Nailed it.
BTA looks terrible >:(
- Thread starter ag09g
- Start date
Nailed it.
Speeddemon7
New member
I know some are saying only do a few feedings per week. Im not sure how reputable this is but I have been following it and it seems to be working for me. It shows that more feedings(small) of at least once a day are better for your anemone.
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/seaanemoneprofiles/ss/sbsanemonesurvey.htm
Either way I wish the best for you and your anemone. Sounds like your on the right track.
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/seaanemoneprofiles/ss/sbsanemonesurvey.htm
Either way I wish the best for you and your anemone. Sounds like your on the right track.
I know some are saying only do a few feedings per week. Im not sure how reputable this is but I have been following it and it seems to be working for me. It shows that more feedings(small) of at least once a day are better for your anemone.
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/seaanemoneprofiles/ss/sbsanemonesurvey.htm
Either way I wish the best for you and your anemone. Sounds like your on the right track.
Interesting read. I know my BTA started looking better when I started feeding it every day with (thawed) frozen mysis.
sjwitt
New member
I try to keep it to twice per week because my 4 RBTAs are huge so I figure they're getting plenty plus ... what goes in eventually comes out so I don't want to add more waste to the system than necessary.
I guess that just goes to show there is always more than ONE way to do anything so if it is working, stick to it.
I guess that just goes to show there is always more than ONE way to do anything so if it is working, stick to it.
I try to keep it to twice per week because my 4 RBTAs are huge so I figure they're getting plenty plus ... what goes in eventually comes out so I don't want to add more waste to the system than necessary.
I guess that just goes to show there is always more than ONE way to do anything so if it is working, stick to it.
Mine's only about 3" across and I'm trying to get it a bit bigger.
Scutterborn
New member
I rarely ever feed my rbtas directly. They all thrive. They are of course, primarily, photosynthetic. The occasional feeding are fine if your nursing it.
I, if in your shoes, would continue to monitor and report back. It really doesn't look terrible and may already be on the mend. I'd also check for ph and alk swings as these have always aggravated my btas.
-Ben-
I, if in your shoes, would continue to monitor and report back. It really doesn't look terrible and may already be on the mend. I'd also check for ph and alk swings as these have always aggravated my btas.
-Ben-
ag09g
New member
Thanks everyone for the help! I'll definitely keep monitoring and report back with any changes. It was actually looking a bit better Saturday night, but I left early Sunday and won't be back home until late tonight, so most likely the lights will be off and I won't be able to tell much until tomorrow. At the very least, I think it may not be getting worse, at least I hope so!
Hopefully this was all just caused by the torch stinging it, if that was the initial issue I would actually feel better about its condition since I know I eliminated the issue. I just hope it doesn't take a turn for the worse!
Hopefully this was all just caused by the torch stinging it, if that was the initial issue I would actually feel better about its condition since I know I eliminated the issue. I just hope it doesn't take a turn for the worse!
ag09g
New member
So just kidding about my last post...it definitely looks worse.
And more importantly, I think that it is looking more and more starved despite feedings because it is throwing up all the food I give it.
Im assuming this has been happening ever since I've started to feed it, and this is why it never improved.
But the last three days I've tried it throws it up. Mind you, I'm not forcing it. I put the food in its tentacles, it grabs it, and within a few minutes it has consumed it. This is what I've been seeing all along. However a few days ago when I did this I came back about an hour later and noticed the food was coming back up through the mouth. Ever day since then I've fed it and waited and without fail the same has happened. I can't say for certain this is what has happened all along, but it would make sense.
I did a bit of research about this and basically the internet told me that they usually do this if they are either being overfed, and therefore dont need more food, or if the chunks are too large.
When I first noticed the throwing up a few days ago it was the first feeding in about 5 days as I had been out of town. Similarly the pieces I've been feeding since then have been either 1/4 inch cubes of thawed mysis, or 1 piece of krill broken into three smaller pieces. Mind you the base of this anemone when fully expanded is approximately 3inches, so I wouldn't think these pieces would be too large...
Basically now I feel like there's no hope. Its tentacles are disappearing more and more each day, and now that I've realized it hasnt even been eating I feel like there's nothing I can do to help it.
Has anyone experienced this and do you know why it wont keep the food down/how to prevent it from throwing up??
Looking at the tank literally makes me feel a little sick because of this
And more importantly, I think that it is looking more and more starved despite feedings because it is throwing up all the food I give it.
Im assuming this has been happening ever since I've started to feed it, and this is why it never improved.
But the last three days I've tried it throws it up. Mind you, I'm not forcing it. I put the food in its tentacles, it grabs it, and within a few minutes it has consumed it. This is what I've been seeing all along. However a few days ago when I did this I came back about an hour later and noticed the food was coming back up through the mouth. Ever day since then I've fed it and waited and without fail the same has happened. I can't say for certain this is what has happened all along, but it would make sense.
I did a bit of research about this and basically the internet told me that they usually do this if they are either being overfed, and therefore dont need more food, or if the chunks are too large.
