What the heck is going on?

[smokinprice]

For the last several weeks my BTA has been looking progressively worse. I cant seem to figure it out. I have fed it and checked the water all the time. Everything is well with the water. I have had it for almost four months now. As for food, it will not eat silversides. Seems to hate them. Everytime I try, it spits them out. It does eat brine and mysis shrimp but I realize this cant sustaine it. Anyone out there know whats up or have any helpful ideas? I dont know if its starving, dying, unhappy or all the above. I really need to know how to make it better. BTW I couldnt get the clown to leave it so these are the best photos I could get. Sorry about that.

 

[traveller7]

Looks like the clown is large enough to beat that anemone up pretty well, and the anemone appears to be missing some tentacles.

At this point, I would assume you need to separate the clown and the anemone, but there are other possibilities to consider.

 

[Hunter21]

what kinda clown is that? looks like a hybrid cinnamon! lol Erin

 

[smokinprice]

Erin,

You know the LFS sold it to me as a Tomato clown but I wonder. I have done some research and never seen a Tomato that looked like mine. I have had it for about 5 months now. Some people tell me it might be a juv but I dont know.

 

[smokinprice]

traveller7,

When it fluffs out, it is big. I dont know what is going on with it. The tomato clown does love it so. I have watched it snap off tentacles at times. I figured it was just cleaning it so to speak.

 

[stykthyn]

I would definitely seperate the two, that clown is way too big

 

[SEAFLOWERS]

alot of literature states that the anemone should be 2 to 3 times the size of the fish(Wilkerson's book). It looks like the clown has probably beaten it to near death. this happened to me years ago and if you don't separate them the anemone will surley die.

 

[martlla26]

My BTA looks like yours. I don't know why its not thriving either. It must be the clown. I feed mine every other day and its not improving. In fact, I think its getting worse, the tenticles are getting shorter and shorter, to the point that now their just stubs. Mine is in a 29 gallon under 130 watt PCs.

 

[Hunter21]

The anal fins and dorsal fins aren't black or dark...so it may not be a cinnamon but I've never seen a tomato with 2 stripes.....I think they have 2 as a juvie, not quite sure...but the darker they get the more the second stripe fades...that's why I say a hybrid.....that's really neat! be proud you have one of a kind!!!! Erin

 

[maww]

your tank is pretty young if the info in your bio lines is current (~4months?). The system may not be stable enough to keep an anemone happy/healthy. The tentacles look as if something may be preying upon the anemone. Are there peppermint shrimp, cowries, mythrax crabs in the tank? IME, these all can and will chow down on BTAs and other softies and LPS corals. I have just removed a supposedly reef-safe cowrie from my tank, which has been systematically mowing away at a ritteri, LTA and scroll coral. All three have markedly recovered over the last week since removing the cowrie. There are many supposedly reef-safe animals we add to our tanks to help with general maintenance, which can actually do as much harm as good.

 

[Hunter21]

I thought most if not all cowries were predators of some sort! I might be wrong though! Erin

 

[maww]

I have 3 individuals of the same species- Cypraea arabica. 2 are good citizens, one likes to munch on corals/anemones. I think it is the same with many inverts that are herbivorous- most are really omnivorous. IME, individuals have very different dietary likes/dislikes, rather than all eating more or less the same range of foods. Same goes for fish. I have a copperband that won't touch aiptasia. I also have had two raccoon butterflies-- one ate everything it could get it's hands on, including flake food. The other will only eat live foods and frozen brine. Go figure.

 

[ricordiaking]

Break those guys up, sad to see that BTA in that way.

 

[Poorcollegereef]

I second the idea about seperating the clown and the anemone, I think the clown is too forceful, also I dont know what type of lighting you have but that may be an issue. In my opinion, if the anemone is place too deep with anything other than very strong or MH lighting, (even if it is a BTA) the anemone will not fair well.