GBTA Moves At Night

[Eznate]

Hello Everyone,

I purchased a green bubble tip anemone about three or four weeks ago. It seems to stay put for a few days and then move about two hours after the lights turn off. This morning it climbed all the way to the top of the glass. I had to go to work this morning, and I didn't want it to get sucked in to the power head so I turned it off until I get home (tank still has flow from sump).

How can I help the nem find a spot? It has never shrunk, expelled its zooxanthellae, or shown any signs of discomfort other than moving. I have a mars aqua led which is at about 50% intensity. If it is due to lighting, should I turn up or down the intensity? Usually the nem stays at the bottom of the tank between its favorite rock and the sand bed, so today was different behavior. The tank is a standard 29 gallon, 18" deep.

One other detail is that I have been having problems keeping my alkalinity above 7.5 KH. How sensitive are bubble tips to alkalinity?

Salinity: 1.025 - 1.026 SG
Calcium: 420 ppm
Magnesium: 1360

The anemone hosts an ocellaris clown.

 

[75mixedreef]

It must be the PH swing at night. When the lights go out the PH drops and without a good ALK reading that drop could be larger than the BTA likes. It could be a temp swing too, or maybe the BTA is just somewhat happy during the day and the swing at night is the last straw.

Either way, get your ALK up to 8-9 and keep it there consistently. Monitor your temp swing at night and see if it drops more than 1 degree. Nems usually like higher lighting so if you think your lights are a little low then you can just turn them up a bit. I'm not sure with your model, so I can't say for sure.

Usually the nems like enough flow to move their tentacles around. If your flow was a little low then it may have gone looking for more. That is why it can be a concern with them getting too close to the power heads. Personally I like having either one oversized wave maker power head or 2 appropriately sized regular ones to eliminate dead spots.

Just go through your options one at a time until you figure out how they all affect your BTA, then get it happy in all the categories and it should stay put.

 

[Eznate]

How would you recommend keeping the alkalinity up? It tends to drop when I do a water change (ro/di) I try not to dose too often, however i use Kent's A and B for alkalinity and calcium. I also have Reef Ions Magnesium, I believe that is what it is called. I use Red Sea tests for alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium.

 

[Fiver]

Cover that power head with padding before it's too late. Not worth the risk. My RBTA had a minor skirmish with mine before I covered it and survived. I got lucky.

 

[75mixedreef]

Using kent for dosing is not my first choice. I was under the impression that they target their products to beginners and softie tank owners. I prefer B-ionic for my 2 part. You can always use an additive to the top off water. How does your ALK drop with water changes? You should be using salt that is appropriate for your system. Reef salts are only slightly more expensive and are worth it in the long run. Dosing is something that should be done often and in small increments. There is nothing wrong with dosing every day if you know the correct amount to add. There are plenty of calculators online where you can get approximate amounts to add to get your parameters back to target. Just don't raise it by too much a day.

I use aragamight, it has calcium, magnesium, alkalinity, and trace elements in it. I don't use it every day but I do think it helps because it is a consistent method of adding the proper chemicals. Kalkwasser works the same way but does not have trace elements like aragamight.

 

[worm5406]

I use a dosser to dose calc every 28m45s for 1m15s. I have it broken down to keep the dkh at a desirable level. It will also not dose if the pH reaches 8.4, in the event of a problem.

Do you have any tank automation devices? I have an apex and measure the pH plus a few more on a continual basis.

Are your test strips/devices recent and have you ever tested against a known source to ensure it is correct?

 

[Eznate]

I don't use any automation devices, and I have not tested any known sources. I have a large kenya tree coral (lots of branches about 9" length, a few types of zoas, and a 3-4" branching birdsnest sps frag. How much alk would they use daily? I will start mixing Kalkwasser to my top off water so I can regulate the levels and get on a steady system. I just need to figure out how much to add to my gallon of top off water.

 

[worm5406]

I use a dosser to dose ALK every 28m45s for 1m15s. I have it broken down to keep the dkh at a desirable level. It will also not dose if the pH reaches 8.4, in the event of a problem.

Do you have any tank automation devices? I have an apex and measure the pH plus a few more on a continual basis.

Are your test strips/devices recent and have you ever tested against a known source to ensure it is correct?

Sorry I was typing on my phone and it changed ALK to CALC but I did not see it. I dose ALK at the level listed above.