Wish Me Luck: Haddoni Recovery Thread

[bradleym]

So I know I'm just asking for it by taking this new one on, but here's the story anyway. A local reefer set up a tank for his boss. The tank had a green haddoni and 2 GSM clowns. All is well, no problem, but the boss decides he's done with a tank in his office and unplugs it! And then leaves it sit for a couple days before telling the friend!!!

So the friend takes them home but the only tank he has is a shark tank, so he has to shove the anemone in the sump to protect the sharks. And the main light on the sump was out! The guy didn't want to kill it so he offered it up for free. So after a couple more days there with almost no light at all, I show up on the scene (yesterday) and can't bear it. So now it's my problem.

Here he is at my place just before acclimation. Tight mouth, slightly sticky tentacles, very sticky base. So he's a fighter, or I woulda just let it be.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/__DHzEBwK1jk/TPx4IWRYYwI/AAAAAAAAA30/vNp7zhpszTQ/s800/IMG00259-20101204-1559.jpg

Hating acclimation. I spent 3 hours acclimating and gradually increased the drip rate as the level in the bucket rose, making the change constant and maximizing the amount of displaced old water. The shade of green shown in the right side is the most color he has shown. SERIOUSLY bleached:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/__DHzEBwK1jk/TPx4DYAwRrI/AAAAAAAAA3s/2cfovDpV8DU/s800/IMG00265-20101204-1846.jpg

And in my tank. You can't tell but his entire body is the color of the green in the last picture now. I put a screen over the top to shade him for the next week since he's been in the dark so long:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/__DHzEBwK1jk/TPx39eYC6MI/AAAAAAAAA3k/rC8mc2X1tm4/s800/IMG00270-20101205-1358.jpg
http://lh4.ggpht.com/__DHzEBwK1jk/TPx35Brn3qI/AAAAAAAAA3c/FQrwuD-y0mE/s800/IMG00271-20101205-1404.jpg

So like the title says, wish me luck. I'll be updating this thread every now and then I just wanted to share my idiocy and reckless abandon for anemones. LOL

[Arkayology]

It isn't spitting anything up and it looks like it is attached, and is folded. I think it will be ok.

How can someone just think that unplugging the tank makes it go away?

[garygb]

With good conditions it should recover. So, doing the math, in 4 days with no/low light the anemone bleached like that? That seems unlikely. Maybe it was bleached even before the first owner unplugged the tank and let it sit for 2 days.

[beuchat]

Yes, I think it was bleached before.

Good luck!

[bradleym]

Well I know it sat in a 75 gallon sump with only 1 NO T12 for at least 5 days between when it was posted when I picked it up. He may have had it a few days before then I didn't ask. And I have no way of knowing how long the boss had left the tank unplugged with no light and no flow before that. From what I have been told it had good color, the boss was just bored with it I guess.

Either way, I've never seen such a white anemone! When I first pulled it from his sump I couldn't even tell it had been green. It started coloring up on the drive home (I guess from the sunlight). It's really crazy to look at this guy, all the green is pushed to the tops of the tentacles, so any section viewed at an angle still appears very white. But then he moves and it turns a faint hint of electric green!

[BonsaiNut]

It takes weeks to completely bleach out like that. However haddonis are relatively hardy. Good job attempting the rescue!

[bradleym]

It takes weeks to completely bleach out like that. However haddonis are relatively hardy. Good job attempting the rescue!

I did not know that. Poor little bugger!

Well then it's all the better that he's with me now. :D

Thanks for the info.

[sean112280]

Good luck! Good job on the rescue! poor thing. I don't know how people can do that. I think it is pretty retarded just to unplug everything, and say " that will take care of it". I hope it works out and it gets better.
just my 2 cents.


Sean

[bradleym]

Thanks everyone for the support! I've never had a carpet before so I am hoping its not much harder than other anemones.

I personally would lose my mind watching a beautiful animal suffer like that, I can't even imagine causing it...

[Sullyman]

You'll do fine and it should too, just let it recover slowly. I just went through the same kind of situation with one and it's taken quite a while but the anemone recovered. Don't worry about feeding it for a bit either. Good Luck!

