HELP!!!!!

[Namscam]

oh man i m soo ****ed off.. I went to the fish store for a while and come home to find that my rotteri anemone is stuck to one of my power head...the water is all cloudy and i have like 3 dead fish.... and i just bought two clams a week ago.. Wut should I do??? i dont want my other fishes to die and i cant seem to get the anemone out of the tank...he is still stuck to the rock...should i just drag his ass out of the tank by force cuz i think he ll die n e wayz. should i get carbon??

[props]

yeah i would run carbon asap n do a bucket or two water change and do it again tom

[Aquattro]

I wasn't aware that anemones could hurt fish if dmaged. Mine didn't when it got sucked thru a pump.
If your's is still attached to a rock, it isn't dead. I'd leave it in there and do a water change and add carbon. Watch the anemone for a while to see how it reacts. My rbta got sucked thru a Tunze stream and is doing just fine since then. They're tough suckers.

[Namscam]

ok death count is now....all of my fishes except for the clownfish which seems to be immune to toxin...damn i feel bad for those 5 chromis that i just bought yesterday too...ahhhhhhhh :evil: ....damn anemone....
well now that all the fishes are dead, I have another problem...I have only been able to find 7 bodies....still got like another 7 left in there...should I tear up the tank to find the body or just hope that any thing that is alive in there will eat it up...such as lobster and crab....aww man i m sooo ****ed off now.....but the good new is that that damn damsel the devil of the sea is also dead

[BCOrchidGuy]

Bummer man, well the good news is you get a chance to have a fresh start, and at least you don't have to worry about disease that may hang around. So, what killed the fish, anemone toxin or ammonia from the anemone dying. If it's ammonia don't add more fish until the ammonia levels are down, either way I'd do alot of water changes to get things under control.

[props]

hows your corals doing?
especially em pink mille!!! =o)
give me a frag dood
heheheheheh
crapy sorry to hear 'bout you loss
hope ev'rything turns out okay

[Namscam]

I think it was the toxin because the anemone is still alive...I cant even get him off the rock that hes on so I assume hes still alive....at least now my water isnt cloudy anymore...my corals are doin no so bad...some are closed up and some are releasing toxins of their own but they all seem to be alive, but I wont know til a few days later.. I m just gonna put some of my corals in my friends tank....yeah if it survives and grows i ll frag u a piece jesse...at the moment its still small but bigger than when i got it

[BCOrchidGuy]

Namscam if you need a tank to put them in I've got a couple spares laying around and I've got my 26 you can toss a few into.

Doug

[Namscam]

Thanks for the offer Doug but I have already moved them to my friends tank...He lives like 5 min away from me so it wasnt that much trouble...well I guess you were right bout one thing, I can get a fresh start and get bigger fishes

[Quinn]

Slow down a bit... your tank is only three months old. You've got all the time in the world to add more livestock.

[Namscam]

who said i m adding them right away..I m gonna wait like a few weeks to see if things settle down first...I m just saying this will give me a chance to get new fishes like a lion fish or something like that

[Namscam]

also Plus I think my tank was pretty stable....its not like these fishes died due to me not slowing down...If they were do die due to poor water quality or high ammonia or nitrate spikes or what so ever then i could acept the blame that it was me that killed the fishes but in this case it wasnt even my fault...anemones do move and mine just happened to moved into the impeller of the powerhead and released a large amount of toxins which killed the fish therefore it wasnt due to any fault of mine that killed the fish except for perhaps buying the anemone....but u cant control where to put the anemone, they move to where they desire

[EmilyB]

where do you start in a thread like this...
:rolleyes:

fresh start?

huh...yah go dude
:rolleyes:

[MitchM]

:confused:

Um, namscam, actually..it is your fault.

It was up to you to provide a safe home for that anemone. It was doing fine until you placed it in a tank with an open powerhead. If you have powerheads in a tank with anemones, you must use foam on the intakes.

Mitch

[AJ_77]

Richie, it's tough to know all this stuff right away - that's why people here have been telling you from Day 1, "take it slow." You could honestly spend a year just reading all the boards, following threads on other people's experiences, and learning from all the mistakes they make. Then you could avoid many of them yourself...

