Found my BTA in the sump after seven weeks - what now?

[csammis]

Some background: On March 21 my new BTA got its dumb self sucked into a small gap in the overflow. In the process of removing it the BTA tore and part of it ended up in the overflow in a spot I couldn't reach. I put the part I could reach into a hospital tank but it never attached and died pretty quickly. C'est la vie.

Fast forward to yesterday, May 10, when I noticed this on the return pump intake:



Un-friggin-believable! It wasn't there only a few days before. It was fairly well attached to the filter but understandably stressed. There is almost no light at all in the DT overflow and sump chambers. The only light it could have gotten in the photographed location was spillover from the refugium / algae scrubber in the next chamber over - very indirect and very warm (3500K). Maybe it was surviving on filtering food floating around in the sump since I wasn't running a filter sock in that period of time.

I moved it to a jar and put the jar in a sheltered area of the DT.







Checked on it this morning, it had moved to the mouth of the jar and inflated itself:



=========

I'd like to try and save it if I can but I'm really not sure where to start. Since it's attaching, moving, inflating I assume it's basically alive. How bad is it that its tentacles are almost totally clear? I'm guessing that seven weeks without light has killed off most (all?) of its zooxanthellae. Is it possible that they will recover without assistance or should I consider attempting a transplant?

 

[hotelbravo]

Early on to my tank I added a bta shortly after I had to go on vacation and while on vacation I had my tanksitter call me saying that one of the fish had white fuzzies on him so I instructed him to take the carbon out of the system and put some medication in to see if it would help. Well he didnt listen to instructions and nearly dumped the whole bottle in and caused my bta to shrivle and lose all of his color. After a few weeks of being shriveled he inflated but was still solid white. He eventually gained back all his color and is looking better than ever so I think yours will too

 

[rogerstammy]

I'm very interested to see how this turns out. I'm going to follow this thread. I hope it regains its color.

 

[NYCBOB]

Maintain good water parameters and ur bta should recover within 2-3 months,

 

[m0nkie]

Im no expert on this but i did read OrionN post about his bleached BTA. this is in the bleached gig thread. might help you abit. If you see absolutely no zoo, maybe attempt to feed and inject zoo.

A bleached anemone with no zooxanthellae looks identical to the one with a few (even 1) zooxanthellae still in his tissue. Over 1 month, then we can see the different. One will recover and the other will not unless it get zooxanthellae from some where.

Zooxanthellae are specialized dinoflagellate in the genus Symbiodinium that are essentially obligate endosymbiotic, and does not live out side of the host animal in any significant degree.

It is unlikely that our anemone can get zooxanthellae from the environment if there is absolutely no zooxanthellae in his tissue.

I have had Bleached BTA that did not recover after at least 1 year. I eventually sold him for cheap when I moved from Seattle to Texas. He lived with continue feeding but I am sure without feeding he will not do well. I was new at reef keeping at the tie in 1997 (although I keep marine aquarium with macro algae in it for many years). He certainly did not become unbleached from the environment although I have a lot of corals and clams in a thriving reeftank that time.

 

[Jonnywhoop]

glad that you were able to save this guy. Hopefully he grows into a colorful guy!

 

[Miguelh1302]

By any changes do u have a picture of her before she got stuck in there?

 

[Dvara78]

Same thing happened to me not so long ago when I upgraded. I put the RBTA back in the main display and it attached to a rock and hasn't moved since. It slowly regained its color and looks great now (still on the small side though)

 

[eddiereefs]

This reminds me of the albino crocidile that could survive the end of the world. That is an amazing syory. Good luck, im sure if it lasted this long it will survive, u might wana consider dimming the lighting to acclimate it because it could get shocked

 

[csammis]

Thanks for the responses everyone!

By any changes do u have a picture of her before she got stuck in there?

Yes, but not a good one...it was only in the DT for three days before I checked on the tank before bed and saw it mostly sucked into the overflow. I was waiting for it to settle down before taking a lot of pictures.

u might wana consider dimming the lighting to acclimate it because it could get shocked

Yes, this happened I put the jar low on the rockwork but forgot to dim the lighting fixture over that half of the tank. I came home after work on Monday after the lights had been on for a few hours and the nem had detached from the jar and was puffed up looking awful. I turned that light fixture to moonlights only and it started looking better the next morning.

60 hours AS (After Sump)

This morning I discovered an empty* jar. The anemone evidently decided it was feeling well enough to go for a walk - it was on the rocks on the opposite corner of the cube. Hopefully it doesn't decide to walk into another bad situation. I have the MP40 covered but there are two Sicce Voyagers which don't have sponges. I made screens for them out of plastic canvas a couple months ago but the glue eventually gave out and the screens broke. They're well away from the rockwork but I know it's a danger.

If anyone knows where to buy filter intake sponge that I can use to shape over the Voyagers I'd like to know! It's that or rubber-band filter floss to the powerheads in my DT. Yuck.

Here are a couple of lousy cell phone pictures in its current location.








* not quite empty, it trapped a blue legged hermit crab I didn't know about and don't want in my tank. So long hermit crab!

 

[kwsjimmy]

You can try the mp10 or 40 foam covers as a try ?

 

[Miguelh1302]

Thanks it was a cutie, am sure it will be there, is already looking super healthy