[bradleym]

Here's an update for the heck of it.

So I have the anemone in my zeroedge tank. For the regular care, no big deal, but since this one's bleached, he needs to be covered with a screen until he gets used to the lighting in my tank. Now if you've ever seen how a zeroedge works you know that laying ANYTHING on the top can be a challenge. That's why made this little contraption:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/__DHzEBwK1jk/TQEhParDj7I/AAAAAAAAA4c/LCJIjCRqfRQ/s800/IMG00298-20101209-1124.jpg

It's black so it blocks light, but it has holes so the water flows through it. Tricky I know. :D I also put a sheet of acrylic in the tank to redirect the flow from a PH that normally points right at him. You can get the gist in this picture.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/__DHzEBwK1jk/TQEpFIpgWXI/AAAAAAAAA5U/XkqtjXjC5KY/s800/IMG00302-20101209-1128.jpg

Well unfortunately on day 3 he looked worn out

http://lh3.ggpht.com/__DHzEBwK1jk/TQEgRGJNAeI/AAAAAAAAA4M/wFzR9oaUYh0/s800/IMG00276-20101206-1801.jpg

And was retracting. Not good.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/__DHzEBwK1jk/TQEg6sMXEEI/AAAAAAAAA4U/a3I-FcT2ZWY/s800/IMG00279-20101206-2052.jpg

So I did this!

http://lh5.ggpht.com/__DHzEBwK1jk/TQEh-TeOlUI/AAAAAAAAA4s/vlefRMa2h30/s800/IMG00300-20101209-1126.jpg
http://lh4.ggpht.com/__DHzEBwK1jk/TQEiA1pTDbI/AAAAAAAAA40/olJsun6OS1U/s800/IMG00301-20101209-1126.jpg

It never touches so the water wont run off it but it provides an additional shade over the corner. And I think he's taking to it well. He now has his foot buried about halfway which is encouraging.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/__DHzEBwK1jk/TQEhe3rdZGI/AAAAAAAAA4k/B0vZU4blB6Q/s800/IMG00299-20101209-1124.jpg

Also, I decided to feed him a tiny piece of silverside last night and he ate! So things are looking hopeful. Oh and lastly, I have a Ocellaris clown that has never hosted anything but hair algae (it was a bad month) and I caught him hovering cautiously by the gap in the acrylic wall. I think he wants to go check it out but he's scared of "the cave" lol.

Anyway, just keeping in touch. Thanks again to all of you for tagging along.

[velvetelvis]

Thanks for the update. I'm glad you're seeing some encouraging signs. It looks he's gained some more color, too. Good work!

[BonsaiNut]

With the exception of being bleached he looks and acts like a very healthy haddoni.

[bradleym]

Thanks for the update. I'm glad you're seeing some encouraging signs. It looks he's gained some more color, too. Good work!

Thanks, there is more green, but my phone just won't pick it up. It's still light though, kind of a green smoke/algae bloom color. But at least you don't hafta stare at it from a foot away to tell anymore lol.

[bradleym]

With the exception of being bleached he looks and acts like a very healthy haddoni.

That's good to hear! I sure hope so, but I've never had a carpet before so until he gets 2 weeks past the light acclimation I'm gonna be checking in on it every commercial break. Major pins n' needles here. :)

[kmu]

Good luck with the recovery....

[bradleym]

Hey thanks! Here's hoping.

BTW, if the 240 acrylic cube in your signature needs a home... ;)

JK! But the dimensions sound awesome. Do you have pics in a thread somewhere I could look at?

[kmu]

Hey thanks! Here's hoping.

BTW, if the 240 acrylic cube in your signature needs a home... ;)

JK! But the dimensions sound awesome. Do you have pics in a thread somewhere I could look at?

Yes I got a thread on the 240g cube, its on the Large reef tank forum, my tank is currently cycling, will add livestock early in january next year....

