Is it too late to save my RBTA?

[Duddly01]

A little over a week ago I purchased four anenomes that were attached to a piece of live rock in a tank at a LFS. Two RBTA and 2 Flower Anenomes. They were well rooted and she gave me a decent deal on the whole rock so I took it.

It also came with a 3" across brittle sea star hitchhiker that made it's appearance the next day during feeding.

The day I put it in the tank the smaller of the two RBTA disappeared into the rocks and I didn't see it for over a week. Yesterday it reappeared face down in the sand looking about half it's original size and the tentacles shrivled up to knubs and extremely bleach, almost white. The foot is more of a bright pink and doesn't want to attach. I moved it into a breeder seperator hoping to nurse it back to health. Do I have a chance???

I don't think it is the water conditions as the larger RBTA is doing fine and actually growing like a weed. It looks much larger than when I bought it. The flower anenomes are doing fine and I could sware one of them was getting ready to split this morning before I left for work.

 

[GSMguy]

what kind of light do you have on your tank

 

[Duddly01]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8699905#post8699905 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GSMguy
what kind of light do you have on your tank

I have two corallife retrofit kits in my hood.
1. 10,000k & seperate Actinic
2. 50/50

My lighting scheme:

6am: actinic only on
7am: 10,000K only on
11am: 50/50 on
1pm: 50/50 off
5pm: 10,000K off
6pm: actinic off

 

[GSMguy]

what wattage are the bulbs

 

[Duddly01]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8700667#post8700667 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GSMguy
what wattage are the bulbs

I had my daughter look at the boxes in the garage. They are both 24" and one says 2x65w and the other is 1x65w.

This is one of my Clarkii clowns checking out the larger RBTA shortly after put into the tank. She is now able to bury herself well into it where you can barely even see her. It doesn't look nearly as bleached any longer either.

 

[650-IS350]

I think you might need more lighting..

 

[fuzzyt]

What kind of lighting was at the store? Could be a stess issue over major light changes. I have a LTA in my 29g with 2x65w PCs. Its doing great, growing like crazy.

 

[Duddly01]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8701399#post8701399 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by delsol650
I think you might need more lighting..

195w isn't enough for 50 gal? I don't think I have enough room in the hood for another light bank. Would a moonlight help at all, I was considering adding one of those? Would it help if I ran the second 50/50 bank longer? The other anemones seem to be doing okay, but I am just a novice and may not know any better. Only the small RBTA that hid for awhile seems to be on its death bed.

Well, I think my Clown's may be beating up my small, maybe 3" green hadoni (sp?) carpet as it is smaller than they are, but other than that. They seem to be hosting in both the large bubble tip and the tiny carpet. Any chance I can get them to leave it alone for awhile? They already knocked it off the rock this week, which I probably shouldn't have put it there in the first place. I think it is trying to run away from them.

 

[Duddly01]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8701493#post8701493 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fuzzyt
What kind of lighting was at the store?

Just your basic flourescents. It was in a tank with some crabs and a few fish. The tips didn't even light up until I put it into my tank, I didn't even know they would do that until I brought it home. The tips are supposed to light up a flouresent pink aren't they? They almost look like they have tiny LEDs.

Maybe the brighter lighting in my tank is what drove the small one into hiding in my live rock? Any reason it didn't come back out until now you can think of?

 

[Duddly01]

It didn't make it.

It didn't make it.

When I got home it was a slimmy mess in my seperator. Very sad.

I had heard they can polute a tank, especially as small as my 50gal when they die so I tested the water and my nitrite was up a bit (about 0.5). Is that normal? The fish seemed okay and I would assume the spike should go away quickly enough not to hurt the remaining anem.

 

[RedSonja]

Re: Is it too late to save my RBTA?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8699897#post8699897 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Duddly01
A little over a week ago I purchased four anenomes that were attached to a piece of live rock in a tank at a LFS. Two RBTA and 2 Flower Anenomes. They were well rooted and she gave me a decent deal on the whole rock so I took it.

Do you have any way to know if the two RBTA's were a clone of the same RBTA? Or did they get in a shipment and two attached to the same rock? If not clones of the same 'nem they were possibly engaging in the 'nem version of chemical warfare. And am I reading your later post right that you have a carpet in the same tank? From what I've read you may get chemical warfare between it and the remaining RBTA. I'm not sure if flower 'nems would do the same but it could be possible. I'm not claiming to be an expert, just recounting what I've read and heard. Sorry you lost the smaller RBTA, that's rough.

-Sonja

 

[Duddly01]

Re: Re: Is it too late to save my RBTA?

Re: Re: Is it too late to save my RBTA?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8716700#post8716700 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RedSonja
Do you have any way to know if the two RBTA's were a clone of the same RBTA? Or did they get in a shipment and two attached to the same rock? If not clones of the same 'nem they were possibly engaging in the 'nem version of chemical warfare. And am I reading your later post right that you have a carpet in the same tank? From what I've read you may get chemical warfare between it and the remaining RBTA. -Sonja

The carpet died the next day.
I don't know if they were battling it out or if the larger clowns just loved it to death. The Flower's and remaining BTA are still on the same rock that I got them with and seem to be okay. I did a 10% water change after the carpet died and I am planning another tonight to clean up any remaining polutants that may exist. What is really sad is the BTA is not big enough for both clowns so the smaller (male?) clown is now hosting a hole in a rock near it when the larger (female?) is in it. It really looks sad. Is there another type of anenome I can get him that will get along with the BTA?

 

[RedSonja]

Everything I've read about 'nems says any 'nems not clones of the same mother will engage in chemical warfare to some extent. The clowns are likely to "love to death" the RBTA since it's so much smaller than them. Could you put a strawberry basket (or some kind of flow-thru barrier) over/around the RBTA so it still gets light and flow but the clowns can't get to it? Then give the 'nem several months of daily or every-other-day feedings so it will grow and be large enough for the clowns. The clowns don't *have* to have a 'nem. They'll likely be mad at being kept away but they'll be fine otherwise.

Sorry to hear you lost the carpet, I'd continue to do 10% water changes for a few days and put some fresh carbon in the tank because dying 'nems leave nasty stuff.

-Sonja