I bought an RBTA a few months ago and it was looking spectacular. I introduced a Great Barrier Reef Clown and it began hosting with the RBTA in minutes. The RBTA grew quickly and was pretty much always open. He was about 8 inches across when fully opened. I fed him 1-2 silversides a week.
Then a few strange things happened. First, I bought a Hippo Tang that was about 1.5 inches long. The clown fish immediately grabbed the tang after he was in the tank for two minutes and fed him to the anenome. I was amazed, saddened, and angry (with myself) all at the same time.
I also changed the light schedule around the same time...the wife did not want them clashing with the christmas tree! As a result, the lights were off before I got home from work and I did not feed the anenome. Note, the length of time the lights were on did not change.
I also had to buy pre-mixed salt water for a couple 10g water changes. The LFS uses RC, but I use IO.
Now the RBTA barely opens and will not accept food. He opens a little bit when 4 of my 6 T5 bulbs are out..sort of like he's getting ready to accept the clownfish for the night. However, he only displays a few tentacles and they are barely extended. The RBTA's mouth is tightly shut.
Can I do anything to bring him back to his old self? I've been target feeding brine/mysis shrimp to him for the last week or so, but I have not seen any major improvement. I don't even know if the RBTA ingests the shrimp.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Then a few strange things happened. First, I bought a Hippo Tang that was about 1.5 inches long. The clown fish immediately grabbed the tang after he was in the tank for two minutes and fed him to the anenome. I was amazed, saddened, and angry (with myself) all at the same time.
I also changed the light schedule around the same time...the wife did not want them clashing with the christmas tree! As a result, the lights were off before I got home from work and I did not feed the anenome. Note, the length of time the lights were on did not change.
I also had to buy pre-mixed salt water for a couple 10g water changes. The LFS uses RC, but I use IO.
Now the RBTA barely opens and will not accept food. He opens a little bit when 4 of my 6 T5 bulbs are out..sort of like he's getting ready to accept the clownfish for the night. However, he only displays a few tentacles and they are barely extended. The RBTA's mouth is tightly shut.
Can I do anything to bring him back to his old self? I've been target feeding brine/mysis shrimp to him for the last week or so, but I have not seen any major improvement. I don't even know if the RBTA ingests the shrimp.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
