new ritteri(s)

[CTaylor]

Hi,
I just got two small/medium (was supposed to be one medium /large) ritteri's. Overall to me they look good. But as night approached, and now it is night they both deflated, mouth a small part is out on one and stomach more exposed on the other. *Does this mean 100% they are sick? they have been in my tank for 12 hours.

TY!

[CTaylor]

Here's a pic of both. It looks to me like the left one is healthy (i'm a novice at ritteri) the right not so much. Is it b/c it's been in tank less than 24 hrs, or do I need to treat right now?
Side note, I already have a perc in treatment, and I have the medication on hand. I just need some egg crate and make sure I have a small PH.

TY!

[ThRoewer]

Originally Posted by CTaylor

Hi,
I just got two small/medium (was supposed to be one medium /large) ritteri's. Overall to me they look good. But as night approached, and now it is night they both deflated, mouth a small part is out on one and stomach more exposed on the other. *Does this mean 100% they are sick? they have been in my tank for 12 hours.

TY!

Yes, deflating to the point of being completely limp and open mouth is a clear indicator that the anemone is sick.
Treatment should be started as soon as possible.

[ThRoewer]

Originally Posted by CTaylor

Here's a pic of both. It looks to me like the left one is healthy (i'm a novice at ritteri) the right not so much. Is it b/c it's been in tank less than 24 hrs, or do I need to treat right now?
Side note, I already have a perc in treatment, and I have the medication on hand. I just need some egg crate and make sure I have a small PH.

TY!

I would not treat fish and anemone together in the same tank as anemones may need to be treated more aggressively.

[CTaylor]

Originally Posted by ThRoewer

I would not treat fish and anemone together in the same tank as anemones may need to be treated more aggressively.

I'll probably end the clown treatment as her grey mass is doing nothing. I dont hve anywhere to put another tank in my tiny apt. I never figured out waht to do about her grey mass.

I'll start treatment on the anem. Though who has the righ light just haning around to use on a hospital tank for a ritteri, ugh... I have only an LED strip light i think 25 watts. It will have to do.. Just blue and white. Will the 'nem' die due to lack of light?


Edit: I have in storage, hopefully I can find the power cable with it a 16 watt zet light. It's a narrow from left to right (not wide) light, so the 16 watts is a little more concentrated than a wide 25 watt that I menioned above.. Hopefully that will be ok for the 7 days the ritteri needs. it's at https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/za-12...-zetlight.html

[CTaylor]

I think I'm ready for the ritteri to be treated.. I found a small power head. I have an air pump. And I have to forms to keep the nem separated. 1) a 7" approx cubical fish 'trap' hangs on tank. or 2) I have a heavy mesh type of material.. see pic

[CTaylor]

The sick ritteri looks much better now. I know if sick it wil inflate and deflate. But it's stomach is nearly totaly inside now. I'll take a pic.
**If I still need to treat it (and i'm ready), how to I peel it off it's rock????

TY!

[CTaylor]

Here's my set up in case I need to use it.. I'm ready. that's a zet light, only 16 watt.. but hopefully enough for 7 days needed for treatment... No heater b/c I'm going to keep my room temperature stable, and if I had a heater I believe the temp swing of it going off and on will be less stable than no heater with my apt ambient temp at 77-78 24/7...

**ATTACHED IS PIC OF 'sick?' RITTERI... as lights coming on. Notice the mouth is looking much tighter now. I HOPE that means it may have just been goign through adjustment to my tank (??). My sebae did sligtly similar 10 days ago, and is looking wonderful since...

TTTTYYYY!!!

[ThRoewer]

It still looks sick and with a new magnifica or gigantea I wouldn't take a gamble. Even if it seems to get better for a while It might come back later with a vengeance or the anemone will have constant issues.
So I would go ahead with treating it.
Ideally you just take the whole rock with the anemone out. That way it doesn't get stressed more than necessary.

[CTaylor]

TY TR
**can I keep the rock after? I guess I would like you said it would stress it not to. I was thinking that the rock may abosorb the medication and bring it to the tank. Is the med harmful to any corals, snail, etc -- wahtever residue may be absorbed into it.

**Is my lighting ok? I hope it is lol. Then both need to be treated. I'm 90% dong this. Iwill do this tonight assuming its stomach gets at all messy again.

**The other one i noticed has two opening for the mouth. But not split. Two openings are on one very short tube like thing in aneomne center. so the mouth = short fat tube with two openings. It doesnt look like a tear to me though. I hope it's not splitting, it's already a small ritteri.

I'll try to get apic of that.. can it be sign of illness or just prbably nothing?

[ThRoewer]

The rock will be fine and the antibiotics won't last to cause ill effects later.

Light should be OK for a week.

[CTaylor]

Originally Posted by ThRoewer

The rock will be fine and the antibiotics won't last to cause ill effects later.

Light should be OK for a week.

OK
**I have not started treatment. I just looks much better now than 24 hours ago.

From what I've seen in past I've seen ritteri and other anemom close up at night especially, sometimes day time (digestion?) . >>> *** If it closes and deflates, but does NOT doesnt look sick like mine did last night, is that considered normal, exp when it's just over a day in my tank? Because if I didnt see the anemone last night at all I wouldnt think it could be sick at this point.

I know you (TheR) said you feel it IS sick now. But comparing to my last one (which perished), that one had a worse path as time went on, the stomach would come out and make the nem along with stringy gross looking tentacle and body look like a total mess for over 1/2 parts of the night and day. This one is not going through that worsening path.

Another 'test' >> if it is sick can will the stomach and mouth appear normal at all while it's sick? Mine has looked 'normal' and tight except some stages where the mouth is loosened up in a deflation.

*If it goes on a worsening path I will medicate. I just don't want to if it's not actually sick.

TY again

[CTaylor]

It looked a mess again wee hours 5 am. The protocol says start treatment at night to maximize antibio potency. Im starting nowwwwww 11 am. I will restart with new water at 10 pm tonight. So at least im maximizing treatment time

[CTaylor]

I'm going back and forth on this... Because from what I'm reading sick nems seem to have their gut always hanging out. Mine just does not. It's all inside and tight mouth now. I started a new thread.
TY ThR ... It's not that I'm not taking your advice.. I likely am. But looking at it when it's healthy looking (most of the day and into night) I could never tell it's sick (if it is).

[ThRoewer]

Have a look at my gigantea thread and you see that anemones can be sick even if they don't have their mouth open.
The wide open mouth with 'guts' hanging out is likely a symptom of an advanced infection but not necessarily something that always shows right away. The presence of anemonefish may also affect this as the fish can stimulate the anemone to close its mouth.
I've come to learn that frequent deflating is a more reliable indicator of an anemone being sick.
Your anemone is definitely sick and I would suggest to start treatment without further delays. It won't get better on its own and hope is not a cure.
And since they were touching each other and you have a clownfish going back and forth between them I would also include the second anemone in the treatment.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[CTaylor]

Ok,

That was definitely a definitive answer.. esp on the mouth situation! ... treatment starting today. on both..

[CTaylor]

my response with pics are at newer more correctly headed thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...9#post25595629

TY ThR !