Nennie Health

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Hey Guys

I have been reading a bit on my Nennie, but the info on what a healthy or sich nennie looks like or acts is not very straight forward.

Can we perhaps get a little list together of signs of healthy and un-healthy nennies.

Number 1 I can add under Un-happy nennies
They wonder around the tank (trying ot get a more suitable spot)

Number 1 for healthy Nennies
They de-flate and re-flate every 5-10 hours to replace the "sceletal" water

More points under both please :)
 
hey lappiesreef also got a nennie who looks unhappy at the moment was doing great till we had 2 power outages in 2 days after that he also wondered around the tank for a couple of days, i think he has found a place where he is happy now has been in the same place for about a month now but i still cant get him to eat tried everything so im going to tag along for this one, see what else i can do
 
Sorry to hear that Dogshow

But dit you try to feed it?

Mine eats and sits in one place. Today he looks smaller than usual...got me abit worried.

I started the thread so we can get a nice quick reference list if our nennies do something funny ;)
 
Sorry meant to type, What did you try and feed it, not but...:whistling:
Cold morning hands...
 
have tried to feed him he just keeps spitting the food out tried small pieces of mussel krill shrimp dont know any more some days he is more extended than others just going to keep an eye on him see what happens going to try and feed him again today
 
What light is he under?

I suppose if he doesn't loose tenticles you don't have to despare yet ;)
 
2 150w 10 000k MH and 2 54w t5 light 1 whit and one blue white hope he comes right
 
That must be enough light...

Maybe he just needs some time to repair the damage from the power cuts...

NO one else adding to the healthy and un-healthy Nennie list???
 
Hi guys - ok - here's my take on this:
- happy nemmies stay where they are
- they do not deflate and reinflate as often (as you think or read Lappiesreef)
- they eat readily when fed (only feed once a week, or MAXIMUM, about twice per week, IF the nemmie is bleached)
- unhappy nemmie wander around
- nemmies with their "mouths" looking as if they are 'inside out" is NOT good
- "dying nemmies" just start to shrink, and do not "come out" for quite a few days - then "just dissolve".... this can cause an ammonia spike if your skimmer cannot handle this type of thing
- generically one requires quite high lighting for a nemmie
- reasonable decent water flow (turbulent) - unless the nemmie comes from a salt-marsh
- unhappy nemmie's close often or just stay close for days
- unhappy nemmie's would uplift their foot/dislodge and start wandering the tank - this could be FATAL to the nemmie, to fish and to corals...

Hope this helps....

DogShow - you have more than ample lighting. Perhaps look at what type of nemmie it is - does it prefer to have it's foot into sand? Or perhaps does it prefer to have it's foot in a crevice between rocks?
Is the nemmie white (ie. bleached)??
 
the nennie is white with blue tips bought him like that and was doing fine till the power outages. Dont know what type it is he wondered for a while now he has his foot firmly stuck to the underside of a cave he is open pretty much the whole day mouth is closed he just wont eat like i said some days he is more inflated than others
 
Thanks J

The deflate ref was from a Q and A book i bought. I'll try and find it's proper name.

Mine deflates as soon as the lightes go out and reflates in about 5-10 min.
Is this healthy?
 
Hi Lappies - it's not "unhealthy" if the nemmies deflate during lights-out - but mine stays inflated, even when the lights are out. Perhaps yours are "new" in the environment, and is acclimitizing again....

Dogshow - white is never a good color for a nemmie. You will just have to persist. Try and find out what type it is. It could be a condylactis passiflora, or perhaps a bubbletip even.... c. passiflora prefer rocky crevices, bubbletips, too... Try to gently nagivate the nemmie's foot into such a crevice in the rocks, about halfway down the rocks - right below one of the metal halides.... See if it "sticks"..... Just try this once a week, because it is quite stressful for the nemmie.... If you don't succeed first, try and try again...
 
ooo, so much to say on nennies, I'll give just a couple of pointers. I'll use above as starting point. keep in mind that different types of nennies require different conditions and behave differently. these pointers is for Heteractis, Stoicatis and Condys mostly. i think Q and A might cover more facts though.

1) movement - agree that a happy nennie sits i one location. if it moves it might b due to current or light. usually current is the fault (not light). they like strong differential current. if the current is just from one side, they'll move (depending on the specie of nenny, of course). u got a Hetercatis (formerly known as Radianthus) which like open water and will usually move to the top of ur reef structure
2) color - there is no such a thing as a white nenny, only bleached one, so white with blue tips is a nenny without its beneficial algae (zooanthellia - if memory serves right).
3) structure - nenny should be firm with a strong food holding. mouth that is gaping is a sign of trouble as well as a foot that is not secure to its structure. I found that a happy nenny rarely deflates, but it does so a couple of time a week.
4) Feeding - once or twice a week should b sufficient. the smaller the chunks of food the better its digested. a nennie only keeps its food for a very short time before it discards is. if u feed a whole mussel, it will only digest the outer layer and discard the rest in a slimy packet back into the tank. rather mince the mussel and give it to the nennie. i used to give frozen mysis, brine shrimp of krill to the nenny.

i u have a nennie, i'll strongly advise a generator! if the power is out more than an half an hour if will start to move, and might not settle again quickly. i had my Heteractis for more than 5 years, but after the tank break it never settled again and eventually lost to the power heads.
 
I have the blue/puple tip nennie that is bleached but now that its been in good conditions for about 4 weeks it is starting to get colour.
It never moves from its spot, hope this helps.
 
ill try and get a pic of him tonight and post tomorrow thanks for the help so far he has been in one place for about a month now stuck to a rock pretty tight
 
The Nennie List so far

Happy:
Stay put
de-flate and re-flate, but the ofteness of the cycle is debateable
eat readily
should be firm with a strong food holding

Un-happy:
wander around
"mouths" looking as if they are 'inside out"
"dying nemmies" just start to shrink
close often or just stay close for days
white is never a good color for a nemmie

Care:
Feed once or twice per week
requires quite high lighting for a nemmie
decent water flow (turbulent) - unless the nemmie comes from a salt-marsh
smaller the chunks of food the better its digested

Anymore we can add to this list?
 
Thanks J. Here's is our updates list :)

The Nennie List so far

Happy:
Stay put
de-flate and re-flate, but the ofteness of the cycle is debateable
eat readily
should be firm with a strong food holding
tentacles are definitely sticky
mouth does not protrude outwards

Un-happy:
wander around
"mouths" looking as if they are 'inside out"
"dying nemmies" just start to shrink
close often or just stay close for days
white is never a good color for a nemmie

Care:
Feed once or twice per week
requires quite high lighting for a nemmie
decent water flow (turbulent) - unless the nemmie comes from a salt-marsh
smaller the chunks of food the better its digested

Anymore we can add to this list?
 
Hey Lappies, yu have the making of a very nice WIKI article here :D

So why not enter your conclusion to win an LCD :)
 
Wow, Kanga, I didn't realize. Could I do that with-out any references like it is?
 
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