whats the deal with my GBTA? (pics)

[Jay Fortay]

Okay this guy has been with me for over a year now, and he is not green nor has he bubble tips. my tank specs are listed below, and all params are pristine. what is up?

 

[Jay Fortay]

oh yeah, he has lived in a conch shell since he moved in the day I brought him home.

 

[Cheebs]

Was it like that when you got it it? perhaps it was bleached so badly it couldn't recover it's color.. if it is actually a GBTA. It looks more like an LTA to me in the first pic, although it's still lacking in color. If you've have it for that long in pristine water conditions, It'll be fine. As for the color coming back, I'm not so sure.

 

[Jay Fortay]

I believe that it was this color when I got it, and I think It was quite similar in shape. If you notice in the first picture, one tentacle at about 2 o'clock from the clownfish appears to be forming a bubble. Some of the tentacles do this from time to time. If it is infact an LTA how big will it get, are my lights okay for it, and what are its different habits? Knock on wood, it has never moved since I placed it next to the conch shell that it now resides in.

 

[sk8rreefgeek]

I don't think it's a long tip.
do you feed it? 250w on a 29 seeems like a ton of light. not that that's a bad thing...
does the tank heat up?

 

[Jamie1210]

yeah, i'm doubtful that its an LTA also. LTAs anchor their feet in the sand. also, LTAs have these distinct white markings on the underside of their tentacles on the foot.

 

[mikeandjenn99]

I'd say its a BTA. I have a green one that does that with his tentacles a lot of the time, but more so when it is hungry. How often do you feed it? Mine tends to lengthen and for the day or two after eating, it bubbles up much better. As far as color goes, give it time. My green took at least 6 months to even start to show any kind of color. Now it is starting to get a good bit of color back, but it is slow. Just give it time and it will bounce back.

 

[Jay Fortay]

I don't ever feed it directly for fear of overfeeding it. I feed prime reef, spectrum pellets, and some good flake thats name escapes me at the moment. The clownfish feeds the anem before she eats every time. I have noticed that it bubbles a bit more than i had originally noticed upon closer examination, but it is by no means obvious.

 

[mikeandjenn99]

The only thing to fear from feeding is that it will grow too fast If the piece of food you give it is too big, it will just spit it out.