Need advice for my RBTA

[MidMichiganReef]

I've had an RBTA in my tank for about 2.5 months. It moved around the tank for a bit before finding a home and bubbling up to look like this:

A few weeks later it hid in my rocks and wandered the back of the tank without really inflating. I thought for sure it was going to die when I found it unattached floating in the back corner and deflated. It was hosting an anemone crab which I thought could be irritating it so I removed it. I had kept the clay pot it came in in my sump so I put it in the tank and set the RBTA in it. It has been attached in the pot for about 2 weeks looking like this:

It doesn't seem to be able to support itself and sags when I shut the flow off. My params are:

Salinity 1.025
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5ish

I'm growing SPS, Zoas, and favia like crazy. It is under a RapidLed Biocube conversion kit for lights.

Any suggestions on how I can nurse it back to health?

 

[sjwitt]

I doubt the anemone crab is responsible but you may have another crab (that you aren't aware of) that is responsible. Do you have a quarantine tank that you can set up and move it to without any other live rock (in its pot)? You'll need a decent light for it. If you can do that and spot feed it, see if it comes back. If it does then I'd say you have a predator that you don't know about.

 

[MidMichiganReef]

I don't had a qt with a strong enough light. I've kept BTAs for years but this is my first one under LED and I'm wondering if my light is too strong for it which is why it retreats to the low back corner away from direct lighting.

I figured it wasn't anemone crab but I wanted it out anyway so when it recovers the clowns go back in it. Are there other signs of a predatory crab that I can look for? In all my years with BTAs I've never had one get sick or die so this is kind of new for me.

 

[MidMichiganReef]

Anyone else have input? It's a little more inflated today. Still has shortened stubby tentacles and a slightly gaping mouth.

 

[seamonkey84]

I would keep it slightly shaded and offer brine shrimp or mysis, turn off pumps and put it right at its mouth. Nems sometimes just get "lost" while moving and cant find the light or food, and then they become bleached or shrivled afterwards. they just need help recovering with extra protein as long as its not a bacterial infection. I have a tank with LEDs and the nems do great, as long as they get food now and then. The clown eats all the food so I have to target feed. But in another tank (although under t5ho) where the nem catches pellets and frozen just by its placement in the current, I don't have to worry about at all.

 

[MidMichiganReef]

So I target fed some mysis shrimp gently into it tonight and didn't really get any response from the nem. Not sure if it took anything in or not.

What signs can I look for to diagnose a bacterial infection?

 

[bubblyblu]

I'm having similar issues with my rbta.

It was doing amazing the first few weeks and for whatever reason now it's all shriveled up, tentacles are super short and it hasn't inflated/opened up in a week

It took about a week for it to find its home when i first acclimated it (drip method) it attached itself in the back of the tank & my female percula absolutely loves the rbta. After a week the rbta moved to under a flat rock which really doesn't allow any of the light to hit him directly.even since that move it hasn't opened up like normal.

Do u think that lack of light may be the cause?

I can't really take a picture of how he looks like right now but the only thing I can do is flip the rock over so he isn't under it.

Should I or shouldn't I?

 

[MidMichiganReef]

Not looking good today after attempting to feed it yesterday. Wondering if it looks like this tomorrow is it time to take it out?

 

[MidMichiganReef]

I'm having similar issues with my rbta.

It was doing amazing the first few weeks and for whatever reason now it's all shriveled up, tentacles are super short and it hasn't inflated/opened up in a week

It took about a week for it to find its home when i first acclimated it (drip method) it attached itself in the back of the tank & my female percula absolutely loves the rbta. After a week the rbta moved to under a flat rock which really doesn't allow any of the light to hit him directly.even since that move it hasn't opened up like normal.

Do u think that lack of light may be the cause?

I can't really take a picture of how he looks like right now but the only thing I can do is flip the rock over so he isn't under it.

Should I or shouldn't I?

Obviously I don't know, have you seen how my RBTA looks lately

 

[bubblyblu]

Obviously I don't know, have you seen how my RBTA looks lately

How's your nem doing today?

I don't know about you, but they r pretty confusing/hard to figure out what the heck is wrong with them.

Yesterday I did a 5 gal water change n my nem seemed to be opening up again.

 

[MidMichiganReef]

It's looking like it did in the first pic.

Does anyone think it would do any good to give it a cipro dip for a few hours? I don't have a light to hang over a couple day QT.

 

[sjwitt]

I think you should move it to the QT do do a cipro treatment. Leave it in there for a couple of days. It shouldn't hurt to go a couple days without a strong light. What have you got to lose at this point.

 

[MidMichiganReef]

I think you should move it to the QT do do a cipro treatment. Leave it in there for a couple of days. It shouldn't hurt to go a couple days without a strong light. What have you got to lose at this point.

I ordered some right after reading this. Unfortunately I had to take it out of the tank today as I think it was not salvageable at this point.

 

[sjwitt]

Oh, sorry to hear that. At least you'll have it on hand for the next time.

 

[MidMichiganReef]

I'm not sure what happened. I haven't lost a nem since I carelessly added an LTA in my first tank years ago.

But you're right I'll have it on hand next time if things go south.