The common factor is that impatience leads to problems. It's really a hard one to learn, but this isn't a hobby for fast results - at all. That may be why some might openly question whether or not you should continue in it. Sounds harsh I know, but if we can't learn from the people on here that have shown success through their methods for years, then we're screwed...

If I hadn't relied on the reefers I met on this board when starting out 2 years ago, I doubt that I'd still be here at all. But I took the hard acvice, and found an approach that works for me, and it's been great. A lot of learning and patience, sure, but that's all good.

Don't know how you came up with a Ritteri, but I feel for you. That thing is one of the hardest animals to keep, period.

[Delphinus]

but u cant control where to put the anemone, they move to where they desire

FWIW, that's not entirely accurate. It's up to us to create a spot for the anemone that it wants to be in. Ritteri's have a reputation for being the worst wanderers, but it's because unsuspecting aquarists rarely put them in a spot that they like. If you look at where you'll find a ritteri on a real reef, you'll notice a few clues as to what they need. For one, they're at the top of the reef. They can even found above the low tide line in shallow water. That puts them as close as they can be to the sunlight, and it puts them right into the surge zone.

To be honest, if your tank is only three months old, it is no place for a ritteri. I'm sorry but that's my opinion.

I don't want to sound like I'm picking on you too, but, .... now you're talking about a lionfish. You're all over the map here, going from one extreme to another. My advice to you is, figure out first what exactly you really want to do. Try to imagine where you want your tank to be, two years from now. That might help you distill down what your next few steps will be. Before committing to purchases, look for examples of what you would like to try. We all do it -- we look at other examples, and then we try to emulate those examples. I see things that work, and I take away something from that. I see things that don't work, and I take away something from that, too. Read, read, read, and read some more.

I'm very sorry for your losses. Failure is a hard pill to swallow, but, try to take a good hard honest look at what happened and see what you can take away from this. What can you do differently from now on? We all do this too. If something doesn't work out the way we'd hoped, we ask ourselves, "whereupon did I go wrong in all of this?" Whether it's just because you were unlucky, or whether you were flirting with disaster from the get-go, you can always seize it as an opportunity to change something so that the risk is minimized for the same thing from happening again in the future.

[BCOrchidGuy]

I like the saying, "I haven't failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that don't work". Sometimes, even with the best of intentions we do things we regret later. I for one think it's difficult to know when the right time to add things is. There is something that goes on after a tank cycles, it's why alot of stuff does so much better in an established tank. Some inverts don't do well in a tank that's less than so many months old regardless of how well they are maintained but someone who neglects water changes, doesn't dose additives, doesn't use a Ca reactor, dosen't add kalk, doesn't change light bulbs will be able to keep stuff thats considered ultra difficult. The hobby is one where we need to be open to ideas, and sometimes criticism, I'd be willing to bet 99% of the criticism that goes on is from a trying to help perspective rather than an attack against a person.
Why not sit down and write a list of fish you'd be interested in keeping, and inverts. If you go for a lion fish, you'll not be able to keep much else in with it. Shrimp, crabs etc will all be a tasty treat in no time. A lion fish will also put a fair bio load on your tank, so corals may not like the company.
Just my two cents worth.

Doug

[Namscam]

Dont worry I wont take any of your comments the wrong way, and I know what you are all trying to say...I am not saying that I will 100% be getting such fishes but they are just in my list of prospect fishes. I know that most things tend to do well under established tanks but you can never tell when a tank is established...some ppl say it can take anywhere from 6-12 months but they dont really know forsure..just like how some says it can take 30 days for the ammonia/nitrate cycle but I have seen it within a matter of 3-4 days so no one can really tell how long it takes to actually get it established...it is up the the reefer to decide when their tank is stablised...I have found that all my parameters have been stablized as i check them every week..although I do not keep cal reactor but I do does it with ca additives and find that everything has stayed within the same range. and I have gone through all the differnt cycles that you can think of whether it be algae bloom, brown diatom, red slime, nitrate, and what ever cycle you can think of I have gone through it all.

