(Didn't make it, please close) sebaia anemone H. Malu

[mws]

I have sebaia anemone what has nor been doing well in my tank. My GBTA is nice and big everyone else is fine.
I got it a week ago from the store and for a last few days it's been moving around and deflating constantly.
Anyone in Calgary or okotoks like to stop by tonight and give it a try.

[Seamazter]

A week is not uncommon to have an unhappy nem.
Try taking it back to the store for credit if you can.

[Nebthet]

Where are you trying to keep it in your tank and what is your lighting?

[mws]

Where are you trying to keep it in your tank and what is your lighting?

It spend first 4 days in a mid portion of the tank. Went in a move after that.
In a morning I found it on a ground, face in a rock and then it went down the hill. Tried to put it on very top of the rocks under the MH still moved from there.

It's 2 150MH and 4 double bulb t5 actinics.

[Seamazter]

Every time ive gotten a new nem, it always hides then slowly comes out, ive seen alot that look like they are almost dead come back.
Your lighting is perfect for that guy, your tank im sure is within normal specs too.
Nems like to be in one spot mostly then just getup and move.
If i was you id try to keep your guy upright, and half shaded, your lighting may be too bright for him at 1st.

[Nebthet]

Sebaes are sand dwelling anemones. Put it on your sandbed and dig out a little part against a rock where it can get ahold of the rockwork. It may take 24-48hrs for the foot to attach.
You have enough lighting there for it to be happy.

[mws]

Every time ive gotten a new nem, it always hides then slowly comes out, ive seen alot that look like they are almost dead come back.
Your lighting is perfect for that guy, your tank im sure is within normal specs too.
Nems like to be in one spot mostly then just getup and move.
If i was you id try to keep your guy upright, and half shaded, your lighting may be too bright for him at 1st.

He was doing and looking good at first(but would not take any food)
This is when it was in a mid level of the tank half shaded kind of.

[Nebthet]

He was doing and looking good at first(but would not take any food)
This is when it was in a mid level of the tank half shaded kind of.

They normally won't take any food until a good week after they are acclimated to your tank.
By the way, what color is this anemone?

[mws]

Sebaes are sand dwelling anemones. Put it on your sandbed and dig out a little part against a rock where it can get ahold of the rockwork. It may take 24-48hrs for the foot to attach.
You have enough lighting there for it to be happy.

This could of been a problem. I have no sand in my tank. I was going to go tomorow and get some sand and give it to him in a container but with the rate he is getting worse, I don't know if he can come back.

[Seamazter]

These guys are hard to acclimate to new waters.
If it came from a retailer, then it came from a wholesaler, and probably a holding tank before that.
Hes been in at least 3 types or water before you met him.
And they don't like changes very much to say the least.
If hes sick giving him up to a friend might just kill him.

[Nebthet]

Even if you do not have sand on the bottom of the tank, ensure you flip him over so the foot is down to encourage it to attach.


Do you have any way to take a picture of this anemone so we can get an idea of what it looks like?
I am asking all these questions because I have been working on bringing back the health of a sebae myself since June and learned a lot from it and I would like to see what I can do to help you to save this one if no one else wishes to take it (If I was in your neck of the woods I would have).

[reefwars]

sebaes arent really good beginner nems and can be hard to care for properly even for experienced hobbyst. sorry to hear about yours i hope it pulls through:)

[mws]

Even if you do not have sand on the bottom of the tank, ensure you flip him over so the foot is down to encourage it to attach.


Do you have any way to take a picture of this anemone so we can get an idea of what it looks like?
I am asking all these questions because I have been working on bringing back the health of a sebae myself since June and learned a lot from it and I would like to see what I can do to help you to save this one if no one else wishes to take it (If I was in your neck of the woods I would have).

I can't take a pic right now as lights are off.
He is creamish in color with purple tips. May be I should of not feed him for a first week as I suspect food may be irritated him even more.
Would you suggest a container with the sand?

[Nebthet]

I take it the anemone you have looks sort of like this then?
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo269/nebthet1/Saltwater2/55g%20Reef/sabae06-30-2010.jpg

This is my sebae when I first got it on June 30th of this year. It was about the size of a toonie and it didn't want to stick it's foot to anything. I had to turn my MP pumps to minimum for 48hours and watch it while it tried to attach itsself. It's tentacles were not all that sticky either. It was a very sick and bleached anemone. Most of these type of anemones don't make it I'm afraid and they take a lot of care to bring them back to health.

