Does this magnifica need Cipro?

[ThePurple12]

Here’s what my magnifica used to look like back in early fall, and was doing well for months:

And here’s what it looks like now:

But within the last month or 2, it’s been unhealthy. I was thinking it has an infection, but it doesn’t exactly fit the normal symptoms of an infection (deflation cycles). It stays like the above picture all day, and shrinks at night.

The other possibility would be too much light. I was running my 250w halides 12 hours a day, and I recently cut back to 8 hours. But this wouldn’t make sense, as it hasn’t moved to a spot with lower light. It hasn’t moved at all for months, in fact.

Does this nem look infected, or is something else going on?

 

[ThePurple12]

Salinity is 35ppt. I’m dosing potassium nitrate and phosphate, prestone driveway heat, and baking soda.

 

[chizerbunoi]

Looks like you have a major bryopsis outbreak. I have been there before. I would suggest that you work to get that under control. UV and wet skim? How are your nitrate and phosphate parameters? Did you add something to treat the tank with chemicals which started causing this decline in health?

The magnifica is definitely not happy. Do you have a QT that you can move it to. Or even into a refugium? If it’s not deflating then try it in a new environment with very good water quality first. Separate it from the clowns and give it Good strong water flow and high lights.

I would at this point buy meds to have it on hand so that you can start treatment. If you do have meds now then I would start treatment. I don’t think it has enough lights right now since you cut back. But understand why you started to. Also don’t feed it.

@OrionN @gig 'em

 

[Taylor t]

Salinity is 35ppt. I’m dosing potassium nitrate and phosphate, prestone driveway heat, and baking soda.

Prestone driveway heat? You sure that stuff doesn’t have any additives to it??? I’ve read, and don’t know the accuracy, but I’ve read some have had issues with that. Purity IMO needs to be certain. It’s biological, not just melting ice. I don’t trust these companies not adding other “agents”.

I know others have used it, I would NEVER trust that.

I think the best “safe” path forward would be to do water changes, and use pure sources of calcium before using that stuff again. Treating it IMO may not fix things, if that particular bag of calcium has an additive you don’t know about.
Give your anemone high flow and do water changes. How long have you been using driveway ice melter? Longer than anemone has been with you? I’d be leary of using driveway unless you’ve got a track record with it.

Cooking baking soda in the oven, right?

 

[Taylor t]

Wet skim is great advice.

 

[gig 'em]

Are those dinoflagellates in your tank? That could certainly be a part of it, they can be toxic. You're dosing phosphate?? What are your parameters exactly?

I have a buddy who is having a dino outbreak and his BTA looks very similar. Significant loss of biomass and shrunken tentacles. I might focus on getting rid of the dinos, running carbon, doing a large water change, and sticking with known reefing principles. I don't know much about driveway ice melters living in TX, but I only add things to my tank that I know are pure and I can test for.

 

[ThePurple12]

Looks like you have a major bryopsis outbreak. I have been there before. I would suggest that you work to get that under control. UV and wet skim? How are your nitrate and phosphate parameters? Did you add something to treat the tank with chemicals which started causing this decline in health?

The magnifica is definitely not happy. Do you have a QT that you can move it to. Or even into a refugium? If it’s not deflating then try it in a new environment with very good water quality first. Separate it from the clowns and give it Good strong water flow and high lights.

I would at this point buy meds to have it on hand so that you can start treatment. If you do have meds now then I would start treatment. I don’t think it has enough lights right now since you cut back. But understand why you started to. Also don’t feed it.

@OrionN @gig 'em

I'm not running UV, as I'm worried about it damaging the pelagic pod population and any other benefical things in the water column. Plus it's expensive! N is ~10. P is at 0, even with daily dosing of .05. I don't think this is the problem however, because P has been at or near 0 for probably 2 years. I think that's the cause of the dino outbreak.

I don't have a QT. I do have a fuge, but it's stuffed with Chaeto and the light and flow wouldn't be sufficient.

We'll see if it starts trying to climb higher in search of more light, but isn't 8 hours the normal metal halide photoperiod?

Curious why you recommend wet skimming?

Prestone driveway heat? You sure that stuff doesn’t have any additives to it??? I’ve read, and don’t know the accuracy, but I’ve read some have had issues with that. Purity IMO needs to be certain. It’s biological, not just melting ice. I don’t trust these companies not adding other “agents”.

I know others have used it, I would NEVER trust that.

I think the best “safe” path forward would be to do water changes, and use pure sources of calcium before using that stuff again. Treating it IMO may not fix things, if that particular bag of calcium has an additive you don’t know about.
Give your anemone high flow and do water changes. How long have you been using driveway ice melter? Longer than anemone has been with you? I’d be leary of using driveway unless you’ve got a track record with it.

Cooking baking soda in the oven, right?

