Found pieces of my bubble tip anemone is he dead?

[Bmallett]

My BTA was doing fine last night. Then this morning he was no where to be found and I found two small pieces of him on the sand and my water had a milky hue. I read that is a sign of death. I’ve moved a few rocks to see if he is there and I can’t find a sign of him besides the two small pieces of him. My parameters are all perfect. Should I fear the worst?

This picture was him before I went to bed last night.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

perhaps he found a powerhead?

 

[Bmallett]

perhaps he found a powerhead?

That’s what we are scared of. I have 2 in my 75 gallon.
Wouldn’t there be more remnants of him? Or evidence in the power head?

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

The fact that you found two separate pieces makes me think he met a violent end, so I would guess a powerhead is most likely

 

[dedragon]

how do the pieces look, do they have a piece of mouth attached? the bta didnt look to healthy/happy beforehand though

 

[Bmallett]

how do the pieces look, do they have a piece of mouth attached? the bta didnt look to healthy/happy beforehand though

Yes One had a mouth and foot attached and the other was just the foot and they were about a half of inch long. I ordered him online and he was looking healthier than when he had arrived.

 

[dedragon]

if it arrived more bleached than that I would definitely contact the vendor and tell them they sold you an unhealthy anemone. They can still maybe recover. I would just keep parameters stable, do a 10-20% water change and hope for the best. I wish you luck and hopefully you just end up with 2 anemones after this

 

[D-Nak]

I have a BTA that got caught in a powerhead that ripped the top off completely (no tentacles remained). It fully recovered.

 

[Bmallett]

I have a BTA that got caught in a powerhead that ripped the top off completely (no tentacles remained). It fully recovered.

I’m really hoping the rest of him is hiding under a rock in the back.

 

[Bmallett]

if it arrived more bleached than that I would definitely contact the vendor and tell them they sold you an unhealthy anemone. They can still maybe recover. I would just keep parameters stable, do a 10-20% water change and hope for the best. I wish you luck and hopefully you just end up with 2 anemones after this

I did a 15% water change two days ago and I’m planning on another in a few days

if it arrived more bleached than that I would definitely contact the vendor and tell them they sold you an unhealthy anemone. They can still maybe recover. I would just keep parameters stable, do a 10-20% water change and hope for the best. I wish you luck and hopefully you just end up with 2 anemones after this

yeah it didn’t look good when it first arrived I’m just not ordering from that vendor again and just buying from my local pet shop. I think the shipping is just to much for the animals.

 

[zukihara]

Poor guy probably looks like this now.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

I did a 15% water change two days ago and I’m planning on another in a few days

yeah it didn’t look good when it first arrived I’m just not ordering from that vendor again and just buying from my local pet shop. I think the shipping is just to much for the animals.

For BTAs, I think the best bet is to get a split from a local hobbyist. Then you know it will be healthy.

 

[mickeysreef <*))))<]

i just ordered a green bta from petco online and it is doing well. i placed him on the rockwork and he was put for the day. that evening i shut off the powerhead (have a submersible pump i run in there as well, he would not be able to get in it and there is the return pump running as well - so i have movement without the PH) and in the morning he was under the powerhead. i moved him again up to the rockwork where he moved around a bit before deciding on a deep hole. he was there the whole day yesterday deep and bubbly. when i shut off the lights last night, i again killed the powerhead. this morning he was in the same hole. i turned on the lights and the powerhead again. i will continue this routine with him for 2 or 3 weeks. meaning i have performed several water changes and he has eaten at least twice (feeding once a week but not the first week).

ordering from petco online was something ive always thought of doing but never tried. i wasnt having luck buying a green BTA from my local reef club, everybody selling rainbows or rose, my order shipped from tropical fish international (wholesaler) so it was like a drop ship, petco never got their hands on the order. i also ordered a blue linckia star and they sent 2. one of them had a parasite attached to the arm, so it was nice they sent an extra for that reason. everything floated and acclimated well (90 minutes for the bta and 150 minutes for the stars). the BTA was less than 30, the star was 16, shipping was 30. end uf the day it was right above 75. i would have rather had the orange star as they are much easier to keep but im going to give it a shot even though most people state the blue star cannot live more than a year in captivity. definitely not for beginners or small tanks.

BTAs can be quite resilient, i had 8 at one time and a tank crash. the oldest one lived and is still in the tank, he doesnt look like much of anything hiding under a ledge, but he is beginning to regrow his tentacles. people do cut them in half and they regrow afterwards so you might leave that foot and mouth in the tank.