BTA hiding in the rocks

[BigJay]

So, my BTA anemone decided to start hiding in his rock this weekend after months of doing fine. The nem found the perfect spot, unfurling from his little cave every day into the light. It has grown considerably larger and always accepted food (mysis, silverside pieces, etc).

I'm getting so tired of this stupid useless bag of water. I couldn't get him out of this big liverock if I wanted to. Well, at least not without breaking the thing in into tiny pieces, or fishing in his hidey-hole with a long sharp object (tempting, but no!).

I don't think it's a water quality issue since my green BTA is doing perfectly fine. I doubt it's a light issue since I have over 1K watts of VHO/Halide light over a 180. I suspect he went in there to split and heal, so I'm letting him/her be.

My question: How long can a BTA live without light or food? At some point I need to assume he's dead and make other stocking plans. Maybe a big carpet or something.

 

[garygb]

I'm not sure how long they can live without food or light. I would guess at least a month, but I don't know. How long has it been in hiding?

 

[BigJay]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13672343#post13672343 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by garygb
I'm not sure how long they can live without food or light. I would guess at least a month, but I don't know. How long has it been in hiding?

I think we're up to four days now, and no sign of the thing.

 

[garygb]

Hmm, hopefully your thought that it is splitting is correct. They usually seem to split over the course of a day or two and one clone kind of stays put and the other one moves away.

Are you water parameters all good?

 

[BigJay]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13673256#post13673256 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by garygb
Hmm, hopefully your thought that it is splitting is correct. They usually seem to split over the course of a day or two and one clone kind of stays put and the other one moves away.

Are you water parameters all good?

I'm crossing my fingers, but my expectations are low.

Params are all good, from my spreadsheet:
Date Tmp PH Nitr Phs Cal DKH Sal Mag
09/28/2008 80.7 8.15 0.00 0.0 500 10.5 1.0255
10/11/2008 81.3 8.21 0.00 0.2 450 9 1.025
10/19/2008 80.5 8.22 0.00 0.1 450 8.5 1.0255 1300
11/01/2008 80.4 8.26 0.00 0.0 420 9 1.025 1280

 

[garygb]

Your parameters look good. Would it be a major pain to move some of the liverock around to try and find it? If not, I probably would go looking for it.

 

[Gig 'em]

I have a small RBTA that gets bothered by my clowns sometimes and moves into the rock work. It's trying to get away from the clowns, but is dooming itself. So I always take the rocks out and get the anemone off and I made a little cage to put it in to protect if from the clowns while it grows big enough to handle them. This also keeps it from dooming itself in the shadows of caves. If your anemone doesn't come out I would suggest doing something similar

 

[gthorpe2]

I wouldn't be worried about him dying, I would just spot feed him and then he might come out of the rocks.

 

[BigJay]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13673852#post13673852 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gthorpe2
I wouldn't be worried about him dying, I would just spot feed him and then he might come out of the rocks.

I'll give it a try and see, like I said I don't have many options for getting at him without cracking open a single enormous live rock or stabbing a long plastic stick inside of it.. That process will likely kill him regardless, so my options are limited here.

I'll try the turkey baster feeding with a few mysis shrimp tonight and see if I can't coax him out. If he dies, I have a system large enough that the goo won't affect water quality much.

 

[Lmecher]

My rbta was very healthy and happy. It grew very large and never moved from the front center spot I placed it, stayed for about a year and a half. One day last spring it went behind the rocks. I waited, thinking it was in danger I flipped the rock over that it was on. It again went to the back. I decided to leave it and hoped for the best. It stayed in hiding w/it's hosting ocellaris behind the rocks also. After about a month of this nonsence it moved to the side on the glass. It was looking pretty bad, deflated and limp. Then after another couple weeks I was sure it was doomed. It split right on the glass, wow was I happy, I was able to photograph the whole event. So maybe yours might be getting ready to split also. I would just leave it be especially since it has only been a few days. I know it is hard, you want to so something but I say let it be unless you notice it displaying danger signs. Just a note mine while in hiding would not accept food. Keep us updated, I'll cross my fingers that everything turns out ok. : )

 

[BigJay]

Alas it didn't make it. The nem crawled into the rocks and died sometime in the last week. It must have died recently because I just found the remains, and yes these leave a horrible mess.

I did a 5% water change and siphoned out what I could find of the melted remains last night. Gaw, the smell! You have no idea. On top of that most of the fish were eating the stuff while I was trying to remove it, I hope there's no ill effects from that.

I'll do a bigger water change this weekend (30 more gallons) and siphon the tank bottom again for good measure.

I'll likely try another rose in a few weeks, my green BTA is still doing perfectly fine.

 

[Lmecher]

I have a very good idea what it smells like, I lost one a few years ago and will never forget. Glad to hear your gbta is alright, a large water change is a very good idea. Sorry for your loss.

 

[garygb]

Sorry to hear that Jay. Along with the water change, good skimming and activated carbon should purify the water.

 

[Henryreef]

I know how it feels i lost a sebae and it was disgusting to see it die. Keep trying and you will succed, i now have a BTA