Rock flower anemones DYING

[eggplantparrot]

Hi all, I'm losing beautiful nem's including ones I've had for over a year and it's emotionally killing me.

Set up is a 12G shallow that was recently set up, with around 40% rock from a 2 year old nano rock flower tank that was broken down.

I introduced 2 new nems into the nano a week before it was broken down and the 12G was set up, and they looked fine in the nano.

About a week after the 12G was set up though, I noticed one of the new nems, an absolute beauty, bright pink skirt and highlighter yellow oral disk, started shrinking a bit and one side of the oral disk looked shrunken up. Day by day it got worse and started turning to mush starting from that side.

It started to not attach very well so I was able to take it out and dip in iodine, which did not help. I lost it after over a week

One of my really small ones, a bit over a quarter size, started showing the same symptoms right after the death, and it went down hill even faster.

Now my absolute FAVOURITE, a bright golden orange that I've had for over a year and decent in size, is starting to show symptoms too. It looks to be hanging on better as I'm guessing it's larger and healthier, but I feel like crying thinking I might lose this guy.

It's still attached under the sand by a rocks edge so it will be difficult to remove for dipping.

Does any one have tips for this.

This year's been tough... I've been losing torches in my other tank as well and this now is pushing me over the edge

 

[eggplantparrot]

@Ron Reefman
plz halp

 

[eggplantparrot]

 

[eggplantparrot]

 

[LegendaryCG]

Go get some pods and phyto and put them in the tank. Phyto feeds the pods, pods get consumed by anenomes, coral and fish. You don't have an establised food chain in a tank that new.

 

[eggplantparrot]

Go get some pods and phyto and put them in the tank. Phyto feeds the pods, pods get consumed by anenomes, coral and fish. You don't have an establised food chain in a tank that new.

I appreciate the help but feeding is not the issue, I spot feed LRS nearly every day.

But at this point the nem is not taking in any more food

 

[Rtaylor]

Maybe check out the treating with cipro sticky on the forum. Perhaps a bacterial infection is spreading?

 

[eggplantparrot]

Maybe check out the treating with cipro sticky on the forum. Perhaps a bacterial infection is spreading?

Yea I was reading through it. Unfortunately I'm in Canada and it's prescription only. Closes thing I have is a bit of Furan-2 left over fr before the fish medication ban.

 

[Rtaylor]

Yea I was reading through it. Unfortunately I'm in Canada and it's prescription only. Closes thing I have is a bit of Furan-2 left over fr before the fish medication ban.

Any chance you know a vet that will give you a prescription?

 

[dvgyfresh]

Dam I was gonna suggest cipro it sounds like something bacterial , but instead you can install a UV to possibly help along with water changes

 

[dvgyfresh]

Do you have parameters?

 

[jkcoral]

Hi all, I'm losing beautiful nem's including ones I've had for over a year and it's emotionally killing me.

Set up is a 12G shallow that was recently set up, with around 40% rock from a 2 year old nano rock flower tank that was broken down.

I introduced 2 new nems into the nano a week before it was broken down and the 12G was set up, and they looked fine in the nano.

About a week after the 12G was set up though, I noticed one of the new nems, an absolute beauty, bright pink skirt and highlighter yellow oral disk, started shrinking a bit and one side of the oral disk looked shrunken up. Day by day it got worse and started turning to mush starting from that side.

It started to not attach very well so I was able to take it out and dip in iodine, which did not help. I lost it after over a week

One of my really small ones, a bit over a quarter size, started showing the same symptoms right after the death, and it went down hill even faster.

Now my absolute FAVOURITE, a bright golden orange that I've had for over a year and decent in size, is starting to show symptoms too. It looks to be hanging on better as I'm guessing it's larger and healthier, but I feel like crying thinking I might lose this guy.

It's still attached under the sand by a rocks edge so it will be difficult to remove for dipping.

Does any one have tips for this.

This year's been tough... I've been losing torches in my other tank as well and this now is pushing me over the edge

Are there any other tank mates that might be causing some stress or harm to the RFAs?

I’ve had a peppermint shrimp go rouge and start harming corals, including a beautiful small rock flower that I was unable to save. I didn’t understand what was going on until I caught him one night beating the crap out of one of my RFAs. It looked like he was drilling for oil in the rock flowers mouth.

I also caught the shrimp picking at my splatter hammer around the same time. I’d suggest checking your tank out at night to see if any villains are coming out after hours.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Maybe try the opposite, human instinct is to feed or nourish, maybe stop feeding, and let them pooh, feeding everyday day is like you drinking a milkshake daily, you need time to breathe and pooh/digest

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Maybe try the opposite, human instinct is to feed or nourish, maybe stop feeding, and let them pooh, feeding everyday day is like you drinking a milkshake daily, you need time to breathe and pooh/digest

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Pics of mine poohing
Stop overfeeding would be my advice

 

[jkcoral]

Looking at the top, it looks like someone or something damaged the skirt. That is exactly what mine looked like a week before it died, and before I had discovered the peppermint shrimp was a killer.

I’d also recommend giving the RFA aminos. It seems to help them heal. I’ve used AB+ in the past when a RFA was feeling under the weather and it perked up quickly

 

[jkcoral]

Also, I’d check and make sure they are getting enough flow. You mentioned a new tank, and they might need more flow than they are getting.

I’ve found that RFAs appreciate more flow than people would think

 

[eggplantparrot]

There are no tankmates other than an Anton bruuni shrimp who floats around the tank like an angel, he doesn't touch the nems much as I spot feed him daily.

 

[eggplantparrot]

Also, I’d check and make sure they are getting enough flow. You mentioned a new tank, and they might need more flow than they are getting.

I’ve found that RFAs appreciate more flow than people would think

Flow is definitely enough. 2 mp10s and an oversized return pump. They're turned down just enough to not move the special grade sand, it's more than what the nano had and they were fine in there.

 

[Dcloser12]

What are your parameters. I don't believe it's bacterial. You listed an on going issue over weeks that target anemones in series vs the same titime. Sounds like a crab picking at them or parameter related