My LTA balled up and has been acting weird.

[DoINeedAName?]

I have a 55 gal tank that has been running for close to two years. My LTA was added maybe about a month and a half ago. He was eating very well and hosting one of my Domino Damsels. Suddenly he curled up and started excreting a lot of waste. He would open up for small intervals of time randomly but this morning he was completely curled up. Tentacles completely pulled in, only visible part is his foot. I can try to get a picture but because of his placement he isn’t very visible. I can only see him in tank reflection on back glass.

 

[ying yang]

Im not able to help you other than bump this post so others can see it and for people to help you,i would guess they need to know
If did or added anything different to tank just before.what lights you using,intensity,photo period etc.
What flow using.feeding
Parameters
Whats in the tank plus as much information as you can give.

 

[Billldg]

Reefers will ask for your tank parameters, lighting, and any thing you did to the tank in the last week down to the simplest thing. Did you clean the house and the room the tank sits in?

 

[Jekyl]

Reefers will ask for your tank parameters, lighting, and any thing you did to the tank in the last week down to the simplest thing. Did you clean the house and the room the tank sits in?

This. More details are needed. Anemone can be a pain when added to a new system that the environment isn't quite right for them. After that phase they are very hardy.

 

[DoINeedAName?]

I have a 55 gal tank that has been running for close to two years. My LTA was added maybe about a month and a half ago. He was eating very well and hosting one of my Domino Damsels. Suddenly he curled up and started excreting a lot of waste. He would open up for small intervals of time randomly but this morning he was completely curled up. Tentacles completely pulled in, only visible part is his foot. I can try to get a picture but because of his placement he isn’t very visible. I can only see him in tank reflection on back glass.

After reading a few comments, I’m going to add more details. He was being fed every other day (sometimes brine shrimp, sometimes tiny frozen shrimp) but we have recently learned that he was being fed too often. We only learned this after he started acting weird but if he pulls through we will move to possible once a week. Salinity has been holding at about .023 but I’ve been bringing it up slowly attempting to reach closer to .025. I don’t remember what lighting system we have, something by Aqueon, I can take pics if necessary. Water parameters pretty good. Ph about 8.4 Alkalinity about 300? It goes up as far as the chart for the test strips I have go. Nitrites are 0, but Nitrates are not good, at about 40 and I don’t know how to lower it, help for that would be highly appreciated. We have a lot of live rock, I don’t know how much but we’re still buying more. There are five fish total, two small clownfish, two domino damsels, and one that I can’t remember the name of, long, bright orange and purple coloration. There is one pincushion urchin, an arrow crab, a maroon hermit crab, and a bunch of blue leg hermit crabs. A lot of snails, and we have bristle worms and spirorbid worms that we are trying to get rid of (hence the arrow crab) and of course, Ajax the anemone. We have a Cascade filter and an Aquarium Systems protein skimmer. As I’m typing this, I’m checking on my anemone. He has opened up some but is sideways (not detached) and his coloration is still really good. Earlier the Arrow Crab was on him and cleaning him? He looked like he was picking things off (no large pieces, not even visible pieces) and eating them.

 

[Jekyl]

The aqueon lights I would be suspect about being enough. Parameters should be about as follows.

Alk 7.5-10 (in that range and stable)
Nitrate 5-15 (in that range and stable)
Phosphate around .05 or less
Mag ~1350
Cal ~400
Ph 7.8-8.4
Salinity 1.026

 

[Jekyl]

Another side note is that feeding doesn't need to happen that frequently. Really what ever they catch on their own is enough. The majority of their food supply comes from photosynthesis. If the anemone is struggling, never try and force feed and don't try to move it manually unless an emergency.

 

[Jekyl]

If able post some pictures. I'll try to drag some of the experts in here for their 2 cents.
@F i s h y
@Eagle_Steve

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Pictures would also be helpful

 

[P-Dub]

My 2 pennies thrown into the ring... Don't feed your nem. It is actually unnecessary, particularly if it is hosted. Light is an important factor since the nem will get the vast majority of its necessary nutrients from lighting, provided it is adequate. I have never fed my nem and it is now three and I still do not feed them. Let things ride for a while. More often than not, as soon as we start futzing with things, we end up doing more harm than good.

 

[DoINeedAName?]

If able post some pictures. I'll try to drag some of the experts in here for their 2 cents.
@F i s h y
@Eagle_Steve

When he was curled up

and now he’s open more.

and idk if it matters, but here’s the Domino he’s hosting.

 

[Jekyl]

I don't see anything to worry about.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

I have a 55 gal tank that has been running for close to two years. My LTA was added maybe about a month and a half ago. He was eating very well and hosting one of my Domino Damsels. Suddenly he curled up and started excreting a lot of waste. He would open up for small intervals of time randomly but this morning he was completely curled up. Tentacles completely pulled in, only visible part is his foot. I can try to get a picture but because of his placement he isn’t very visible. I can only see him in tank reflection on back glass.

Agree not anything to worry about.

Mine do this periodically and I just ride it out. Some of my clownfish will force their heads into the ball opening as if to say "Hey Wake Up" and they'll also just lay on the ball if its nighttime. Eventually anemone opens back up - sometimes I get a surprise and its 2 when ball closed had been just 1.

Seems you've already found feeding no more than weekly or even 1x tiny bit monthly is sufficient as gets most nutrients thru lighting.

 

[DoINeedAName?]

Update on Ajax

 

[DoINeedAName?]

Update on Ajax

he is in the sand, but all closed up and sideways

 

[DoINeedAName?]

I have a 55 gal tank that has been running for close to two years. My LTA was added maybe about a month and a half ago. He was eating very well and hosting one of my Domino Damsels. Suddenly he curled up and started excreting a lot of waste. He would open up for small intervals of time randomly but this morning he was completely curled up. Tentacles completely pulled in, only visible part is his foot. I can try to get a picture but because of his placement he isn’t very visible. I can only see him in tank reflection on back glass.

Sadly, Ajax ended up dying today. When I got home he was starting to shred where he sat so I siphoned him out.

 

[pbrown]

Make sure to check your ammonia levels. Also add more oxygen to the tank to help with the neurotoxins. A dying NEm can cause a huge spike in both. Happened to me a few years back. Come to find out I purchased a nem where the lfs used a blade to detach it from the tank glass. The nem foot was cut in the process. Lfs mentioned the cut when he was bagging it up but said it would be ok. Overnight nem deteriorated and killed all my fish. It took a year for my elegance coral and others to recover. Elegance’s color isn’t as beautiful now.
In my research I learned about the neurotoxins and ammonia spike. ( keep you hands out of your tank during the lean up process)

I now keep Amquel on hand to quickly reduce ammonia. Then substantial water changes.

what salt are you using? Your parameters seem oddly mixed.

one thing I learned in the last couple of years as I re-entered into reefing…. Buy good salt.

I had the nem apocalypse a few years back and this year my tank cracked overnight. I now use Tropic Marin and have 30 gal of water prepped on hand. This salt doesn’t lose its PH when it is in my salt barrel. Others do….
great learning from this blog and BRS salt comparison video. It’s a little more expensive but my levels are maintained well with this salt and 10-15% water changes on the weekend. My tank is only 40gal-58 with sump so water changes aren’t bad.

hope this helps- sorry for you loss.