Sick BTA (pics and tank stats)

[enigma32]

Hey Everybody,

I've done some reading around, asking around, etc., and am still stuck with a sick BTA, so here am I asking for help!

Pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjpelmear/sets/72157623895035023/

I bought this BTA perhaps 6 months ago... it did moderately well for a month or two, then while I was gone for a number of weeks (with a friend taking care of the tank for me) it stopped opening up all the way. Since then, it's had another couple months of spending most of it's time moderately small and semi-regularly opening up it's mouth at night and spewing zooanthelle out.. (I believe that's what the stringy stuff is?)
More recently it's not been opening wide as frequently, but in these past few months it's color has gotten decidedly bleached.

I was originally feeding small (frozen) shrimp.. which the BTA stopped eating... Upon switching to silversides they are immediately taken from me when feeding.

It lives in a 45 gallon tank:
- plus sump with skimmer
- 150W MH (now 5 hr/day), 2x65W actinic (now about 10 hr/day) (was previously about 6 and 12 hours respectively, but I turned it down at the suggestion of the LFS, which seems quite respectable)
- Anemone is approx. 2' deep in the water

Stats from today:
temp: 79F
S.G.: 1.025 (just switched to Instant Ocean Reef Crystals from their regular mix)
PH: 8.15
Ammonia/Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: ~0ppm
Phosphate: < 0.03 ppm
Alk: 2.5 meq/L (This is not ordinarily low, but was when I tested today. I'm adding buffer to compensate.)

I use activated carbon and phosban in my sump, as well as having a small macroalgae.
There is a small star polyp coral that opens but doesn't do spectacularly... perhaps that's also related?


Regrettably the issue has been compounded by an extremely unfortunate event last week wherein the temperature went extremely high (I was out of town again and my S.O. didn't know to turn the AC on when the outside temp was far exceeding 80 degrees)
I lost a few fish to the temperature incident, but after a few days of a comfy 79 degrees everything else seems to have gone back to normal (the anemone returning to seemingly it's same state). It does eat fine and actually seemed to be opening a little more than usual the day after the incident...


Any thoughts would be very much appreciated.

Thanks everybody,
Matt

 

[enigma32]

*bump

 

[bues0022]

While I'm not entirely sure yet on the cause of the problem, in the second picture is that a tail of a whole silverside you are feeding it? Were the shrimp you were feeding raw or cooked? whole or chopped? It is generally ill-advised to give anemones (I know most about BTA's, but have read this from good sources about others) large pieces of food. A "rule-of-thumb" I like to think about is keeping the food particles equal to or less than the size of a pencil eracer (think #2 pencil). It takes the nem a LOT of energy to digest large chunks of food. I wrote a little opinion-piece about this topic: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1835320

More Q's. I just saw the nem is about 24" down into the water. That might be fairly deep and not enough light is getting down to it. I'd try to move it up if at all possible. Also, where in the tank is it? MH produce a LOT of light directly underneath it, but not as much to the front/back or sides, and it looks like it's all the way on the side.

I'm going to venture out and say that your nem isn't getting enough light, and could also do better on a different food during recovery. Does anyone else have thoughts?

 

[enigma32]

Thanks for your response, bues0022.

That was a third or so of a silverside in the picture. I have been experimenting with different food sizes, that day being the largest I've tried. In the past I've typically cut them more to the size that you describe.
Previous food was frozen krill, whole (as they were not very large). I thawed them for a bit before feeding, of course. (they appear to have been cooked before frozen)

As for positioning, you are correct in noticing it is toward the edge of the tank. I moved it to this location upon finding the initial problem after my return a few months ago. Previously it was located next to the overflow, even further shielded from the light. I've been afraid of moving it again for fear of making the issue worse-- so far the only time I've seen the foot loosen from the rock was during the temperature issue a week ago. That said, I have only tried decreasing the light thus far, not increasing it.

What food would you suggest trying instead of the silversides? I've been experimenting with adding an amino acid supplement to the food before feeding- not sure if that's a good or bad idea?

Barring any other ideas in the mean time, I think tomorrow I may try your suggestion of moving it into the light a bit more...

 

[enigma32]

Alrighty... Moved my 'nem toward the middle of the tank... tried to find as similar flow as I could... hopefully it'll be happy here... I guess time will tell.

 

[bues0022]

Let us know!

 

[enigma32]

Update:
2 weeks later: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjpelmear/4637506156/

For the first two days, the BTA stayed facing directly upward all day long. Afterward it moved to the side of the rock, where it is significantly better protected. (I think it was annoyed by an urchin getting too close to it)
For a few days after that little progress seemed to be made... I fed it and found the tentacles to be better inflated for a day or so, but it avoided the light even more. I haven't fed it in a week or so, trying to decide when to feed again. (Thoughts anyone?)

Now that some time has gone by, it still shrinks very small at night, but during the daylight cycle leaves the half that is more bleached horizontally flat on the LR in front of it, directly exposing itself to MH lighting. (seems to stay that way while the actinics remain on after the daylight cycle as well)

I'm considering extending the MH lighting by another half hour or so, and doing more frequent water changes to keep the algae in check... (thoughts?)

Also of interest, I replaced the [sadly very old] CF actinics, so perhaps this has helped as well.

Summary:
Things are not worse. I have reason to believe (based on the desired direct exposure to MH and the increased florescence under actinics) that the situation is slowly improving.

Will provide another update as the situation changes...

 

[hershell]

You may want to check for stray voltage in your tank. Some say it won't bother them some say it will. I had a BTA that was doing good for several months then all the sudden it started acting funny. I didn't catch it in time but I had a heater and a pump that was putting stray voltage in the tank. I lost the BTA and a clam. Might be worth checking.

 

[bues0022]

It may take some time to regain color. At least it's not moving downhill!