New clown and nem!

[GratefulReef]

Was at a national pet store today getting cat litter and decided to check out their usually subpar selection of saltwater livestock. I noticed they had a ton of fish and nems in stock and even a couple decent looking corals. Almost got a zebra mat nem, but then I noticed this captive bred clarki in a sebae nem. Figuring it was already a match I got both, got home acclimated them both added the sebae first giving him a pretty prime spot figuring the clown would find him immediatly and continue to be hosted. Much to my surprise, the clown is hosting a big toadstool I've had for awhile and seems very content. I have 3 diff nems in my tank, a mini maxi carpet, a condy and now the sebae all in seperate locations so hopefully there will be no conflict. Heres a couple of pics the looks a little bleached but I think it will make a full recovery.

 

[Lionheart513]

Looks nice

 

[GratefulReef]

So lights out and the clown is now back in the sebae lol, looks like he'll be going between which is cool by me really pumped he was already used to hosting and I didnt have to wait it out.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Love them!

 

[GratefulReef]

Im correct saying its a little bleached right? Normally when I see sebaes they are purple, greenish, etc He seems very healthy other than being so white settled into a crevice between 2 rocks and the clown is buried so deep in him right now

 

[Trex]

Your H. crispa is bleached, and looks like it was dyed at one point -- yellow is not a natural color for H. crispa. Also, the tentacles should be at least twice as long (( when fully healthy would be around 4-5 times longer )), than they are right now.

What size tank?
What lights?
What are your current water parameters?

I have seen H. crispa recover from being in worse conditions, but this is going to be an uphill battle.

 

[GratefulReef]

The yellow is actually from my camera, its not yellow really. Tank is 75g, 4x54w t5ho(2xdaylight2xactinic will be upgrading bulbs within 2 weeks to geiseman/ati combo) water params are:
Sal .026
Ph 8.0
Nitri 0
Nitra 10ppm
Dkh was 8.7 I believe
Cal 480
Dont have phos,mag test kits yet still working on getting them ordered.

I realize it will take some work to get him back to 100% but am more than willing to do the work. Tomorrow is a normal feeding/testing day so we will see how he reacts to a feeding. I have no reason to think he wont make it, and hopefully it will turn out that way.

 

[Trex]

That is the minimum light for an H. crispa -- does your fixture, at least, have individual reflectors?

How long has your tank been set up?

Just to let you know, the track record for an H. crispa isn't the best, and the fact that it is already consuming itself is a concern.

 

[GratefulReef]

Its a solarmax from deep blue, and hopefully it will last until I get my maxspect razors in a couple months though I still plan on upgrading the bulbs in the current fixture. I realize hes not in the best shape, but he settled into a spot very quickly, and the clown went right to him when lights went out for the night from what Ive read is if the clown is hosting(or vice versa) chances are much better, tomorrow at feeding will be another test to see if the tentacles are sticky and its willing to eat if those both prove to be true, I think most of the battle is already won and its just giving it time and stable conditions until its back to 100% The tank has been setup in my possession for over a year, and was an up and running thriving tank for 3 years prior. I kept maxi mini carpet and condy nems under t8 lighting with no issues and actually they were thriving nice purple condy and beautiful red/green carpet they are still in the tank, but have plenty of space between the nems. I def realized the risks involved with this nem before purchasing it, but staying in their possession is was sure to die, me buying it gave it some hope at the very least. Have a thriving pod population, no pests(I check at least twice a night) very stable conditions. Really have no reason to think he wont make a full recovery and live a long happy life in my care.

 

[Trex]

The problem with "saving" a creature from an LFS is that they still end up making a sale and don't lose any more. If it had died in their care, they would have lost money on it. In turn, if they would lose enough of them they would stop (( ideally )) ordering/accepting H. crispas in this condition.

The anemone does the hosting.

Not sure why you think the main battle is already won -- it has just begun, and could take several months to either win or lose.

The lighting requirements of a "condy" and maxi-mini are nothing compared to the requirements of an H. crispa.

BTW -- plenty of room b/t the anemones doesn't mean anything when/if they start a chemical warfare.

Not trying to be a downer, just want you to be fully prepared -- been keeping hosting anemones for close to 20 years now.

 

[GratefulReef]

No, I def appreciate all the info, in fact I am already prepared to get rid of one or both of my other nems if the chemical warfare starts or any type of aggression. And by get rid of I mean rehome to a fellow local reefer, I really like the sebae and want to keep one, I do agree with you about them making the sale and not losing the money but its hard for me to see it still, thats why I usually stay away from their fish section in general. Hopefully with my knowledge, and the plethora avail to me via this forum I will have a nice healthy sebae in the future. What Im saying by the main battle being won, is that if its actively feeding and has sticky tentacles and isnt moving around a bunch and stays at least mostly inflated I think its a sign toward good and not bad. I will def keep an eye on his health though, and do everything in my power to fix him up. If there is any other info you wish to share you can pm me that way we dont keep bumping the same topic to the top of the list =) again though thank you for all the info so far.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

I have a sebae that is 2 years old. When I got it, the tentacles were translucent and much smaller than yours. For the first year, I kept it under metal halides. It colored up pretty quickly. I rarely target feed and it is hosting my pair of clowns. I do agree that it is tough to get a sebae to rebound.

My male clown also liked to be hosted by a toadstool. It took me removing the toadstool for him to go near the anemone.

Good luck with the new additions!!!

 

[revsgirl]

Beautiful! Congrats!

 

[GratefulReef]

Update on the sebae and clown! Both seem very happy, the sebae readily accepted food today tentacles were sticky as could be and the clown has been "loving" the nem since lights out last night. Heres a quick vid as the clarity seems better than the pics I could take. Still has a yellow tint but its more prominent on the pics/vids than in real life. Vid was too large to attach here, so I posted it on youtube heres the link. DSCF3195 - YouTube

 

[Elysium]

Nice work. I think I may have seen those two during my travels around town. Neat pair.

Like Trex I tend to not try and save livestock from these places unless I can get an arrival date from the staff, even then it is rare for me to buy anything unless I know it is a good deal, has been there less than 72 hours, and will be dead in a short time if I don't (e.g. Petco storing two pearly jawfish in an uncovered tank with damsels).

 

[GratefulReef]

Well I was in there 2 days before and it wasnt there, so it came in within those 48 hours which is partly why I felt a little more comfortable buying it. I think it was a decent deal less than 50 for a clown whos hosting a sebae. Im 99% confident now the nem will make it long term looked plump and happy all day. You guys are right though about buying from them, and I normally try not to enable them to kill more.

 

[GratefulReef]

Update on the clown and nem, both are very happy and adjusting well. The clown is darkening between the stripes and even his tail is starting to color up black/white very cool! The nem is still a little bleached(expected that) but is filling out very well, would post a pic but he got himself into a spot that isnt great for picture taking but he is happy and I can feed him easily. Sebaes are a little tough to keep and Im glad this one is doing well, I'll be moving in about 8 months and when I do I will attempt to get him into a spot that he likes and is viewable without being a contorsionist.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

Thanks for the update!!! I am glad to hear the nem is doing well.