Happy RBTA?

JoJosReef

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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:
rbta_placement.jpg


4 days later (today):
rbta.jpg




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?
 

blaxsun

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1. It does look happy, but "bubbly" tentacles are not always an indicator (many bubbletips will actually lose the 'bubble' portion over time and end up with elongated regular tentacles; no one is exactly sure why).

2. It's not super critical, but you'll want to track phosphates in your tank anyway.

3. BTAs are happy until and stay put... until they're not, and they decide to move. I put 6 in my tank - 2 have remained exactly where they put them. The other 4 have been playing "musical rocks" for the past month. I'm ecstatic where they are now - which probably means I should be expecting one to move shortly...

4. With respect to lighting, less change is more. I can't speak to your exact schedule, but I adjust my lighting to a maximum of ±5% per week.
 

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May be too much light. Too much light and water flow will make them unhappy. Proper Bubble Tip Anemone care requires a bit of work to keep these creatures healthy! In short, we usually don’t recommend them for first-time aquarists. Having thorough knowledge about these animals is a must. The invertebrates are sensitive to water changes and require pristine conditions to stay in good shape. Failing to meet their needs can result in early death and damage to the tank environment as a whole. Yes, getting caught in a power head is a concern but rarely occurs. I have 6 (which time to sell a couple of them and none have ever left their spot in the tank.
The most important thing you’ll need to take care of before you bring your anemone home is perfecting the tank and water conditions. You should never place a Bubble Tip Anemone into a tank you just set up.
Take some time to get parameters just right and let the closed environment cycle for a few months. This ensures that conditions are stable and safe. Bubble Tip Anemones prefer warmer temperatures. Water should be on the alkali side as well. Monitor water conditions regularly to avoid any major changes. Ammonia and nitrate levels should be undetectable at all times using a good quakity test kit and Not API either.
Here are some water parameters to follow.
  • Water temperature: Between 77°F and 82°F (stay close to the middle of this range)
  • pH level: 8.1 to 8.4
  • Water hardness: 8 to 12 dKH
  • Specific gravity: 1.024 to 1.025
  • Nitrate < .5
When you first introduce the anemone to the tank, turn down any pumps. The flow should be minimal until the anemone gets settled in. Chances are, your new Bubble Tip Anemone will move around the tank until it finds a suitable spot to call home.
If it starts to move towards any coral, simply direct your water jets to the coral. This will discourage the anemone from anchoring near it. It will move to another area to attach.
Bubble Tip Anemone lighting is a very important aspect of their care. These creatures need a lot of light to truly thrive because they’re photosynthetic. Basically, that means that they absorb light to make food and grow. The anemone has zooxanthellae in its body, which are symbiotic microorganisms they feed on. Without proper lighting, the anemone will expel the zooxanthellae and turn white. This process is called bleaching and often leads to death.
A moderate amount of flow is recommended. Many aquarists agree that too much flow will cause the anemone to stretch out and look stringy. Keeping things moderate will help avoid this from happening. Avoid directing your jets at the anemone. The creatures enjoy subtle movement at all times. But too much direct flow hitting the anemone will force it to move.
Lastly- Feeding.
Bubble Tip Anemones feeding is one of the easiest parts of their care. These animals get food from a lot of different sources. As mentioned earlier, they are photosynthetic and use light to create food. They will also eat food off of the fish they host. These anemones enjoy small morsels of shrimp and squid. They will also accept many frozen foods. To feed the anemone, attach the food to a stick or large tweezers. Then, touch the anemone with it. The creature will use its tentacles to grab onto the food and consume it. twice a week feedings is ample.
 
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JoJosReef

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Came home and he was deflated and closing up. Didn't get a picture, but his tentacles are thin and stringy. Also looks like he just expelled waste--there is a white string coming from him and also a shorter, thicker and darker string that I can't get a good camera angle on. He has since started coming out again, but not bubbling up happily or extending. Another concern is that the gsp has closed up, or rather hasn't opened up since I blasted it this morning after feeding it reef roids (had a bit of gunk buildup after spraying roids on it, so I water blasted it and it does not look pleased). I don't have a phosphate kit, so I just put on some phosguard in case, and I will get a kit tomorrow, along with something better than API. My API parameters haven't changed since this morning or over the past several days for that matter:
pH: 7.8-8.0 (same as my LFS water [Red Sea] I buy)
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5-10-20ish depending on kit
Alk: ~8.0...ish. hard to tell with dipstick, bit hasn't changed (same as my LFS water)
API ammonia is always 0.25, but seachem badge is completely yellow.

IMG_20211102_203459974.jpg


IMG_20211102_203407431.jpg


Not sure how concerned I should be, but I am thinking of doing a 10% water change. Thoughts and advice always very much appreciated.
 

Gedxin

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Looks fine to me. The sister anemone in my tank does a regular deflate about once a day (usually after lights out.) Sometimes will even completely retract in to a little bulb with no tentacles visible for 30min or so. I do nothing and its back to normal in no time.

I'd stick to your regular maintenance schedule. 10% weekly water changes is a regular must for newer aquariums, I stick to this as best I can - at most going to 2 weeks if I get really busy.
 
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JoJosReef

JoJosReef

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Good to know! First time I've observed this. I will give him (my son decided it's a boy) some space and go easy on the mini mysis for a bit. I am planning more frequent 5% water changes to keep up elements once corals come since I don't have a doser. And I currently do a weekly 20%.

Re: lighting, I am running a Fluval Marine 3.0, so much less par than AI/Kessil/Radeon. Hoping the 60% blues and 30% white are enough during the acclimation period--I have corals coming this week so need to continue acclimation levels.

