Wanna see what an anemone can do to a fish... wow.

[djlynch]

ok... 3 days ago i put a blue tang back into my tank after qt a few days ago that was still weak (see the thread after qt main tank concerns for reference)...

I come in from work today to find my blue tang on his side on the sand... he looked dead, so i went in the tank with the net to scoop him out... well, he wasn't dead. he darted on his side straight into my green carpet anemone.. the anemone grabbed him and wouldn't let go. I tried to get the anemone to let him go by trying to pry him off with the net, but it had a death grip on him. The blue tang was turning pale white, so I had some feeding tongs that i use to feed the anemone on the top of the tank, so i grabbed the tang by his back fin and pulled him out of the anemone.

The tang was stuck to the anemone for roughly 30 seconds. The pics show just how dangerous an anemone sting is to a fish.


The tang is pretty much dead now (I don't see him making it through the night.. Crazy stuff.

 

[DragonForce]

i dont see a pic.

 

[djlynch]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=7927

Hopefully this will link you to the pics... i can't figure out how to load the pics on this thread (tried add attatchment, the pics were in the guidelines, but nothing happened... help anyone?)

 

[melissfish]

sorry for your loss

 

[DragonForce]

Woah, that fish got rocked pretty hard.

 

[djlynch]

well, its morning and hes still faintly breathing in the qt... I swear if he pulls out of this one it will make him the toughest fish ever... it looks like his skin is peeling right now.. is there anything that anyone can suggest that i can put in the qt to help him out? i already put some bio coat in there to hopefully ease the pain for him, but i am open to suggestions... poor thing

 

[steve-s]

Actually larger fish can survive the stings of an anemone depending on severity and total contact time. More commonly it will cause locomotion problems in slight cases and skin damage (as you can see) with prolonged contact. Don't be suprised if the fish has a lack of swim control or doesn't swim at all for the first week. Be sure you have plenty of places for the tang to hide but still leaves you the ability for proper observation. Stress will be a large factor in it's survival.

Aside from the stress coat, I would be sure to do daily water changes and proactively dose Maracyn II for SW. Double the dose daily for seven full days. The main concern here will be secondary infection otherwise. If the fish is still actively feeding (?), predissolve the med before adding to the tank in a glass. Take a few tablespoons out and soak the food in it before feeding the fish. This will also help speed up the recovery some.

Good luck!

Cheers
Steve