BTA Wont Extend

[Fishfishfishfish]

I purchased my BTA about a month ago. After a week he wouldn't extend his tentacles and just looks like the picture below. Hoping you guys can help me figure this out.

Tank Parameters:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 40 ppm (this is new this week, Nitrate has been hovering at 10 for 3 weeks, not sure what this spike is today. So even at 10 ppm the nem would not extend)
Phosphate: .5 ppm
Calcium: 480 ppm
Magnesium: 1500 ppm
Salinity: 1.025
PH: 8.0
Temp: 77 F

 

[tiomm]

Any other corals in the tank not doing well? Are you adding any carbon source?

 

[Fishfishfishfish]

Any other corals in the tank not doing well? Are you adding any carbon source?

The other corals are actually doing great, which is why I am so confused. I have solid growth from encrusting corals, acros, birdsnest, softies...

EDIT: I do have a carbon reactor, I could stand to refresh the media though. Could that be a big factor?

 

[tiomm]

The reason I asked is because dosing carbon source such as NoPox can have a negative impact on anemones. It's not to be compared to a carbon reactor.

 

[DSC reef]

I've ran nopox and also biopellets and kept anemones without problems, why would a carbon source be detrimental to an anemone? I can see if you stripped nutrients to fast. @davocean would these high nitrates have an impact on the health of the anemone?

 

[reef lover]

How old is the tank and what lighting?

 

[davocean]

40ppm I would not call a problematic level, but we would not want to get higher and of course would be nice to lower that number.

I'm not familiar w/ nopox, nor have I personally read anything about carbon being an issue to nems specifically.

I don't know what the issue could be off info given so far.

I did not see how long this tank has been running.

I'm curious what light it was under before and what it's under now.

 

[Fishfishfishfish]

How old is the tank and what lighting?

The tank is 8 months old. 2 Kessil 360we lights w/controller. Tank dims are 48x24x22

 

[Fishfishfishfish]

40ppm I would not call a problematic level, but we would not want to get higher and of course would be nice to lower that number.

I'm not familiar w/ nopox, nor have I personally read anything about carbon being an issue to nems specifically.

I don't know what the issue could be off info given so far.

I did not see how long this tank has been running.

I'm curious what light it was under before and what it's under now.

I have 2 Kessil 360we lights. I know the tank it came from had T5's on it.

As for Nopox, I do not use that, but I do use Chemipure Blue. Would that have a negative effect?

 

[reef lover]

No red flags there....sometimes its bacterial and theres nothing we do to induce it...do you have access to cipro ?

 

[Fishfishfishfish]

No red flags there....sometimes its bacterial and theres nothing we do to induce it...do you have access to cipro ?

Gotcha, I see I can buy it online and I also found a thread on how to use it on R2R. Maybe I'll give that a go

 

[davocean]

I personally keep additives and fix alls to a minimum, so I never use products like chempure or anything myself, and I only run carbon if there is an issue.

It is possible the previous tank could have had old lamps or something, so you could try just screening light over the nem to see what it does

 

[davocean]

Typically cipro is used when we see tentacle deflation, not retraction, but after all attempts and no better might at least try.

Usually needing cipro results in a much faster decline

 

[Fishfishfishfish]

I personally keep additives and fix alls to a minimum, so I never use products like chempure or anything myself, and I only run carbon if there is an issue.

It is possible the previous tank could have had old lamps or something, so you could try just screening light over the nem to see what it does

I never even thought about that, thanks for the info! I'll try screening the light over him before anything else.

 

[davocean]

Are you feeding, and if so what and how often?

 

[davocean]

I recently read a claim by someone, might have been reefbuilders or something, but they claimed feeding too big and heavy used up so much energy to digest that it could actually starve a nem and cause a similar type decline.

I know overfeeding causes stress that often results in splitting, but this was the first I've heard this claim, but it was someone educated that wrote this, so I thought it was worth paying attention to.

Silversides have been extremely problematic, but that too is usually a fast decline.

 

[Fishfishfishfish]

Are you feeding, and if so what and how often?

Once a week I feed him a whole shrimp from the Hikari Frozen Krill flat pack. I say that specifically so you know the size of the shrimp. Even with his tentacles sucked in I give him a shrimp just in case. If he doesn't eat it, I am sure the CUC get it.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/bio-...HO98AyhNzb544yHQgyQzWuvFOUmuP86gaAsEoEALw_wcB

 

[davocean]

Well w/ good light and proper color spot feeding could be skipped alltogether, I rarely spot feed nems, but they do pick up mysis and other small foods when I feed fish I'm sure, but very little, and very small foods.

Mysis is usually my go to for bleached nems, takes very little energy to digest, and I just squirt towards and let them pick up what they catch on their own.
Maybe back off feeding for a week or more in addition to light screening.

 

[Fishfishfishfish]

Well w/ good light and proper color spot feeding could be skipped alltogether, I rarely spot feed nems, but they do pick up mysis and other small foods when I feed fish I'm sure, but very little, and very small foods.

Mysis is usually my go to for bleached nems, takes very little energy to digest, and I just squirt towards and let them pick up what they catch on their own.
Maybe back off feeding for a week or more in addition to light screening.

I will do this as well! Thanks so much everyone I am 100% focused on saving this guy

 

[davocean]

Good luck, post what happens