Sea Apples

[lathen]

Greetings fellow reefers. I'm still somewhat of a newbie reefer, and purchased a Sea Apple. Now that I've done some research, I just found out how disasterous they can be. Anyone have any ideas? I'm not sure if the LFS wil take it back...
Lathen

 

[timsedwards]

Yes they can be very disasterous!
I was wrongly recommended one when i very first started up and i went through hurrendous conditions! Try and get rid of it to the LFS, out of interest what are your tank details? Parameters etc?
All the best,
Tim.

 

[nm reef]

Definitely not a choice for my reef...despite the fact my wife saw one and thought it was the coolest thing in the world!!That was almost two years ago and she's seen several since...but the answer is still"NO!!". Potential for damage is extremely high...simply not a good choice especially in a relatively new reef.
Not sure what to tell you to do about the one you have...

 

[timsedwards]

jsut be careful not to pull it about or anything at the moment, i would find some LFS to take it, but please dont take it out on my advice, get a lot of opinions, if i remember rightly, Bill (eng50) took one out and returned to LFS so maybe he could help you?
All the best,
Tim.

 

[barracuda]

yeah... i would also recommend you to get rid of this beauty. Definitely not a good choice for aquarium.

 

[sskram]

I have had a sea apple in my reef for a long time. Mine sits right next to a colony of xenia, and grows fatter each month! I make sure that he is feed, and he loves the algea that gets scraped of of the glass. It is one of my favorite animals. I have never had any bad things happen. He eats mostly at dusk and in the evening, sometimes in the day if i am cleaning the tank. I dont touch or move it. It can smell your presence in the water, and all it does is close up for a minute. I would simply watch its weight gain or loss. If its fat, its happy!
Steve

 

[ophiura]

Regardless of the poisoning issues, they do require some special care. Like many other more delicate echinoderms, they can take up to a year to starve to death....and most do.
I can try to dig up some links for you if you like, though perhaps you already found them. Anyway, if you want, you can write me at ophiuroid@att.net

 

[overanalyzer]

if you like it you can put it in a species only tank ... that way if/when it dies and pollutes the tank it does not wipe out everything

 

[lathen]

Thanks everyone. My tank parameters are as follows -
54 Gallon Corner Bow. 60 lbs LR, 80 lbs, LS. Wet/Dry Vac ( slowly removing bio balls each water change ). Ammonia - 0, Nitrite - 0, Nitrate - 40 ( trying to get this down ). SG 1.022, 80 degrees.
I have an overcrowded fish situation at the moment -
1) purple tang
2) Percula Clowns
2) Saddleback Clowns
1) Lawnmower Blenny
1) Mandarin Dragonette
1) Cherub Angel
1) Sixline Wrasse
2) Engineer Gobies
1) Neon Goby
1) Yellowtail Damsel
Lots of Star Polyps ( about 3 sets )
1 Toadstool Leather
1 Umbrella LEather
1 Moon Coral
2 Open Brain Corals
2 sets of small mushrooms
2 pipe organs
1 Crocea Clam
Cleaning Crew
13 Scarlet Hermits
12 Nassarius Snails
2 Fire Shrimp
1 Coral Banded Shrimp ( whom killed and ate 2 cleaner shrimp 8^(
and now the Sea Apple....Yikes