R.I.P Domino and PePe

[sbeth1179]

Sadly when I woke up this morning out donimo damsel and skunk clown fish were dead. I think that the clown was sick before we put him in the tank. He never really looked right. This is why we need to set up a Q tank. How does one go about doing that??? Also should we treat the tank or just let it cycle out. Its been a bad week for our tank!!!

Death Tally
Common Anemone(pinky) Sucked into the filter and died(suicide)

Domino Damsel(domino)- Dead

Pink Skunk Clown(PePe)- Dead

Bue Devil(chuck)- ALIVE!!!!! YAY

[lucah629]

wow. . . a quarantine tank makes or breaks ya. . . . love ya babe

[Elsherst]

a Q tank can be a simple sponge filter in a 10 gallon with some PVC parts (elbows, straight pieces).

[Linda C.]

Death Tally
Common Anemone(pinky) Sucked into the filter and died(suicide)

Domino Damsel(domino)- Dead

Pink Skunk Clown(PePe)- Dead

Bue Devil(chuck)- ALIVE!!!!! YAY

The anemone: You need to do something so that they don't get sucked into either filters or power heads. Even putting on some netting/wedding veil with rubber bands over the intake will help prevent this from happening.

what size tank is this? The mix of fish might also of been a problem.

Blue devils males can be aggressive. domino damsels are know for picking on more peaceful species of fish...which can lead to sickness and death.

Skunk clowns are more delicate and aren't good shippers. 'didn't look right'...I am suspecting either stress, parasites or brooklynella.

The, as you say, "suicide" of the anemone may of fouled the water after it was damaged/died. Water change would of been in order after you found the anemeone.

Also, the shunk loosing it's host could of put more stress on the fish. The loss of the anemone for clown was her loosing protection from the other fish.

[Linda C.]

For smaller size fish I am a fan of food safe buckets. Easy to stack when not in use, handy, easy to clean, cheap and no worries about breaking glass.

The guys I got in this past weekend to rehab I did need my 50 gallon breeders set up but these fish are BIG.

I keep posting my silly photo but maybe it will give you some idea that won't cost you much and will be a tremendous benefit to your fish.

I use HOB filters or sponge filters.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l197/close5/DSCN0870.jpg

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l197/close5/DSCN2098.jpg

[chineseknife]

Great husbandry skills LindaC!!!
Neat little qt set-up you got there.
I wouldn't rule out the blue as a domninant agressor.

[sbeth1179]

Our Domino Damsel and Pink Skunk got along great. The domino would guard him. The weird thing is they died together.
The anemone was found maybe a few hours after it happend. Before I went to the store he was in full bloom, when I got back it was half in/out of the filter opening.
I just dont know if we should treat the tank or just let it cycle out. The Blue Damsel is doing great. Im just nervous about our coral. Could that be affected if the fish had a disease?

Great Idea about the Q tank. we have a 10 gallon tank that is currently holding a few fresh water fish but maybe we can find a home for them and make that a Q tank. Its just finding room. We live in an Apartment now and need something small. When we move to a house we are definatly having a "saltwater room"
You guys are a great help!!!!! Thank You :hatsoff:

[sbeth1179]

Also do any of you know about Club Tipped Anemones. I read that they arent a true anemone and more of a coral. I could find anything else about it. We have one of these in our tank just wanted to know if its good or bad..

[Elsherst]

Great husbandry skills LindaC!!!

To many of these dog and cat vets, Linda should open up a fish vet. Everything I've seen her get ahold of here seems to come out better than it's ever been.

sbeth1179 - by no means am I even close to an expert, but I couldn't find anything on club tipped anemones either.

[Linda C.]

Are you sure of what you have? I'm sort of wondering if you have something else. Do you know what Aiptasia looks like?

Corynactis californica has a similar look but is different.

Can you post of photo?



oh..btw..I just 'got it'..Pepe...as in LaPew :) that was cute.

[Linda C.]

What are you water parameters right now?

