Dying anemone? Or just new tank syndrome (long post)

[blake2shay]

So I got a rose BTA about a week ago from the lfs, first few days were nice, but now I've been noticing the base of it/mouth area is very bulbous and the tips are very thin. Noticeably not as "bubbly" as they were at day one and some even are gone(?) (Is that possible?) I have been running fishless for about four months so I know it can't be anything from a fish. I am currently running stock lighting in a BC29, and I'm thinking that maybe the light is to blame? I have no ramp up time or any kind of feature like that so I've been running mostly just my lunar LEDs and occasionally my actinics. My salinity has been remarkably stable so I'm not worried there, and without the fish crowd my nitrites and nitrates are low. The only thing I'm putting in the tank is mysis with a turkey baster for my two torches and now the BTA, as well as using Red Sea Reef Energy A&B. She (the BTA) has been closing up at random times whenever I walk by the tank, and then other times she's looking super peckish, literally looking like a slice of pineapple with her mouth open so wide. At the moment she hasn't moved from where I last moved her. She first chose a nice high spot, not a lot of flow, then moved down a bit, and then one day found her on a part of my rocks that seemed like she was hiding. I used an ice cube on the foot to get it to detach and then moved her back to a more less nerve wracking spot.

In summation, I am very worried about her and I don't have a lot of information to run off. Is it the light? Is it the food? Is it the reef energy? Or something I'm completely over looking?

Here are some pictures of her from day one to today

 

[blake2shay]

This was Day 1, and the spot she started in.

 

[HammerLover]

Since you mentioned your tank is new, it could be. New tanks can be unstable and not mature yet. My fingers is crossed as well, since I have a green bta on my new-ish tank as well by accident. I've been doing 50% water changes each week to keep up water quality.

You mentioned moving the nem, which is stressful for it. It will move on its own to find a desirable place that's why I place all my corals now in my sandbed until it stays put. Do not force it to stay on one place, let it roam around.

 

[blake2shay]

My tank is actually 1 1/2 ish years old, I just thought it would be the anemone being in a new tank. Not that my tank is new, sorry for the confusion. I feel like it wants to move just by the tension and stress look on the base. I'm trying to ignore it in a way but the distress in the tentacles is bothering me most.

 

[HammerLover]

The foot looks pretty bad, im still a noob at nems as well. It could be that the foot got damaged by removing it?

 

[blake2shay]

Dying anemone? Or just new tank syndrome (long post)

I would think that too. It looks like it's being pulled by a current but that's a dead spot in my tank, I hope it heals soon. Is there any way to help heal it? I'd hate to keep touching it or moving it or irritating it I feel like it's so stressed already.

 

[nemmy]

Running mostly your lunar led and ocassionaly your actinic? You aren't using an actual light cycle at all? Nems do require a good bit of light, bta being less than others. You really should only run your lunars at night, then give 2 hour actinic, 4 hours actinic and white, then 2 hours actinic and back to lunars.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

I agree with nemmy, but why are you running your lights the way that you are? What is the reason behind that.

 

[blake2shay]

Dying anemone? Or just new tank syndrome (long post)

My lights are on a cycle, I just thought that maybe light is a factor in how the nem is acting. I read that news are dependent on light and sometimes sensitive so I thought my lights coming on, with not dimming or ramp up feature, was causing additional stress.

 

[blake2shay]

just ran home on a lunch and found her like this. Moved. And the foot looks better. I have returned my lights to their regular light cycle.

 

[hotelbravo]

So I got a rose BTA about a week ago from the lfs, first few days were nice, but now I've been noticing the base of it/mouth area is very bulbous and the tips are very thin. Noticeably not as "bubbly" as they were at day one and some even are gone(?) (Is that possible?) they can degrade and lose tentacles when they are in poor health. but they commonly shrivel and expel waste which looks like they are sick and dyingI have been running fishless for about four months so I know it can't be anything from a fish. do you have any brittle starfish or serpent stars they have been known to rip tentacles off of bubbletips and there are even videos on youtube of them doing itI am currently running stock lighting in a BC29, and I'm thinking that maybe the light is to blame? I have no ramp up time or any kind of feature like that so I've been running mostly just my lunar LEDs and occasionally my actinics.the no ramp feature will not hurt the anemones and you should really use the whites and actinics it needs that light to heal and your depriving him of it My salinity has been remarkably stable so I'm not worried there, and without the fish crowd my nitrites and nitrates are low.you say nitrites are low? there should be no nitrites period. none. zero. however nitrates are okay with bubbletips they are very tolerant of nitrates unlike many other types of anemones. I ran my system with high nitrates of 40-80 for many months to grow macro I have since reduced the amount of macro and lowered nitrates but the anemones were doing very well even in high nitrates The only thing I'm putting in the tank is mysis with a turkey baster for my two torches and now the BTA, as well as using Red Sea Reef Energy A&B. She (the BTA) has been closing up at random times whenever I walk by the tank, and then other times she's looking super peckish, literally looking like a slice of pineapple with her mouth open so wide. At the moment she hasn't moved from where I last moved her. She first chose a nice high spot, not a lot of flow, then moved down a bit, and then one day found her on a part of my rocks that seemed like she was hiding. I used an ice cube on the foot to get it to detach and then moved her back to a more less nerve wracking spot. never ever do that again it causes a lot of stress on the anemone just let it find where it is happy they will move to get light when they want to. the only time I can think of where you would need to remove an anemone and place him somewhere else is when he may be creeping up to a powerhead or something. if they move to under rocks let them be they will move out before they will die.

