Why do i struggle with BTAs

[Elliott89]

Hi Guys

Just looking for some opinions really...i lost my second BTA today for no apparent reason..tank is perfectly stable..been running for 12 months now..i have no algae..no nutrient problems i have a good flow rate..its a 24 gallon nanocube..i have 2 korallia nanos in there and a Tunze Nanostream..the only thing where i though i might have gone wrong is with the feeding...i was told by my LFS to feed my BTAs daily..do you think i could have killed them by overfeeding as i can't think of any other reason why i lost them...i really want to be able to keep a BTA but i want to get to the bottom first of why ive lost these 2

Thanks
Elliott

 

[Elliott89]

I forgot to add..the BTAs seem to lose all stickyness on the foot and the tentacles before they die

 

[RoastReef]

I would not feed them every day. If you feed them too often, they won't get a chance to digest all of the food and it will rot inside of them. I feed my BTA's maybe once every two weeks. Some people don't target feed them at all.

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15747453#post15747453 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RoastReef
I would not feed them every day. If you feed them too often, they won't get a chance to digest all of the food and it will rot inside of them. I feed my BTA's maybe once every two weeks. Some people don't target feed them at all.

I agree that that is too much feeding. Back when I kept BTAs they were lucky to be fed once a while. And with a smaller tank, extra feedings will cause water quality issues.

How long do you have then before they die? And what exactly happens?

What lights do you have?

What are your water parameters, with numbers?

 

[Elliott89]

Thanks for the quick responses guys

They usually last around 2-3 weeks....

When they die they seem to open for only a few hours a day and mouth always looks damaged like theres a slight split in the corner of it...they then lose all stickyness on the foot and tentacles...

Lighting is the stock 72 watt pc u get on the nanocube but i have added two proper 24 watt t5s so i think i have plentyful amounts of light for a 24 gallon

As for parameters

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 15-20 i grow alot caleurpa in the tank so i think this sucks up alot of the nutrients
DKH is 8-9

Hope this helps

Elliott

 

[obzezzed350]

Nitrates are a bit high in my opinion

 

[Toddrtrex]

What is the salinity/SG? And how is it measured?

 

[Elliott89]

1.025 measured on refractometer

 

[Coral Hind]

Did both BTAs come from the same place? If so how different is your system from theirs?
What else do you have in the tank besides the clownfish?

I would do a large water change to stabilize the water chemistry and remove some nitrates. I would add a poly filter to make sure there is no contaminants in the tank.

 

[szatquo]

How often do you do water changes? Do you keep your hands out of the tank...? you could be contaminating it with something that may be on your hands.

 

[patriots81]

how long have you had the 2nd anemone that died?

 

[patriots81]

how long did you have the 2nd anemone that died for?