a bit longer with no issues. I have plenty of other anemones with no issues so I'm not worried about my water, more the lighting and flow settings.