Shrinking Nems, I think lighting is the issue, please HELP!

lpsouth1978 · 06/24/2019, 04:29 PM

I have three nems in my reef tank, 1 RBAT and 2 x Haddoni, and they have all been doing well, still have good color, not bleached, and all still eat. The issue is that they have all been slowly shrinking.

The RBTA had shrunk and started bleaching, so I upgraded my lights to the HIPARGERO (did have 18W PAR38 bulbs x2). Since then the RBTA has started to color back up, but now the Haddoni's have shrunk. The oldest one was about 7" across when open, now it only opens to about 4". It has been in the tank for ~10 months. The other was about 12" across and has only shrunk a little bit to about 10". It has been in the tank about 4 months.

I have tried scouring the forums for answers and I think that I have come to the conclusion that the issue is with my lights.

Here are my system params:

40B - running ~15 months
20L sump
Curve 5 Elite Skimmer
3x HIPARGERO LED lights
~40lbs live rock
~40lbs live sand
Vortech MP40WQD
Jebao OW-25 wavemaker

Live Stock:
Pair of Spotcinclus clowns
Melanurus Wrasse
Several snails and crabs
Brittle starfish
Aussie Gold tip torch
Hammer
Frogspawn
Trachy
Elegance
Several Acan Colonies
Indo Fuzzy Mushrooms

If I remember correctly from my last testing (I will retest tonight and update id different)
Temp - 78
SG - 1.026
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - <5
Calc - 500
Mag - 1450
Alk - 8

I do 25-50% water changes every 1-2 weeks using Red Sea Blue Bucket salt. I am thinking I may just go back to the lighting that has worked for me in the past, MH/T5. I am looking at a fixture with 1x 250W MH bulb and 4x 24W T5's. I was thinking I would use an Ushio 20K MH, and Geissman T5's, 1 x Aquablue Coral, 1 x Super Purple, and 2 x Super actinic. Do you all think this combo would work and look good. Please help me figure this out.

Other bulb recommendations or thoughts on other things that may be causing my nems trouble would also be appreciated.

OrionN · 06/25/2019, 05:01 AM

Anemone shrinking is not necessary bad. A lot of it depends on condition of the tank.
The only thing you can do is to do adequate water change to ensure good stable chemistry. Feeding anemone, if they are healthy, will get them growing.

Uncle99 · 06/25/2019, 12:01 PM

Bleaching is the expelling of some/all the zoo.
Usually associated with too much light.
You can’t give a nem too much light cause he will just move.

Now a change in lighting...yup.... that’s not going to be a good thing in the short term.

WhAt they hate is any change in water chemistry, this they cannot move away from.

Your parameters look good, how stable are they and how long have they been that way.

What is your level of phosphate?

lpsouth1978 · 06/25/2019, 12:06 PM

So you are both basically saying to leave the lighting the way it is and up my water change game, ensuring my params are as stable as possible?

lpsouth1978 · 06/25/2019, 12:50 PM

Also, just to clarify, I am not concerned that they are getting too much light. I am concerned that the lights I have are not sufficient for the nems.

OrionN · 06/26/2019, 04:32 AM

Not enough light for them will cause them to move. BTA does not require anywhere near the amount of light Haddoni like. Consider add spot light on the Haddoni.

Uncle99 · 06/30/2019, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lpsouth1978

So you are both basically saying to leave the lighting the way it is and up my water change game, ensuring my params are as stable as possible?

Not as much the changing of water, but the stability.
Stability is everthing, Nems not much for change.

I noted that after stabilizing all 8 parameters, nothing ever contracts now and growth is very fast.

ThRoewer · 06/30/2019, 05:34 PM

I have 2 green BTAs under Chinese LED lights that are strong enough to bleach coralline, green, and red algae.
One of those decided to sit at the edge of the intense light zone where the flow is also rather mellow. The other settled smack in the center but so that it can retreat into the shade if needed. And the flow there is rather intense. The latter has gotten quite big over a short period of time while the other stayed pretty much the same. The one in the center is out for about half the day and then retreats into its cave.
The same lights with the same intensity settings are over the neighboring tank where I have 2 giganteas in recovery and they seem to be fine with it as well.
So I would say that BTA can handle a lot of light as long as they can get shade when they need it.
Haddoni are similar to giganteas in their light requirements but IME they don't like too much flow.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