I am not sure the Prestone doesn't have any additives. I think it's unlikely the Prestone is the problem, as like you said many others have used it with no problems, but it's possible they put something in it recently. The reason I'm not doing water changes is the dinos, which I am trying very hard to get rid of! I started dosing H202 at night a few days ago, and am dosing n and p frequently. I am running carbon that I change weekly.

Yep, cooking baking soda in the oven. pH stays a little above 8.

 

[ThePurple12]

Are those dinoflagellates in your tank? That could certainly be a part of it, they can be toxic. You're dosing phosphate?? What are your parameters exactly?

I have a buddy who is having a dino outbreak and his BTA looks very similar. Significant loss of biomass and shrunken tentacles. I might focus on getting rid of the dinos, running carbon, doing a large water change, and sticking with known reefing principles. I don't know much about driveway ice melters living in TX, but I only add things to my tank that I know are pure and I can test for.

Yep, dinos. They've been there since I got the nem, though I guess it's possible the toxins are building up? Nitrate 10 and phosphate 0, even with frequent dosing of .05. I'm running carbon, changed weekly, and do you think it's a good idea to do a large water change with dinos? I've heard that only helps them.

 

[ThePurple12]

I ordered a microscope to identify my dinos and whether or not it's a toxic species. It should be coming on Monday.

 

[chizerbunoi]

Okay I remember you now as I have replied to several of your threads. After reading up on your history, this magnifica has been on the decline since you bought it in June. I would suggest treating it with cipro. Your anemone is deflating. Characterized by your descriptions in other threads. Small during the day. But puffy at night

I also recommended not dosing hydrogen peroxide before to you. While others have luck with BTA, I don’t think your doing your mag any favors. Most anemone varieties can’t tolerate it and stay shrunken like this.

The wet skim is to get pollutants out fast. With Dino’s they breakdown at night and dissolve and form up again during the day. It looked like Bryozoa is on my tiny phone but now I can see it’s dinos. You have lots of other macro algae which is taking up excess but the dinos are giving you havoc. If the other macros die off and release it adds to the pollutants. I can tell that it’s Dino’s and you have had it for 6 months now. Do frequent water changes. Yes you can confirm with a microscope. A UV will eliminate it within a month. Don’t raise temperature.

Do lots of reading up on ciproflaxin and treatment. See other people’s threads. You will start to understand the deflation cycle. I am not referring to 100% deflation where there is no water left in the anemone.

As for your main display, go back to basics. Water changes while removing macro algae as much as possible. Vacuum the sand bed. Weekly testing and keep the main parameters stable. Watch ammonia. Keep your lights at 8hrs. Remove the day bulb and switch to 14k. Add UV to kill the dinos. Feed sparingly to keep water quality up.

 

[chizerbunoi]

Your phosphate is showing near zero because your macro and dinos are updating it immediately. If it was truly zero we wouldn’t see all that algae. But a slime like cyano mat.

 

[ThePurple12]

Okay I remember you now as I have replied to several of your threads. After reading up on your history, this magnifica has been on the decline since you bought it in June. I would suggest treating it with cipro. Your anemone is deflating. Characterized by your descriptions in other threads. Small during the day. But puffy at night

I also recommended not dosing hydrogen peroxide before to you. While others have luck with BTA, I don’t think your doing your mag any favors. Most anemone varieties can’t tolerate it and stay shrunken like this.

The wet skim is to get pollutants out fast. With Dino’s they breakdown at night and dissolve and form up again during the day. It looked like Bryozoa is on my tiny phone but now I can see it’s dinos. You have lots of other macro algae which is taking up excess but the dinos are giving you havoc. If the other macros die off and release it adds to the pollutants. I can tell that it’s Dino’s and you have had it for 6 months now. Do frequent water changes. Yes you can confirm with a microscope. A UV will eliminate it within a month. Don’t raise temperature.

Do lots of reading up on ciproflaxin and treatment. See other people’s threads. You will start to understand the deflation cycle. I am not referring to 100% deflation where there is no water left in the anemone.

As for your main display, go back to basics. Water changes while removing macro algae as much as possible. Vacuum the sand bed. Weekly testing and keep the main parameters stable. Watch ammonia. Keep your lights at 8hrs. Remove the day bulb and switch to 14k. Add UV to kill the dinos. Feed sparingly to keep water quality up.

I remember you too!

I wouldn't say the mag has been declining ever since I bought it.

The nem actually stopped changing at night/day, but by morning is usually balled up. I have done a lot of reading on treatment. The nem doesn't deflate at all throughout the day like I've seen in other accounts, it stays basically the same, although I'm guessing it could still be an infection. I'll order some Cipro- does this stuff look good? https://www.chewy.com/fish-aid-antibiotics-ciprofloxacin/dp/185213

It may be too early to tell, but I think the dinos are starting to retreat. I'm hesitant to do a large water change now and bring them back worse than before, but bringing the nem back to full health would be worth it. If I recall correctly from the last thread, a large water change really made a difference with the mag. Thoughts on water changes+dinos?

