RBTA suddenly not doing so well

[Susan Edwards]

I got the rbta end of July. It planted itself just under a crevice--a sort of cave but faces out toward the back of the tank. Gets plenty of flow and light as it is pretty high in tank. It has taken food nearly every day--usually shrimp since I got it. I tried krill--refused it. I tried muscle--not thrilled so stopped. Got it from the frozen food area. I think it ate it once and that was in Sept. I think.

The last month, it has gotten smaller, whiter. The tentacles, what there are are still pink but either stubs or a few on the longer side. It's also not coming out quite as much. It did take a small pc of shrimp today but had to really get it in the right spot so it would stick. Also, it wasn't as far out as normal. Right now it is eating maybe every other day. 2 at the most. Not sure if it got some sort of bacteria? Or what.

Tank is going on 11 months.
am and nitrite 0--will test to be sure but they always are
Nitrates holding at 20 and phos between 1-2
Alk between 8-9
Standard salinity at 1.025
Ca 400, mg 1200. This dropped when I got a doser, and then I realized the end of the hose flipped up. Adding extra to bring it up
Weekly water changes as a rule.
2 chromis, 1 scooter blenny, 2 new mandarins. Corals doing outstanding except one of my last new batches. Some not happy from qt. Pulled them out and into tank and most are now really happy. Might still lose a couple more. Newest 3 coral from last weekend doing fantastically. Snails breeding like the end of the world is coming.

Sure hoping I can do something for the anemone as I have 2 small darwin clowns in the observation tank

any thoughts? Before and now shots

 

[LostInTheDark]

It sounds as if you are doing everything right. Odd for it to complain after 4 months without any changes to the tank. The only thing I would suggest is to stop feeding it. Nems get more then enough nourishment from left over fish food in the water column and lights. Mine retract under the rocks for a few days when they are going to split. I know when they don't come out 2 will pop up within a few days. Good luck. Hope it pulls through.

 

[Lance M.]

Phosphate between 1-2ppm? are you sure? not .1-.2? Nitrates at 20ppm? You mention you feed heavily in your build thread.

What lighting? This is a 6x bulb T5 for the RSM c250?

Can you get a better picture?

 

[Susan Edwards]

oops. Yes Phos .1-.2 Last reading was .18 4-5 days ago. Yes also to the feeding heavy. Nitrates are coming down. Usually hits 40-80 but has been holding at 20. I have 6 T5's. 3 blue, 2 white, 1 purple. Bulbs changed in september I think.

The one pic will show a view of where it is, the other is as close as I can get. It's almost at the top if it were to come out and move to the top of that rock it is hiding in. It used to come out at night and stretch up a lot--maybe for flow?

 

[Lance M.]

What do you have for flow?

A couple issues, first I would try to get a handle on the nitrates. 20 consistently, probably ok. But spikes up and down 20-40-80 are not good, like if they go up to 80 and then you do your water change, and it goes down to 20. Maybe review what/ how much/ how often you are feeding and become more effective with feeding. I understand the scooter blenny and mandarins (I would not keep those three together in a small tank like that, maybe a 100+, unless accepting target feeding). Have you tried putting them in a holding cell in the tank and training them to eat frozen foods?

Also, when you changed the T5's in september, did you change all the bulbs at the same time? How did you photoacclimate the tank to the new bulbs?

 

[Susan Edwards]

For flow:
2 Jebao PP-4 530-1000 GPH Wavemaker with Controller on either side in front. Synced together (master/slave)
1 Jebao PP Series Wavemaker with Controller (PP-8) up to 2100 GPH positioned half way down the side in the back creating flow behind rockwork. On steady. This is where the rbta gets a lot of flow and as it comes out of the rock at night, I'm believing it likes the flow or it'd move.
2 returns from sump. 1 is right over that rock where the nem is.

Is that too much flow? I can lower the PP-8 and shift the return a bit

I added matrix and denitrate a few weeks ago and I think that is helping. Even after water changes, nitrates were always still too high. Even fishless when I was just feeding cuc and sun corals. Nopox did nothing. Haven't dosed vibrant as algae isn't an issue. Get some on glass-mostly the powdery stuff. Have a ton of snails as they are breeding like nuts so I try to leave some of it. Not sure if I should try any other sort of carbon dosing. PO4 even bottomed out for a while and I was dosing it. Not had to for a month or 2. All corals except those I tried to QT are doing well or thriving (growing, spreading etc.) Half of those new corals are doing great since ditching the coral qt. A few I may yet lose.

