New BTA question

S

sfarid123

New member
Hey guys,

Yesterday I bought a new healthy GBTA for my 55 mixed reef from my LFS. He told me his salinity was 1.023 and my tank salinity was 1.025. I drip aclimated it for 1.5 hrs and then slowly introduced it into the tank. It seemed perky and happy in the begining but as time went on it deflated and slowly stared to release zooanthelle. I checked on it again around 12pm when the lights were off and it had inflated like a pancake w/my two percs sleeping in it. This morning I tried to feed it some grated shrimp but did not take it. I brought down my salinity to 1.023 and curently it is perked up w/ the mouth open a bit and maintaining a mediocer color.

What should I be doing to prevent further degrdation of its health? :confused:

Here are my parameters :
SG 1.023
Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, PO4 =0
Ph= stable 8.3
Ca 430 Alk 11dKH
Lights T5 SLR 4X54
Temp 82
 
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They will usually take a few days to settle in to your tank. The main thing to keep an eye on is whether or not its foot is attached. You don't want it drifting around. Let it go where it wants and rearrange the tank around it. Try feeding after a couple days. If it doesn't accept it then leave it alone. Adequate light is more important. Keep your water quality at it's best. I'd try to slowly bring your SG back up. Many BTA lines come from higher saline water (Red Sea) so the minerals it provides might be important for their health. good luck!
 
Thanks for the reply,

It is siting upright on a rock but not attached w/ the mouth slightly open. It seem a little puffed up. I'll see if I can post a picture.
 
Don't mean to thread steal, but I actually recently got a new BTA also and it acted the same way sort of... but was holding on well.. it crawled wayyyy back and to the bottom of my LR structure, in a cave... it's way back there barely getting any light and looks sort of trapped.. the only way to for me to get it out would be for me to take litterally the top 80% of my LR out of the tank.. it's getting flow and a tiny bit of light.. I can see it pretty well with a flash light.. it appears to be doing ok, looks pretty normal, the tentacle tips aren't too inflated, but it's looking pretty ok other than that.. just hiding.. will it crawl back out?
 
well, here's hoping it's healthy (it looks ok, plump, attached, not sticking it's stomach out) and will come back out. :) thanks for the reply.
 
My BTA has moved to the front glass; it has expanded a lot. It still has a slight open mouth and not eating. I'll feed it as soon as the mouth closes.

I think the next stage for him is crawl into a rock, am I right?

Also I heard someone mention after acclimating new anemones, you should give them a quick Iodine bath/dip before introducing them into the tank so they get protected against any irritants in the tank. Does this sound right?
 
BTA not doing well :(

BTA not doing well :(

The BTA is not doing too well :( It has has stuck it self to the front glass & mouth is wide open. It kinda looks saggy and it has been like that for the past 2 hours.

Is there anything else I should be doing at this point?

None of my parameters have changed; the water was a bit cloudy & I turned on the activated carbon overflow. Other than that the female perc is swimming next to the BTA & hosts it every now and then.


Thanks
 
I know iodine is good for them.. perhaps that is a good idea? I know if they're stressed you can do that to try and get them back to happiness.. I guess it doesn't hurt to give them a little bit o happy on the way into the tank for the first time. :)

Well, my cave bound gbta is starting to emerge.. it's inflating it's tentacles and it's streching for the light now... seems to be doing a little better.. I guess it will move out into the light when it feels ready. :)
 
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The BTA is not doing too well It has has stuck it self to the front glass & mouth is wide open. It kinda looks saggy and it has been like that for the past 2 hours.

Is there anything else I should be doing at this point?

None of my parameters have changed; the water was a bit cloudy & I turned on the activated carbon overflow. Other than that the female perc is swimming next to the BTA & hosts it every now and then.


Thanks
 
I am not sure, but maybe the iodine bath might help? or just put a couple extra drops in your tank.. you'll get a little more algea, but it should help the nem.. beyond that I am sort of a n00b to these also.. maybe a more experienced person can offer some advice?
 
well, I am not sure.. I'm sort of a noob here also.. I have been hoping to heck my new anem doesn kick the bucket.. coming home every day hoping the tank isn't cloudy. ugh.

Anyways, one thing I do know is carbon actually removes trace elements and things which might even be good for the anem.. what the anem needs is stability, from what I have read on them.. is your water ok byond what you posted above? how is your alkilinity? I know a low alk will stress these guys out..
 
Alk is 11.
my only concern is the poor guy has been hanging on to the glass and it is completely deflated as if its going to melt. At least it good news that it is still attached.
 
just checked the NH4 & NO3 & PO4 = 0
2nd time Alk test had dropped a bit to 10dkh, my reactor had some co2 build up in the effluent line. I 'm not sure if that had any thing to do with it ?
 
unsure.. co2 typically causes the pH to lower.. not sure about alk. I didn't think so though.. 11 or 10 is really good though.. seems like your water is good.
 
Just to update, this morning, BTA was puffed up but the mouth was open with some of its guts sticking out, the female perc was picking on them every now and then.
I dont know If It would be a good Idea to take it off the glass and cover it with something? or is it too late? :(

thanks
 
stomach sticking way out with internals hanging is not a good sign.. I think I read that means it's very stressed. I think there is still hope until it starts to discentegrate.. but it's so hard to tell if you're on the verge of that or not.. you don't want to leave for the day and have it foul the tank up while you're gone for 8 or 9 hours.. it might be time to try and quarentine it.. maybe? try the iodine dip? do you have quarantine apparatus? you could make one with a (small) powerhead, heater, and 5 gal bucket..
 
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