The macroalgae and seagrass are part of the display, though I've removed most of them to help with raising nutrients. They're not dying off at all.

Also- alk is steady at around 8.5, and calc is 400.

 

[Tennyson]

Here's some advice. I would remove the clownfish, they're only stressing the anemone out at this point.

Cut back on the metal halides, as someone who used halides on my tank for years it was very strong for my coral and many have been bleached by my halides when paired with incorrect params. My nems liked it, but I'd recommend cutting back to 6 hrs until your nem is looking better (you could also try shading it from the light). Metal halides offer quality spectrum and great healthy growth - but only if used correctly. Make sure you replace the bulb every year to maintain a good spectrum. Also your parameters must be ideal for using a metal halide, because the light is so strong - having your nutrients too high or too low can be a bad combination with very intense lighting. Ideally you want your phosphates to be higher, at least detectable, otherwise you run the risk of light damage to your specimens simply because the water is so clear.

Its also important to mention that having 0 phosphates can starve your coral and perhaps your nem, but it sounds like you are already trying to address that low nutrient problem.

As for the dinoflagellates, I can say from experience that a UV sterilizer will not solve your problem overnight. With my 200g system I ran a Vectron sterilizer in the sump and didn't see my dinoflagellates go away until 3-4 months later. But I knew the UV was working because it stopped ich in my system in 1 month. The problem is once dinos infiltrate your rock they are there to stay unless you either treat the rock or have parameters that are unfavorable to the dinos. Needless to say the UV did not solve my problem, although perhaps it prevented the dinos from spreading between systems. Instead I regularly removed the dinos using airline tubing. Create a siphon with airline to clean the rocks a few times a week. A 2 day blackout can also be effective but can be risky for certain coral.

I've never had that type of anemone, but have to imagine that its very hungry in that critical state. I would feed it every few days, your nutrients can handle it. Its tentacles should be sticky, but if they aren't, try feeding with the pumps off and see if it ingests the food.

Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[Tennyson]

Also I've used prestone for 5 years as a DIY calcium supplement. No problems with it and nothing crazy on my ICP test, but of course its a risk I'm willing to take.

 

[ThePurple12]

Here's some advice. I would remove the clownfish, they're only stressing the anemone out at this point.

Cut back on the metal halides, as someone who used halides on my tank for years it was very strong for my coral and many have been bleached by my halides when paired with incorrect params. My nems liked it, but I'd recommend cutting back to 6 hrs until your nem is looking better (you could also try shading it from the light). Metal halides offer quality spectrum and great healthy growth - but only if used correctly. Make sure you replace the bulb every year to maintain a good spectrum. Also your parameters must be ideal for using a metal halide, because the light is so strong - having your nutrients too high or too low can be a bad combination with very intense lighting. Ideally you want your phosphates to be higher, at least detectable, otherwise you run the risk of light damage to your specimens simply because the water is so clear.

Its also important to mention that having 0 phosphates can starve your coral and perhaps your nem, but it sounds like you are already trying to address that low nutrient problem.

As for the dinoflagellates, I can say from experience that a UV sterilizer will not solve your problem overnight. With my 200g system I ran a Vectron sterilizer in the sump and didn't see my dinoflagellates go away until 3-4 months later. But I knew the UV was working because it stopped ich in my system in 1 month. The problem is once dinos infiltrate your rock they are there to stay unless you either treat the rock or have parameters that are unfavorable to the dinos. Needless to say the UV did not solve my problem, although perhaps it prevented the dinos from spreading between systems. Instead I regularly removed the dinos using airline tubing. Create a siphon with airline to clean the rocks a few times a week. A 2 day blackout can also be effective but can be risky for certain coral.

I've never had that type of anemone, but have to imagine that its very hungry in that critical state. I would feed it every few days, your nutrients can handle it. Its tentacles should be sticky, but if they aren't, try feeding with the pumps off and see if it ingests the food.

Hope this helps and good luck!

I will try your suggestions, hopefully they will help. Thanks!

 

[gig 'em]

I doubt that anemone will readily accept food in this state. I believe the problem goes beyond not getting enough food. I personally would remove it from the system and treat it to be safe. Meanwhile work on clearing the system of Dino’s and perform a decent sized water change.

 

[ThePurple12]

It's eating well, tentacles are sticky enough. I'll order the cipro.

 

[jamie1210]

It doesn't look super deflated to me, but I believe getting the nem out of that tank water, even if there's no cipro treatment, should help tremendously. IME, magnifica's are THE most finicky anemones when it comes to parameters. Please keep us posted on what happens.

 

[ThePurple12]

Sure, we’ll see what happens when I put it in a 5 gallon with NSW and a black box + powerhead stolen off the reef tank.

 

[ThePurple12]

It’s not deflated, just shrunken.