My first acro has good PE and the tips are white with new growth.. The nitrates don't seem to be affecting much.
Rhodactis split into 3, ricordia split, reverse sunset encrusted off frag onto rock, sedosa montipora lots of bumps and growth--not a smooth frag anymore, gsp spreading, palm cloves spreading, leathers opening, torch added at least 2 heads, duncan tripled from 7 heads to at least 20, one mushroom threw a baby, micromussas happy, new acro pretty good pe, hammer extended, new zoas and paly happy, bird's nest growing. Brand new from last weekend: another micro, a turbinaria (and the new acro) all responded within a day or less of new tank. And suns thriving. Ones I do not know about: chalice, war coral, goniastrea, leptastrea and candy cane and symphillia, These each either are not doing well or I can't tell as I'm not sure what some are supposed to look like or do like the chalice. The lep, goni, smphy and cc are iffy.

I'm afraid to cage the mandarins in case they don't make it. Or the stress of catching and doing so (after I get a in tank container) will be too much for them. I'd rather they have the opportunity to live as they are supposed to without added stress. Lost the 2 I tried to put in QT and don't want to lose these 2. So far each looks okay, both moving through out tank, although not on top ridge of the rocks where there are a ton of pods, probably mostly amphipods. They are probably still adjusting to the tank Blenny used to eat more of the frozen until after my fallow period. Now he pigs out on pods. I try to send some frozen foods and nutra mar ova down to the mandarins if they are in the right places to do so. I also cut the powerheads and returns for an hour after the food is circulating.

With lights, I just changed them all. Also, went back to check. Changed them Aug 2. Got the nem end of July so it isn't the light changing as it was doing really good for several months.

 

[Lance M.]

Flow sounds good.

I would stop feeding the bta, focus on water parameters (nitrates), and monitor for now.

I'd also remove that kenya tree and throw it somewhere else, cant really tell how close it is to the nem. They grow like weeds.

With the corals you mentioned you are not sure about, post pics and describe the locations including approximate amount of flow and depth in the tank. Probably would want to have that in a separate thread for attention and feedback.

Do you run carbon? Skim?

 

[Dizzirn]

@Amoo
He’s a good one to help with nems... good luck

 

[spiraling]

Is the coral in front of it annoying it? just grasping at straws here. I know you keep a great tank and have done well by this nem since its beginning.

 

[Susan Edwards]

@Lance M. thanks for all your suggestions. I already removed the parent colts or kenya trees out into my display refugium--place for unwanted corals nad fish <g> and have been yanking any from the front of the tank. Behind the rocks, don't care. What's in the tank is what fell off and rooted in. I'll yank that colt/kenya by the nem in case. I thought they were pretty harmless. I'll stop feeding and just squirt some tank food into it's area

Will start a sep thread for the other corals. Prob. in the main area as there is a mix of types. I have a skimmer. Tank is an AIO. And I have carbon and purigen in the media chamber, along with phos guard, matrix and denitrate

@spiraling no idea. I'll pull it. And thanks.

 

[Susan Edwards]

Am considering pulling the rock the rbta is under out of tank and putting it in the 10 gal coral qt tank I abandoned. It's fully cycled. Just needs a bit of cleaning out. If I put it in there, I can control the environment a bit and feeding. Right now, can't feed it as it doesn't come out enough and doesn't have long enough tentacles to grab food any more.

Is it worth doing this to try to save it? There are no corals glued to the rock so can do this. Just have to move one off. Will lose a bunch of pods in the move.

 

[Lance M.]

Am considering pulling the rock the rbta is under out of tank and putting it in the 10 gal coral qt tank I abandoned. It's fully cycled. Just needs a bit of cleaning out. If I put it in there, I can control the environment a bit and feeding. Right now, can't feed it as it doesn't come out enough and doesn't have long enough tentacles to grab food any more.

Is it worth doing this to try to save it? There are no corals glued to the rock so can do this. Just have to move one off. Will lose a bunch of pods in the move.

May be worth your time. You would just need to monitor the water parameters since its 10 gallon but would probably be better than your main tank.

As long as you have flow, heater, and good light light it could work.