BTA HELP PLEASE!!!

[H.garza10]

All 3 of my BTA have gone from beautiful colors And having full bubble tips to sad looking brown pucks in a matter of 30 days. They are constantly leaving brown rings wherever they stay and realeasing slime almost all day. My tank is a 40b with a 20g sump. I’m running GFO, and Carbon. I was dosing All for Reef but quit because it caused my ALK to raise to about 13. The 2 rainbows were barely introduced to my tank August 24, and before that my other BTA had been in there 4 months with no issues and full coloration. So I recently did a 5 gallon water change (the BTA were already the way they look before the water change) to start the slow transition of switching to Fritz from Reef crystals. I’m switching because of the high ALK that comes with Reef Crystals. I also just started running GFO, my phosphates were around 0.45 before I started but none of my coral were ever visibly upset so I would only monitor it and make sure it wouldn’t rise (again the BTA already looked like crap before the GFO also). I’m just looking for any type of answers to get my nems back to themselves. Please help!

pics are before and after

 

[TvanB1]

Hey,
They may have a bacterial infection. Have they been going through cycles of inflacting & deflating?
Check out this sticky; Im currently in the process of treating a H. mag.

Protocol for using antibiotics to treat infected anemones

This is a re-post of what I wrote in ReefCentral on 3/09/2013 Many anemone keepers know, the collection and shipping process from ocean to local fish store (LFS) is a stressful event. Most host anemones do not survive this process without help, especially H. magnifica and S. gigantea. Other...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[H.garza10]

No, no cycles of deflating that I’ve really noticed. Just a lot of moving around the rock work.

 

[ThePhoReefer]

Change your carbon every week

 

[reef lover]

Is this the tank started in January?? Might not be mature enough yet to sustain nems. They like a biologically stable environment.

 

[H.garza10]

Is this the tank started in January?? Might not be mature enough yet to sustain nems. They like a biologically stable environment.

This tank is coming up on a year. But I’ve had my first Nem in there since June with no issues. Then I purchased some rainbow anemones (pictures) and after about 1 months they all went south and look exactly the same. Brown and deflated.

 

[reef lover]

This tank is coming up on a year. But I’ve had my first Nem in there since June with no issues. Then I purchased some rainbow anemones (pictures) and after about 1 months they all went south and look exactly the same. Brown and deflated.

Ok if we think we the tank is mature enough let's get your current parameters including lighting and schedule as well as a fts and see if we can find the issue.

 

[NewCaliCaptives]

did you figure it out?

 

[H.garza10]

did you figure it out?

Nope still look horrible. I can post a picture to ight

 

[saltwaterpicaso]

Mixing nems is never good pick one bubble tip you absolutely want then get ride of the rest they are fighting each other chemically. If you want a high end nem then start with that and let it split never mix other nems in they will kill each other ask me how I know I have lost thousands in nems from mixing before I straightened up and stuck to one

 

[saltwaterpicaso]

These widows were 2 years old i introduced the rainbow within 2 months both widows shrunk up like your lost color and eventually melted

 

[footgal]

Agreed with above, dont mix bubble tips!! I’ve got a black widow and a RBTA in a tank together and for now they’re okay, but the black widow is visibly shrunken and upset. In a different tank I’ve got a CSB and a RBTA and I’m taking the RBTA out tomorrow, the CSB is shrunken and hiding in the dark, it didn’t do that before the RBTA was introduced. Separate the nems and they should perk up

 

[Callieach]

They could have a bacterial infection. And this could be caused from chemical warfare between the anemones or from any swings in your tank parameters.

Anemones need stable parameters. If your alkalinity/PH, etc is fluctuating, it could Weaken their immune system and cause a bacterial infection as well depending on the severity.

We have 1 green bubble tip, 1 rainbow bubble tip, 2 ultra rainbow bubble tips, 1 purple Haitian anemone, 2 rock flower anemones, and 1 mint green long tentacle anemone in our 75 gallon. Everyone has settled in to their own spaces throughout the tank with plenty of territory room between them. Haven’t had issues with chem warfare, but we might have just gotten lucky with ours. Mixing nems isn’t considered a good idea, but it can be done.

 

[H.garza10]

So your saying if I remove the RBTA the BW will slowly return to its state?

 

[H.garza10]

Agreed with above, dont mix bubble tips!! I’ve got a black widow and a RBTA in a tank together and for now they’re okay, but the black widow is visibly shrunken and upset. In a different tank I’ve got a CSB and a RBTA and I’m taking the RBTA out tomorrow, the CSB is shrunken and hiding in the dark, it didn’t do that before the RBTA was introduced. Separate the nems and they should perk up

So your saying if I remove the RBTA the BW will slowly return to its state?

 

[Labora]

Mixing nems is never good pick one bubble tip you absolutely want then get ride of the rest they are fighting each other chemically. If you want a high end nem then start with that and let it split never mix other nems in they will kill each other ask me how I know I have lost thousands in nems from mixing before I straightened up and stuck to one

This. I went to LFS and was told RBTA and GBTA play together fine so I bought him since it was so cheap. I took GBTA and put him in the tank and within hours the RBTA was really ticked off and deflated. I took the GBTA out and he healed back up within 24 hours.

 

[NewCaliCaptives]

Yeah nems I’ve heard are extremely good at sensing slight changes in the water. The nem will know there’s another in there even if they are on opposite sides of the tank. Just what I’ve been told but have no anecdotal evidence so take that for what it is