Rainbow BTA Crisis... please Help!

[ChiveCK]

Hi all, I'm hoping you can offer some advice or insight into what's going on with my new nem. I bought this Rainbow Bubble Tip Anemone from someone on craigslist and brought it home to my tank. I used drip acclimation over about two hours and started to place him and the rock he was attached to into the center area of my tank. He immediately let go of the rock and I put him into a rock with a hollowed out area where I thought he might like to stick his foot. He shifted around a bit for a couple of hours and then looked fine and happy. That night he deflated and I noticed some black stuff around his mouth. I thought it was probably waste and wrote it off. Since that day (Sunday) he has inflated during the day and deflated at night but the black area around his mouth has grown and he even had his mouth protruding a bit. He generally doesn't look happy but my water parameters seem fine (8.2ph, 77*f, Ammonia-0, Nitrite-0, Nitrate-5) I tried to offer him a piece of uncooked shrimp and he reacted to it touching a tentacle but pulled away and it just rolled off of him and onto the sand bed. Can anyone look at the photos and tell me what may be wrong with him? Thanks.

Sunday:

Monday:

Tuesday:

Today:

 

[ChiveCK]

Update: This is what he looks like right now... you can see the black stuff but he is bubbled up again...

 

[D-Nak]

It could be dead zooxanthellae. It could be that it's still acclimating to a change (drastic) in lighting. How does your lighting compare to the previous owners? You could look into treating it with Cipro (see sticky at the top of the forum) but IME BTAs are veru resilient. Might want to give it a couple more days to see if the purging of zoox stops.

 

[ChiveCK]

It could be dead zooxanthellae. It could be that it's still acclimating to a change (drastic) in lighting. How does your lighting compare to the previous owners? You could look into treating it with Cipro (see sticky at the top of the forum) but IME BTAs are veru resilient. Might want to give it a couple more days to see if the purging of zoox stops.

I'm really not sure how the lighting compares. I have my radion set to a pretty intense light that is supposed to highlight the natural colors of the corals and fish (one of the presets but ramped up a bit because I was told the RBTA would need plenty of light). The previous owner had the nem under a Kessil led in a smaller tank. His color looks ok, he's just so shriveled and scrawny.

 

[Wretched]

Adjusting to your increase in light for sure. He's expelling Zoox. Keep an eye on him post an update every few days.

 

[bues0022]

Also just be aware that bubbles on the tips in no way is a sign of health status. To date there is nobody that has definitive evidence on what causes a BTA to bubble or not. People will claim this or that, but for every claim there are things that refute it. No "light switch" has been found, and thus I am convinced they do it because they can

 

[ChiveCK]

Thank you guys for the replies. I really hope he makes it. His colors are awesome and he wasn't cheap. Is there something I can do? Should he stop this on his own?

 

[ChiveCK]

Here's what he looks like today? Should I keep trying to feed him?

 

[D-Nak]

I would let it settle in. Unless bleached, they don't need to be fed.

Can you provide more specs on your tank? How big? How long has it been set up? What else is in it? The only reason I ask is because I don't see anything else in the tank.

 

[sjwitt]

I think it's acclimating so just let it be for a bit longer. Also, your temp is low to me. I'd raise it a little. Mine seem to like near 80 degrees.

 

[ChiveCK]

I would let it settle in. Unless bleached, they don't need to be fed.

Can you provide more specs on your tank? How big? How long has it been set up? What else is in it? The only reason I ask is because I don't see anything else in the tank.

The tank is a 75gallon with 100lbs of live rock, 80lbs of live sand, and there isn't much in it. It finished cycling a little over a month ago (was cycled with live sand, live rock, and sea water) and has a couple mushrooms and some star polyps that are doing great as well as two clowns, a six line wrasse, and some CUC. Not too much in it now as its still new to me and I want to be sure I don't get too overwhelmed.

 

[greg1786]

How are your phosphates? I didnt see that listed. Also, your tank is a bit young, not that a young tank cannot successfully house a nem but is this your first reef tank? Its IMPERATIVE that you keep things very very stable for anemone. This is why alot of people recommend at least 6 month old tank. Not because a nem cant thrive in a young tank, but because at that point most people have ironed out all the kinks so to speak and nailed down not only good husbandry but a method to keeping their params in check. I think what everyone else has said is correct it appears to be acclimating to the change in lighting and tanks. Focus on keeping your parameters very stable and your nem should come around nicely. I had two peppermint shrimp rip tentacles and flesh from a freshly split rainbow bta so badly that one of the nems shrunk to the size of a dime. I thought it was a gonner for sure but it made a nice comeback. They are the most resilient of nems IMHO so I think yours will be fine. Good luck and keep us updated!

