Protocol for using antibiotics to treat infected anemones ~Added to 7/30/14

[OrionN]

It is hard to keep the anemone from the PH, and heater in a 5 gal bucket. If you are going to spend near 100.00 (OR MORE) for an anemone, I would recommend given appropriate care so you won't loose your investment.
You will need heater. PH in the QT tank. If you are not going to provide appropriate QT, then the anemone most likely do a lot better in DT.

[D-Nak]

Originally Posted by johnfallon135

could i use a salt bucket as my quarentine?

If you're careful, you might be able to get away with it. But why bother when both Petco and Petsmart both have $1 per gallon sales on fish tanks? Just get yourself a 10 gallon tank. And if you want to make it easier on yourself, get two of them (if you have the space).

When you are considering purchasing an anemone, tack on $10-20 for the QT tank to the total price, and you'll realize that it's a drop in the (salt) bucket.

[ClericalReefer]

Orion,

I found this thread last Wednesday after my Magnificent Anemone started inflating, then deflating, and so on... It looked awful.

I started the antibiotic treatment with cipro.

Day one: it was a 9
Day two: 7
Day three: 3
Day four 2 then a few hours of looking like a 9 again (but a lot of stuff spewed out of it - so I did a 70% water change and it went back to a 2)
Day five: 1-2
Day six: 1-2 and detached itself from the rock it was on and began climbing up the glass
Day seven (today): 1-2 probably a 1

Question: Should I keep dosing cipro? - its been 7 days and 3 days after its last deflation cycle.
What do I have to do to the rock that has been introduced to cipro before I put it back in the DT?

I really appreciate this thread! It helped me save this nem (I think!).

[OrionN]

if you can post a picture, when he is at his best and when he is at his worst, then we can help. Seem like he is doing OK. You can treat for a few more day or transfer him to DT. I would only transfer to DT if there are no Magnifica in there. If you have another magnifica in the DT, then I would keep him in QT without antibiotic for about 1 week, if he is healthy then transfer to DT.
It is critical that you try not to detach him from his attachment. This really stress them a lot. If he attached to the wall of the QT then there is no choice. I often bring the cup my anemone attach to over to the DT and let them attach to the rock themselves. Once they move off the cup, then I take the cup out of the DT.

[johnfallon135]

how come you use a second tank only once? is it okay to just use 1 tank and drain and refill it with the anemone in it? also is a airstone necessary if there's a powerhead anyway?

[johnfallon135]

oh yeah is adding something for it to attach to necessary as well? couldn't it just adhere to the glass? it would be easier to detach it later off the glass after the treatment is over rather than a mug or live rock?

[D-Nak]

Originally Posted by johnfallon135

how come you use a second tank only once? is it okay to just use 1 tank and drain and refill it with the anemone in it? also is a airstone necessary if there's a powerhead anyway?

Having two tanks just makes it easier to do the transfer. Instead of having to wipe down the dirty tank, you can swap everything from one tank to another. You then clean the dirty tank for use the next evening.

Here's my routine:

1. Set up tank #1.
2. On night 2 when it's time to clean the tank, I drain it, then move the anemone into tank #2.
3. I start to fill up tank #2 with clean salt water.
4. While the tank is filling, I clean the heater and powerhead and eggcrate from the dirty tank.
5. Once tank #2 is full, I add the heater, powerhead and eggcrate, and fire everything back up.
6. I then add Cipro.
7. I clean tank #1 and prepare for use the next evening.

The benefit is that the nem isn't out of the water for very long, but to be honest I think gigantea and magnifica can be exposed to air for a long time, given that this happens in nature during low tide. And of course, convenience.

And no, I don't use an airstone in my QT tanks. Not really needed with a powerhead already in use.

[D-Nak]

Originally Posted by johnfallon135

oh yeah is adding something for it to attach to necessary as well? couldn't it just adhere to the glass? it would be easier to detach it later off the glass after the treatment is over rather than a mug or live rock?

Adding something for it to attach to is better because then you don't have to remove it after the QT process is over, you can just move the rock or mug to the DT and let it move off on its on.

If you opt for the two tank approach, it's obviously easier and less stressful simply to remove the nem/rock/mug than having to peel it off of the glass. If it's on the glass, then it's better to just use one tank.

[OrionN]

Originally Posted by johnfallon135

oh yeah is adding something for it to attach to necessary as well? couldn't it just adhere to the glass? it would be easier to detach it later off the glass after the treatment is over rather than a mug or live rock?

I try my very best not to detach the anemone from his attachment. This stress them quite a bit IMO. I just have them attach to "something" then move it. Once in the DT, they move on to the rock and I can remove that "something" from the tank.

[lewis.maryann08]

I have one that almost died in shipping and he has turned a brownish color and he don't open any all other corals look really good

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

[johnfallon135]

thanks for the responses guys. is there really any difference from switching between 2 tanks or just having 1 where i'll just drain and refill it with fresh medicated water? i guess the only benefit is that you get to clean the tanks better with 2 tanks? otherwise they're the same?

have you guys ever tried fragging your anemone if it gotten too big? or is it too inhumane? thanks!

[OrionN]

The only host anemones that can be frag are BTA and likely Magnifica. All the other host anemones will not do well. Likely Gigantea survival rate is less than 50%. Even those that survived short term will not do well long term.

