Hiding GBTA

[Aaron Anderson]

I've had a GBTA for about 2 months now. hes currently in a 10 gallon nano reef (yes i know this is a small enclosure. He will be moved to my 150 once he outgrows the nano) This is my first anemone and have had no problems with him until now! hes found his spot in my tank and has a ritual of sitting on the very top of the reef and moving back down into the rock work during the night. I don't feed him too often but decided to feed him over the weekend (brine shrimp w/ a syringe). he ate and seemed happy but he hasn't come out of the rock work since... input from a seasoned reefer would be much appreciated!!

FYI: parameters are fine as I do 30-40% water changes weekly (RODI water only) and am running a current orbit light

 

[Dancingmad]

Hey Buddy - I see this is your first post and there hasn't been a reply! Let me be the first to welcome you to R2R! There is a wealth of knowledge and super helpful folks to be found here.

I may not be able to help you out with your problem but let me ask some questions + offer some suggestions to score feedback! Maybe someone can offer some insight w/ these answers .

1. Folks like pictures to help! Can we get a picture of your tank? When getting help on a critter I recommend w/ the whites / full spectrum on. We all like the color pop of the blues, but white light offers more detail.
-Tank dirty? Not proud of its current condition? Don't even worry bud. You're here to ask for some help - I doubt anyone going to judge you if you have algae/pests/etc going on. These things happen.

2. Please provide your parameters - some critters like more nutrient rich water than others. My BTAs enjoy a more nutrient rich (Stability is king though!) environment. Just my experience.

3. Can you tell us exactly which model of light you're using and how far above the tank it's situated? I found the below link and there are multiple models w/ varying degrees of PAR (to be clear PAR isn't the only important parameter of lighting. There is a whole section of the boards you can get lost in . Its awesome!). I'm not really familiar with your brand/specs, but lighting is pretty important for BTAs. Maybe someone can confirm if this rig is going to be good for a BTA.

4. Any changes in how the BTA looks over the past 2 months? Turning white/clear? Getting Darker?

https://current-usa.com/updated-orbit-led-specs/

 

[reef lover]

Welcome to r2r!!

 

[Aaron Anderson]

Hey Buddy - I see this is your first post and there hasn't been a reply! Let me be the first to welcome you to R2R! There is a wealth of knowledge and super helpful folks to be found here.

I may not be able to help you out with your problem but let me ask some questions + offer some suggestions to score feedback! Maybe someone can offer some insight w/ these answers .

1. Folks like pictures to help! Can we get a picture of your tank? When getting help on a critter I recommend w/ the whites / full spectrum on. We all like the color pop of the blues, but white light offers more detail.
-Tank dirty? Not proud of its current condition? Don't even worry bud. You're here to ask for some help - I doubt anyone going to judge you if you have algae/pests/etc going on. These things happen.

2. Please provide your parameters - some critters like more nutrient rich water than others. My BTAs enjoy a more nutrient rich (Stability is king though!) environment. Just my experience.

3. Can you tell us exactly which model of light you're using and how far above the tank it's situated? I found the below link and there are multiple models w/ varying degrees of PAR (to be clear PAR isn't the only important parameter of lighting. There is a whole section of the boards you can get lost in . Its awesome!). I'm not really familiar with your brand/specs, but lighting is pretty important for BTAs. Maybe someone can confirm if this rig is going to be good for a BTA.

4. Any changes in how the BTA looks over the past 2 months? Turning white/clear? Getting Darker?

https://current-usa.com/updated-orbit-led-specs/

I have the 4100 model (24 in. with 72 led's). Please keep in mind this was a budget set up. my original plan was to not run a skimmer at all and just do water changes religiously but decided to run a small 10 gal tetra filter so i can run carbon. as of right now i have a torch frag, brain frag, xenia frag (away from rock work), a frag that i was told was a torch coral by my LFS but i believe it is infact a frogspawn (reason i got it), 5 assorted mushrooms, a small scooter blenny, and ofcourse my GBTA. I just flipped the rock hes on.... not looking good... this is the smallest ive ever seen him, his mouth is gaping as well and he has gotten a little darker. after getting some light for about 15 min his mouth has started to get smaller and his tentacles have started to inflate. He has some dark brown mucus attached to him but i believe it is waste from feeding him like usual. should i quarantine him? im afraid itll add stress to him. my only thought is chemical warefare ? because i did leave this filter in longer than i normally do because the light hits part of the media and had made algae grow in the filter and i thought i'd see if itd work like an algae scrubber...filter has been changed as of now. any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Aaron Anderson]

sideways picture is current tank conditions. The last photo is how the anemone normally looks

 

[Dancingmad]

I found the spec sheet for your light fixture(below). I'm am so far from an expert on lighting, but I suspect maybe your fixture isn't powerful enough for a BTA for it to be happy - especially w/ a glass top (an object for light to pass through thus reduces PAR). There may be others folks with different experiences but I typically target near SPS levels of par (and I'm being super ultra general here). I can't speak to minimums on LEDS too well, but the min bulbs I had success keeping them alive was under 4x T5s. 2X t5 wasn't enough for them to be happy.