Thanks for the help!!
 

MaxTremors

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Good to know! First time I've observed this. I will give him (my son decided it's a boy) some space and go easy on the mini mysis for a bit. I am planning more frequent 5% water changes to keep up elements once corals come since I don't have a doser. And I currently do a weekly 20%.

Re: lighting, I am running a Fluval Marine 3.0, so much less par than AI/Kessil/Radeon. Hoping the 60% blues and 30% white are enough during the acclimation period--I have corals coming this week so need to continue acclimation levels.

Thanks for the help!!
Your lighting is likely inadequate to keep an anemone long terms. It might do okay if your rockwork is high and it can get up right underneath the light, but in general its a pretty underpowered light, I can assure you that your anemone isn’t getting too much light.
 
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JoJosReef

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I have a lot of rockwork, and he is currently sitting at 6.5 inches at his lowest point and 4 inches from the light at his highest point. Par is probably pretty low right now since whites are only running 30%, but debating how fast to ramp it up higher.
 

Gedxin

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He was under 200-215 par in my tank. Could be useful to rent a par meter if you don't intend on getting a different light.
 
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JoJosReef

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Already looking into it. Looks like you can rent from BRS. I will check with my LFS tomorrow. Have you rented one? What PAR do you have on your euphyllia? The RBTA is definitely the highest PAR requirement I am considering for this tank.
 

MaxTremors

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Already looking into it. Looks like you can rent from BRS. I will check with my LFS tomorrow. Have you rented one? What PAR do you have on your euphyllia? The RBTA is definitely the highest PAR requirement I am considering for this tank.
I shoot for around 100-150 for Euphyllia/Fimbriaphyllia, though IME they can usually survive in anywhere from 50 to 250.
 
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JoJosReef

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Seems like a reasonable solution for this tank is a supplemental strip LED a la Current USA TrueLumen or another Fluval Marine depending on PAR readings. I'm setting up an office IM Nuvo 10g with an AI on the wishlist and other bells/whistles, so likely nothing overboard on the Evo for a while.
 
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JoJosReef

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Good news is that the RBTA seems to be back to normal.
Recovered rbta.jpg


He has stretched up even a bit more, so now ~3-4in from the light. I will ramp up a bit more over the weekend and start looking to get par readings. He seems to like that spot, probably because it is a nice crevice to attach to and recede if necessary. Parameters (that I am able to test currently) look stable.
 

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Came home and he was deflated and closing up. Didn't get a picture, but his tentacles are thin and stringy. Also looks like he just expelled waste--there is a white string coming from him and also a shorter, thicker and darker string that I can't get a good camera angle on. He has since started coming out again, but not bubbling up happily or extending. Another concern is that the gsp has closed up, or rather hasn't opened up since I blasted it this morning after feeding it reef roids (had a bit of gunk buildup after spraying roids on it, so I water blasted it and it does not look pleased). I don't have a phosphate kit, so I just put on some phosguard in case, and I will get a kit tomorrow, along with something better than API. My API parameters haven't changed since this morning or over the past several days for that matter:
pH: 7.8-8.0 (same as my LFS water [Red Sea] I buy)
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5-10-20ish depending on kit
Alk: ~8.0...ish. hard to tell with dipstick, bit hasn't changed (same as my LFS water)
API ammonia is always 0.25, but seachem badge is completely yellow.

IMG_20211102_203459974.jpg


IMG_20211102_203407431.jpg


Not sure how concerned I should be, but I am thinking of doing a 10% water change. Thoughts and advice always very much appreciated.
He's fine
 

SteveMM62Reef

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I noticed mine loose their Bubbletips when I feed them Silversides, or some other Raw Seafood. When I stop feeding them, the Bubbletips return.
 
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JoJosReef

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Hasn't been a happy camper lately. He hasn't been camping anywhere in fact--moves all around the upper rocks and today went down and sat on my acan lord, which ticked it off and made it spill it's mesen-something.

I bought a 21LEDUSA deep blue ReefBar to add to the Fluval Marine 3.0 and have them both running now at max blues and some whites. But I'm still at a loss about light settings--my LFS didn't have a par meter to rent, so I'm up a creek there till I find an affordable option.

Pardon the dirty glass--WC/clean tonight.
IMG_20211204_075023400_HDR.jpg
 

Gedxin

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Hasn't been a happy camper lately. He hasn't been camping anywhere in fact--moves all around the upper rocks and today went down and sat on my acan lord, which ticked it off and made it spill it's mesen-something.

I bought a 21LEDUSA deep blue ReefBar to add to the Fluval Marine 3.0 and have them both running now at max blues and some whites. But I'm still at a loss about light settings--my LFS didn't have a par meter to rent, so I'm up a creek there till I find an affordable option.

Pardon the dirty glass--WC/clean tonight.
IMG_20211204_075023400_HDR.jpg
Curiously my RBTA has been moving all over my tank recently. So restless!
 
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JoJosReef

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Curiously my RBTA has been moving all over my tank recently. So restless!
How is my RBTA's better half?

Mine is running figure 8s around the rocks, but seems to have settled on the right side above the duncan. I am feeding it a piece of krill once a week and it took down the krill tonight, so hopefully it is fine, just adjusting to the changes in the tank: new stronger return pump, new supplemental LED bar, changed powerhead placement... I can see why people say to wait 6-12 mo to get one, likely because you've finished upgrades and are more hands-off (I assume).

Currently up a bit and right, safe distance above the duncan:
IMG_20211204_164516685_HDR.jpg
 
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