I would keep up with partial water changes especially since you have livestock in the tank.

what did you do after you removed the dead fish and the stuck anemone? Was the anemone a total loss?

This was my sad "life lesson" with my anemone vs. Maxi Jet powerhead. I was devastated that I didn't prevent this from happening. I worked and kept the water quality up for him. The anemone made a FULL RECOVERY. (I will post after photos when the bugger moves from the back of the tank). I have since 'anemone proofed' my tanks.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l197/close5/DSCN1868.jpg

[sbeth1179]

I know what aptasia is. We have a few of them that we need to remove.
This is what it looks like.
511
Its very pretty.

As for the anemone my fiance thought it was dead so he flushed him. I told him to wait but of course he didnt. We are going to get the mesh cover that you put over the filter head. It was so sad. I loved feeding him!!
As for the water. We get it tested at the fish place we go to. I had it tested a week ago and everything was good.
We did a water change last week and this week we are doing one again. They told us we should do a 10% change every week.

[Linda C.]

just had to ask about the aiptasia just in case...sorry..lol.

if you look under it's scientific name you will find more information on them.

Corynactis Californica

here is one short article that might give you some answers on them:

http://www.biolbull.org/cgi/content/abstract/173/1/110

I also think they are pretty :)

[sbeth1179]

Thank you Linda. I really appreciate your help and everyone elses. Now I know what the thing is!!!! I just dont know if its good or bad. Oh well he is staying for now. I like looking at him.

Could you tell me what these "fish flakes" are that we get for posting????!

[Linda C.]

Thank you Linda. I really appreciate your help and everyone elses. Now I know what the thing is!!!! I just dont know if its good or bad. Oh well he is staying for now. I like looking at him.



It's seems to be up to you if you like them or not...good or bad is up to interpretation.

Aiptasia is sometimes considered 'bad' but is an excellent nutrient export. Some people desire it for their sumps.


I highlighted the text in the article to maybe help you out.

First say they are sessile. Meaning they are not free moving and live fixed upon the substrate.

They don't sting or bother their own kind (in blue), however they can sting/bother other corals and other types of anemones (in red).

The last part in purple is saying that they like to try to take over the joint if they can.


imo they are pretty. I have never experienced them in my tank so I don't anything else except what I'm reading about them. I just wouldn't place other corals too close to them.

Keep in mind lots of corals sting other corals...I think you just have to keep an eye on thing.


Corallimorpharians are sessile cnidarians that are morphologically similar to the actiniarian sea anemones and scleractinian corals. This study describes for the first time the behavioral mechanism and effects of aggression by a corallimorpharian. Polyps of the temperate clonal corallimorpharian Corynactis californica extruded their mesenteries and associated filaments onto members of certain species of sea anemones and corals. They did not exhibit this behavior intraspecifically, and members of different clones of C. californica remained expanded upon contact. In contrast, members of four species of corals and zoanthids responded to contact with C. californica by contracting their tentacles, and members of three sea anemone species bent or moved away, detached from the substrate, or attacked using their aggressive structures. When interspecific contact was prolonged, individuals of C. californica extruded filaments onto, and killed polyps of, the sea anemones Anthopleura elegantissima and Metridium senile within 3 weeks, and the corals Astrangia lajollaensis and Balanophyllia elegans within 4-10 months under laboratory conditions. The use of extruded mesenterial filaments by C. californica to attack members of other anthozoan species is similar to the aggressive behavior exhibited by many scleractinian reef corals. Field observations suggest that C. californica may use this agonistic behavior during interspecific competition for space on hard marine substrate.

[sbeth1179]

Ill just keep an eye on it. We only have one so far and he is on the other side of the tank away from our mushrooms. Mushrooms are coral right? I am so new to this. Im just gonna have to do more research to fine out how to keep them somewhat contained. Just when you think you have somewhat of a grasp you find out that you have so much more to learn.
But thats how it goes when your trying to learn something new.
I am looking forward to getting another Anemone. Any Ideas of a good one?