tkeracer619
New member
Everything seems happy with the new T5s. Halide doesn't come on for another hour.
My 1 week old BTA tank... 40g breeder.
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Joe.the.Newb
New member
Looks like your the guy to talk to about BTA's TKRacer.
I picked up a green bubble from my LFS 3 weeks ago, and it seems generally happy, i think it chose a poor spot to live in the very bottom front corner attached sideways to a piece of LR underneath my powerhead, so I'm sure it has low water flow on it, but it is open. My concern, which I've Google'd about, is that It's now a dingy light brown color. Random internet sources say that's due to them being bleached or something? and that its returning to its natural state. When I bought it, it was green so i guess I'm confused about the term bleached.
I picked up a green bubble from my LFS 3 weeks ago, and it seems generally happy, i think it chose a poor spot to live in the very bottom front corner attached sideways to a piece of LR underneath my powerhead, so I'm sure it has low water flow on it, but it is open. My concern, which I've Google'd about, is that It's now a dingy light brown color. Random internet sources say that's due to them being bleached or something? and that its returning to its natural state. When I bought it, it was green so i guess I'm confused about the term bleached.
tkeracer619
New member
A bleached BTA generally turns lighter in color. RBTAs turn neon pink, GBTAs turn fluorescent green. Look at the first pic in this thread. In the middle of a bunch of Rose Anemones there is a Green one. Compare that to the green one on the right. The one on the left wasn't getting enough light in the previous tank and is considered bleached. It has since made a full recovery in the new system.
What are your nitrates? I would probably suggest moving the powerhead. It will mangle the anemone if it decides to walk. Any place they stop is generally a happy place so I would leave it well alone.
The brown is zooxanthellae algae. How long are you running the halide? I would cut it to about 6 or 7 hours and see how it responds.
I would say give it time and it should recover to being green. Unless it was like fish food coloring green. I haven't seen a dyed anemone or heard about one for a long time but it happens.
What are your nitrates? I would probably suggest moving the powerhead. It will mangle the anemone if it decides to walk. Any place they stop is generally a happy place so I would leave it well alone.
The brown is zooxanthellae algae. How long are you running the halide? I would cut it to about 6 or 7 hours and see how it responds.
I would say give it time and it should recover to being green. Unless it was like fish food coloring green. I haven't seen a dyed anemone or heard about one for a long time but it happens.
Joe.the.Newb
New member
Thats good to hear, I'll just stay patcient and keep an eye on him.
I keep my MH on from 7:30am when i leave for work till 5pm when i get home, then i turn that off and turn on the Actinic lights till about 8pm. I only use the strips to test water quality and everything is about dead on so probably 0-1ppm of nitrates if at all as the strip doesn't really change color.
I am having some problems with algae though, this is due to me having a no hood on the top I loose about 1 gallon a day in evaporation, so ive been forced to top off with tap water. I've tested my tap water and it contains .8 phosphate, which generally I'm told isn't so bad but I'm putting a gallon of that in per day so I'm sure it is compounding. I put in 2 phos mat's and 2 phosguard pouches for now. I'm currently working on a auto top of system so I can buy and store a weeks worth of LFS water instead.
If any of this jumps out as odd to you guys let me know. I'm self taught, and not very well.
tkeracer619
New member
Get a top off on the tank asap. I would take some water in to a fish store to get it tested just to confirm the strips. I would run the halide for a shorter duration and see how the anemone responds. If it eats I would feed it small chunks of meaty foods.
do you think that exposing the BTA's to too much light, say 12-14hrs/day will cause a shock, therefore bleaching? 6-8 hrs of photoperiod is more ideal for them?
pweissma
Member
Also put your lights on a timer. From what you wrote out it sounds as though you are manually turning them on and off around your work schedule.
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pweissma
Member
Same thing for me. I got mine from a local guy when his split. That was over a year ago. Since then it has just grown and grown. Mine also has long tentacles without any bubble. Looks a lot like yours. I know that they can split due to stress -- probably explains your initial split. Maybe our RBTAs are just comfortable.
My tank is a 34g Solana which is totally dominated by the RBTA. I had to move several corals into other tanks out of the way of the long flowing tentacles.
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tkeracer619
New member
I really don't have an answer other then giving them a good stable environment. They sort of do what they want but I notice they like a wide slow flow pattern and 14-20k lighting. When I turned the mp40 off after I got the sunburst the RBTAs lost their bulbs. I have since turned the pump back on and they are starting to get them back.
The clowns feed the anemones but on occasion I drop some mysis and small plancton on top of them.
The clowns feed the anemones but on occasion I drop some mysis and small plancton on top of them.
Bump
elegance coral
They call me EC
12 hours a day is what most life on this planet has evolved to live with. I base all my tanks on a 12 hour photo period. IMHO, 6-8 hours is to short.
tkeracer619
New member
Peak light is only a few hours in nature. Blasting them with a halide for 12 hours a day isn't natural by any means. I run my halide on this bta tank for about 6 hours. In the 6 years I have had them 8 hours of halide is the most I have given them.
cool. having them for that long is good enough track record. haha. thanks for the reply.
it's good to know that after all those years, they still keep their bubbles. if I'm getting this.. from your experience, with good light and good flow, would you say the BTA's will be more bubbly than stringy?
tkeracer619
New member
Like I said there is no magic formula to getting them to bubble up. Each system is different. Time, stability, lighting, and flow are all important.
Mine are not always bubbled up but they often are.
Mine are not always bubbled up but they often are.
Thank you again.
I currently have 6 RBTA and one GBTA in my 90 gallon. They are all healthy and happy. I started with two RBTA and one GBTA the two RBTA split into 4 when my timer malfunctioned and my 400 w MH light stayed on for 24 hours. Then two of those split again when I switched over to LED's. They have all stayed put for quite awhile and have great color. As far as bubble tips it varies from week to week and one nem to another, I wish someone could figure out the magic formula.
wow. very nice!
