I feel so stupid

[luntiz]

Oh man...I just picked up a Gold Stripped Maroon and a Green Bulb Anemone... They are both very beautiful but I was so stupid to have bought them. I didnt research about the anemone and now its in the tank. I got them in the morning, added them in and went off to class. In between my classes I ran a search on this forum and found that keeping an anemone is extremely tough and should only be attempted by people with tanks that have been established for quite some time. My tank has only been up for 3 weeks...if even that. They currently look very healthy but I'm afraid of what will happen in a day or two from now. I was so stupid to have listen to the LFS guy. He just wanted to make a sale. "Oh yea man, if everything checks out in your tank then you can add the anemone"

 

[jamal-188]

Wow, only after 3 weeks. Has your tank cycled yet? I would see if you can return the anemone asap. Please post whatever tests that you have for your tank, so we can help you go from there

 

[luntiz]

Tank finished cycling about a week ago

 

[luntiz]

Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 5
PH is a bit low. 8.0
dKH = 9

Will be picking up some PH Buffer this coming Friday
Will be picking up a skimmer this coming Friday

 

[jackdp]

I would also suggest taking the anemone back if possible. I wouldn't recommend adding the buffer either. A buffer will raise you alkalinity and it is already at 9dkh. Try a water change to get your pH up. The low pH may be from byproducts of the cycling of your tank. IMO A water change is always the first step to correcting any water chemistry problems. Just check the params of your freshly mixed SW to be sure it's chemistry is within limits and is balanced.
Also, what lighting do you have for your tank, most anemones require moderate to high intensity lighting. HTH

 

[kreach]

I would take the anemone back to the LFS and make them give you your money back. The liklihood of it surviving in a 3 week old tank is very very slim. What kind of lighting do you have?

 

[luntiz]

Okay, it will go back tomorrow morning. I have 110watts of PC power. Planning on getting something in addition to it, but with the return of the anemone, I think I can do without it for now.

http://home.earthlink.net/~luntiz/misc/DSCF0084.JPG

What ashame...the clown LOVES the anemone

 

[luntiz]

It was an inpulse buy...the clown looked so happy in it, and the LFS guy talked me into it. =(

I will never trust him again!

Oh yea, what exactly happens when the anemone starts to die? I've heard that it starts to melt...is this toxin to my other livestock?

 

[Anemoneman]

Since it's already in your tank and is looking healthy, I would not take it back but leave it there. Your tank has better conditions for the anemone than the LFS. Moving it now that it's attached to rock won't help it and will likely damage it. You have a lot of LR and moderate lighting. Feed the anemone. Don;t increase the bioload for a while. Keep checking ammonia and nitrate. With enough LR your nitrate should stay at zero. You tank looks good, just let things be for a while.
By the way, your clown is awesome! Hope they both survive.

 

[jamal-188]

Don't beat yourself up too bad over this, we have all made impulse buys that have turned out to be poor decisions but we live and learn. I'm sooo gald I found this site and all the helpful friendly people here. And to think I used to actually trust the people that worked at LFS's 8O

 

[Shandoni]

wow Good luck bud..... hope it all works out for ya! Ill be cheering for ya! BTW.... I did this once as well so hard to walk away... but like its said... we all live and learn.... to live and learn is good.... to live and never make a mistake... we just wont learn.. mistakes are good!

 

[luntiz]

Well, took out the anemone last night. The clown was very angry. He tried to bite me, twice! After I took the anemone out, the clown became very depressed or something. There was something different about him and I don't like it. I hope this doesnt cause him to stress out to the point of him catching a disease. :?

I tried to feed the clown this morning and he didn't eat. He would put the peice of food in his mouth and then spit it back out.

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

To tell the truth, u shouldnt have bought the anemoneat fist but when it was in your tank it would have been to just let it stay, it was already attached and you tuggin on it will damage it, and Im almost positive that your lfs has worst tank conditions, and if u would have kept the anemone the clown wouldnt be so stressed and picky I hope hes not at the pointof suicide, I saw on another forum that their clown commited suicide after they took away the anemone Hope all goes well.

