FAQs on Bulb,
Bubble Tip/Rose Anemone Health
2
Related Articles:
Bubble
Tip, Rose Anemones, Entacmaea
quadricolor, Use in Marine Systems by Bob Fenner, Bubble Tip Anemones by Jim Black,
Recent Experiences with BTA's by Marc Quattromani,
Anemones,
Cnidarians, Colored/Dyed Anemones,
Related FAQs: BTA Disease 1, BTA Disease 3, BTA
Disease 4, BTA Health 5, BTA Health 6 BTA Health
7, BTA Health 8, BTA Health 9, BTA Health
10,
BTA
Health 11,
BTA Health 12, BTA
Health 13,
FAQs on BTA Disease by Category:
Diagnosing,
Environmental (Pollution/Poisoning, Lighting...),
Nutritional, Social (e.g. Allelopathy),
Trauma,
Pathogenic (Infectious, Parasitic, Viral)
Predatory/Pest, Treatments
& E. quad. FAQ
1, E. quad FAQ 2, E. quad. FAQ 3, E. quad FAQ 4, E. quad FAQ 5, BTA
ID, BTA
Compatibility, BTA Selection,
BTA Behavior, BTA Systems, BTA
Feeding, BTA
Reproduction/Propagation,
|
A healthy
Rose Anemone may or may not have bulbous tentacle
tips.
|
|
New Print and
eBook on Amazon:
Anemone Success
Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term
by Robert (Bob) Fenner
|
Bleached GBTA - Can he pull a Rocky and make a
come back? 2-09-06
Hello gang,
<Bill>
I would like to say first off that I love the website!
<Glad to hear it.> I have found it to be very, very
informative. Keep up the good work. I'm not a
noob to the saltwater world. I have had fish only tanks before, but
doing the coral thing is new and exciting to me. I have been
taking in a lot of information in since I started, some of which has
been confusing. Let me tell you a little about my system to start
off. I have a 36 gal bow front which has been running for
7-8 months now and has fully cycled, 35 lbs of live rock, shallow
crushed coral bed, a Fluval filter system (sorry don't have the
model #'s, but the LFS said it was more than enough for the
tank) I have an extra power head for additional water
movement. Lighting (again don't have the specs on hand) I have them
on a timer with the night lights....it does have the additional
"blue" light (according to the LFS) to support my soft corals
and such. Of which the corals are doing fine....the
mushrooms have exploded! They are everywhere!
lol Stats on this are as follows: Salinity 1.023,
pH 8.2, Alk and Cal were a little low when I tested early this week,
but, I'm slowly add'l sups to bring them into the norm. Ammonia
0, nitrite 0, and nitrate 20 (water change for that is scheduled for
the weekend) Current residents: 1 mated pair of
Maroons (yes I'm well aware of the tank is to small for them for
the size they can get to...but they are small now and it will do until
I can get them something bigger), assorted shrimps, snails and
crabs. There are several other fish in there, but I'm in
the process of finding homes for them because I'm just going with
the clowns and I'm sure they will eventually get the crap beaten
out of them if I don't lol.