06/24/2019, 04:29 PM	#1
lpsouth1978 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 915	Shrinking Nems, I think lighting is the issue, please HELP! I have three nems in my reef tank, 1 RBAT and 2 x Haddoni, and they have all been doing well, still have good color, not bleached, and all still eat. The issue is that they have all been slowly shrinking. The RBTA had shrunk and started bleaching, so I upgraded my lights to the HIPARGERO (did have 18W PAR38 bulbs x2). Since then the RBTA has started to color back up, but now the Haddoni's have shrunk. The oldest one was about 7" across when open, now it only opens to about 4". It has been in the tank for ~10 months. The other was about 12" across and has only shrunk a little bit to about 10". It has been in the tank about 4 months. I have tried scouring the forums for answers and I think that I have come to the conclusion that the issue is with my lights. Here are my system params: 40B - running ~15 months 20L sump Curve 5 Elite Skimmer 3x HIPARGERO LED lights ~40lbs live rock ~40lbs live sand Vortech MP40WQD Jebao OW-25 wavemaker Live Stock: Pair of Spotcinclus clowns Melanurus Wrasse Several snails and crabs Brittle starfish Aussie Gold tip torch Hammer Frogspawn Trachy Elegance Several Acan Colonies Indo Fuzzy Mushrooms If I remember correctly from my last testing (I will retest tonight and update id different) Temp - 78 SG - 1.026 Ammonia - 0 Nitrites - 0 Nitrates - <5 Calc - 500 Mag - 1450 Alk - 8 I do 25-50% water changes every 1-2 weeks using Red Sea Blue Bucket salt. I am thinking I may just go back to the lighting that has worked for me in the past, MH/T5. I am looking at a fixture with 1x 250W MH bulb and 4x 24W T5's. I was thinking I would use an Ushio 20K MH, and Geissman T5's, 1 x Aquablue Coral, 1 x Super Purple, and 2 x Super actinic. Do you all think this combo would work and look good. Please help me figure this out. Other bulb recommendations or thoughts on other things that may be causing my nems trouble would also be appreciated. __________________ Current tank: 40B work in progress w/20L sump Last edited by lpsouth1978; 06/24/2019 at 05:20 PM.

06/25/2019, 05:01 AM	#2
OrionN Moved on Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Coastal Texas Posts: 16,000	Anemone shrinking is not necessary bad. A lot of it depends on condition of the tank. The only thing you can do is to do adequate water change to ensure good stable chemistry. Feeding anemone, if they are healthy, will get them growing. __________________ Minh My homepage is my album here at Reef Central Current Tank Info: Reboot 320 anemones reef. Angels: Yellow Chest Regal(2), Flame (2). Copperband But. Tangs: Yellow, Purple. Wrasse: about 20 wrasses various species. Anemones: Giantea X4 (Breen, Blue, Purple and Multicolors), Haddoni X1 Red, Magnifica X1 Purpletip

06/25/2019, 12:01 PM	#3
Uncle99 Crab Free Zone Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,906	Bleaching is the expelling of some/all the zoo. Usually associated with too much light. You can’t give a nem too much light cause he will just move. Now a change in lighting...yup.... that’s not going to be a good thing in the short term. WhAt they hate is any change in water chemistry, this they cannot move away from. Your parameters look good, how stable are they and how long have they been that way. What is your level of phosphate? Last edited by Uncle99; 06/25/2019 at 12:08 PM.

06/25/2019, 12:06 PM	#4
lpsouth1978 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 915	So you are both basically saying to leave the lighting the way it is and up my water change game, ensuring my params are as stable as possible? __________________ Current tank: 40B work in progress w/20L sump

06/25/2019, 12:50 PM	#5
lpsouth1978 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 915	Also, just to clarify, I am not concerned that they are getting too much light. I am concerned that the lights I have are not sufficient for the nems. __________________ Current tank: 40B work in progress w/20L sump

06/26/2019, 04:32 AM	#6
OrionN Moved on Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Coastal Texas Posts: 16,000	Not enough light for them will cause them to move. BTA does not require anywhere near the amount of light Haddoni like. Consider add spot light on the Haddoni. __________________ Minh My homepage is my album here at Reef Central Current Tank Info: Reboot 320 anemones reef. Angels: Yellow Chest Regal(2), Flame (2). Copperband But. Tangs: Yellow, Purple. Wrasse: about 20 wrasses various species. Anemones: Giantea X4 (Breen, Blue, Purple and Multicolors), Haddoni X1 Red, Magnifica X1 Purpletip

06/30/2019, 05:34 PM	#8
ThRoewer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Fremont, CA Posts: 9,555	I have 2 green BTAs under Chinese LED lights that are strong enough to bleach coralline, green, and red algae. One of those decided to sit at the edge of the intense light zone where the flow is also rather mellow. The other settled smack in the center but so that it can retreat into the shade if needed. And the flow there is rather intense. The latter has gotten quite big over a short period of time while the other stayed pretty much the same. The one in the center is out for about half the day and then retreats into its cave. The same lights with the same intensity settings are over the neighboring tank where I have 2 giganteas in recovery and they seem to be fine with it as well. So I would say that BTA can handle a lot of light as long as they can get shade when they need it. Haddoni are similar to giganteas in their light requirements but IME they don't like too much flow. Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk __________________ Pairs: 4 percula, 3 P. kauderni, 3 D. excisus, 1 ea of P. diacanthus, S. splendidus, C. altivelis O. rosenblatti, D. janssi, S. yasha & a Gramma loreto trio 3 P. diacanthus. 2 C. starcki Current Tank Info: 200 gal 4 tank system (40x28x24 + 40B + 40B sump tank + 20g refugium) + 30x18x18 mixed reef + 20g East Pacific biotop + 20g FW +...