[johnfallon135]

thanks minh i'm planning on getting a riterri/magnifica anemone. i'm surprised they can be fragged more easily than others since magnifica's are suppose to be the most difficult anemones to keep?

how would you go about fragging them? slice down the middle then put the 2 pieces back into the display tank or to the medicated tank? thanks!

[D-Nak]

Originally Posted by johnfallon135

thanks for the responses guys. is there really any difference from switching between 2 tanks or just having 1 where i'll just drain and refill it with fresh medicated water? i guess the only benefit is that you get to clean the tanks better with 2 tanks? otherwise they're the same?

have you guys ever tried fragging your anemone if it gotten too big? or is it too inhumane? thanks!

Yes -- it's really just about convenience. I like thoroughly cleaning my QT tanks, and even better to allow it to air dry, and two tanks makes that possible.

[D-Nak]

Originally Posted by johnfallon135

thanks minh i'm planning on getting a riterri/magnifica anemone. i'm surprised they can be fragged more easily than others since magnifica's are suppose to be the most difficult anemones to keep?

how would you go about fragging them? slice down the middle then put the 2 pieces back into the display tank or to the medicated tank? thanks!

I don't think they're easily fragged, just that some mags have split in captivity in the past. People have successfully force propagated them, but the success rate is lower than with BTAs. I always recommend letting them split on their own.

[OrionN]

^^^
Agree. I think only Magnifica and BTA were documented that they can reproduce by fission in the wild. The other host species does not seem to have mechanism to regenerate the internal organs as these two species.

[johnfallon135]

Originally Posted by OrionN

^^^
Agree. I think only Magnifica and BTA were documented that they can reproduce by fission in the wild. The other host species does not seem to have mechanism to regenerate the internal organs as these two species.

how do the other anemone's repopulate if not by fission? if splitting is what you meant by fission that is.

[OrionN]

BTA and Magnifica are the only host anemone species that reproduce by asexual (splitting) in addition to sexual (sperms and eggs) reproduction. The rest of the host anemone species reproduced by sexual reproduction only.

[johnfallon135]

Originally Posted by OrionN

BTA and Magnifica are the only host anemone species that reproduce by asexual (splitting) in addition to sexual (sperms and eggs) reproduction. The rest of the host anemone species reproduced by sexual reproduction only.

Thanks. If my hospital tank's ammonia doesn't rise after a day and I leave my anemone in there without changing new water will I have to add cipro again or is it depleted by then? I'm lazy I know lol

[GrampaDon]

Treating a H. crispa in a 20long tank. It has 10g in it + eggcrate with PH and heater. Each day I drain 5g out. And replace with 5g tank water [165 SPS in excelent health] Then add 250mg of cipro.

My reasoning to start treating is after 2days it wouldn't attach. So I suspect mabey it has a injured foot and a spot for infection to enter the anemone.
So to be proactive I jumped ahead.

Now at 9days it is getting some better color. Eating very small shrimp pieces. And reactive to touch. But still not trying to attach in sand or rock. [both sand and rock are in a small butter bowl.

Any helpful advice going forward.?

[zahira]

Has anyone tried using erythromycin as a cure. If it works, you could use it in a display tank. I have used it on a few occasions in the past as a treatment for cyanobacteria. Each time, I had anemones in my display tank. The first couple of times I have used erythromycin in my display tank, I had a blue gigas. There was nothing wrong with it and it showed no signs of stress or any problems with erythromycin. I eventually sold the gigas and recently bought a couple of H. crispa. The first was bleached and the second advertised as purple but when I received it, I could see it was dyed. Erythromycin did not cause any issues with these. In fact, the white crispa has started to go a dirty brown. But it may just be coincidence.

If erythromycin can treat anemones, it would be great because it is good with treating cyano as well. Besides, it does no harm to even the most delicate corals or fish (of course, you need to treat as prescribed). Unfortunately, my reasons were to treat cyano and not anemones, so I cannot say it will work or not with a sick anemone. However, I do not think it will harm it either.

[OrionN]

I don't treat the whole tank with anything. The bio-system that is our reef-tank are complex and is bacterial driven. IMO, antibiotic in a reef tank will cause irreparable (or very difficult to repair) harm to the the reef-tank.

[zahira]

I have used erythromycin off and on over three years and have never had any issues. Usage is normally once every six months roughly. I am aware of a few high profile reefers who also use it. If there were going to be any issues, I am sure I would have found out by now. I would suggest its use but would not recommend it as each to his own. I would certainly use it again if necessary.

[thefuz]

Picked up a Blue Gigantea on Liveaquaria that arrived this morning. I think it's a 5 on the 'Amoo' scale. Looking at the mouth, am I correct with this assessment? I've gone dark with the QT and started Cipro at 250mg. Looking forward to first w/c late morning tomorrow!

Major thanks to D-Nak for talking me through this stuff!!!

[Brando5185]

Originally Posted by thefuz

Picked up a Blue Gigantea on Liveaquaria that arrived this morning. I think it's a 5 on the 'Amoo' scale. Looking at the mouth, am I correct with this assessment? I've gone dark with the QT and started Cipro at 250mg. Looking forward to first w/c late morning tomorrow!

Major thanks to D-Nak for talking me through this stuff!!!

Did you get this off the Diver Den page?