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

btw, I was just surfin, I didnt betray aa

 

[BillyZ]

Your clown will be fine. It will likely act a little distressed for a day or so but it will eventually adjust to not having the anenome any longer. You did the right thing, IMO, by returning the anenome as although it looked healthy, anenomes are very slow to show signs of deteriorating health. Usualy by the time something looks wrong, its tough to get them to recover at all. Leaving it your tank it would likely have looked fine for a while, perhaps even a month or so, then it would have quickly declined and you'd be in the same situation you have now. No anenome and an adjusting clown. This way the anenome at least has the opportunity to make it to a more well adjusted tank that can support it.

SaltWaterTeen: While fish are inteligent and may certainly show emotion, suicide is human flaw. The #1 unfailing rule in nature is this: Survive. If the clown you're refering to jumped out of the tank then it did something fish do quite frequently. They've explored their tank and decide they want to see whats on the other side of the glass, or they're hoping for better/different suroundings. They have no concept that the other side has no water. This is why many SW fish keepers have eggcrate on their tanks. Keeps the fish in while still letting in air for the gas exchange.

 

[SquishyFish]

IMO, you kinda got yourself in a Catch 22. If you left it in a 3week old tank, the chances of its survival were very slim. The lighting isnt high enough and the tank is just too young.

Taking it back might have damaged it simply by removing it from the rock...not to mention the stess on the clown fish.

IMO...I would have taken it back. I understand that the LFS tanks may be worse than mine, but...2 things.
1. They gave you bad info to sell you something your tank couldnt handle.
2. I would rather it die in their tank than mine.

...I think you made the right call.

 

[luntiz]

Haha, thanks for all the replies. The Maroon is still distressed and not eating =(. I hope he recovers soon. I would hate to see him die. Actually taking the Anemone off the LR wasn't that hard at all, I turned off my lighting and powerhead so that the anemone might want to move. Half of the anemone detached by itself and another half was being pushed by the clown. The Maroon looked like he was trying to force the anemone into a new place. So i just reached in and grabbed the anemone. When I returned the anemone, the LFS put it back into to tank and the anemone partically opened up to full length within a few minutes.

 

[Atlarge]

You guys talk about us fish mongers like we have horns and a tail
I can't even fathom how much you wouldn't trust me, at a Pet'smart.

Then again, I wouldn't sell anything I thought would die, without a fight. Although people do seem to believe that buying from the store makes them know everything and that I know nothing. This is so common a question it makes me wonder if the customers confide to each other before hey come into the store.

Me: The general rule is 1 inch of fish per gallon.

Customer: (indignantly) You have more than one inch per gallon.

Me: Yes, but not only are our fish going to be sold eventually, but we also have a central filtration system, in actuality we have more than enough filtration. Space is a stress factor, but that can't be helped, we need fish to sell fish. And, again, fish usually don't stay for more than a week.

Customer: (Slyly) Why can't I keep more than one inch per gallon, if you can?

Me: Because our setup cost 500000$ It's over 3 thousand gallons, and it's carefully maintained by experts. I wouldn't try to sell you less if I could sell you more, I just don't want your fish to die.

Customer: (pouting) I don't like it.

Me: Wait 'till I tell you about cycling.

I tell people that a hampster is easier and cheaper to keep than a good aquarium, but they never believe me.

 

[luntiz]

Well I'm sure there are some really knowledgeable LFS salesman, but a lot of them really don't know that much, or at least as much as the experience on this forum. I've been to 3 places that simply flatout wanted to make a sale. I've also been to two other LFS that are extremely knowledgeable and very concerned about what the effects of the purchase might have on a tank. They ask questions before they actually give you the product.

http://home.earthlink.net/~luntiz/misc/DSCF0092.JPG My lonely clown, and a cleaner shrimp under the rock.

 

[BillyZ]

AtLarge: You are one of the few ( both in my personal experiences as well as the many stories i hear in these forums) that are concerned with more than just getting the fish out the door.

Any time I find a new pet/fish store I spend at least a half an hour there. I find someone to help me and I start asking questions. Questions I know the answers to. I more often than not get the wrong answers. Answers that say "yes it's ok to buy, it will be healthy, dont worry". It's not to say every store is like that, obviously. But a consciencious LFS is the exception rather than the rule. The fact you participate in these forums alone is already a credit in your favor!