anemone caught in pump
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Help
Forum Name: EMERGENCY FORUM
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URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55905
Printed Date: April 19 2024 at 1:26pm
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Topic: anemone caught in pump
Posted By: Davidwillis
Subject: anemone caught in pump
Date Posted: April 21 2012 at 9:11am
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I am upset, because I knew better. I just got a green bubble tip anemone, and it has been wandering around for a few days. I have a sponge filter on the power head in the back of the tank, and thought this the one at the top connected to the glass was safe. I have been keeping a close eye on the anemone, and finally thought it was attached. But when I got up this morning it was stuck in the pump. It took me about an hour to get it out of the pump (including cutting some of the pump shroud). My question is, is there any chance this anemone will live? And is there anything I should do to help?   |
Replies:
Posted By: Ann_A
Date Posted: April 21 2012 at 9:23am
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I really don't know if it'll make it, or if there's really anything you csn do, but I had my huge gbta go through my vortech and come out literally soup. Yours looks way better than mine did. Mine didn't make it, and neither did my sailfin tang. What other invertebrates/fish do you have? I would also recommend a good size water change because of toxins that the anemone was likely to have released. I think if there's any chance that it will make it, the water quality needs to be spot on, there shouldn't be anything else in the tank that could annoy/harm it, and you're going to have to be patient (don't bug it or handle it much). You also may want to run carbon for a few days as well, if you aren't already. ------------- http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53856&title=annes-65g-rsm-reef" rel="nofollow - RSM 250 Reef |
Posted By: arthuriv
Date Posted: April 21 2012 at 9:23am
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When they get sucked into a pump don't cut anything!! Just turn off the pump and it will get itself out, if not it is dead! I've had it happen a few times and they survived. ------------- Quality Marines Aquaculturing & Captive Breeding program! Presented by Ashley & Chelsea from Reef On Thursday 6 Oct 2016 |
Posted By: Davidwillis
Date Posted: April 21 2012 at 10:27am
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Thanks. Should I leave the lights off for a day? I have a few Zoanthids, a kenya tree, a coral beauty, a royal gramma, two clowns (oscillaris), and a green spotted puffer. I run carbon, but I don't have any water made up to do a water change with. I may add some fresh carbon, and mix up some water for a water change tomorrow. |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: April 21 2012 at 12:16pm
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Thanks for the pic. That anemone survived well and will survive really well. Nothing is needed, no changes to anything. Did you know that Anemones can extricate themselves after the pump is turned off.  I've posted a pic below showing Plastic Canvas used for Needlepoint which I constructed as an effective secondary basket screen/cage to keep anemones from getting caught in the intake screen. I sew it together with fishing line and tack it in place with a drop of Gel Superglue or Gorilla Glue. There is so much misinformation on the web, like another thread today where the hobbyist found some people saying that a foam pad is absolutely necessary under an aquarium and others saying not to do it. Problem is, so many hobbyists have limited experience with just their own situation and then think that their limited experience can be extrapolated to cover everything.  I'm often guilty of this in my own life, so I'm speaking to myself as much as anyone. ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: Davidwillis
Date Posted: April 21 2012 at 2:09pm
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Thanks Mark. I know now they can get themselves out (it was mentioned in an earlier post). But I didn't know that before, plus it really looked stuck. Anyway, it is looking a lot better. Here is a picture of the anemone, and the pump it got in (I don't plan on turning that pump on again unless I figure out how to make it safe).  Here is a picture of my powerhead I use to push water to the surface.  |
Posted By: Davidwillis
Date Posted: April 21 2012 at 5:18pm
Well now it is trying to go down my overflow. I shut the return pump off the see if it will get out.  |
Posted By: Aquaristnewbie
Date Posted: April 21 2012 at 5:28pm
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That thing looks fine to me. I have had anemones that looked a lot worse than that turn around and be fine. Its frustrating but looks like you have things under control. Now just wait. ------------- 150 gallon Reef Millcreek Utah |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: April 22 2012 at 9:14am
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Turn a pump to shoot directly at it and it will move away.
------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: Davidwillis
Date Posted: April 22 2012 at 7:26pm
| I have had a power head pointed at it for about 5 hours, and it is not moving. I turned it off, because it was shriveling up, and I am afraid it will kill it. |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: April 22 2012 at 8:16pm
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Too close?
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Posted By: Davidwillis
Date Posted: April 22 2012 at 9:03pm
| I moved that pump in the picture to the front of the tank, and pointed it to the anemone (about 11 inches away). It was really creating some flow, and made the anemone retract, but it did not move. |
Posted By: Davidwillis
Date Posted: April 23 2012 at 7:41pm
I tried it again today with the pump about twice as far away, but he is not moving....
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Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: April 24 2012 at 10:26am
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In that case, the anemone likes the flow and because it is healing/recovering from getting stuck in the pump, I'd probably leave it alone for a week. The tank will be fine without external Hiatt filtration for as long as it takes for the anemone to move. I'm thinking that it likes high flow or that it wanted the high flow to help it heal. In this case I'd try moving the pump away instead. It looks like the drain is open. If the top comes apart, I'd design a screen to go around it to avoid future worries. Where would it go if it took a ride down the drain? It's hard to be patient. After a few days the anemone is actually recovered enough to be carefully scraped and pulled off the drain. To remove Anemones from smooth surfaces I usually use my thumbnail and/or a blade algae scraper, little by little.  ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: Davidwillis
Date Posted: April 24 2012 at 5:26pm
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The overflow is a slit about 3/8" tall, so I don't think the anemone could go all the way through, but I am not sure of that. I know none of my fish will fit through (there is a top piece I have off in the picture that encloses it so a fish can't jump in). I think I will try and put a screen around it anyway. If it went for a ride down the overflow it would end up going into my skimmer pump which would kill it for sure. I have been running my return pump, and keeping an eye on it. It has moved down just enough so it has not been going in like the earlier picture. |
Posted By: Davidwillis
Date Posted: April 30 2012 at 3:58pm
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I was hoping it would move to a better spot, but it seems to like it here. Even though it has to really stretch to get light... Side view  front view  |
Posted By: Ann_A
Date Posted: April 30 2012 at 4:52pm
Mine was attached on the back of a rock, and had to extend at least 9 inches to get light on the other side. Sometimes these things find the most awkward positions to attach themselves in and somehow like being there.  ------------- http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53856&title=annes-65g-rsm-reef" rel="nofollow - RSM 250 Reef |
Davidwillis wrote:Posted By: Fish Mama
Date Posted: April 30 2012 at 6:50pm
And I thought the drive to Idaho would be the anenome ,s worse stressor 
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Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: May 01 2012 at 10:34am
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Hi Fish Mama. For y'all reading this, Fish Mama is one of just a few hobbyists that has been with our group since the early days. To answer some questions, yes an anemone can slip through a 3/8 inch slit, in fact it can slip through a 1/8 inch slit. A screen cage hanging about an inch distance all around the circular overflow would keep an anemone out. The distance is important. The suction flow is strongest right at the overflow and decreases with increasing distance from the point of suction. Oh my goodness, in that last pic, the anemone is perfectly situated to be scraped off the glass. Using a metal algae scraper blade (Kent Pro Scrapers are awesome) or even better, a single edge razor blade (in the paint dept. at hardware stores a small plastic single edge razor blade holder/scraper for just a few bucks) scrape that anemone cleanly off the glass. In this case you'll want to scrape close enough to get the coralline algae off the glass. The anemone will come off with the coralline algae. Sometimes anemones don't even close up while they are being scraped off with a sharp metal blade. The reason the anemone has chosen that spot is twofold: 1- They like to live in caves/dark places for protection. They can easily stretch out to reach the light, but shrink back into the dark hole for protection from predators (puffers, turtles and the occasional butterflyfish) and to ride out a storm/rough sea. 2- They like to stretch into smooth moderately strong current where food is flowing past. The food they absorb is most of their diet. Since an anemone is really just one huge coral polyp, it needs dissolved nutrients for the zooxanthellae algae living in their tissue. Secondarily, their tentacles armed with tiny harpoons can catch dead/almost dead meat that flows past in the smooth current. Oh, I almost forgot. With the rocks, make a cave area where the water flows smoothly past. After scraping the anemone off the glasss, place it there in that cave area. If it's done quickly right after scraping off, holding it in place with your hand for just a few seconds may be enough to let it attach to a rock. Otherwise, just place it between two rocks to hold it in place. Don't worry about squishing it between the rocks. It cannot be squished. 
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Posted By: Davidwillis
Date Posted: May 01 2012 at 4:14pm
Well I got it moved. It didn't like it much, and is not attached to anything yet, but I hope it likes it here....  |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: May 01 2012 at 5:50pm
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Looks real good to me. See how it's still hydrated, even the bubble tips and how the foot is hydrated and openly searching for an acceptable surface. Keep your fingers crossed. ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: Davidwillis
Date Posted: May 01 2012 at 10:33pm
yea, that was nothing compared to getting stuck in a pump... But it seems to have handled it well and is looking as good as new. |
Posted By: Davidwillis
Date Posted: May 01 2012 at 10:38pm
Yes, it retracted when I first pealed it off, but seems to recover very quickly. I had to move some rocks around a little more to keep it from moving to the back (it was heading to the power head in the back of the tank that shoots up to the surface, but it is anemone safe), and turned on my pump (the one it got stuck in!!!) to increase the flow around it(it really seems to like high flow areas). But it is looking very happy where it is now....lets hope it stays there. I am not sure if I should shut my pump off at night (since I can't keep an eye on it). Or if I should leave it on to keep it in place. |
Posted By: Davidwillis
Date Posted: May 02 2012 at 8:25am
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Well I left the pump on, and just checked a couple times to make sure it
wasn't moving. So far it hasn't moved, but the flow is so high it has
blown all the sand away. The lights aren't on yet, and this picture was taken with a flash. I am hoping once the lights come on it will extend out further.  |
Posted By: Davidwillis
Date Posted: May 06 2012 at 1:59pm
| I think I had too much flow where it was at. It stayed retracted all the time, so I moved the pump away, and it started moving around the tank again. Once it came off, and was floating around the tank. I have tried rearranging the rock, and water flow, but it ended up back by the overflow. That seems to be the only place it likes. Maybe it can attache better to the glass? |
Posted By: Davidwillis
Date Posted: May 07 2012 at 7:50pm
Ok, one last try. It has been in this spot for over a day now, so hopefully it will stay there.  |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: May 08 2012 at 11:42am
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If not, then try to change the water flow direction by placing the powerhead at the other bottom end of the tank, shooting close to vertically up.
------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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