What's going on with my BTA?

Pennywise the Clown · Nov 28, 2019

My BTA has been happy in my display for 6 months. It found its happy place and hasn't moved.
Recently, however, it has been spending a lot of time closed up in a ball.
My parameters are pretty stable
1.025
Nitrate 5
Phosphate 0.1
Alk 8.0
Calc 450
Mag 1300
I have been messing about with my lights, trying to find a sweet spot for recently added acropora frags and it does look like it is hiding from the light.
BUT, my intensity is probably lower now that when it used to spend its whole day out and inflated.
My female clownfish has been showing an interest lately, maybe sticking her head in on occasion but I have not seen her actually inside the tentacles.

reef lover · Nov 28, 2019

Somethings made him mad. But nothing jumps out except the light adjustments...

Pennywise the Clown · Nov 29, 2019

Hopefully it is just angry rather than ill.

I did notice one of my clownfish trying to get inside the BTA last night when the nem was closed up. Maybe this is why the BTA is balled up tight??

Katrina71 · Nov 29, 2019

Mine sleeps that way every night!

Katrina71 · Nov 29, 2019

Waking up...

Pennywise the Clown · Dec 2, 2019

An update.
It definitely looks like it is the attention of my clownfish that is causing the BTA to shut up shop. The anemone was nice and open this morning, my female clown started poking her nose into it and it completely closed up in a couple of minutes.
I thought the nem would welcome the attention of a clownfish?

DeepintheReef · Dec 2, 2019

How large is the anemone in comparison to the clownfish? My large 5-6"+ BTAs don't mind the clownfish but sometimes the smaller ones can be bothered by the constant rubbing

eggplantparrot · Dec 2, 2019

they're supposed to be able to host but I find that they do have preferences.

mine was nice and healthy until I added an anemone shrimp. the shrimp irritated it so badly that it started moving everywhere in the tank, stressing it out so much (the shrimp kept finding the anemone) that the anemone looked like it was on deaths door. eventually I got the shrimp into another tank and managed to move the bubble to its original location and it's VERY slow recovering. It doesn't mind the clowns at all though, weird animal.

Pennywise the Clown · Dec 2, 2019

DeepintheReef said:
How large is the anemone in comparison to the clownfish? My large 5-6"+ BTAs don't mind the clownfish but sometimes the smaller ones can be bothered by the constant rubbing

When it is happy it is about 5'' across. It's not getting that big at the moment because my clown, which is probably less than 2'' is constantly bothering it.

Pennywise the Clown · Dec 7, 2019

The BTA is now staying closed almost 24/7. It starts to open up, the clown sticks her head in and it is closed up again. It is not as though the clown is being rough, it's just poking her head into it. But the BTA reacts instantly and I'm worried that it can't stay like this for much longer.