New BTA Jitters....

[VR28man]

Hey all,

Just got my 1st anemone (unless you count an aiptasia on the sand that was promptly removed...), a rainbow BTA, on Sunday (it's Tuesday now). It was promptly named Apple by other members of my fam'.

I acclimated per the seller's instructions (temp acclimation for ~20 min, drip acclimation for much longer. We both use RSCP. My temp, salinity, and alk are stable).

So far, Apple the BTA has walked to an odd spot but has stuck to it (on a marinepure block; not intentional at all as I put a good amount of hole-y live rock for it. I even put it into a decent size hole at first, which it went right into before it walked)

However, Apple has yet to fully open. Sometimes it's completely closed, however much of the day it's like this.

My impression is that it's not really acting out of line for being only two days in the tank. I wish it were in a place with more holes or openings, and was fully open, but I'm not inclined to move it or otherwise worry yet.

Is my instinct to just chill for a bit correct? Or should I be worried?

 

[Tahoe61]

I would let it acclimate for a few more days and trouble shoot water chemistry if indicated.

 

[Amoo]

I would let it acclimate for a few more days and trouble shoot water chemistry if indicated.

And a potential change of light intensity or flow!

 

[VR28man]

And a potential change of light intensity or flow!

Yeah, i put my kessil into acclimate mode.

I haven’t turned my pumps back to normal yet. I’m running it at like 40% normal. But that will change in a day or two.

 

[Amoo]

Yeah, even if it came from a tank with the exact same lights and you tried to put him in at the exact same height with similar flow patterns, they still will try to find "their spot". BTAs are a pain in that regard.

 

[Amoo]

Also foam covers for a few days if you haven't already.

 

[Dancingmad]

+1 all these things

Just a well wishing passer-byer. BTAs must hunt for their spot. Sometimes their spot changes after several years in the same 2-3 inch circle :mad:!!

Don't let them get pureed or take a sump ride. It makes them super grouchy ;Vamp.

Far as I can tell your BTA is doing BTA things(But I'm just some guy not an expert at anything)!

 

[VR28man]

Nvm. Opened much more on day 3.

Apologies that the scape is ugly. I did not plan out the tank. It was supposed to be temporary.

 

[VR28man]

So, Apple the BTA was not opening enough to my satisfaction on Saturday, so I googled around. I ID'd three possible problems:

1. hungry
2. didn't like the flow
3. would prefer whiter light than 0% on the Kessil.

I tried #1, feeding shrimp pellets, but it didn't like that - ate it but spit it back out after a few minutes. Sunday, I sprayed a bit of rehyrdated freeze dried mysis, and it seemed to take that. It also seemed to take a bit of LRS nano reef frenzy today (monday AM). [these are the same foods I give my fish; since they are planktonivores from the water column I squirt the food of the day into the water pumps and let it float. Now with Apple I just squirt a tiny bit into its arms and then squirt the remainder to the fish]

I tried #3, which seemed to make a difference, but I'm not so sure if that was just preference.

#2 was the trick - played around with powerhead placement, and now there is no flow going directly to Apple. It's now expanded fully.



Now I have another problem, unrelated to this thread though........

 

[VR28man]

Now this is depressing. Apple deflated massively, literally overnight. When I went to bed it was just like the last post. Today when I woke up it was like this. Closed up, very deflated, even the visible tentacles are tiny compared to eight hours ago.

The only things I did was to dip my war coral in coral RX (outside the tank, and following instructions of course), and wipe crud offthe rocks that the palys were on (outside the tank). Removing the rock did stir up a bit of drtritus, but nothing major or anything to got into the water column.

I fear maybe I didn’t rinse off the coral enough, and trace amounts of coral rx got in? ( that’s totally a hindsight judgment. I thought I rinsed the coral plenty last night )


The war coral is not changed compared to my other thread, and the palys are happy.

I’m contemplating maybe a 30% water change tonight. But another part of me says don’t mess with stuff.

 

[VR28man]

So, it’s open again (just got home), but smaller (maybe 30-40%) than in previous days. I will continue to watch this.

Eta: within 2-3 minutes of the photo it started to shrink. See the video. It’s now basically like this morning.

Also, it seems that some tentacles have turned gray-ish on the interior, though maybe it was that way before. I find that a bit odd.

With video. Maybe it’s expelling something?

 

[Jmareef1022]

Looks a little hungry, what type of lighting(how old?). What's your water change schedule like, and how old is the tank. If all in check just give it time and should perk up nicely

 

[VR28man]

Update: i am stupid. Yesterday morning, I realized that the direction of the powerhead had moved from where i placed it, and in fact the BTA got some direct flow. Based on previous experience, I knew that this would cause the bta to shrivel, which it did.

So I changed the powerhead direction and things look ok now. With the emphasis on the word “look”.



Thanks jmareef. The tank is about nine months now, the light is the kessil 360 with plenty of life in it. The PTA has been two weeks and my tanks, and I have started feeding it a very little. That being said, it is time that I did a water change. I probably will give a bit of time to let the BTA settle in more, and then do one maybe mid next week.

ETA got some macroalgae and am experimenting with grow lights. Apple seems very happy and has expanded tonthe biggest i’ve seen.



I will revise my lighting. For one thing, i’m going to stop the kessil’s acclimation program, and just go full out.

 

[VR28man]

So, closing this thread out, Apple the BTA seems quite happy in the past week. The tentacles seem longer to me, and a few of them are developing little bubbles on the tips (vice being very thin when they first arrived), and its diameter seems wider. The grow light seemed to be too much; earlier this week when the grow light came on Apple would shrivel after half an hour or so.

But now, with the Kessil 360 at 80% for 8 hours a day or so, Apple is open most of the day. (will get the actual program in a moment). And since the three fish are water column planktonivores, I spew LRS reef frenzy or frozen mysis once a day into the water column. I think Apple gets a little bit, so it's eating on its own. (all the Green Implosion Palys/Palythoa mutuki get a piece of something just about every day and are growing like crazy, to include reproduction).



I also feed Apple directly with a squirt of (the same) food twice a week, which i see it eat. I may squirt a little directly each day. (I gave it a bit of sashimi that fell on the floor and which the cats rejected last week. I saw it eat that and I think it kept the sashimi down vice spit it back up, though I'm not sure). Either way, it definitely looks fatter.

Finally, I was told that yellow headed jawfish are easy prey for anemones, and was worried about it, though I was told BTAs were the least prone to eat fish. Either way, so far the jawfish have not even come close to Apple's tentacles, and so I'm content.