BTA hiding from light; dKh increase why?

W

Weboh

Member
Edit: He's definitely bleaching. What can I do?

My BTA recently started hiding from the light and closing more often (usually it's just after he's fed or the water's changed, but he's closed a couple more times over the past couple days). I'm not sure why. The first possibility I thought of was I lowered (or raised?) dKh from 20 to 9 in one day"”actually, today was foolishly the first time I tested, so it's been 4 days of a small birdsnest frag sucking up calcium (I used a two part solution and also added calcium. I don't think calcium affects BTAs though). I used a little more than the recommended dose. The guy at my LFS said I should, since it was so low.

Another possibility is maybe the BTA's just stressed from me trying to get it to move. I tried low-stress things first: I adjusted the light position for awhile, then I tried putting it under direct flow from a powerhead. A week ago, I put ice on his foot (first through a bag, then directly) to try to get him to let go. He never did, which I guess means he's a hearty anemone. So the next day, I just gave up and rotated the rock he was on to the position I wanted (I had to move a bunch of other rocks in the tank too, which stirred up stuff). He moved toward the light immediately and seemed happy, but maybe it took a few days for the stress to catch up with him?

What do you guys think?
All my other parameters are good, (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite 0, pH 8.3) so do you think a water change will help anything? I'm about due for one anyway; I just didn't want to do it on a cold day which would make the temperature drop.

Do you think I just don't need to worry about it? He's open now, though still hiding from the light. I recently lowered the intensity of the light when I added some more zoas, so it really seems like he should be reaching towards it.

Thanks.
 
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Stop!
Just leave it alone.
If you know all your parameters are on point, just leave him be.
BTAs will deflate when fed an if you fed to big a piece it may takes days to inflate as they digest really, really slowly. They also deflate when pooping, and sometimes just because.
He will move where he wants to be...you cannot control this at all....wait till he stops moving for a month or so, if you are going to add corals.
Don't make the mistake of feeding to much...one fingernail size bite of thawed shrimp per week at the most.....most of their food comes from light.....
 
Uncle99 said:
Stop!
Just leave it alone.
If you know all your parameters are on point, just leave him be.
BTAs will deflate when fed an if you fed to big a piece it may takes days to inflate as they digest really, really slowly. They also deflate when pooping, and sometimes just because.
He will move where he wants to be...you cannot control this at all....wait till he stops moving for a month or so, if you are going to add corals.
Don't make the mistake of feeding to much...one fingernail size bite of thawed shrimp per week at the most.....most of their food comes from light.....
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yeah, I haven't been feeding him often. Once every two days, when he gets real big and his tentacles get longer. I haven't fed him for awhile after messing around with stressful things like putting the ice by him and rotating the rockwork, because I know feeding is stressful to them too. He's been pretty predictable in his deflating in the past, though.

The main issue, though, is that he's hiding from the light. He's been inflated most of the day, just in a shape that keeps him in shadow. I've only seen him in the mornings and evenings though (when the light was ramping up and when the light was ramping down). Do anemones hide when the light isn't at its full intensity? He didn't really have room to do so in the position he was before, so maybe that's all this is?
 
BTA hiding from light; dKh increase why?

Weboh said:
Thanks. Yeah, I haven't been feeding him often. Once every two days, when he gets real big and his tentacles get longer. I haven't fed him for awhile after messing around with stressful things like putting the ice by him and rotating the rockwork, because I know feeding is stressful to them too. He's been pretty predictable in his deflating in the past, though.



The main issue, though, is that he's hiding from the light. He's been inflated most of the day, just in a shape that keeps him in shadow. I've only seen him in the mornings and evenings though (when the light was ramping up and when the light was ramping down). Do anemones hide when the light isn't at its full intensity? He didn't really have room to do so in the position he was before, so maybe that's all this is?
Click to expand...



Feeding ever 2 days? Well there's the problem! Really only need to feed like once a month. Just let it be and do it's thing, nems do best when not bothered. If it doesn't like the high light it will move on its own.


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Pslreefer said:
Feeding ever 2 days? Well there’s the problem! Really only need to feed like once a month. Just let it be and do it’s thing, nems do best when not bothered. If it doesn’t like the high light it will move on its own.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Except the problem started when he stopped being fed every two days. I know some places say to only feed them once a month, but other sources say for them to really be healthy and grow, a little bit every two days is best. RC's nem guide says they could really be fed once a day. I've been feeding him that often for a couple months now with no issue.
 
I don't see the problem though, it's a nem being a nem trying to be happy.

Now if it's laying on the sandbed upside down, it's stomach hanging out or generally beginning to rot then I'd say you have a problem


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It's trying to be happy by hiding from the light though? I thought that was a sign of a stressed anemone. To be clear, I'm not trying to move it any more. It seemed to take to its rock's new position in the tank.
 
Mine likes indirect light so sits on a rock under an overhang
They do not get food pieces on a regular basis in nature so same in the tank.
Once per month, sure, once per week, sure, every two days, nope.
When you move rocks, you change light and current, so he is responding to your changes.
When he stops moving, he is happy again....unless you change the light or current and he may go on the move again......
 
