Anemone seems like it's deflated more often than not

[89Foxbody]

Recently I've been having trouble with my BTA. It seems like it's shrinking, and also spending a lot of time deflated. When it's inflated the mouth is closed, but I find it troubling how little time it spends actually out.

The ONLY thing that has changed has been the introduction of my GFO/Carbon reactor. Could the nem still be adjusting to the lower level of phosphate in the tank? I have heard of corals doing this.

I've never had problems with this nem even when I neglected the tank greatly. I'd hate to lose it now as I've had it almost a year.

I also feel like my clowns are making it worse at this point, as they try to huddle in it constantly. It's usually inflated at night when I check on it, and it was earlier today. But a couple of hours ago I checked it and it was, predictably, deflated.

I tried feeding it a couple days ago and it was not sticky but I put the krill closer to its mouth and it eventually ate it. I fed it some Coral Frenzy last night by injecting it straight toward the mouth.

What should I do?

 

[89Foxbody]

What's a good rule of thumb on when to call it quits on one of these guys? He's still firmly planted in the rocks, but just looks really bad. My tank is loaded with corals and I'd hate to lose them if he kicks the bucket. Tentacles are not sticky anymore...mouth was closed earlier today but after lights out I checked and it was gaping open, look like he was expelling some zoox. Still has good color...It also moved slightly, a couple of inches. Still stuck very well to the rock though so I don't want to give up hope.

The problem is I have no idea what's causing this crap to happen. My softies are growing like crazy, my monti is growing and my other hard corals are encrusting...and this guy just doesn't want to be happy.

I originally thought it might be my leather poisoning him but they've been together in the tank for 8+ months with no prior issues and I have a huge colony of zoos within 2-3" of the leather and a KTC that is almost touching it, which are showing no ill effects whatsoever.

Basically I'm at a loss for what is killing my nem.

Params test fine, he's under the same lighting as always. I run carbon and GFO 24/7, chaeto in an aquaclear 70, aquac remora skimmer.

It's just shocking to me that it could go from perfectly fine/growing to shrinking and apparently dying just out of the blue. I can't even get it to eat anymore.

HELP!

 

[Ebisan]

I used to run a GFO/carbon reactor and my nems were fine with it. Not sure what else could be bothering it. If the nem looks like a pile of melted goo, then it's time to get it out. Have you done a large water change recently or disturbed the sand bed? Perhaps your water quality changed.

 

[Water Tecn]

Do you have flow on the nem? They like little to no flow. The clowns are they new addition? My nem was constantly deflated because of them

 

[89Foxbody]

The clowns were there before it and theyve been hosted by it for almost a year no problems. It doesn't have any direct flow on it, just my skimmer return above it but the tentacles barely move from it. I do 5gal of wc a week.

What I don't understand is that everything else in the tank is thriving.

Do anemones have any sort of measurable life cycle? We have no idea how old these things are when we put them in our tanks, after all.

It just seems really sudden and nothing jumps out to me as any sort of contributing factor.

TY for your help.

 

[BairdimusPrime]

i'll tell you with my experience I've got 3 BTA's that were hosts to a clarkii.. it beat the hell out of them they lost their bubble's they lost color i mean they looked like deaths door.. I removed the clarkii from the picture and now they're fully inflated and have their colors back. the clarkii was just too rough for them.

good luck

 

[89Foxbody]

Might be worth a shot. Should I make like a cover out of eggcrate to cover it? I have plenty lying around. I can't remove the clowns.

 

[89Foxbody]

Well I checked on him a little while ago and his foot is still planted but it looks like he's puking out his insides, or whatever the stringy looking stuff is.

If he doesn't improve in the next couple days I don't think I have any choice but to take him out.

 

[89Foxbody]

He looks a little better now. I cut a hole in a plastic tupperware and placed it over him so the clowns can't molest him anymore. They look lost and afraid now lol...they never used to leave that section of the tank and now they swim everywhere. What's the chance of them going back to it once he's recovered?

 

[89Foxbody]

Well, I lost the nem.

Came home today and it was very pale on one side and his guts were all coming out. I looked and there was a section of him that was falling off and when I reached into the tank he was basically mush. Came right off the rock when I pulled.

No idea what caused him to die while everything else in my tank is thriving. I feel like a failure as a hobbyist at this point. As stupid as it sounds I was pretty attached to a sticky blob of goo, had it for almost a year. And now my clowns look distraught.

RIP.

 

[TanyaT]

Im sorry! that really stinks!!! Big Hugs!!

 

[BairdimusPrime]

sorry for your loss... nems are tricky it really comes down to each different nem