Discolored Anemones and clown mystery

jtf74

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ammonia =0
nitrates =0
ph= 8.2
salinity 1.026

About a week ago, same day I think, I found a bleached rbta in the shadow of a larger one and my large female maroon clown had multiple slits in her tail. The tail has healed nicely already and I moved the bleached bta and it seems to be coloring up some already. Another bta closest to the bleached one now though looks really dark with shortened tentacles compared to the rest of the 12 or so splits that are bright orange red like usual. I have had these over 5 years now. Wondering could something be attacking considering the clown tail ? I am sure these aren't recent nem splits still recovering since I have counted 14 for months now. The only culprits would be my flame angel or copperband but neither have ever shown interest in the nems. The cbb and clown have no issues and I have had the cbb for a year so doubting its the cbb but the flame is semi aggressive with other fish and only been in a month . The clown is huge so nothing really ever bothered her. I did get some live rock from a hobbyist so maybe a crab? Not sure outside of heavy metals what else to look for. Alk has been good lately but haven't tested this yet. Nothing else is looking any different. The darkened nem literally seemed to happen overnight. The bleached one is somewhat visible to the right of the darkened one. Puzzled at what's going on. Dark one is for sure eating but can't tell about bleached one cause of the viewing angle.

IMG_4078.JPG
 
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jtf74

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Mantis shrimp (especially if it was Gulf of Mexico live rock)? Hear any clicking?
Not sure where it came from. Doubting its anything damaging nems now. Watched angel and cbb all day and none of the nems are shredded. Alk is @ 11.2 so no problems there. One nem is bleached, one is darker, two are withdrawn into hole or closed up and about 7 of them look just fine. Changed about 20% of the water. At a loss. The salinity gauge was miscalibrated lower though so sg could have reached as high as 1.035 when I thought it was 1.03 but wouldn't think this would cause these problems. Back down to 1.025 and hoping for the best.
 
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jtf74

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So frustrated. A few nems look great. 4 or 5 that had been ok look worse. The first two having problems look better. The bleached nem tentacles looks normal just coloring. The ones turning dark have shriveled tentacles and appears like missing tentacles like they are dropping. I ve yet to find an aggressor or parameter that’s far enough off to account for the issues. My other corals showing no problems including frogspawn zoas softies and hard corals. Doing a second 20% water change today. Clown tail healed then different fins split a few days ago.
 
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jtf74

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My whole colony is just shrinking away and retreating into holes. Could excess macroalgae consume all the excess nutrients and starve the anemones zooxanthellae? I don’t have a huge bioload. 10 fish average 3” in 280 gallons. Prior to this crash the algae inside tank cleared up pretty drastically and coralline algae exploded across the tank shortly after. My other corals have never looked better. Fish all happy. Got maybe 2 out of 14 nems that look normal. Pulled one dead one out and looks like a few more to follow. Ammonia still at 0.
 

jt8791

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I actually had to shut my fuge light off and toss the chaeto since it bottomed nutrients out and brought dinos. I’m giving up on the light bioload, adding a 4th fish and switching to gracilaria and sea lettuce. May have to rehome it later on but gonna try a coral beauty angel. The macros grown in the fuges will be to feed the angel and urchins, seems fitting to grow something for food for the tank. Tired of seeing bits of chaeto in the tank anyways.
 

D-Nak

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Sounds like you might want to run an ICP test, just to rule out culprits like heavy metals or any other chemical imbalance.

BTAs can tolerate a lot of problems that other anemones can't, so I wouldn't focus too much on parameters, but your alk is a bit high (I try to keep mine at 8-9 so that I have a buffer in case it goes too high) . Keeping everything consistent is more important than chasing numbers.

You may want to poke around at might with a flashlight to see if anything is attacking your anemones and clownfish while it sleeps. Maybe a rogue crab or shrimp as previously mentioned?

Lastly, what kind of lighting are you using? Looks like LEDs based on the reflection in the photo. Are they a reliable light? If not, it could be the lighting that is affecting the anemones (though this is a long shot).
 
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jtf74

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Maybe increase nutrient levels? My rainbows seem happier when I have some in the tank. I've had GBTAs do similar things as far as recession, but it was isolated to just

Sounds like you might want to run an ICP test, just to rule out culprits like heavy metals or any other chemical imbalance.

BTAs can tolerate a lot of problems that other anemones can't, so I wouldn't focus too much on parameters, but your alk is a bit high (I try to keep mine at 8-9 so that I have a buffer in case it goes too high) . Keeping everything consistent is more important than chasing numbers.

You may want to poke around at might with a flashlight to see if anything is attacking your anemones and clownfish while it sleeps. Maybe a rogue crab or shrimp as previously mentioned?

Lastly, what kind of lighting are you using? Looks like LEDs based on the reflection in the photo. Are they a reliable light? If not, it could be the lighting that is affecting the anemones (though this is a long shot).
My lights are led and been using for a year and half. Sure that isn't an issue. My alk and ph are always stable. Ph is 8.2 every time I measure. Thinknig of ordering icp but two weeks by mail so not sure its worth it by then. Pretty sure now the clown might be fighting with the flame angel a little based on their posturing though I've never seen any contact, and the nems are wasting away not being thrashed so 99% sure its not a hitchhiker. My leading theory is that i had cleaned a lot right before the crash using a hydrogen peroxide lysol which was on my hands and I think I may have forgotten to wash. Thinking it may have been why my algae diminished and maybe only effecting nems because it harmed inner zooxanthellae though not sure it wouldn't have done the same to frogspawn (if they also have?). Some have started to look a little better as of this morning and looking like new tentacles forming. Just hoping at least a couple survive so my clowns don't end up homeless. Afraid the clown and angel might go at it more without them.
 

mochaclownlover

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I agree with D-nak. An ICP test is the way to go for unknown issues, they've saved my nems from an issue with my rodi unit a couple years ago. Are all the nems looking like the one in the first post?
 

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