sick RBTA?

[saul]

I got this anemone about 3 weeks ago. i acclimatized it and it started opening up real nice and eating the raw shrimp the original owner told me to feed it. after two weeks it just shrunk up and really small. i have a maroon clown that took to it right away perhaps he harmed it? otherwise i am not sure what could be wrong... the water paramaters are excellent - no ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate. i also have a phosphate sponge so that should be very low. it really doesn't look dead, but it's definetely not doing good... now it won't eat. not even little bits of fish food which is what i have tried to feed it now. any help is appreciated. thanks...

before:

after:

 

[redvipe2010]

What kind of lighting do you have?

 

[boyooso]

I think it looks like it is starving.

check this out.

Good Luck

 

[boyooso]

I meant to add...

Could your Lovely Clown could be stealing the food intended for your bta?

 

[saul]

my tank is a 29g with 165W pc... the person i got it from had it in a bigger tank with pc lighting that was a little less than what i have per gallon... that's why i didn't think it was the lighting. the only reason she got rid of it was because she had to tear down the tank.

 

[saul]

boyooso... i thought it might have been starving because i found that pic... but it was eating prior to turning like that. i would feed it manually and see it injest the pieces of shrimp. now i have it isolated and try to feed it smaller pieces of fish food and won't eat them. I could try to force feed it, but i am afraid i might hurt it. have you ever had to do this?

 

[boyooso]

saul,

I haven't had to forcefeed anyone.

It sounds like you are on the right track, if this is the problem.

When you say fish food, what do you mean? I hope you mean whole fish (cut into pieces), such as a silverside. If you are feeding raw shrimp, I would try a piece like .25 long.

I know it works with fish, but I don't know anything about if it works with anemones, but maybe soaking the food in water wish smashed garlic would help it be more apetizing? I might also try to feed it some mysis shrimp(small, and easy to digest).

Good Luck.

 

[IslandCrow]

Unfortunately, that one looks pretty bad off. It does indeed appear to be starving, and it really doesn't have anything left to grab the food. What you can try doing is gently hold the food right at the anemone's mouth, and hopefully it'll take it. This could take quite awhile, though. My first anemone looked similar, and it unfortunately didn't make it, though I was able to get it to accept food on a couple occasions like this. What you don't want to do is actually push the food into its mouth. You'll probably end up doing more damage.

Also, maroon clowns can be very aggressive with their anemones and have been known to kill smaller ones, so you may want to think about isolating it from your maroon if you can. I don't know how much of that is fact and how much is conjecture, but I've heard it often enough that it makes me think it probably has at least some truth to it.

 

[dots]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7696683#post7696683 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by saul
my tank is a 29g with 165W pc...

Is that 1-65w pc?
or 165w of pc?

I tried to keep anenome under PC and failed until switching to halide. Yes, I know people do it but it is WAY more difficult. And on average, most do not.....remember these things live for decades in the wild, and most don't survive 6 months.

In addition, On PC it is usually split 50/50. I don't think the intensity of the Actinic helps generate much PAR IMO.

One, 65watt lamp is WAY to little. 165W is on the borderline with wishfull thinking, up high in the tank.

I think this one is on the way out.....

I suggest upping to a MH or T5 lighting and you won't have this problem again.

Hope it pulls through....Keep the clown away from it, with a net or basket, it will only do more damage at this point. Feed and wish for the best.

 

[saul]

i have 2x65W of lighting. i know that's borderline, but the person that this anemone before had pc's and althought they had around the same wattage their tank what bigger. that is why i thought it would be ok in the tank. i have separated it from the clown and it's doing better, although still not eating a lot. i think what might have happened is that the clown roughed it up...
thanks for you help... hopefully it will recover, will just keep it isolated and feeding it until it gets better or dies. hopefully the former.

 

[Confooseld]

Starving nothing it looks like your clown bit off all the tentacles.

 

[55semireef]

Its probably lighting. Not enough.