Well, my Sabae has been doing great but something is wrong with him today. He looked great when I left for work this morning. He seems to be eating the pieces of silversides I've been giving him every other day. He hasn't budged from the spot I put him, since I put him there 3 weeks ago. My 15 year old son just called me and told me something was wrong with him and it was freaky looking (my son rarely glances at the tank, so something has to be really wrong). He said something really big is coming out of his mouth... big as in a couple inches.
Are (were?) there other fish in that tank other than the clown?
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Could he be expelling his stomach? My son tried to take a picture on his cell phone to send to me, but I couldn't make out anything in the picture. I will get out of work as soon as I can and run home, but I'm an hour away. Is there anything I can do for this Sabae if it's his stomach?
I doubt it's the stomach, but if it is, probably not anything you could do at this point other than remove the anemone to protect your other livestock.
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I can post a picture later.
Please do.
If you can get your son to continue trying to take as many pictures as he can before you get there.
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If it's his stomach...does that mean he's dying?
It would mean that the anemone is extremely stressed, but if it hasn't moved I'll reiterate that I doubt it is actually the stomach.
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My son said the rest of the Anemone looks ok, just something coming out of the mouth and the clown is still hosting it.
Thanks! Pam
Could just be waste material, if your son is capable of removing it with a net once it's free of the anemone that might be helpful.
[quote=doctorthompson;67535]Are (were?) there other fish in that tank other than the clown?
Hi Lucas. The clown doesn't seem aggressive with the Anemone. The only other livestock in the tank, are: Coral Beauty, Orchid Dotty Back, Pygmy Possum Wrasse and a Red Scooter Blenny. Also have 1 Peppermint Shrimp, and misc snails. The only thing I've ever seen go near the Anemone besides one of the two perculas, is the Coral Beauty (trying to steal food) But since the clown starrted hosting the Anemone, he doesn't go near it.
Hi Carmie. I'll post a pic in a couple hours. My son said whatever is coming out of his mouth, is about the size of my frogspawn. That's what makes me think it's his stomach. I can't imagine what else could be that big. I've been trying to get out of work but my boss won't let me. > :--{
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Originally Posted by CarmieJo
I agree it is hard to tell without a picture but my first thought was "poop".
I agree with Lucas in that it probably wouldn't have expelled it's stomach without showing signs of severe stress first.
I'm still betting on poop, or possibly it tried to consume a fish that got too close, and is regurgitating it now. Is it a coral beauty shaped poo......
The only other livestock in the tank, are: Coral Beauty, Orchid Dotty Back, Pygmy Possum Wrasse and a Red Scooter Blenny. Also have 1 Peppermint Shrimp, and misc snails.
All potential meals, particularly the wrasse & blenny if they wander/drift at night.
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The only thing I've ever seen go near the Anemone besides one of the two perculas, is the Coral Beauty (trying to steal food) But since the clown starrted hosting the Anemone, he doesn't go near it.
When I first saw our saddle-back clown swim to the top of the tank, grab a mysis, and bring it back down to throw onto the anemone I thought "Oh, so that's what they mean by 'the clown will feed the anemone'!", for the next 2 months I didn't have to get wet to feed the carpet anemone, the clown would act as a waiter ... which was totally cool until I saw the clown almost succeed in dragging our female Anthia into the anemone by it's tail & left pectoral fin!! I know A. percula and A. occellaris aren't normally as aggressive as a saddle or tomato (or a large solitary female maroon in heat, they draw serious blood!)
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I've been trying to get out of work but my boss won't let me.
I only live 2 blocks from my office but I'm even considering a couple of cheap webcams (1 for quarantine tank, 1 aimed at "newest sessile invert" in display). Leaving a point-and-shoot digital camera near the tank at all times isn't a bad idea either, you can get AC adapters for most of them so you don't have to worry about recharging batteries.
Oh my goodness! This is so funny. I came home, and the Anemone had moved into a cave. I looked at him, and he looked fine except that he had moved (strange because he hadn't moved in 2 weeks since I put him into my tank). I asked my son, if maybe the Anemone was upside down, and he was looking at his foot. My son said..."OH...yea...that's it.. I didn't know they had a foot". He must have flipped upside down, then flipped himself and moved into the cave, or the current took him in there. He wasn't expelling anything at all and looks fine!! Yay!
I don't know if I should have left him in the cave or not, but I moved him back to his regular spot. My son apologized for scaring me, but I told him he did the right thing by calling me. I had asked him to call me if he ever sees anything out of the ordinary. I had come home to water spraying all over the place because a powerhead had slipped in the magnetic clip, and my son didn't bat an eye, so I was glad he called me when the thought something was wrong.