 

[ChiveCK]

How are your phosphates? I didnt see that listed. Also, your tank is a bit young, not that a young tank cannot successfully house a nem but is this your first reef tank? Its IMPERATIVE that you keep things very very stable for anemone. This is why alot of people recommend at least 6 month old tank. Not because a nem cant thrive in a young tank, but because at that point most people have ironed out all the kinks so to speak and nailed down not only good husbandry but a method to keeping their params in check. I think what everyone else has said is correct it appears to be acclimating to the change in lighting and tanks. Focus on keeping your parameters very stable and your nem should come around nicely. I had two peppermint shrimp rip tentacles and flesh from a freshly split rainbow bta so badly that one of the nems shrunk to the size of a dime. I thought it was a gonner for sure but it made a nice comeback. They are the most resilient of nems IMHO so I think yours will be fine. Good luck and keep us updated!

I'll check the phosphates when I get home. I do realize now that the tanks age (and my level of experience) might be a bit low but it's too late now. I probably should have waited on the nem but my lfs said it would be fine because the tank was cycled with live sand/rock and sea water.

So, now that I have it, I certainly want to do everything possible to make sure I keep it and that its happy/healthy. Does anyone have experience with Radion lights? I want to be sure I don't have them set too high or low as well. Everything I've read here says BTAs like a lot of light but I don't want to burn everything up either.

I really appreciate the feedback and input guys.

 

[sjwitt]

I don't have Radion lights but some people will screen a new anemone when it is first introduced (depending on the lights it came from). I've never done that and I have 250W MH. To screen you just put several layers of screens over the area where the anemone is sitting, remove one layer every week and observe the anemone's reaction. I believe Radions can be set to different intensities which would do the same thing. You can go to 50 or 75% for a few weeks and see if that helps. Usually, if a BTA doesn't like the light, it will hide in the rocks so I don't think you really need to worry about that at all.

Like others said, watch your parameters and keep them as good as you can. My RBTAs are thriving and I have phosphates and my nitrates are on the high side so that in itself is not a death sentance. Mine are well established though so they can probably take a lot of fluctuation. When I first got mine (yes I started with ONE and now have FIVE) it gaped and had black stuff spewing from it, this was probably my third try to get one to survive. I was sure it was a goner, but it finished acclimating and was healthy and happy. Now two years later it and its clones take up the hole left-third of my 185g.

Hang in there and keep an eye on it. Don't feed it until its establised and settled in.

 

[ChiveCK]

Update: phosphates are 0-.25, he looks a little better. I played with the lights, which have numerous presets and infinite adjustments and I'll continue to keep an eye on him.

 

[sjwitt]

This is how mine looked while acclimating ... if it helps by comparison. You can see why I was sure it was dying.

 

[ChiveCK]

This is how mine looked while acclimating ... if it helps by comparison. You can see why I was sure it was dying.

Thanks for the comparison shot. I'll just keep wait, watching, and hoping for the best.

 

[lucky_snapper]

I would turn down the intensity of your Radions for about a week or so and then gradually bring them back up to where u have them now. A kessel does not put out anywhere near the intensity and PAR that the Radions do.

 

[ChiveCK]

I would turn down the intensity of your Radions for about a week or so and then gradually bring them back up to where u have them now. A kessel does not put out anywhere near the intensity and PAR that the Radions do.

Lucky, the only reason I have them somewhat high is because I have only one on a 4' long 75gallon tank. Because of this, it's raised up about 14" off of the water so that the spread hits everything evenly. Should I still turn it down?

 

[Hdhuntr01]

Set your Radions to acclimation mode at 65% for 2 weeks. Also if you see that the black crap around the mouth is staying there and the flow does not push it away then take a turkey blaster and softly blow it away from the nems mouth. I have 18 Nems in a 185G Tank and I have my Radions set at 65%. They don't like it when i turned the intensity up above 65% but at 65% they are doing excellent. Radions are a lot more powerful then most people think.