Never fed my BTA in the 2 years I've had it, or my rock flowers. Not sure where most newbies are getting this idea that everything needs to be fed every day or every other day? 99% of the corals/invertebrates(anemones) we keep in the hobby do not NEED to be fed anything other then light. While they do appreciate and benefit from an occasional feeding, it's certainly not needed.

FYI, if you used an ice cube and couldn't get it to let go, you didn't use it long enough. I've had to move many a nem, and ice always works(if you can get to the foot). I've frozen some flesh and had it slough off, but I've never had one die from ice to the foot and a little dead flesh from freezing.

I'll also go on to say, quick picking at the poor thing. Just leave it be and it will do what it wants, and will go where ever it wants in your tank. They are not like a coral where it stays where you put it. I've had BTA's setup shop right under an overhang where there was very little light, I've had them sit ontop of corals, I've had them in the back of the rockwork where there was 0 light, but they liked it there, and thats where they stayed.
 
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I have a conflicting story for you guys. I wasn't feeding my BTA nem and it shrunk it's tentacles down to being just a flat disc. I started feeding it almost everyday and it's starting to put it's tentacles back out. My clown is very happy about that. Since I started feeding it 2-3 times per week it is making a comeback. So I think there are more variables at play here. Also, I have seen tanks that have flourishing nems in shady places. My number one piece of advice is leave it alone. You don't get to decide where a nem wants to be.
 
It may be my imagination, but I think he's looking a little pale. There's definitely a line in his foot where there's no algae. He was always pale-ish: A very faint green, almost yellow. What do you think?

https://imgur.com/a/c0tIv
 
I simply don't understand.
When I go to the newest pics, I see what appears to be a healthy anenome stuck to a rock....so what is it I am missing???
 
Looks great to me!
Is it colour that bothers you......don't worry about colour right now.....give 6 months...OK to feed Twice per month....fingernail size only......
 
Have to say unless the anemone is in mortal danger of a power head or some other form of mechanical thingy best bet is to leave it alone. You will only cause it more stress by trying to force it somewhere that it doesn't like. Only to move again while you are asleep. I say this from experience of owning 6 rose bubble tips. I started with a single and over the course of 7 years it has cloned / split to the point it is worse then keeping Xenia :( With that out of the way and tending to agree with everyone else who say let it be I also agree with the thought of stop direct feeding. It will get food from the water column or if hosting clowns from them. There really isn't a need or requirement for direct feeding. Doesn't happen in the wild...

What I don't know nor could tell from the images is what color of anemone is it (green, rose, etc?) and is it even a bubble tip? So...if it was a healthy dark green or red/rose and it is now suddenly translucent or white it could be bleaching or what they call losing of its zooxanthellae (sp). Could be any number of reasons such as light change (too much, too little), intensity, spectrum (if LED's for example). Could also be temperature, physical stress, salinity change - list goes on. I'm reading a lot of stress but I don't want to judge - just saying what "could" cause it to expel zooxanthellae.

You can reverse it but before you try I would take a look at what possibly could be the stressor or cause. If it is water, then you need to get quality under control. If it is lighting, you need to adjust intensity, spectrum, add or remove. Think acclimation here - so adjust what you can, if not reduce duration / day night. Feeding - again, with caution and if it is bleached means no zooxanthellae to convert light to food or however that exact process works now needs real food. Small amounts of mysis or brine shrimp, thawed, using a turkey baster lightly over it. It will catch what it can and eat. Wait a day or two making sure nothing is expelled and then repeat over a couple weeks until it darkens up. DO NOT feed big items like silversides or shrimp.

Lastly - let it tell / guide you. If it is extended, looks healthy, but under a rock ledge or somewhere out of direct light - it probably means you have too much and it is in shock or trying to reduce it. You can turn down intensity, change spectrum, or reduce light duration. See what I'm getting at? They are pretty cool creatures and will move around until they find a spot. You try and force, it is stress...darned if you do, darned if you don't.

That is my take on it after owning them for a while now. Best of luck.
 
Thanks for the long reply. I did find out the reason it's bleaching. It turns out my hydrometer was off by 5 points! I tested it at .026, but when my LFS tested it, it came out as .031. Since I don't have an ATO, when I thought it was .028 (usually what it is when I notice the water is low) it got as high as .033! Now I'm surprised it survived at all. Who knows how long it was like that?!

Before, the anemone was a pale green that looked yellow if you looked at it right. Every now and then, one or two of its tentacles gets bubbles. Is a pale green not healthy? Its foot was still plenty brown. Regardless, it's even paler today; I can definitely tell by the color of its foot. After I get the salinity back in check, I'll see what else I need to do.
 
@Weboh - Salinity is a must which is why many here will recommend a ATO solution before anything else. I'm guilty of not having one on my 40 breeder but I've marked my tank and use a brute container with water matching the tanks. Then it is just a matter of filling up a 2 gallon jug and slowly dripping it in over night. For me it works but isn't something I'd recommend to others.

With my 240 I'll have a automatic / pump / reservoir to make it easier to manage. Oh - prior to having a digital hydrometer I always kept 2 just in case. I recall years ago running into a similar issue that you just mentioned. Good luck!
 
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