When I first noticed the throwing up a few days ago it was the first feeding in about 5 days as I had been out of town. Similarly the pieces I've been feeding since then have been either 1/4 inch cubes of thawed mysis, or 1 piece of krill broken into three smaller pieces. Mind you the base of this anemone when fully expanded is approximately 3inches, so I wouldn't think these pieces would be too large...
Basically now I feel like there's no hope. Its tentacles are disappearing more and more each day, and now that I've realized it hasnt even been eating I feel like there's nothing I can do to help it.
Has anyone experienced this and do you know why it wont keep the food down/how to prevent it from throwing up??
Looking at the tank literally makes me feel a little sick because of this
sjwitt
New member
I'm really sorry to hear this. If it's regurgitating the food it's using even more energy than if you fed nothing at all. I would stop all feeding. Let it catch whatever it can from regular tank feedings and give it nothing more. Make sure it's high in the tank as close to lights as possible (mine or at the TOP under 250 MH), good ciruclation, great water quality, and then just see what happens.
ag09g
New member
Still hanging in there....but looking at him makes me want to cry. I did some investigating and discovered the rock he was on could be removed without catastrophic aquascape failure, so I ended up being able to rotate it so that the nem was facing straight up towards the light. That was about 5 days ago I believe. Yesterday I tried feeding it some squid because I couldn't stand doing nothing anymore, the good news is that it ate a few 1/4in pieces of squid without regurgitating it....hopefully between tiny amounts of food and more direct lighting it might start to turn around.
At this point about half of its tentacles are little more than nubs, and the other half are maybe only 1/2in long. Its horrifying really. But it doesn't appear to have gotten worse over the last week.
Regardless, I feel like I have a nice lingering death to look forward to. And still with no idea as to why this happened
At this point about half of its tentacles are little more than nubs, and the other half are maybe only 1/2in long. Its horrifying really. But it doesn't appear to have gotten worse over the last week.
Regardless, I feel like I have a nice lingering death to look forward to. And still with no idea as to why this happened
sjwitt
New member
Well, if it kept the feeding down then that's a good sign. I would keep trying and see what happens. You never know. What I've found is that the things in my tank that go through the biggest 'struggle to survive' end up being the strongest things in the tank after they make the turn for the better. Don't give up.
Curious, do you have hermit crabs in your tank?
Curious, do you have hermit crabs in your tank?
ag09g
New member
Haha I'm definitely going to keep doing everything I can for it, you're absolutely right though, if it comes back from this I think it will be pretty bulletproof!
I do have some blue legged hermit crabs in the tank, though not many. I would guess there might be a dozen or so left. I also have some small gorilla crab hitch hikers. All of the crabs in here are transplants from my nano.
I do have some blue legged hermit crabs in the tank, though not many. I would guess there might be a dozen or so left. I also have some small gorilla crab hitch hikers. All of the crabs in here are transplants from my nano.
sjwitt
New member
Got this from another web site:
Animals you May Want to Remove
GORILLA AND STONE CRABS
You want to keep a lookout for Gorilla Crabs (xanthid species) and Stone Crabs. These pesky buggers are predators that can cause damage to your reef, eating anemones, clams, and anything else they can get their claws around. They might look cute when they're small, but it's just not worth putting them into the tank. If you really want to keep them, you could put them into your sump/fuge (if you have one).
The sure-fire way to spot one of these is to look for the black tips on their claws. As Gorilla crabs get larger, they become quite "hairy" all over.
Animals you May Want to Remove
GORILLA AND STONE CRABS
You want to keep a lookout for Gorilla Crabs (xanthid species) and Stone Crabs. These pesky buggers are predators that can cause damage to your reef, eating anemones, clams, and anything else they can get their claws around. They might look cute when they're small, but it's just not worth putting them into the tank. If you really want to keep them, you could put them into your sump/fuge (if you have one).
The sure-fire way to spot one of these is to look for the black tips on their claws. As Gorilla crabs get larger, they become quite "hairy" all over.
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ag09g
New member
No problem! Thats the reason I figured you asked. I have tried to catch the gorillas. My live rock in was from tampa bay saltwater, so naturally full of them. Thankfully when I moved the rocks from my nano to the current tank I was able to catch a lot of the big ones. the ones that are left are small though and I just occasionally spot a leg/claw/face. Ive tried catching them with no success.
I usually come out several times a night between 11pm-3am to look in the take, and Ive made the point of checking to see if I can see anything molesting the anemone and have yet to see anything out of the ordinary chowing down on the nem. Though I know for a fact theres a small gorilla crab that occasionally pops out of a hole near the base of the anemone.
I usually come out several times a night between 11pm-3am to look in the take, and Ive made the point of checking to see if I can see anything molesting the anemone and have yet to see anything out of the ordinary chowing down on the nem. Though I know for a fact theres a small gorilla crab that occasionally pops out of a hole near the base of the anemone.