In summation, I am very worried about her and I don't have a lot of information to run off. Is it the light? Is it the food? Is it the reef energy? Or something I'm completely over looking? it could be lack of light, to frequent feedings, or something with the water (depending on what your answer is about the nitrites).

 

[blake2shay]

Oh, ok. Well thank you very much. It is down a few tentacles from what i see, but it looks fine but it has been closing and opening a lot. Not sure if that's a sign of anything

 

[blake2shay]

Update, there is a return of color and fullness to it but a clear area that seems damaged as there's no tentacles in that area

However from the other side it looks amazing

 

[Dkuhlmann]

My salinity has been remarkably stable so I'm not worried there, and without the fish crowd my nitrites and nitrates are low.you say nitrites are low? there should be no nitrites period. none. zero. however nitrates are okay with bubbletips they are very tolerant of nitrates unlike many other types of anemones. I ran my system with high nitrates of 40-80 for many months to grow macro I have since reduced the amount of macro and lowered nitrates but the anemones were doing very well even in high nitrates

There should be some nitrates as well as phosphates, if you actually have ZERO nitrates and ZERO phosphates your corals will starve, Including SPS. The first to starve will be softies, leathers etc. Then the LPS will starve with the SPS going last since they prefer low nitrates and phosphates.

As our tanks mature the bacteria that consumes nitrates and phosphates starts to do it's job naturally, and it will hit your tank all of a sudden when the bacteria is matured enough to consume the nutrients. The nutrients being nitrate and phosphate. IMO and IME also stated by Vivid Aquatics on their website in the details of all of their corals to have nitrates of <10 and phosphates of < .003. These are a tad high for many of the harder to keep Acros and if you keep them your nitrates and phosphates barely detectable.

There is a thread in the Chemistry forum about this exact problem of having water that is "too clean" to support corals of any type and the OP has been having success in dosing both nitrates and phosphates in his tank.

So a healthy number for nitrates is 10 or less and phosphates of .025 or less.

 

[nemmy]

There should be some nitrates as well as phosphates, if you actually have ZERO nitrates and ZERO phosphates your corals will starve, Including SPS. The first to starve will be softies, leathers etc. Then the LPS will starve with the SPS going last since they prefer low nitrates and phosphates.

As our tanks mature the bacteria that consumes nitrates and phosphates starts to do it's job naturally, and it will hit your tank all of a sudden when the bacteria is matured enough to consume the nutrients. The nutrients being nitrate and phosphate. IMO and IME also stated by Vivid Aquatics on their website in the details of all of their corals to have nitrates of <10 and phosphates of < .003. These are a tad high for many of the harder to keep Acros and if you keep them your nitrates and phosphates barely detectable.

There is a thread in the Chemistry forum about this exact problem of having water that is "too clean" to support corals of any type and the OP has been having success in dosing both nitrates and phosphates in his tank.

So a healthy number for nitrates is 10 or less and phosphates of .025 or less.

Read his text in red again. He said nitrite not nitrate. Nitrite should be 0. You are correct about a little nitrate and phosphate though.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

OOPS It had my eyes crossed and that nitrite can getcha every time :hammer: Thanks for catching that.

 

[hotelbravo]

Haha dkuhl thats like the tenth time you have done that to me

 

[blake2shay]

I will retest my water today when I get home. It's a newish kit so I might have just looked at it wrong. Either way, today (this morning) nothing has changed, still same tentacles out and others missing or just shrunk down, no movement and I'm still on my regular light schedule again of actinic, actinic and white, and lunars at night.

 

[blake2shay]

Did a test of my water today. I'm still adjusting to my new test so I went around the house and asked everyone what their opinions were as far as results. I got most of them but am still a bit unsure of my NITRITE and my ammonia, but I can tell ballpark where they are

The rest of my results are
SG - 1.026
NITRATE - 2
NITRITE - 0-0.2
Ammonia - 0.2-0.8
Ph - 8.2
Alkalinity - 6
And for an update, here is the BTA when I took my test

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Haha dkuhl thats like the tenth time you have done that to me

I know it, what's up with that :hmm1: :fun4: