1 Year in, 2 months with life fish -rbta killing me

[Toddcee]

Hello - I started my swt in July 2017 with live rock and sand. It was incredibly painful to wait 8 months to add fish, but I maintained my levels and was patient.

In AprilI purchased my first fish and anemone - a yellow-fin blue damsel and a mini carpet. Everything was going great. Levels remained good and I only did a handful of wc in first month.

In May I added four hermit crabs, a false percula and rbta (from two different live fish stores). The two fish got along surprisingly well as I read many posts that the damsel would be territorial. The rbta was small and has moved several times. I have a bigger question about this anemone in a bit.

In June I added two sand snails, four more crabs, and a hawkfish.

Everyone is living in harmony...except the stubborn rbta.

The rbta has only expanded and opened up once in two and a half months. It was when I lost power for an hour. It fully expanded and was full of life. When power came back on, it closed. Keep in mind, since it has never opened other than this time, it has never been fed.

I figured maybe the water flow bothered it as in the aquarium I purchased it from only had a water filter and no power heads. I removed one of the pumps and waited. It did not make a difference and it remained closed. But the tank became overwhelmed with algae. So I cleaned it up, did a massive wc and put the pump back in. Currently the only pump with flow toward it is indirect against the glass - but at a very low speed.

Again, it's moved at least four times. I just don't know what to do. Light doesn't seem to matter because it doesn't come out in blue or dark lighting either. I even turned lights off for a few hours one day and still closed.

It looks healthy and the mouth is clean. I have brought water for testing to two separate stores questioning my own testing and they came back with the same perimeters.

I'm not being impatient, but it doesn't make sense to me after everything I have read here and on other forums. Any thoughts or advise would be appreciated.

[mcgyvr]

8 months wait for fish? Where did you hear that nonsense..

regardless.. Nems usually just need light... What size tank do you have and what type/brand of light are you using?

In general you want around 20-30x display tank size in powerhead gallons per hour as a good starting point..
So a 100G tank would want powerheads (multiples are usually better) totaling 3000GPH or so to start..

What are your salinity and nitrate readings and anymore you have?
phosphates? alkalinity?
What brand salt mix?
Current water change schedule/amount?
Full pics of tank?


Experiences are good but details on the system and everything about it are very helpful/needed..

Welcome to the forum BTW...

[Toddcee]

I put this info in my profile. Assumed it would be to the left under my name like others...

20 Gallon tank, Current USA Orbit Marine LED, Current USA 660gph eFlux Wave Pump, Hydor Koralia 240gph pump, Aquatic Life Internal Skimmer, Aqueon QuietFlo 200gph

1.023 SG, PH 8.2, 0.25 Ammonia, 0 nitrate

[ReefWreak]

Start feeding it more consistently (small amounts), and leave it be. They walk. It should find a comfortable spot eventually. Don't change things while it is moving around and walking, or it may never settle.

The reason I haven't ever added an anemone is that an anemone walking around a fully grown SPS tank (which I aspire to have again) is the stuff of nightmares. But again, it's part of having an anemone.

I hope it settles soon!

[Toddcee]

Thanks. But it hasn't taken anything from me since I've had it...just closes tightly.

[Kmack0415]

I'm no expert but That looks really bleached out, did you buy it like that or did it lose color?

[Toddcee]

It was a little darker red. But I don’t think it lost much color. Just tried to feed it again and no go.

[Smokey Stover]

So the only time it behaved normally was when power was out to the tank? Check for stray voltage. It may be sensitive to it.
,Oh and why so much ammonia at 8 months?

[Toddcee]

Ammonia question - I tested again after the post and after feeding (trying to feed) rbta and it was zero.

Never considered voltage issue because rest of fish seem to be fine. Most reasonable idea would be to unplug heater first, right?

[hkgar]

Google search found this:

When you first introduce an anenome into your tank, it usually move to a shady spot , under rock, cave or area with no light because it reacting to the change (lighting, water flow, tank condition (mature tank is a must)). Anenome can't really adjust to the enviroment like some fish do that is why lighting and water condition need to be excellent. It needs to have that..can't adjust to the low lighting or just ok water condition. It mights look fine for the first few months but it will slowly wasting away
Remember, anenome is an animal so just like adding new fish, when you put a new fish in the tank...it doesn't swim around right away..it usually hide in a shady place somewhere. Everyone places their anenome right under the light in the center spot of the tank when first introduce to the tank but if your lighting is diff from the shop where you buy it from or water flow are different
..it will move around or hide and later on it will find a spot on its own to settle and stay there for a while. As how long it will be in the shadow? it is all depends on each anenome responses
to your tank condition.

[Kmack0415]

I would think if your water quality is good and it's not being baked under to much light it could just be stressed, you said you got it from a lfs correct?

[Kmack0415]

Another thought, when it moves about do you let it do its thing or do you move it?

[Anemone]

Originally Posted by hkgar

Google search found this:

When you first introduce an anenome into your tank, it usually move to a shady spot , under rock, cave or area with no light because it reacting to the change (lighting, water flow, tank condition (mature tank is a must)). Anenome can't really adjust to the enviroment like some fish do that is why lighting and water condition need to be excellent. It needs to have that..can't adjust to the low lighting or just ok water condition. It mights look fine for the first few months but it will slowly wasting away
Remember, anenome is an animal so just like adding new fish, when you put a new fish in the tank...it doesn't swim around right away..it usually hide in a shady place somewhere. Everyone places their anenome right under the light in the center spot of the tank when first introduce to the tank but if your lighting is diff from the shop where you buy it from or water flow are different
..it will move around or hide and later on it will find a spot on its own to settle and stay there for a while. As how long it will be in the shadow? it is all depends on each anenome responses
to your tank condition.

Please, at least quote someone who can spell anemone correctly!

Yes, that anemone looks bleached; IMO, it should be fed. In order to elicit a feeding response you may have to hold a small piece of krill or shrimp in the anemone's tentacles until the mouth expands outward to envelop the food. This can take several minutes. DO NOT push the food into the anemone's mouth, just hold the food gently against or within the anemone's tentacles.

FWIW,
Kevin

[thegrun]

One thing I would do for sure is use saltwater as your top off until your SG is up to 1.026, 1.023 is too low.

[davocean]

Many people think all anemones are and act the same, which is not true, so a google search may not give correct info.

It's a small bleached BTA, it can not process light into energy as it should, and what would normally be good lighting may actually be too much for it right now.

I'd shade over it's area and see what happens.

What are you trying to feed it?

Small foods like mysis are usually best, and can help regain health and color.

Also agree need to raise sg

[JustAClownFish]

Originally Posted by Toddcee

Hello - I started my swt in July 2017 with live rock and sand. It was incredibly painful to wait 8 months to add fish, but I maintained my levels and was patient.

In AprilI purchased my first fish and anemone - a yellow-fin blue damsel and a mini carpet. Everything was going great. Levels remained good and I only did a handful of wc in first month.

In May I added four hermit crabs, a false percula and rbta (from two different live fish stores). The two fish got along surprisingly well as I read many posts that the damsel would be territorial. The rbta was small and has moved several times. I have a bigger question about this anemone in a bit.

In June I added two sand snails, four more crabs, and a hawkfish.

Everyone is living in harmony...except the stubborn rbta.

The rbta has only expanded and opened up once in two and a half months. It was when I lost power for an hour. It fully expanded and was full of life. When power came back on, it closed. Keep in mind, since it has never opened other than this time, it has never been fed.

I figured maybe the water flow bothered it as in the aquarium I purchased it from only had a water filter and no power heads. I removed one of the pumps and waited. It did not make a difference and it remained closed. But the tank became overwhelmed with algae. So I cleaned it up, did a massive wc and put the pump back in. Currently the only pump with flow toward it is indirect against the glass - but at a very low speed.

Again, it's moved at least four times. I just don't know what to do. Light doesn't seem to matter because it doesn't come out in blue or dark lighting either. I even turned lights off for a few hours one day and still closed.

It looks healthy and the mouth is clean. I have brought water for testing to two separate stores questioning my own testing and they came back with the same perimeters.

I'm not being impatient, but it doesn't make sense to me after everything I have read here and on other forums. Any thoughts or advise would be appreciated.

I haven't read the other posts but I can tell you that your anemone is bleached. Have you purchased it like this? If so, then how did you acclimate it? What kind of lighting do you have? Anemones move around on their own. If they don't like the flow they'll move. So don't worry about that.

Don't feed it. When it is stressed and still acclimating it can stress them even more. Put it in a small breeder box away from the light and let it acclimate. In the future, if you feed them do not give them silversides or any bony stuff. Give them squid or some mysis or brine shrimp but again you don't need to do that. BTA's don't need to be fed. If you don't, believe me, I can you refer you to someone who has 20+ of them in her tank and she does not feed them and they grow and split like crazy. They feed off of the algae within their tissues and nitrates in the water and if you have clowns they will feed it as well. You don't need to go out of your way and feed it.

