BTA is "hiding"

[monicaswizzle]

Well, my new BTA settled down (no more floating without any grasp on substrate) as soon as I dealt with the Red Ball Sponge in my sump (thanks for the help!!). About five hours after stopping all of the wild and free form movement it hid in/under my liverock (I have one volleyball size cave in the home made LR) and I haven't seen it since. Possibilities:

1) Dead or dying BTA--so far the water shows no increase in nitrogen (Ammonia, Nitrite or Nitrate). Would a 6" BTA definately pollute a 90 gallon tank, or could the biological filter actually handle the load without a spike?

2) BTA is splitting and will reappear soon. I am 90% sure it was splitting in addition to the Red Ball Sponge issue. I am hoping it will split and then come out of hiding.

Question: Much as I would like to, I don't think I should remove LR from the tank and go looking for BTA unless I start to have increase in nitrogen compounds. What do you think?

Complicating factor--I leave on Wednesday morning for a business trip and won't be back home until Friday. A lot could crash in that time--except my tank has very little except LR, DSB and a FEW fish and corals, so there isn't that much to loose.

Thanks for listening!

 

[Haddonisreef]

Most of the time nem bta will hide till they are acclamted fully. If it die and you can see the bta use a turkey batster to pullit out and dont smell it!!!!! If it is splitting it will hide till ready to caome out. The best thing to do is just sit back and watch for it and be sure to keep away from power heads and over flows.

 

[monicaswizzle]

Thank you sir. The watching and waiting will be easier since I won't be here. Hopefully I won't smell it before I get near the tank on Friday!

 

[Mikigo]

Be patient. My RBTA hid for two weeks before it decided to peek out.

 

[monicaswizzle]

Thanks. Should have read the posts earlier, but hope no harm was done. Since the BTA had been so "wild" due to the sponge issue and I was worried about leaving a dead/dying BTA in the tank, I tried a "middle route". This morning I got a small "travel mirror" (nothing really but the mirror part, no handle, etc.) and held it into the "mouth" of the cave so I could see if BTA was ok.

It was, from the small glimpse I got. My Coral Beauty kept attacking "that new fish", so it was a litte hard to focus the mirror. The light (reflected) must have "disturbed" the BTA, because 15 minutes later it was out of the cave and on the DSB. It looks very healthy, and still seems to be mid-split. I turned off the MH for the day and went to work. Tonight it is pretty much in the same place, but partly back into/under the lip of the cave. I'll leave the lights off while I travel and see what I find on Friday.

Good news or bad, I'll say something in this forum.

 

[Haddonisreef]

I would just shortin the time the lights are on dont leave them off completly!