Porcelain Crab & Anemone

[Anonymous]

Hi, I've got a white porcelain crab hosting up in a little Sebae. Suddenly, the sebae decided to retract into itself. Now it just looks like a little marshmallow floating around the tank. At first I thought it was dying, but now I'm not so sure. There's no decaying matter turning to goo. The anemone is simply retracted. I was wondering why it did this, and how I can convince it to be happy again.

Things to know:
I just tested the water, everything's good to go. Ph, ammo, nit/nit, alk, heck i even tested calcium ... everything's where it should be (middle road values or at zero if applicable). I'm diligent about water changes and such ... *shrug* I doubt it was environmental factors that bothered the anemone. There wasn't any slow degradation where it's like "oh the anemone is going downhill, i better clean up the water or something" ... it just decided one day to retract and it's been that way for about 3 days now. The porcelain crab is sitting on the little balled up anemone looking nervous for his home.

Inhabitants: One porcelain (hosting in the anemone), some hermits, two yellow clown gobies that never paid the anemone any mind, various corals and sponges.

-The anemone was fed like 3 weeks ago.

The Setup:
12g JBJ nanocube, 56w PC 50/50 all timed up nice, unmodded JBJ filter but took the ceramic rings out. Weekly 3g water changes. Dose w/ b-ionic and DT's.

Theories:

-I've heard that small anemones might be hurt by a hosting crab, is this true and how might they be hurt? My anemone is very small ... between 3 and 4 inches. Is it saying "OW!" ?

- I've heard the anemone needs to get used to hosting a crab ... true? Maybe mine "failed" the getting used to it part.

- I've heard that maybe the anemone is trying to remove the crab and convince him to go elsewhere.

So ... ?
Any thoughts? I really would like to save the anemone's life.

Thanks for any help you can offer.
-me

 

[fishfanatic2]

Hmm. Try takking the crab off and putting him in antoher tank or somthing. Myabe the anemone wll open up again. Possibly then u could try again by putting the crab i the main tank. if it shrivels up then i guess it needs to put on size or the crab is doin somethin weird. :?

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah I thought of that too. I shooed the crab off.

I ended up relocating the anemone to the garbage after it turned inside out. Weird.

 

[McMatt]

Don't know the solution to this. My Condi was hosting a porcelian crab. I decided to move some rock one day, and the anenome closed up. Mr crab went and hid in the rocks, and dissappeared never to been seen or heard from again. Never found a body or anything. I think it was a mob hit. So far that's the only critter i've lost in my tank in the 6 months i've had it up.

 

[Anonymous]

Suck-tastic. I haven't seen my porcelain since I threw the anemone's corpse away. FFS.