Perhaps someone else will confirm my suspicion that your fixture isn't strong enough - no one wants to hear that. Lighting is expensive!

I am highly skeptical of chemical warfare. I keep my BTAs with a bunch of softies, gorgonians, and at one point LPS (RIP great crash of 2013). Didn't always run carbon.

I wouldn't QT her - You could tear her foot.


https://current-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Orbit_Marine_Light_Specifications.pdf

 

[Aaron Anderson]

I found the spec sheet for your light fixture(below). I'm am so far from an expert on lighting, but I suspect maybe your fixture isn't powerful enough for a BTA for it to be happy - especially w/ a glass top (an object for light to pass through thus reduces PAR). There may be others folks with different experiences but I typically target near SPS levels of par (and I'm being super ultra general here). I can't speak to minimums on LEDS too well, but the min bulbs I had success keeping them alive was under 4x T5s. 2X t5 wasn't enough for them to be happy.

Perhaps someone else will confirm my suspicion that your fixture isn't strong enough - no one wants to hear that. Lighting is expensive!

I am highly skeptical of chemical warfare. I keep my BTAs with a bunch of softies, gorgonians, and at one point LPS (RIP great crash of 2013). Didn't always run carbon.

I wouldn't QT her - You could tear her foot.


https://current-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Orbit_Marine_Light_Specifications.pdf

update: I believe chemical warfare was the case

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Good to see him looking better, but im also skeptical of chemical warfare.

 

[Dancingmad]

update: I believe chemical warfare was the case

Glad he's out. The mouth looks like its still gaping. How did you come to the conclusion it is chemical warfare? You're running carbon and doing 30%+ water changes. I seriously don't think thats the case here.

Let me reaffirm that I don't think that 18 watt LED light isn't powerful enough to keep that BTA long term. I know you don't want to hear it - totally get it, but its something you should check into if the overall health doesn't improve...

For what its worth its possible the extra food introduced during that feeding could have causes a little nutrient spike that made her grouchy as well. I could totally be off base on the light, but I'd be willing to bet a year's salary it isn't chemical warfare.

 

[Aaron Anderson]

Glad he's out. The mouth looks like its still gaping. How did you come to the conclusion it is chemical warfare? You're running carbon and doing 30%+ water changes. I seriously don't think thats the case here.

Let me reaffirm that I don't think that 18 watt LED light isn't powerful enough to keep that BTA long term. I know you don't want to hear it - totally get it, but its something you should check into if the overall health doesn't improve...

For what its worth its possible the extra food introduced during that feeding could have causes a little nutrient spike that made her grouchy as well. I could totally be off base on the light, but I'd be willing to bet a year's salary it isn't chemical warfare.

after reconsidering all the variables, I believe it was the feeding. I don't normally feed her which i know is frowned upon. Either the nutrient spike or just simply a change in schedule made her alittle unhappy. But above all she is back to normal! I think i am going to try to run the light anyways and see what kind of results i get....of course i will be keeping a close eye on her and worst comes to worst i can always move her to my bigger tank that does in fact have sufficient lighting. i just love the simplicity and all of the features given from this light and would love to run it if possible

 

[Dancingmad]

after reconsidering all the variables, I believe it was the feeding. I don't normally feed her which i know is frowned upon. Either the nutrient spike or just simply a change in schedule made her alittle unhappy. But above all she is back to normal! I think i am going to try to run the light anyways and see what kind of results i get....of course i will be keeping a close eye on her and worst comes to worst i can always move her to my bigger tank that does in fact have sufficient lighting. i just love the simplicity and all of the features given from this light and would love to run it if possible

Good plan - breaking "the routine" is a great way to make tank inhabitants grouchy . Nems love their stability!

That fixture has some pretty sweet features for sure. Looks like its got a storm simulator and everything! I love some simple + features. Personally I love some Kessil - two knobs is all I can handle!

Best of luck buddy! Happy reefing! Don't forget to share your 150g DT you mention w/ the community (remember, we like pictures)! I have a 150DT myself, but I'm a weirdo: Its a wide/tall tank.

 

[Aaron Anderson]

Good plan - breaking "the routine" is a great way to make tank inhabitants grouchy . Nems love their stability!

That fixture has some pretty sweet features for sure. Looks like its got a storm simulator and everything! I love some simple + features. Personally I love some Kessil - two knobs is all I can handle!

Best of luck buddy! Happy reefing! Don't forget to share your 150g DT you mention w/ the community (remember, we like pictures)! I have a 150DT myself, but I'm a weirdo: Its a wide/tall tank.

update: On sunday after doing my weekly water change and water test (ammonia: 0 ppm, nitrite: 0 ppm, Nitrate: 0-.025 ppm. All trace elements were a little low so i supplemented to correct them.) I decided to run an experiment and feed my anemone once again. As i expected he is hiding behind the rock work and is somewhat deflated... Maybe it has to do with what i'm feeding him? should i stop feeding him all together? i know it is not my lighting as he has almost doubled in size since i got him (about 2months ago) and has been growing just as fast as my xenia and mushrooms. he has been doing very well he just gets cranky when he's fed :/ please help!!