Help please. Very Pale RBTA.

Let's hope it doesn't stress the anemone too much. As long as the anemone is eating you should be okay.
 
Some great advice has been given here...... It's hard to tell in the pic, but it looks like the rock infront of the nem has many aiptasia.... Make sure they are not touching the bta. This could cause stress also.
 
It is very important to feed a bleached BTA daily at first. Then you can move to every other day when it starts to get some color, and slowly transition to whatever your normal feeding schedule is. Without the zooxanthellae, it will starve.
Based on your post, this is what I'm doing. Every day I'm shooting (thawed) frozen mysis on top of it using a turkey baster. I'd guess that it is grabbing about 3 or 4 and the rest is lost to the water currents.
 
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Some great advice has been given here...... It's hard to tell in the pic, but it looks like the rock infront of the nem has many aiptasia.... Make sure they are not touching the bta. This could cause stress also.
They're not touching it.

I'm on the hunt for a Copperbanded butterflyfish that is eating. Finding CBB's isn't hard, but finding one that is eating at the LFS is.

My peppermint shrimp don't seem to be making an impact.
 
Based on your post, this is what I'm doing. Every day I'm shooting (thawed) frozen mysis on top of it using a turkey baster. I'd guess that it is grabbing about 3 or 4 and the rest is lost to the water currents.

Your anemone looks big enough to feed it small pieces of raw shrimp (from grocery store) or silversides, etc. Some people will tell you to avoid silversides so read some posts about those and come to your own conclusions. I use them as do many others. Just don't give them too big of a piece. It should be about the size of their mouth.
 
Your anemone looks big enough to feed it small pieces of raw shrimp (from grocery store) or silversides, etc. Some people will tell you to avoid silversides so read some posts about those and come to your own conclusions. I use them as do many others. Just don't give them too big of a piece. It should be about the size of their mouth.

+1.

Like i said, if it won't swallow it you may have to hold it on its mouth. Its tedious but it works.

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Update: the RBTA is still bleached, but is eating. Every day I shoot about 2 cubes of frozen mysis from a turkey baster onto it; it grabs some and misses others. I'd guess it eats 3-6 mysis. I haven't seen any significant improvement in its color yet.

My small clownfish is definitely hosting in the RBTA. While the clown swims around the tank alot, I see it nesting in the RBTA at times. I probably see the clown out of the RBTA 80% of the time. The clown is about 3/4 the length of the RBTA. I hope it isn't too much. I haven't observed the clown feeding the RBTA.

I need to recheck my water parameters.
 
Update: I came back from vacation to find that my RBTA had split! Each one is about 3 inches across. They're right next to each other. My clown is trying to host in both it would seem. No significant change in color. I'd say the rose color extends from the tips to the bubble. The base of the each tentacle and the rest of the nem is pretty pale. I'm still shooting mysis at both with a turkey baster every day. They seem to catch a decent amount, and then fold in on themselves.

I just started making water for a 20% waterchange. I'll check the water parameters after the water change. I'm curious to see how the alk is doing now that I have my kalkreactor online with my ATO.
 
It sounds like it's on the mend. Don't you love the clownfish/anemone bond??!! Anyway, I know that feeding can help but I did notice at the beginning of your thread that your bulbs were old on the MH. Old bulbs could be a factor in addition to everything that has already been mentioned with your parameters. Lighting is soooo important for anemones and in helping them with maintaining their color. Lighting is one reason I don't have one yet (am in the process of figuring how to get the right amount). Just thought I'd throw that in.
 
. . . I did notice at the beginning of your thread that your bulbs were old on the MH. Old bulbs could be a factor in addition to everything that has already been mentioned with your parameters. Lighting is soooo important for anemones and in helping them with maintaining their color.
I was wondering about that. I haven't seen any data about how old bulbs affect anemones. It seems like it should be out there, since the spectrum shift on MH bulbs is a well known phenomena. Has anyone studied how the lighting spectrum affects anemones?

And yes, the clown/anemone bond is very cool to watch!
 
Update: A few months ago I replace the MH bulb that's directly above the RBTA with a 14K Plus-rite. No significant change in the RBTA's. No actinics right now.

I did however, just learn that my temp has been 83.7 degrees due to a mis-set heater. I spoke with an LFS who claims to supply RBTA's to half my state and he said that high temps will definitely bring on bleaching. He runs his tanks in the low 70's.

On Saturday I dialed back my heater and so far the tank has dropped to 80.8 degrees, which is progress but still not enough. I'm targeting 78 degrees (winter). It's a larger tank (250g), so it takes awhile for it to drop temp. I'll check it again tonight.

I need to recheck other water parameters.
 
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