This may be a pat-on-the-back post, but mostly I want to learn the signs that things are going well or poorly for my nem--I want to keep it alive and thriving. My RBTA went from compactly squished in the bottom of a plastic cup last Friday to today taking up 20% of the width of my DT. He also just ate some of the tiny frozen mysis shrimp I feed the clowns, which I squirted over him. Seems happy, but I also don't know what to look for if he's not, except if he's moving constantly or closed up for a long time. Bullets for the background and questions:
1. If his tentacles are bubbling, am I to understand that means he's happy? I've also seen a lot of BTA videos with no bubbles on the tentacles (most of the time with a LOT of flow--this guy gets little flow, but he also put himself behind that rock away from the flow, so...).
2. Nitrates look in the 20ish range as of this AM (10-20 yesterday at a different time) according to non-accurate dipstick test. I have never checked phosphates, but I'm running chemipure nano blue (2 packs in InTank Chamber 1 after filter floss), so I imagine they are low. How critical is it to track phosphates with nems? I don't want him melting unexpectedly...
3. He swiveled around to the back of the rock (foot still stuck in the same crevice). I slid the Fluval Marine 3.0 light from the middle to the front, and it appears he's followed the light and swiveled around to the front again. Is this an effective tactic to keep him displaying nicely, or is he likely to get fed up and move? Would be happy if he stayed put.
4. If he is fanning out like this, is he trying to get more light? I have been doing an acclimation program raising the Cyan/Blue/Purple by 10% every 3 days and white 5%. Currently at R7%/C60%/B60%/P60%/W30% at peak periods. Is he asking me to raise it quicker? Should I be giving him more white light?
At time of placement:
4 days later (today):
Side-bar: I fed the GSP reef roids, just letting it fall out of the pipette on top of the polyps. They retracted, which I assumed meant they were eating. Then a stringy semi-opaque white goo appeared (in the photo, I had just blasted a bunch of it off with the pipette). Is that GSP poo? How quickly do they poo after eating reef roids?
Thanks!
P.s. The clowns haven't paid much attention to the nem, but the bigger one has started swimming right over the tips when crossing sides and letting the tips touch him/her. Does that sound like he/she is getting ready to host?
1. If his tentacles are bubbling, am I to understand that means he's happy? I've also seen a lot of BTA videos with no bubbles on the tentacles (most of the time with a LOT of flow--this guy gets little flow, but he also put himself behind that rock away from the flow, so...).
2. Nitrates look in the 20ish range as of this AM (10-20 yesterday at a different time) according to non-accurate dipstick test. I have never checked phosphates, but I'm running chemipure nano blue (2 packs in InTank Chamber 1 after filter floss), so I imagine they are low. How critical is it to track phosphates with nems? I don't want him melting unexpectedly...
3. He swiveled around to the back of the rock (foot still stuck in the same crevice). I slid the Fluval Marine 3.0 light from the middle to the front, and it appears he's followed the light and swiveled around to the front again. Is this an effective tactic to keep him displaying nicely, or is he likely to get fed up and move? Would be happy if he stayed put.
4. If he is fanning out like this, is he trying to get more light? I have been doing an acclimation program raising the Cyan/Blue/Purple by 10% every 3 days and white 5%. Currently at R7%/C60%/B60%/P60%/W30% at peak periods. Is he asking me to raise it quicker? Should I be giving him more white light?
At time of placement:
4 days later (today):
Side-bar: I fed the GSP reef roids, just letting it fall out of the pipette on top of the polyps. They retracted, which I assumed meant they were eating. Then a stringy semi-opaque white goo appeared (in the photo, I had just blasted a bunch of it off with the pipette). Is that GSP poo? How quickly do they poo after eating reef roids?
Thanks!
P.s. The clowns haven't paid much attention to the nem, but the bigger one has started swimming right over the tips when crossing sides and letting the tips touch him/her. Does that sound like he/she is getting ready to host?