New BTA, Black/brown stuff in mouth

stefanis.gonczar

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Hello everyone,

I have recently purchased a BTA 3 days ago. I am New to this Hobby and have only had my reef tank up and running for 7 months. I have heard that BTAs do a lot of weird things that freak many people out but usually/sometimes nothing to worry about. The reason I am posting this thread is because my BTA had shrivelled and was expelling brown stringy stuff last night. Although I do know this is a common behaviour for new BTAs acclimating. But what has me worried is that he rexpanded and I see a black ball in his mouth trying to come out. It’s the next morning and the ball has not moved still in his mouth. The BTA is expanded and does not look bad and is getting larger. This morning his mouth was closed for sure with the blackish ball is around his mouth. I have tried lightly blowing it with a Baster to try and see if it would blow away and out but it seems like the BTA is holding on to it inside of his mouth. Now his mouth is open and the ball is still in their but BTA does not look that bad. I will add pictures of my BTA and if anyone could let me know if this is something I should worry about.
My system is a 10 gallon with 2 clowns and a cleaner shrimp. Only 2 corals one tourch and the other a hammer whitch are both doing fine so far.
Water parameters are
Mag: 1500 (I keep it higher for LPS)
Cal: 450
Alk: 11.9 (I am trying to lower back down to 8.9)
Nitrates: 5-10ppm
Phosphate: 70ppb
Any insight on my problem would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

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MysticBlue

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Hello everyone,

I have recently purchased a BTA 3 days ago. I am New to this Hobby and have only had my reef tank up and running for 7 months. I have heard that BTAs do a lot of weird things that freak many people out but usually/sometimes nothing to worry about. The reason I am posting this thread is because my BTA had shrivelled and was expelling brown stringy stuff last night. Although I do know this is a common behaviour for new BTAs acclimating. But what has me worried is that he rexpanded and I see a black ball in his mouth trying to come out. It’s the next morning and the ball has not moved still in his mouth. The BTA is expanded and does not look bad and is getting larger. This morning his mouth was closed for sure with the blackish ball is around his mouth. I have tried lightly blowing it with a Baster to try and see if it would blow away and out but it seems like the BTA is holding on to it inside of his mouth. Now his mouth is open and the ball is still in their but BTA does not look that bad. I will add pictures of my BTA and if anyone could let me know if this is something I should worry about.
My system is a 10 gallon with 2 clowns and a cleaner shrimp. Only 2 corals one tourch and the other a hammer whitch are both doing fine so far.
Water parameters are
Mag: 1500 (I keep it higher for LPS)
Cal: 450
Alk: 11.9 (I am trying to lower back down to 8.9)
Nitrates: 5-10ppm
Phosphate: 70ppb
Any insight on my problem would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

F9012C32-E991-42E3-81DF-9CFF08B049E8.jpeg
A590BF87-541F-4D5B-81CC-6C490D69C7DD.jpeg
DA0ACD3F-2E55-40EC-96E6-941F0DF88A5C.jpeg
3678DA03-F938-4266-8394-23F6A6BFE6CB.jpeg
I personally believe that’s just the mouth expanding and making it’s self look really weird but that’s my opinion. Otherwise your BTA looks really healthy and good!! Had it found a place to settle?
 

Goaway

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Bta poop. It's scary reading all the stories of sick nems. You're ok. Bta is just pooping.

Keep an eye out for weird stringy white stuff coming from the mouth.
 
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stefanis.gonczar

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I personally believe that’s just the mouth expanding and making it’s self look really weird but that’s my opinion. Otherwise your BTA looks really healthy and good!! Had it found a place to settle?
Thanks a lot for the response I really appreciate it. Feel relief that you think the BTA looks good and healthy. I don’t think he has settled yet he moved a couple inches down from where I placed him in and has latched on good and has not moved yet since then(about 3 days now). I don’t think he will stay their cause he’s kida put himself in between the rock and sand on the bottom (lower light area). He’s kinda squeezed on the bottom. Lol he does what he wants, only time will tell
 
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stefanis.gonczar

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Bta poop. It's scary reading all the stories of sick nems. You're ok. Bta is just pooping.

Keep an eye out for weird stringy white stuff coming from the mouth.
Thank you and really appreciate the response I had thought it was poop but was not sure cause of the amount of time it took him to pass it (like 15hours). Lol I know you search anything on nems and you start getting heart palpitations. I am curious on what it means if I see white stringy stuff coming from its mouth?
 

Goaway

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Thank you and really appreciate the response I had thought it was poop but was not sure cause of the amount of time it took him to pass it (like 15hours). Lol I know you search anything on nems and you start getting heart palpitations. I am curious on what it means if I see white stringy stuff coming from its mouth?
That would be the nem spitting out guts. Not good. That means there is an issue.
 

Paleozoic_reefer

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IMO it’s not “poop” (nems don’t have digestive systems per se like other organisms that would produce fecal material). Nem will usually do this when stressed with lighting and the brown material are the zooxanthellae leaving en mass. If the lighting is too strong they’ll leave, it’s it’s too low they’ll also leave. Since nems are not sessil organisms they’ll encounter various light conditions as they wonder and IMO this is their mechanism to acclimate to new lighting parameters.

As long as your lighting and water parameters are good the zooxanthellae that do stay, and are happy with that level of lighting, and will begin to reproduce. Over time the nem will get back to its normal colors over time.
 
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