Now if the darn clown would stop stealing his food! It's not that the clown is eating it...he's just kicking it out. I stood guard for a while, but as soon as I took my arm out of the tank, the clown went and dug out the small piece of silverside I had put in. I thought he was trying to eat it, but he isn't. He just threw it away. How is this Anemone going to eat if the clown keeps pulling out the food? Should the Anemone be eating it much quicker?
My clowns do the same I usualy hear about clowns feeding their hosts, but mine always try to throw the food out of the anemone. I just have to shoo them away until the anemone has eaten.
I'm glad there's no emergency, but best to keep an eye on it. sebaes aren't really known for walking around tanks....
Whew, that is a relief! I agree, better to have your son err on the side of caution. IME teenage boys are pretty unobservant at times. They may be even worse at 19 than at 15.
Oh my goodness! This is so funny. I came home, and the Anemone had moved into a cave. I looked at him, and he looked fine except that he had moved (strange because he hadn't moved in 2 weeks since I put him into my tank). I asked my son, if maybe the Anemone was upside down, and he was looking at his foot. My son said..."OH...yea...that's it.. I didn't know they had a foot". He must have flipped upside down, then flipped himself and moved into the cave, or the current took him in there. He wasn't expelling anything at all and looks fine!! Yay!
Good to hear.
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I don't know if I should have left him in the cave or not, but I moved him back to his regular spot.
I wouldn't get in the habit of moving it, if the foot is attached under the substrate you could damage the anemone - plus it's a lot of stress for the anemone and the clownfish.
Check your water parameters. Anemones will typically seal their mouth and detach their foot and do the whole "tumbleweed" thing only when the local conditions are sub-par (light, water flow, water quality). It may move again, so keep an eye on it. How brown is it now compared to when you got it? Have any other pigments started showing up, perhaps only under actinics or blue moonlights?
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Now if the darn clown would stop stealing his food! It's not that the clown is eating it...he's just kicking it out. I stood guard for a while, but as soon as I took my arm out of the tank, the clown went and dug out the small piece of silverside I had put in. I thought he was trying to eat it, but he isn't. He just threw it away. How is this Anemone going to eat if the clown keeps pulling out the food? Should the Anemone be eating it much quicker?
The food should be grabbed and "wrapped" in tentacles quite quickly, the anemone's tentacles should also be quite sticky and difficult for the clown to simply pull chunks off of. Do you feed the clown first? frozen mysis usually keeps them busy, might want to try some other foods on the anemone too - maybe it's not a fish-eater like most Heteractis crispa ... or is yours an H. malu? I can never remember which one is called the "Sebae".
Thanks Lucas. I only got it two weeks ago and it could be my imagination but it seems not quite as stark white. More of a creamy white now. I haven't noticed any difference under the actinics. (waiting on my moon lights). He seems quite sticky to me, but the clown didn't seem to struggle to get the food away from him. I did squirt a little enriched mysis soaked in selecon into the center of his tenticles about 30 minutes after the clown kicked his food out....not sure if he ate it, but figured I'd give it a shot. I do feed the clown first, but maybe I waited too long to give the Anemone his food. Maybe I have to give it to him right away while the clown is busy eating. Thanks!
Pam
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Originally Posted by doctorthompson
Good to hear.
I wouldn't get in the habit of moving it, if the foot is attached under the substrate you could damage the anemone - plus it's a lot of stress for the anemone and the clownfish.
Check your water parameters. Anemones will typically seal their mouth and detach their foot and do the whole "tumbleweed" thing only when the local conditions are sub-par (light, water flow, water quality). It may move again, so keep an eye on it. How brown is it now compared to when you got it? Have any other pigments started showing up, perhaps only under actinics or blue moonlights?
The food should be grabbed and "wrapped" in tentacles quite quickly, the anemone's tentacles should also be quite sticky and difficult for the clown to simply pull chunks off of. Do you feed the clown first? frozen mysis usually keeps them busy, might want to try some other foods on the anemone too - maybe it's not a fish-eater like most Heteractis crispa ... or is yours an H. malu? I can never remember which one is called the "Sebae".
LOL Carmie. Sounds like you have experience with a teenager!
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Originally Posted by CarmieJo
Whew, that is a relief! I agree, better to have your son err on the side of caution. IME teenage boys are pretty unobservant at times. They may be even worse at 19 than at 15.
Yep, a 19 year old son and 5 exchange sons and daughters from around the world. The oldest is 25 and the youngest is 17. They were all 16-18 their exchange year when they lived with us.
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