[bradleym]

Well...
http://lh5.ggpht.com/__DHzEBwK1jk/TRetjhuP1cI/AAAAAAAAA7A/-D5AXrCTr6U/s800/IMG-20101226-00033.jpg

Six inches in like 4 hours. I kinda figured he would do this eventually, but after 3 weeks I had kinda hoped he wouldn't. Ah well. At least he's healthy. Maybe he'll park it near something movable lol. Otherwise, it's going really well. The color is getting real intense, too bad I can't get it on film. I took the last screen off on friday morning, probably the cause of the moving.

[rayn]

Glad he came around! How deep of a sand bed are you running? Green really comes out in the last pic too.

[bradleym]

Thanks. The sand bed is only 2" I think. I know it too shallow. I never originally meant to have a carpet in this tank but I wasn't about to let it starve.

And the green is definitely popping now. The picture is nowhere near as brilliant.

[WaffleWalffle22]

It's coloring up beautifully!
Reading the first post and looking at the pictures it didn't look like it would make it (to me), but you proved me wrong!
Nice accomplishment. :)

[bradleym]

Yea thanks that's kinda how I felt when I first saw it. I've never had a more tense rescue recovery. Especially since the last/first one I got was healthy looking but didn't last a month.

[bradleym]

Well he has moved to a new location, and I really hope he stays put there, because I kinda like it. I just wanted to update this thread with some good news and cuz I'm bored. This is his new spot:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/__DHzEBwK1jk/TTkHgyV6H4I/AAAAAAAABAQ/G5pVckMWfNI/s800/IMG-20110119-00176.jpg

Talk about showing off!
http://lh3.ggpht.com/__DHzEBwK1jk/TTkJRjA3xeI/AAAAAAAABAY/8_4af_7uwg4/s800/IMG-20110119-00178.jpg

That was pretty much it. Still eating and growing. Finally getting some tan around the mouth, indicating new zooxanthellae(I will never spell this right) repopulating but otherwise just carrying on. I'm just glad it's still alive. :) Thanks for reading.

[BonsaiNut]

LOL post current photos :) I assume he's no longer bleached?

[LoneRanger]

Ditto!

[Johanv]

This an outstanding job you done, please post more pics of your anemone and tank, tagging along...

[OrionN]

Hope he recover also. Try to feed him some food with a tentacle or two of a healthy Haddoni. He may regain Zooxanthellae quicker that way

[bradleym]

LOL post current photos :) I assume he's no longer bleached?

Way to call me out on my antiquated thread! And apparently revitalize it as well, lol! :)

Well it did fully recover, but never turned a dark or neon green, just stayed kinda light teal or whatever. And about 3 months later (April 2011) I sold it to another reefer friend of mine (I had no room for a Haddoni permanently, I just took it in because I couldn't watch it die). And back in November he passed it on to a friend of his. Last he heard it was doing well aside from taking out a kole tang. :rolleyes:

Here are some pics from my friend he took before breaking down his tank last month.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-69DKO_-QhIw/TvV8OABhoyI/AAAAAAAABpE/1D8TK94m6M4/s800/imagejpeg_1.jpeg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qnxIILkdVXA/TvV8RckEdOI/AAAAAAAABpQ/CkaLzpAmyVM/s800/imagejpeg_2.jpg

So this story has a happy ending! :D

[bradleym]

Try to feed him some food with a tentacle or two of a healthy Haddoni. He may regain Zooxanthellae quicker that way

Now that is news to me. I'll definitely keep that trick in mind. :)

[BonsaiNut]

Way to call me out on my antiquated thread! And apparently revitalize it as well, lol! :)

Haha! Well I assumed you wouldn't have brought it up if he wasn't still around. I think it is really important for people to see what bleached anemones look like, and then to share success stories about how people get them healthy again.

Merry Christmas! :)

[bradleym]

I couldn't agree more, and good assumption on your part. I often think of this nem because the one I tried before it was healthier and the tank water was cleaner, but it acted strange and ended up dead after 10 days. This one started off acting the same, but recovered when I put up the screens. It will always stick with me because the first one I lost was a $60 blue haddoni. Won't ever see that again! LOL

[bradleym]

Oh yeah, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to you too!! :D

[OrionN]

Nice color. I am glad you help it recovered