Best way to acclimate a large anemone?

Sangogo · #1 10/24/2007, 10:08 PM

My red haddoni is coming this weekend. (Pictures on the net look great, but for all I know it could be dyed or photoshopped.) This is a 10 inch anemone, much larger than anything I have introduced to my tank before. Thus, my big question is . . . how do I acclimate this thing?

Usually, I would just use the bag a fish or anemone came in and drip in water, but when the item is this big, it seems like there should be more practical methods.

Any tips you guys can share with me?

Toddrtrex · #2 10/24/2007, 11:00 PM

Use a 5 gallon bucket. Pour the contents of the shipping bag (( after temp acclimation )) into the bucket, drip your tank water into there.

And a 10" anemone most likely won't be a full 10" after shipping and what not.

This was mine in the bucket,

After it was settled into the tank it regained its full size.

Eklikewhoa · #3 10/25/2007, 12:18 AM

How would or did you transfer the nem after dripping it?

Toddrtrex · #4 10/25/2007, 08:27 AM

With a carpet -- I would put on a glove (( they are very sticky )) pick it up out of the bucket and put it in the tank. The exposer to the air will not cause any harm. Just make sure that most ( if not all ) of the anemone is supported by your hand(s)

Sangogo · #5 10/25/2007, 08:32 AM

what kind of glove do you recommend?

Toddrtrex · #6 10/25/2007, 08:36 AM

If your not allergic to latex, a latex glove would work perfectly. Like the ones that you can get from a doctors office -- I happen to have a bag full of them and use them. But any rubber type glove will work, helps to prevent the anemone from sticking to your hand, without the glove it is a pain in the butt to get them off your hand. (( mainly talking about haddoni anemones ))

Sangogo · #7 10/25/2007, 08:38 AM

actually, my parents are in the medical supply business, so I'd have easy access to latex. Does it have to be the powder-free variety though?

chrisstie · #8 10/25/2007, 08:52 AM

I would recommend the powder free kind if you can get them.

Toddrtrex · #9 10/25/2007, 08:55 AM

Yea, it would be nice with they were, if not, rinse them off first -- the gloves that is.

Amphiprion · #10 10/25/2007, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Toddrtrex
... rinse them off first -- the gloves that is.

I couldn't help but crack up a little, here. Just so you know, Sangogo, Toddrtrex isn't insulting your intelligence, but these things have happened before, so everyone has to make sure that things are clear. Still a little funny, though.

Toddrtrex · #11 10/25/2007, 09:00 AM

LOL Thanks for catching that Amphiprion.

And he is right, I wasn't insulting anyone, but have to make sure that I am clear.

Sangogo · #12 10/27/2007, 11:42 PM

Thanks for the help, guys. I followed the instructions here to the extent I could (had a few minor disasters) and got the haddoni into the tank. Its mouth was gaping open when it arrived, but I hoped for the best when I got it into the tank. Looked fine yesterday and great this morning, but it looks really deflated now. I know it can be rather hit or miss with carpet anemones since you can never be sure what stress the anemone (especially colored ones) went through before you got it, but I'm getting the sense that it's not going to last long in my tank. ;_;

A picture from this morning for posterity purposes

tpdpercula · #13 10/27/2007, 11:53 PM

give it some time to get settled in. They are not good shippers to begin with.

cartman5579 · #14 10/28/2007, 10:25 AM

Where did you get it from. It's looks good in your picture.

Eklikewhoa · #15 10/28/2007, 04:51 PM

That thing is gorgeous!

Sangogo · #16 10/28/2007, 06:52 PM

I bought it from a vendor a few hours from here who shipped it to me next day. Since I had only seen an online picture, I was pretty nervous about buying it, but specimens like this are pretty rare, so I decided to go for it, despite the store being one that is more expensive than average.

It has puffed back up and my tank-bred fake percs are actually already hosting it, which was unexpected to me, since most local literature here says that fake percs won't host a haddoni.

Originally when I introduced it to the tank, it attached itself to a rock which I had to move with the anemone attached (very carefully) since the anemone wasn't facing a direction where I could feed it easily. It has now dettached itself from the rock somewhat (still puffed up and looks fine). I thought I remember reading somewhere that I'm supposed to dig a hole for it to settle its foot into. Is this the case? I expected it to dig a hole on its own, but that seems difficult. Anyone able to give me advice on this?

Sangogo · #17 10/28/2007, 09:24 PM

I found the answer I needed in the FAQ and managed to bury the foot of the haddoni. A friend of mine also thought my previous lighting was too strong for the haddoni, so I am now using a bluer, less concentrated bulb which it seems to like much better.

New picture

cartman5579 · #18 10/28/2007, 09:47 PM

SOOOOOOO nice!!!

Sangogo · #19 11/05/2007, 10:44 PM

I thought about making a new thread for this, but it seemed better just to continue from my old thread.

It's still only been about a week, and I know it's going to take a while for it to fully establish itself. While my haddoni tends to puff out during the day, it sometimes deflates quite a bit at night, but it feeds well and looks amazing (and behaves) during the day.

My problem is that it has started moving a lot at night. Based on advice I read in the FAQ, I buried it in the substrate a few days after I got it, but I'd find that it rolled out of the hole by morning. I've tried reburying it multiple times already. Should I be letting it do this naturally?

I've also suspected flow issues, but I've found varying advice on this. I originally read that they like high flow so I set the flow pretty high. Now, I find plenty of sources that say low flow. Which should it be?

My water params are good, but my pH does swing somewhat when the lights turn off.

Toddrtrex · #20 11/05/2007, 11:05 PM

I can just give my experience, my two haven't moved in about 5 months, and when they did move that was because I changed either the rocks and/or the flow. I have a decent amount of flow in my tank (( 600 gph return, 2 MJ1200, a Hydor 4, and a SEIO 1100 --- 75 gallon tank )) but it is mostly indirect and all but the return are on wavemakers.

Sangogo · #21 11/06/2007, 12:31 AM

I did tend to change the pumps and rocks around a lot. Maybe that is the problem.

Did you have to dig holes for your haddoni or did they dig them by themselves?

ezcompany · #22 11/06/2007, 12:41 AM

very sweet haddoni, congratulations and i hope you keep it for a long time

haddonis should dig on their own

Toddrtrex · #23 11/06/2007, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sangogo
I did tend to change the pumps and rocks around a lot. Maybe that is the problem.

Did you have to dig holes for your haddoni or did they dig them by themselves?

I do think that is playing into it, try to leave those alone for a while, let it get settled.

They dug in themselves. And fairly quickly, really didn't have the time to dig holes for them. Put them in the tank and within seconds they were digging their own holes.