finicky BTA...

gumbii

gumbii

New member
i recently got a nice green BTA from my LFS... um... i probably have about 2 months with they now... when i first got it home i noticed that some of the outside tentacles had a bit of brown on the bottom... my female maroon clown took over that sucka right away...


anyways... i noticed now that the green is slowly disapearing... i don't know, but it looks like some of the inner tentacles are bleaching, but the outside tentacles are now turning brown... i accepted the fact that my beautifull green nem is going to turn brown anytime soon... but i want to know if the white tentacles is normal...


another thing... i've been trying to feed it silversides and it takes them in pretty well... but... it spits them out right away... they come out half eaten and all slimey... sometimes they come out just slimey and it looks like it ate nothing... is this also normal...???

should i be worried...¿¿






details... 90g reef, 45g sump, 260w PC lights, two koralia 3's 6 damsels and one clown...






cliffnotes...


new nem had two colors...
green going away turning brown...
green tentacles turning white... that worries me...
it spits out the food half eaten, or untouched...
and the name is gumbii... nice to meet they...
 
Bleaching could be indicative that it's not getting enough light. Water chemistry could be off too.

What are your tests reading?
 
no nitrates, no anything... nothing is registering dangerous, or anything... he's also 4 inches below the water line, so i think he's getting enough light... he is getting darker brown, but the green is turning white before it turns brown...

the only thing that is tripping me out is my protein skimmer... my tank has been running for almost a year now, and i only clean out my skimmer cup every 3 months or so... i only get like 4 ounces in there...

it's a 90g tank, with a 45g sump, with LR and only a handfull of fish... is this normal...? or should i get moar skimmate out of they...???
 
I usually clean my skimmer once a week in my 100g. That doesn't sound right. Too dry?

Good luck with the BTA. I had one that just gave up eating and never did eat. However, I had it with a H. Magnifca, so maybe it was the chemical warfare.
 
werd... i was also thinking about getting a carpet...

so yeah... could it be because my skimmer is fail/aids...???
 
What is your temp and salinity ?

What type of skimmer do you have ? I have to empty/clean my cup at least once a week.
 
temp is a steady 79, salinity is 1.021 and i have a 5' tall skimmer built by Advanced reef concepts in La Habra... it has a 900GPH needle wheel pump... it works well, but i think i have to call him up to tune it again...

do you think that they might be the problem...
 
Big issue that I see is that your salinity is too low. Should be at 1.025 to 1.026.

Does that skimmer have an air line? If so make sure that it is clear, the line itself and where it meets the skimmer. That would really effect the performance. I clean my air lines/venturi housing once a month.
 
i'll gradually rase the salinity then...

and the skimmer has an airline, but it's huge... it's 1/3" pipe... i doubt it's going to get clogged... but i think the return pipe is too low... it's like 3" bellow the collection cup... i know that skimate always reaches the top nomater what, but i think it should do better...
 
Is there some reason that you keep your temperature at 79? Personally, I would bump it up at least a couple degrees. Also, what is your lighting?
 
50/50 260w power compacts...

really... i should bump it UP a bit...?? i thought everything dies... plus, i'm thinking about getting some soft corals later on... so can i go as high as 82*...???
 
awesome... so i might get rid of my chiller then... before i had the chiller my water would top off at 83*...

my LFS just saw me coming with the chiller... lol...

man i hate the fact that i'm such a newb when it comes to saltwater... i can distinguish the difference between synodontis petricola and synodontis multipictactus... but i still can't tell the difference between a true perc and a falce ocellaris...
 
Percula and Ocellaris are tricky to distinguish, very similar species, and can be almost identical in appearance depending on collection location. Don't sweat it, I still find myself counting dorsal spines.

What about your Mag and Alk? What are those at?
 
i don't have a test for mag or alk yet... i wouldn't know... i might get a test tomorrow... what should those levels be at...???

and i get an arse load of foam... but i don't get that much skimmate... it's way to dry... it looks like black tar... not brown at all...
 
If your skimmate is too dry, raise up the outlet pipe a bit. Also, make sure the neck of the collection cup is clean, that will effect its performance.
 
i think the outlet pipe does have to be extended... but i can't do it myself... the dude has to come and handle it... weak... i might sell it and get me an octopus instead...

i know this one has power to spare, but it's too inconvenient and unnecessary...
 
The major problem with your anemone is that it is not eating!!!!

Mush up the food into mysis sized pieces or smaller before feeding the anemone. They can not eat large peices of meat. Do not feed anemones krill or brine shrimp as these foods are no good.
 
I would bump it up to a high of 81 for the next couple months. After a month or two let it get up to 82. You want to increase the high temperature slowly. If you are not feeding it, that could be a problem as well.

I feed my green BTA very small pieces (1/4 the size of a pencil erraser) of clam, squid, shrimp, scallop, tuna, and whatever other seafood I can get at the time. I chop it all up and freeze it together. Then I just break off a chunk every few days. I thaw it out and then feed it to the anemone with a turkey baster. The fish and corals in the tank seem to love it.

I would definitely check your alk. If it is really low, it could be having an impact on it.
 
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