and I know that someone of you say that rotteri anemone are hard to keep but b4 this incident the rotteri has been sitting in the same spot for like a month now and hasnt moved an inch. Even though you say that some animals are hard to keep, but what is hard to keep for one aquarist isnt particularly hard for another..I am not saying that I am a pro or anything because I am the exact opposite of that. its just like how some say that clams can not survive under PC (maxima and crocea) but my friend has been keeping 4 of these clams under PC lights for 2 years now and they are growing and surviving,. I know that there are many aquarist who keep SPS under PC and they have thrive, when in fact most of you out there would say that they would die or not do well. jsut think of the time b4 MH were invented, how did these aquarist keep their corals.
and to Carpenterreef: I am sure that not everyone keeps foams on their intake. I do not do it because I find it that t restrict flows.. Its like how you should be keeping a cover for your tank so that the fishes do not jump out but yet ppl do not keep tank covers.. You probably do not keep tank covers so I could say that you are not keeping a safe environment for your fishes. therefore it is not NECESSARY to keep foam in your intake.

also I know that rotteri like to be on top because mine is on the highes ledge of rock that it can find and my powerhead is placed in the middle of the tank and the intake for that powerhead is close to the bottom end but it just happened to move in that directing and witht he high flow rate of that powerhead(600gph) I guess it was enought to just pull one or two tentacles into the intake and there you have it toxins left and right

To all of you who gave me comments that look they they were attacking my ways of doing things, I am not offended by them but welcome your comments for I know that you are just trying to help me and I approciate your help :biggrin:
Thanks for the comments

[Namscam]

Well at least there is one good new that came out of this incident or at least 2. when I woke up today I saw that my white BTA had split into two and my yellow cucumber had also split. :biggrin:

[MitchM]

and to Carpenterreef: I am sure that not everyone keeps foams on their intake. I do not do it because I find it that t restrict flows..

...and it also kills anemones.

Its like how you should be keeping a cover for your tank so that the fishes do not jump out but yet ppl do not keep tank covers.. You probably do not keep tank covers so I could say that you are not keeping a safe environment for your fishes. therefore it is not NECESSARY to keep foam in your intake.

None of us have perfectly set up tanks, but there are things that you can do to prevent the premature death of your tank inhabitants.

For example, as with open top aquariums, you can pile rocks towards the center, not the back or sides. That will help prevent fish from having a perch close to the edge of the tank where it would be a short jump over the edge if they became spooked. You could also make sure that you have a large enough tank with few inhabitants that have plenty of swimming room and hiding spaces. Make sure you know the characteristics of the fish you keep, so that they can have as peaceful co-existence as possible.

....or foam intakes on powerheads where there is a possibility of an invert or small fish being sucked in.

My issue with your previous post was that you took no responsibility for the death of the anemone.
We all make mistakes. It is best if we learn from them. These boards are great in that we can learn from other peoples mistakes as well.

Mitch

[Namscam]

My issue with your previous post was that you took no responsibility for the death of the anemone.

Mitch

You stand corrected my friend, Who said the anemone is dead. what I was trying to say in my previous post is that I can not take into account for everything that happens in my tank and can not control where everything is placed. yeah I could have put foam on the intake, but it is not a MUST

To add to this, You can expect everyone to follow all the rules. for example The law says you should drive ,like what, 50km/h but who really does. i know I dont. even if you do everything correctly , follow all the rules, Things just happen unexpectingly and you cant do anything bout it. This is my analogy for not taking it slow in the hobby, and I have not have any problem with taking things too fast, nothing has died due to me taking it too quickly and this large death that I have just had is due to the anemone releasing toxins. I was just not able to be there in time to spot the problem. I know that most of you out there will really criticize me for this comment about speed what may work for one person may not work for another.

[qoute="carpentersreef"]Make sure you know the characteristics of the fish you keep, so that they can have as peaceful co-existence as possible[/quote]
Are you suspecting that I have not done much research on my fishes or inverts that I have bought and am just carelessly putting in what looks nice,such as the rotteri which some of you say is hard to keep? because I can tell you that I have research a lot about the animals that I have bought. I mean, I can say the same for some of you out there who have bought fishes and shrimps which are known predators or enemies of each other and put them in the same tank only to be eatten. and some of these mistakes come from the experience reefers too. what I am trying to say is that mistakes happen because we can not account for everything that wil happen unless you can tell the future. If you can read the future then damn I ll pay you $5.99/min for one of those calls...it ll be like a psyic(spelling error) hotlinefor fishes :lol:

[MitchM]

Richie, I'm curious...what made you decide to keep saltwater aquariums?

Mitch

[christyf5]

The very least you could do is spell the name of the anemone right. Its ritteri !! :rolleyes:

[Namscam]

The very least you could do is spell the name of the anemone right. Its ritteri !! :rolleyes:

Christy I think you've been in Calgary too long, You sound just like bob now :lol:

Also Carpentersreef, If you are saying that I do not take precaution like you do in that although you do not keep tank cover but pile rocks towards the center and all that well you are wrong..I did take precaution but putting the powerhead towards the lower end of the tank while the anemone stays on the top end near the lights...so isnt that the same precaution as you have taken in not keeping a tank cover?

[MitchM]

Richie, you're still missing the point.

The difference is, is that if a fish jumps out of my tank, I blame myself because I didn't set up the tank properly. Fish don't "decide" to jump into a waterless environment. My fault for not looking after them properly.

With you and your anemone set up, you'll just keep going through anemones until you find one that doesn't happen to wander into the open powerhead. It may happen within a day, or it may happen within a few months. If you had done your research, you should have known that there was a good chance of anenomes wandering. Your fault.
Please set up your tank so it doesn't happen again.

And given your attitude towards reckless speed for setting up an aquarium....there's a good chance of something else going wrong. You just don't see it coming.

Anyways, good luck.

Mitch

[Namscam]

Hey nothing has gone wrong with my speed yet so therefore I think i m going at the right pace...

[AJ_77]

Hey nothing has gone wrong with my speed yet so therefore I think i m going at the right pace...
I think your pace is a problem. This thread is titled "HELP!!!" for good reason, and you lost what, ALL your livestock - 14 or 15 animals?? Dood, it's cause you're goin too fast...

[Quinn]

The right pace is the pace at which things don't die.

[Namscam]

Hey nothing has gone wrong with my speed yet so therefore I think i m going at the right pace...
I think your pace is a problem. This thread is titled "HELP!!!" for good reason, and you lost what, ALL your livestock - 14 or 15 animals?? Dood, it's cause you're goin too fast...

dude it says help but didnt u read y the animals died??? they died because of toxins released from the anemone but due to the pace. I mean lets say that u ve had a tank for 2 years and when an anemone released toxins and kills all ur fish could I say that it was your pace that killed it that you went too SLOW or too FAST?? hell no

[AJ_77]

Yeah, of course I read your post... carefully, too.

here's me: "wait, dood, and take it slow. there's lots to learn"

here's you:ahh darn it i guess it just got too excited and stufff...wonder if my fishes and inverts will dies????
That's from your first thread, I think. Your tank is what, 3 months now? And you had it filled with fish already, most of which died, right? That's still too fast... what are you learning? Not to get too excited again?

This other guy is smart enough to know he's still a noob, darn smart guy:

The right pace is the pace at which things don't die.

[Namscam]

I understand your point and all but I m just saying no one can exactly tell what is the right pace...perhaps my pace maybe pushing it a bit but nothing has died DUE TO THE PACE in my tank.....now dying due to other cause is another matta if we are gonna talk bout pace...you can confuse these two things....
I mean can you tell me when is the EXACT time a tank will mature?I think you have a ball park of when it is but not exactly

[AJ_77]

I mean can you tell me when is the EXACT time a tank will mature?
One year, exactly.


Then nothing else will die (probably).

Good luck, talk to you in 9 months.

[Bob I]

I mean can you tell me when is the EXACT time a tank will mature?
One year, exactly.


Then nothing else will die (probably).

Good luck, talk to you in 9 months.

:mrgreen: :eek: