H.Crispa Tips and Advice

[squeezix]

A Heteractis Crispa will be arriving Friday. I have 175 Halide and 55 Actinic PC over a 38 gallon reef. I have over 90 Lbs. of live rock and a total of maybe 50-55 gallons water. I have 2 percs also.

Does anyone have any advice for placement and care of this animal? You can see details of my tank below.

OH, P.S. The Fenner book says bristleworms can hurt anemones, is this true?

 

[jcalheiroslobo]

Hi
I have a Heteractis crispa for 12 years in my aquarium.
here is a description of my aquarium:
-100 gal
-lightning: 250w Halides(2) and 25 w Power compacts(4)
-2 percula clownfishes living in the anemone and many other fishes
-the anemone is placed in the bottom of the tank in a big rock
-feeding regime: a small piece of fish every 15 days (plus the food the fishes don´t eat).
If you need any other information, please ask

Joao

 

[squeezix]

He arrived at 10:30 AM, I spent an hour acclimating to my water, dumped it's water and just kinda dumped him in the tank. I figured this would be the best way as it would figure out where it wanted to be. My leather coral shrunk within one hour to a little stub, so I ran a carbon bag for 16 hours.
He climbed behind some rocks, but is three times the size as he was in the bag. Most circulation is off right now, as well as lighting , he has been in the tank 18 hours. I guess I should leave him be and let him find a perch?
Looks very healthy. Carbon helped the Leather. I ran Carbon not only for the Anemone's spent nematocysts, but also I had a trachyphyllia waging war with a wellsophyllia, they are now separated.
ALK 3.8
Kalk 350
pH 8.4
He came with A C.Varians slug I ordered, the C. Varians is now dead.

I'm a little afraid of the chemical traces of animals in my tank. The Trachyphyllia and Wellsophyllia got angry with each other, I have a citron Goby that slimes when upset, and a Hydnophora, which is a notorious "Chemical Ali". Add that to whatever the Heteractis Crispa shed, the death of the C. Varians.........very edgy in my tank today (see the specs, it's a small tank)
It's been up a little over a year, but I have done no stocking between October and three weeks ago.

 

[Will C1]

keep running carbon and change it frequently. do you have a diatom filter or perhaps an old magnum with the polishing filter? run one of these if you do it will help pull more of the gunk out.

 

[squeezix]

Reply....Crispa seems to be dying or dead. Shrunken Basal Disk, withered tentacles. Not quite dead yet, so I'll keep him in until tomorrow night. What could have gone wrong?

these pics are fuzzy, but look close and you can tell the state of this 2.5 inch h.crispa

http://www.acidbaby.com/qnem.htm[/url]

Tomorrow I will post in more depth.

 

[squeezix]

I'm a conscientous reefer who needs help Only in the hobby since october 2001. See below for tank specs.

I got a Chaledonuria Varians slug to take care of flatworms, and an anemone for pet from MDLive in LA. I trust my supplier and the animal seem healthy on arrival, so I acclimate.

C. Varians dead in 24 hours, even though well acclimated and vigorously eating red Acoel Flatworm.

Hetetrectic crispa showing mesenteries and very little life.

Firstly look at my tank profile and see my setup.
I only test alk, Kalk, Ph.

The original occupants, Corralimorphs, Zoos, leather and some LPS/SPS doing great. Pods decimated, maybe by an errant blenny who has passed. Spaghettie, Vermetid, Sebellastarte worms reproding.

I am no expert, but definitely a concientous member of the hobby. i research my livestock (805 of the time BEFORE I purchase.)

C. Varians is dead, **** happens, little is known about these animals.

Heteractis Crispa is in bad shape, he should not be.

Anyone wh can provide chemical analysis of my water, most metals, stront, molyb, copper will be reward, what do you want, cash or artwork?

Sop far I'm doing so-so at keeping my reef thriving and making my corals grow.

Please help, because I have my eyes on more challenging inverts. I'm hopeful to bring H. Crispa back to life.

 

[Anonymous]

Squeez, go to http://www.wetwebmedia.com and look in the Marine Aquarium articles and FAQ's. Then, go into "Non-vertebrate life", then scroll down to Anemone information. There is at least[ one article specifically on H. crispa, as well as copious FAQ's.

 

[Anonymous]

The corals you are worrying about chemicals from are more stinging types; the leather is more likely to put offensive chemicals into the water. But anyway, did you say your lights and circulation is off? I think I would get that going again if its still off. I would just watch and wait on the anemone, maybe someone with more experience with them will have a suggestion.

 

[danmhippo]

IME, newly introduced anemone rarely make it when NO3 level is elevated (over 15ppm). But they tolerate it if the level goes up above that when they have already established in the tank.

Have you check the NO3 before you put it in? BTW, I don't like to dump water they were bagged in.

Moderate circulation helps them to rid themselves of wastes, I'd provide it if you haven't yet.

 

[squeezix]

I have decent circulation, and only shut it off last night. My return pump is a mag 9.5 with 6' head, but my backup mag 5 is in right now. I have two maxi-jet 400's in the tank, on during all lighted hours (11am-2am)

I forgot to mention I do test ammonia nitrate and nitrate, all show a bitg fat 0 and have since last April.

 

[Anonymous]

That's a photoperiod of 15 hours. Why so long? 14 is pushing it. Not that I think it has anything to do with the anemone troubles, but more just curious.

 

[squeezix]

15 hours actinic, 12 hours Halide. Until a few weeks ago it was 13 hours actinic 10 hours Halide, and I may go back. It was to lengthen the growing period for my Hydnophora and Montipora. My tank is small to use a 250 watt lamp, (unless i spend 700 bones on a chiller) so i opted for a 175 and a little longer photoperiod.
I haven't seen much change in the Hydnophora, but the Monti is growing at a little bit of a faster rate. I'll shorten the photoperiod eventually, but my monti was a frag the size of a fingerbone. It has great branches now and provides my citron Goby a good home.

 

[Anonymous]

Reply....Crispa seems to be dying or dead. Shrunken Basal Disk, withered tentacles. Not quite dead yet, so I'll keep him in until tomorrow night. What could have gone wrong?

these pics are fuzzy, but look close and you can tell the state of this 2.5 inch h.crispa

http://www.acidbaby.com/qnem.htm[/url]

Tomorrow I will post in more depth.

The pictures were blurry like you said, but from what I see that anemone is toast. Anytime their oral opening gapes like that and begins to invert itself, you might as well pull it out before it further fouls the tank.