On with my question(s). I have had a GBTA for
about 7 months now. I'm finding out now that he may be
"bleached" from other pics u guys have on here and going to
several different LFS's and showing them a pic of
it. Unfortunately the pics makes it look more bleached than
what the actual eye can see. The problem is he was bleached
to a degree when I got him. (a grievous error on my part, but at the
time I didn't know what I know now) So I don't know
what his actual color should have been. Within a day of
putting him in the tank he move to a spot mid level in the tank and has
not moved since. His color varies from week to week, one
week he will be a lighter fluorescent green and next he will be darker
fluorescent green. Not as green as other "healthier"
specimens I have seen, but, never the less green. He has
these very tiny purple tips on the very end of each of his
tentacles. He is white without a doubt but has the green
tint all over everyone of his tentacles. His base has
always been cream color, never the typical red that I have seen on
others. Should his base be red or can it vary between
individuals? <It can vary.> His tentacles are always fully
extended and he has bonded with my female maroon. He takes
food readily. I feed him once every 3 days or so. I'm mixing up his
diet with frozen squid and frozen plankton. Am I feeding him
to much? or not enough? I been reading on here you can
over feed them. He rarely bubbles any of his
tentacles, but, from what I understand that doesn't mean that he is
in ill health. <You are correct that bubble tips do not
need to be inflated. As for feeding, feed every other day
and feed small pieces. Mysis or Omega enriched brine are good
choices.>
What is the definition of
"bleached"? From what I understand they don't
live longer than 7 months once they reached the "bleached"
point and since he was more or less in this condition when I got him. I
don't know for how long he was this way before I purchased
him. When can I say he is pulling a "Rocky" and
making a come back? He's seems to be going strong. He is not
"withering" or collapsing in on himself like some of the
other death throws that have been posted on here. I know
that they use algae that grows on them for food as well and I know that
adds to the color of the animal. I thought it was on here
that I read that they can alter the amount of algae that grows on them
depending on the algae that may be in the water column and use that
instead of the stuff growing on them, correct? If that is
the case does that mean I have a good supply in my aquarium and its
using that instead? Would that explain the color loss
(whatever that color is suppose to be)? Is he beyond
hope?
Do I need to get another one? I'm not really looking
forward to having to get another and hope my maroons don't tear it
up trying to bond with it before it has time to get settled
in. Unfortunately this whole "bleaching" thing is
freaking me out. Any help or suggestions you can give would
be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
<Your diagnosis and understanding of bleaching is
correct. The theory that they can pick up new algae is a bit
far fetched in my opinion. <<Mmm, no... scientifically
"proven". RMF>> Feed your anemone well and it should
recover, but make sure to keep your nitrates low in the mean time.
Travis>
Bill
BTA beh. health 2/3/06 Hi
<Hello Danny.> I've just got a green BTA & it has
shriveled up a bit & has something by its mouth that resembles
mucus. I would appreciate it if you could advise me if this is normal
or is it going to die. My tank holds 200 litres & has sand bed
& about 40 kilos of living rock with efficient skimming. All the
levels seem fine but the BTA has only been in the tank for about 4
hours, am I jumping the gun? Thanks Danny <Don't pull the
trigger, your BTA is just ridding itself of waste. Give it a
chance to adjust. James (Salty Dog)>
BTA Mystery 1/16/06 Dear WW
Crew
<Dale>
Thank you for all your hard work and support. Being sensitive to the
thousands of emails you must receive I have scoured WWM and still feel
I still have questions.
<Okay>
1.5 Years ago I started with a 50G and without proper knowledge about
BTAs I of course bought one. It did not fair well and continually
shrank to almost nothing. After about 6 months I installed a 90G
overflow tank with skimmer, proper lighting etc. I wasn't going to
even add the BTA however my wife convinced me not to give up on it.
Apparently there was something about the new environment it liked. It
has gained back its diameter 4X and tentacles have grown the same.
Tentacles have yet to get bulbous however color was good. During this
growth phase I was feeding Mysis (3-4) daily.
2 Months ago I purchased a Rose based on the apparent success of the
revived BTA. It is fairing quite well. Maintaining its bulbs and color
and appears to be growing and feeds well. Until the last 2 weeks the G BTA was
continuing fine. I have changed my feeding for both to shrimp for human
consumption soaked in Selcon. Also about two months ago I added a
refugium.
<Likely related events>
Problem - G BTA is losing its color in the last 2 weeks. It feeds
lethargically and portions of tentacles are now white. I have never
seen the BTA lose color even when I tortured it as a neophyte aquarist (maybe I
still am!). I know this means loss of its zooxanthellae
Tanks Stats
90G 15G sump
150 lbs LR
120 Aqua C Skimmer
RODI Water
10G Refugium
with Gracilaria. (my Chaetomorpha died off)
Recirculates at 350G /Hr with clean (return) side of sump
1 65W 10,000K
5 in DSB
Chemistry OK but not great. Nitrates 5pp, dKh 7, Ca 250 ppm,
<These last two need raising>
0 PO4, sp gv
1.023.