[JustAClownFish]

Originally Posted by thegrun

One thing I would do for sure is use saltwater as your top off until your SG is up to 1.026, 1.023 is too low.

It's not too low. 1.026 is an average that came about by measuring the salinity of different ocean waters. It is a reference point and not an absolute number that one has to follow strictly for the best results. Not every reef has that salinity. Some are higher and some are even lower. Do you know where your corals were harvested? Do you know the exact salinity of the water RBTA's live in? Do you? No so stop recommending numbers. People chase numbers for no reason. I've tested this myself. It does not matter what salinity I run my tank at, nothing changes. I had it as high as 1.030 and as low as 1.020. Nothing ever died or did poorly because of that.

[Uncle99]

I think in the long term, 20g for a Nem (let only 2) is going to be two small.
BTA' absolute smallest would be 40g, a carpet 75g.
Just my 2 cents, maybe not the current issue, but may surface.
Carpets are quite viscous, neat, but rough players for those in the DT

[davocean]

Originally Posted by JustAClownFish

I haven't read the other posts .

It would probably be helpful to both you and op if you did.

I do agree w/ some of what you say, a HEALTHY anemone does not need to be spot fed, but this is not the case.
A bleached anemone lacks the zooxanthellae that it requires to be able to process light into usable energy, so it does need to be fed to bring back to health.

Excessive splitting in anemone's is usually a sign of stress, not success.

1.026 is indeed the number to shoot for.

And again, not all anemone's are the same, not all wander, especially if given what they need.

I do agree silversides and bony fish are not best.

I would simply squirt mysis towards it a couple times a week, and see how it reacts when shaded from light

[sixty_reefer]

Originally Posted by JustAClownFish

It's not too low. 1.026 is an average that came about by measuring the salinity of different ocean waters. It is a reference point and not an absolute number that one has to follow strictly for the best results. Not every reef has that salinity. Some are higher and some are even lower. Do you know where your corals were harvested? Do you know the exact salinity of the water RBTA's live in? Do you? No so stop recommending numbers. People chase numbers for no reason. I've tested this myself. It does not matter what salinity I run my tank at, nothing changes. I had it as high as 1.030 and as low as 1.020. Nothing ever died or did poorly because of that.

Can you show us any reef in the world with a salinity of 1020 mate?


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[Anemone]

Originally Posted by JustAClownFish

Don't feed it. When it is stressed and still acclimating it can stress them even more. Put it in a small breeder box away from the light and let it acclimate.

It's been in the tank for two months. EXACTLY how long do you think he needs to "let it acclimate?"

Kevin

[Toddcee]

Wow thank you everyone for the posts... You all agree that it is bleached. Since I am a beginner I did not recognize this at the lfs. However; it was very close to this color when I purchased it and was fully out swaying in the water.

So what I've gotten out of this is:

* Feed it more (but it doesn't eat)
* Don't feed it
* squirt mysis
* I need better lighting (but I have a Current USA Orbit Marine LED)
* I should dim lighting
* I need to increase (or not) sg
* My tank is too small
* Quarantine it

I have not moved it, even last night it moved. I must have accidentally unplugged the light last night and it did not come on this morning. I noticed it was outstretched but the tentacles were still closed. That's a huge step.

Narrowing down to two pieces of advise for a test period, I will dim the lights around the rbta for a few days (this may be difficult because the mini carpet is right next to it.) It also obviously needs to eat - though it never opens up and closes tightly whenever I put anything near it. I'll try mysis, but is squirting it good enough?

Thank you all for your advise. I'll keep you posted. I don't want this ANEMONE to perish.

[Toddcee]

Here is after a night in darkness and a two hours with low light compared to full light. (the low light photo has a green tint)

[Rjukan]

Originally Posted by Uncle99

I think in the long term, 20g for a Nem (let only 2) is going to be two small.
BTA' absolute smallest would be 40g, a carpet 75g.
Just my 2 cents, maybe not the current issue, but may surface.
Carpets are quite viscous, neat, but rough players for those in the DT

I agree with this post.

[davocean]

Originally Posted by Toddcee

Here is after a night in darkness and a two hours with low light compared to full light. (the low light photo has a green tint)

It would probably take a couple days to see it's response o shaded light, and at least a week or two to notice change in color.

I would continue this and squirt myisis twice weekly, stay on WC's

This is to help it survive, later think about tank size.

Keep pumps and intakes blocked or covered to keep from harm.