RBTA Help

[240special]

I recently bought a 60 gallon cube with a 12" rose. I moved the tank to my house. Had to replace about half the water. Drop acclimated the rose for 30 min and in it went. The tank was lite by 4 par 38 leds that weren't included. What was included was a new AI Sol LED fixture. I set the light down low 25 percent as it was stronger than the old lights and I didn't want to burn the nem. After 3 days the nem split likely due to a number of factors. My water quality is where it should be (not my first reef).

My problem: one of the two clones is good. Mouth looks healed. The other was good this morning but had been traversing the tank. Last I saw it was rumbling over some mushrooms. I get home from work and it looks BAD! Everything else in the tank looks fine. All other corals and nems are open and inflated. there was an emerald crab next to the sickly looking nem eating something (possibly part of the nem). The nem was down in a back corner.

I have since grabbed it and put it in a breeder box. Included is a pic of both nems. Any advice?

 

[240special]

Any ideas

 

[alpineroush]

The second picture looks terrible. It doesn't look like its going to make it.

 

[240special]

Yea I don't know if that's the original or the clone. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I have five btas in there

 

[_shorty_]

He make it?

 

[240special]

Yea he's still hanging around. Looked better yesterday. Inflated itself and attached to the side of the breeder box. Today it's looking really iffy. No stinky smell yet but a lot of goo in the breeder box. White slimy goo.

 

[240special]

Some pics

 

[240special]

One more

 

[jimmyj7090]

It's actually pretty normal for RBTAs to look all deflated like that from time to time, particularly right after splitting. Keep an eye on it, but as long as it passes the sniff test it's probably fine. (normal smell is a little funky, if it makes you gag it's on it's way out.)

 

[240special]

Yea but the guts hanging from the mouth is not journal from what I've read. It's been about 5 days too since the split. My last nems were healed with in 3.

Does that change your opinion at all?

 

[jimmyj7090]

Sorry, I missed the guts hanging out part. I didn't see guts hanging out in the pics, do you mean what you can see in the second pic in post #2? If so I'd call that a semi inverted mouth and I have seen it before on healthy RBTA that were in a bad mood so to speak. If it's more than that, then I would be concerned.

 

[Cirenus]

Some mushrooms can and will kill nems when they touch them. I'd check into the type of shroom you have and find out for sure if it will string and kill nems or not. Also, http://www.karensroseanemones.net is by far the best resource to nems.

 

[krakenster]

RTBA splits because it has been stressed

 

[kissman]

Sounds like a mini cycle started from moving

 

[Ron Reefman]

RTBA splits because it has been stressed

That's not the only reason they split!

I had 1 that became 2 and stayed next to each other, and 3 months later one split again and the clone split a couple of weeks later. And all four stayed together on the same rock. If they were stressed, they would have moved, but they were all fat and happy. They are still happy but have been separated and moved to an anemone tank.

 

[joekidwell]

I had one stressed, guts hanging out. I put him in a quarantine tank with alot of flow and light and fed it frozen brine shrimp out of a syringe with the pumps off. In a week he never looked better. He wouldn't eat so I had to pretty much place the food in his mouth a little at a time.

 

[Eman79]

That's not the only reason they split!

They are still happy but have been separated and moved to an anemone tank.

Hey Ron,

How do you get your Nems to release? I had two that split into 5. Like yours they are happy and all (3 anyway) hanging on to the same rock. I'd like to move them if for no other reason than to sell a few because I don't need 5, but all of my efforts so far have failed to get them to release their happy hold. Tried powerhead, tried holding the foot above the waterline and tickling it... just made them annoyed. Thanks!

 

[ReachTheSky]

My experience with RBTA's:

- Stress does cause them to split. Mine split immediately after I got it (gave clone away), likely due to the stress of a new environment. It grew like a weed and stayed in one spot for over a year. It split again after a rock slide caused a mild injury. He was hosting a pair of Percula clownfish.

- It's normal for them to deflate once in a while. Mine did this about once a week or so. I suppose it's one of their ways of removing waste - old water out and new water in.