Help with GBTA

[salt newbie01]

I purchased a small gbta 2 months or so ago. I believe it was starved and possibly bleached when I got it. The disc is only approx 1.5-2 inches across when fully inflated and the tenticles are only 1/8 of an inch long. I feed it about every other day. Mysis shrimp with cyclop-eeze and vita-life. It usually eats very well and has not moved since it settled in. my question is will the tenticles get longer? I am hoping they are so short just because it is a small/young anenome.
Also every few days it expells a brown substance and its mouth sort of hangs open. Could this just be the anenome getting rid of waste? I thought maybe it was sick but the mouth always closes back up and it always eats - the tenticles are good and sticky and they grab the mysis and cyclopeeze very well. And it hasn't moved.
So what do all you anenome experts think? Did I just get a young/small anenome that was weak and possible sick. Am I doing the right thing as far as feeding and care? I really like the little guy and want him to get better/bigger.

water parameters;
amonia - 0
nirate/trite - 0
calcium - 520
phosphate - less than .5 but not quite 0
ph - 8.2
79 degrees

 

[dantodd]

Sounds like everything is going well. If it was starved that could explain the short tentacles. If you keep feeding him and he keeps eating you'll probably be OK. That is assuming you have decent lighting. Getting enough VHO over a 75 is tough.

 

[salt newbie01]

I have 4 110 watt bulbs and may upgrade to 6 110's. the anenome is on a rock approx 1/2 up the tank. I thought this was enough light for a BTA??

 

[dantodd]

VHOs don't have the same penetrating power as T-5 or MH if I remember correctly. I'd certainly suggest getting the other 2 up there but I think that will be pretty much solid lights across the top on a 75.

 

[finding nemo]

Salt, you need to be feeding it silversides. Not mysis or brine shrimp.
Your little guy needs meaty foods to survive.
Give that a try.

 

[salt newbie01]

It wouldn't take larger chunks of meat before - I would cut a sliver of raw shrimp and feed it to it after it thawed in tank water. It would swallow the food and within an hour or so it would "spit" it back out. Should a try again with an even smaller piece of shrimp. Or does it need to be silversides? I just thought maybe it was better for it to eat a bunch (6-10) mysis and cyclopeeze than a small (1/8-1/4 inch) piece of shrimp. Was I wrong to think that way???

 

[dantodd]

A varied diet is best. At that size it can be hard for him to eat much. Give it as much mysis/cyclopeeze/shirmp/silversides as it will eat. Then give it a couple days to digest.

Their stomach only has one entrance so if you feed it before it expells the waste from it previous meal it won't be able to digest the meal well.

 

[finding nemo]

Great advice Dan.
Also try some formula one cubes. Or half of one, see it it will eat that.
Best of luck getting him to eat.

 

[salt newbie01]

Well last night my GBTA ate a small piece of raw shrimp and after getting that down it ate some mysis and cyclopeeze. If it keeps eating the pieces of shrimp then I'll buy some small silversides and try them. From the way ya'll talk about the silversides I would assume they are better than frozen raw shrimp.??
Thanks for the help,
I hope one day mine will be a healthy and pretty as yours nemo. Your site is great. I'm glad someone else is going without a sump and having luck, Iuse an emperor 400 instead of an aqua clear - and I also use a mag 350 cannister. So far so good.

 

[finding nemo]

Salt, that is terrific, keep up the good work and keep baby'ing her and she will come around for you.
And thanks.

 

[tag]

some advice. i had my first bta die on me because i got a little too overzealous in feeding it. it took everything i gave it, including a piece of shrimp that i later found to be too large. it spent a good 3 hours expelling it, at which time it sunk into a shriveled ball. i came home from work to find the clowns picking at its dead carcass. think small pieces.