Why wont my bta color up?

[supernovabjt]

I bought a gbta about 8 months ago, when I got it it was pretty white but looked healthy otherwise. It went into my 14g biocube for about 5 months with stock lighting. The color never improved and it never really seemed happy. It would deflate for large parts of the day and just look horrible. when it was inflated it looked great, other than being white. I have since upgraded to a custom 12xled setup hoping this would bring out some color, but it just moved to a more shaded part of the tank. It only inflates for a couple hours of the photo period and has gained some very light brown patches on some of the tentacles, but it is still 95% white and in general, unhappy looking. There are no fish in the tank. No ammonia, nitrites or nitrates.
Any ideas on what could be causing this?

 

[nikon187]

my first guess would be the lighting. do you know what kind of PAR your LED are putting out? The stock bulbs for 5 mths certainly didn't help.

 

[supernovabjt]

I don't know what the exact par numbers are, but similar setups with 12 Cree xr-e leds are close to 150w metal halide numbers. I don't think lack of light is the problem because the anemone moved to a more shaded portion of the tank when the new lights went in.

 

[reefaddictionrx]

Can you post/link to a picture of it? Are you sure it's a gbta?

 

[zaraemna]

Do you feed the anemone? I had a small clone disappear into the rock work once. A few months later I was moving some of the rocks and found it underneath a large rock. The anemone was completely clear. I started feeding it mysis shrimp soaked in Selcon and it recovered fully. This was in a tank with PC lighting too. You should only feed them small pieces of food smaller than the size of a pea, especially if the anemone isn't completely healthy.

 

[supernovabjt]

I have fed it small pieces of clam on occasion which it consumes aggressively and rather quickly.

 

[stymee69]

has it gotten the bubbles on tips since you have had it and you know for sure it is a bubble tip nem?

 

[EMT87]

im going to say just give it more time .
And it will prolly come around.Its taken mine 3 months to recover

 

[supernovabjt]

The tentacles have not changed shape since I've had it, and I'm not positive its a bta, but that's what it was sold to me as.

 

[stymee69]

im not so sure it is either it is not uncommon for people in a lfs to get an id wrong a buddy of mine bought a rose bubble tip that one of lfs in our area had listed as a pink tip haitian condi so he got a rbta for like 15 bucks..lol