Anemone sucked in Powerhead!!!!!

[JoshHarpst]

Just this past weekend i put in a maxijet 900 powerhead with the mod to make it like the "tunze" and boy did it work. This little thing puts out loads of current. Well when i got back to college on sunday, my brother called me and said that the anemone had moved from where it had been for the last 2 months. I knew the anemone was getting a little bit of the current from the new maxijet, but not too much. Now i just got a call from him saying that when he got home from school everything was okay, but about an hour later he went back in and the anemone was getting sucked in the maxijet. So i told him to shut the powerhead off and pull it out and see if it was still alive and he said that when he was trying to pull it out, it seemed like it was still alive because the "tentacles" were tightening up and shortening. So it looks like he's still alive, but what do you think i should do? Thanks. It's a macrodactylia something or other species type of anemone if that helps. Thanks


~Josh

[RazerCorals]

Will probably be fine, anemones are pretty indestructable from our reef clubs experience.

[JustDavidP]

Wow... Macrodactylia doreensis is a BIG anemone! Even for a 75 Gallon Tank. Did you know, when you bought it, that it could get as large as 20 inches across? They typically grow to 'maximum capacity' before they split.

In any case, if you were able to remove it from the strainer, it should be okay. They often don't fare well if their foot is damaged, but I've had a couple BTAs that have lost tentacles (for various reasons, to include powerheads) and they bounced back. They will be agitated for a while, and may not fully open, but they can heal.

You are right, the change in flow made the anemone want to wander and find 'favored' conditions again. I would, for the time being, use a sponge on the intake of the PH until your anemone settles in. Once it does, and you are pretty confident that it wont move again, remove the sponge.

I'm not a fan of ANY sponge materials in a reef tank, they just tend to become nitrate factories. But, in a situation like this, the benefit of using a temporary sponge pre filter surely outweighs the negatives.

Dave

[Rob]

i agree with the others..
with some TLC, it should recover. like Dave, i also had a GBTA that was very badly damaged by a powerehead. it had basically been cut in half, insides exposed, including a damaged mouth. i know this a bit different, and require far more care from me, but almost a year later and its still alive and well, and is continuing to grow good.

basic point is, make sure you always take appropriate precautions when adjusting tank flow. but in the unfortunate case when this does happen, the can recover from it.
it will likely benefit from addition feedings (small amounts more often than normal).

[JoshHarpst]

not getting off topic, but about the sponge/nitrate thing, how does that occur again? I remember listening to one of the podcasts and it mentioned how the bio-wheel wasn't a good idea for a salt tank due to something with nitrates, Rob could you restate that for me please? Thanks.


~Josh

P.S. I'll keep you posted on the Anemone, my bro is at school til 3, so i'll find out more then. ALso, should i keep the lights off while he is trying to heal? THanks

[gwen_o_lyn]

As long as you clean the sponge often, then you won't have a problem. I have 2 in my tank and they just trap the bigger chucks and particles, but if you don't clean them, then they can build up with junk and become a problem. Also if you don't clean them enough, your powerhead isn't gonna work as well.

[Rob]

the problem is that they promote the growth of aerobic bacteria. this is the bacteria that actively converts nitrites into nitrate. in a situation with these bio-wheels and sponges, you are creating a highly oxygenated area, and these bacteria go into over drive creating nitrates, and in most situations your denitrifying bacteria/filtration cant keep up with it... so the algae starts to grow and feed on the excess..

hope that helps

[JoshHarpst]

thanks so much, i now understand completely. THanks

~Josh

PS Please check out the thread in the general reef discussion forum. I need some help for a research project. Thanks

[kj_yoda]

I have had an anemone that has been eaten by poerheads about 5 or 6 times... and it is HUGE. i will post a pic in the anemone secgtion to figure out what it is.