To try to coax it to attach to the bottom I would reduce the flow in that area. Ensure there is a rock or perhaps something with a shallow bowl shape that this anemone can put it's foot into and will feel happy.

After a couple days with it's foot attached you can then try feeding it. 1-3 small mysis pieces at first or a krill depending on the size of it's mouth. NO SILVERSIDES, not even chopped up, they are being proven to be bad for anemones.
Feeding should be once every 2 days. This allows time for your tank to not get muckied up with anything that is uneaten.
It will also help if you have a good skimmer on your tank.

By the way, are the tentacles on your sebae small or are they longer?

[mws]

They are small and egg shape. The nem is a size on the chinese mandarin.
I do have a skimmer and I did try to feed it mysis and brine srimp, bifore it went on a move.

[ponokareefer]

I've found with anemones that when you try to put them upright and in a different position, it is a good idea to turn your powerheads off for a while until the anemone can get a good hold of something. After that, bring one powerhead on at a time. Otherwise, it may just continue to get blown around. I'd definitely recommend getting a container of sand, digging a hole in the middle, and putting the anemone in there. Sebae's like to be able to retract in the sand if they feel threatened.
As others have pointed out, I wouldn't recommend putting this in another tank, and I'd hold off feeding it now for probably at least a few days of being in the same spot.

[mws]

Thanks everyone, I will get sand today and see if that will make him happier.
It hold on to the rock overnight , looking a little better then yesterday, but still not hot.
I always turn off my powerheads and start them up one at the time.

[mws]

Here how it looks like this morning.

[Seamazter]

He looks okay to me, its when they bulbs get stringy and start to peel you know its going to die.
Anyone else think it just looks depressed?
Id give it a small dish with sand ,leave it in the same water, and give it some time.

[ponokareefer]

It looks extremely pale(bleached), which is not a good sign. It's got a long road to recovery. Sebae's are not naturally white.

[reefwars]

It looks extremely pale(bleached), which is not a good sign. It's got a long road to recovery. Sebae's are not naturally white.



yeah i gotta say its not a healthy color they shouldnt be white at all and that one is bleached fully and he looks stressed id say its a result of not acclimating well enough as these guys need to be acclimated over a series of hours using drip methods for best results. physically moving the nem has also caused him some harm if i were to guess......they arent a nem to be moved around physically like a bta would be these guys are very finacky and when they find a good spot they settle in good him moving around is using up alot of energy and where hes not eating or staying put long enough to gain food from the lights he has no choice but to shrivel up.

i would also agree that moving him is not a good idea as they dont acclimate well and another move will surely kill it, what are your water parameters like and the flow in your tank??? is there any clowns in there giving it a hard time?? when a nem is sick or unhealthy a clown trying to forcfully host is not helpfull and alot of times does more damage then before but ive read that anemone crabs help with sebae's for food havent experienced it though.


best thing for your nem is really clean water, isolation(not picked at) and a safe place to rest its foot.once it has these things it will start to take food and get its color back.


its important to mention that all anemones do better in established tanks but especially sebaes if they dont get enough light they are forced to get supplemental feedings in which a new tank under a year old can barely provide and mysis alone wont keep him healthy.

water qualityand temp is another very important factor with these types of anemones which is another reason alot of people cant nurse them back to health, your water and temp have to be stable and less than perfect isnt good enough which is why they ship poorly the salinity gets high the temp is constantly changing and water conditions are always changing its a hard process to endure.

food will bring the color back but you cant rush it these nem are slow healers and will probably stay small and bleached for a while it doesnt mean its gonna die it just means you need to make sure it gets food and make sure your water quality and temp stay steady.small mysis on a baster every few days will help with its color along with a steady light schedule.dont move him and get it some sand it will find it on its own if you keep it close enough.it will proably be weeks or more before you see any color or before it gets use to your system:)

cheers and good luck:)

[Nebthet]

Thanks for uploading some pictures. If it is beginning to attach to a rock that is a good thing. Allow it to do that.
From picture number two, thankfully your sebae still has a little bit of it's brown color. Not much, but it is better than having non at all. This means it will be a little easier to bring it back to health but it will still take a long time.

Please remember to keep a lot of room around these anemones. They often grow to be around 20inches in size, not including the tentacles.

Feed this guy every other day for at least 4 months. You should start seeing the brown color darken, and then slowly spread out to the other tentacles. Shrimp, clams, squid, are all good if finely chopped up.

Please keep up updated on the changes with this sebae.

[reefwars]

sorry to hear