Rock Anemone Closed Up

[Reefer37]

Hey everyone!

So I'm new to the hobby and this is my first rock flower and first anemone so forgive me for not knowing, still trying to learn.

Let me give a little backstory on this crazy introduction to my tank:

So I got the rock flower and did what most all people say on acclimating anemones to do. Get temp to tanks, drip acclimate, turn powerheads off and put it in place. Well this was right around lights out. I'd say within 5 minutes, my peppermint shrimp was all over him (I guess thinking he's aptasia) and going to town. I had no idea they went after rock flowers like that, but after looking it up, definitely seems like a thing. I'm just glad it happened right before my eyes and within minutes. Anyway, I spent the better part of 2 hours thereafter trying to catch the pep with no luck. I moved the rock flower to a cup to hold him in so the shrimp can't get to him and set a bottle trap. Well the trap worked and I banished the pep to the sump. Trying to get the rock flower out of the cup was a challenge as it attached it's foot to the bottom, but I was able to nudge it out with a chopstick. At this point though the rock flower had fully opened up and looked great in the cup. I moved him back to where I had him and let him settle back in. Later on that morning I checked on him and found him face down in my shrimp/goby hole. I'm guessing my pistol shrimp came across him and thought he'd be good building material? I have no idea. So I then decided to move the anemone on the other side where the pistol and goby are never at and went to work. Later on that evening came home to him back at his original spot I put him in (which mind you is a good 8-10" from where he was placed) and closed up. He's been like that since and it's day 3.

Do I need to be worried? The introduction to the tank was really stressful so I'm thinking that may be most of it, but he's been closed up showing only tentacles really so I can't really feed or anything. I'd really hate to lose him due to all these crazy circumstances. Guess you live and learn.

 

[reef lover]

As long as hes not turning to mush i wouldnt intervene.
Give him some time. As long as the foot wasnt injured when you removed hom he should come around.

 

[Reefer37]

To be honest, it's hard to tell if the foot was damaged with everything that happened. He definitely has planted himself in this new spot and even moved a little, so I'm guessing if he's able to attach pretty well and move he's got to be somewhat okay.

 

[lapin]

If it attached its still in pretty good shape. Let it be so it can recover. Hopefully its not under too much light.

 

[Reefer37]

He's dead. I think either I might've torn his foot on accident getting him out of that cup originally or something else really aggravated him while I was at work the past two days. I got home just awhile ago and no visible mouth, mostly closed, and what I could see looked like guts. Looked closer and I could see right through him. Poor guy, think I'm good on anemones for a bit. :/

 

[eggplantparrot]

He's dead. I think either I might've torn his foot on accident getting him out of that cup originally or something else really aggravated him while I was at work the past two days. I got home just awhile ago and no visible mouth, mostly closed, and what I could see looked like guts. Looked closer and I could see right through him. Poor guy, think I'm good on anemones for a bit. :/

oof. sorry to hear about the loss.

for what it's worth, I haven't drip acclimated any of my anemones except for the first one. if the salinity matches then I temp acclimate by floating, then dumping straight in, nems seem happy the second day.

I also had a shrimp bother my first anemone. it was an anemone shrimp so I thought it was a perfect match, but my BTA got so ticked off it started moving around after staying put for months. it kept moving around under rocks to avoid the shrimp and at the end looked like death after disappearing for a month. after I moved the shrimp to the new rock flower tank and put the BTA to its original location it stayed put again and is VERY slowly recovering.

don't give up on rock flowers. they are beautiful and hardy, I think you just had a learning experience with a mix of bad situations. try again with a cheap green one at least.

 

[reef lover]

So sorry. And dont give up on rfas they are quite beautiful and generally a very model citizen and easy to care for.

 

[Reefer37]

I appreciate it all! I definitely took this as a learning experience. It was my first fatality in the tank, obviously won't be the last, but I'm definitely going to take a lot from this. Maybe one day down the road I can get another anemone! I think for now, I'll stick to corals.