<I would raise to 1.025>
Recirculation 750 G/Hr
Tunze power head cycling between low and mid rang appox (600-1300
G/Hr)
8 X 65W Dual PC. 4 Dual Actinic (420nm/460nm) and 4 Dual Daylight
(6,700K/10,000K). This lighting is included in 2 X 48 inch Current
Satellites. One is 6 months old. The other 1 year.
14 Hrs light per day offset with 12 Hrs offset light in refugium
5-10 G / week water exchange
Livestock
2 Clarkii (They love both Cnidarians)
2 damsels
1 Yellow tang
1 Coral Beauty
1 Royal Gramma
1 Anthias
Few hermits snails etc.
Questions
1) I know I can't mix
Cnidarians but I presume that isn't my issue since both are
theoretically E quadricolor. Are other species passed off
as
E quad?
<Not that I've encountered, no>
2) A couple of weeks ago I
decided to try to get my chemistry back to classic conditions dKh 8-12
Ca 400. I am always working at Nitrates. Could I
have shocked it?.
<Possible, yes>
There was no effect on the RTA and as previously stated even when near
death for the last 1.5 years BTA never lost its color.
3) Both are about midway up
the 24 inch high aquarium including 5inch DSB. The RTA is in open
light. The ailing BTA is in a crevasse that is
slightly shadowed. It has room to move if it wants to. Could
this be due to degraded lighting? Would more or new light
help.?
<Likely yes... along with the other three changes noted
above>
4) During the summer I had
trouble keeping temperature 80 or below. I used 2 4 inch computer fans
in the sump which seems to hold the temperature
down however I had to make up huge amounts of water. Most all my make
up water was Calc water.
<Ahh... another possibility... that this chronic use has changed the
proportion of magnesium too much...>
Now i the winter I don't need to do this and use very little make
up. Will Klc water help? Was this creating some super saturated
condition?
<... not necessarily. Kalkwasser has its uses/place, but is inferior
for doing what good it can do... relative to other means>
5) Should I go back to the
Mysis shrimp? The RTA seem to do so well on the larger pieces.
<I would stick with "larger pieces">
6) Any other thoughts or
recommendations.
Thanks
<Consider the four items mentioned and testing for magnesium,
restoring its proportionality... about 3:1... Bob Fenner>
Re: BTA Mystery, Kalk expl.
1/19/06 Bob - Thanks for your consideration. I will refresh my
lighting, adjust my dKh and Ca gradually, and test my magnesium and
adjust 3:1 and stick with
the larger shrimp pieces.
<Very good>
I was a bit surprised about your comment regarding Kalkwasser. I got
the impression from WWM that it was the superior method despite the
inconvenience and the concerns over pH when added to fast. I will use
CaCl to improve the situation.
Thanks again.
Dale
<Mmm, not to be mysterious or misunderstood here. There are a few
dozen of us "here", with quite divergent opinions on some
subjects. With diligence, Kalk/wasser can be used to advantage (IMO of
course), but in actual practice it is too easy to fall into lazy habits
with it... in actuality poisoning ones systems to a degree... As
opposed to superior results to be had with calcium reactors (for folks
with large enough systems/organism collections, money enough... or
home-made units... many clubs have get-togethers to fashion) or simple
commercial or home-made/DIY "two-part" solutions. Cheers, Bob
Fenner>
Donut Anemone? 1/16/06 Hi folks, <Hi Pete>
I have searched for this through your site and have found nothing about
it.
I have also never heard anything about this and definitely not seen
it.
I have a Bubble tip anemone (actually 2) in my tank that as of this
morning were both healthy. This evening I looked at them and one of
them has become a donut??!! He is on a rock where he has been for three months now.
Occasionally he (they) will swell up and then deflate over a period of
time.
When I saw him he was deflated but when I looked close I realized that
his mouth was wide, and I mean gaping wide open as I could see his
white innards. <Can't be good>
I wasn't sure if this was just an anemone thing (they can be so
weird) so I thought I would wait a bit and see what happened. I checked
about an hour later and it was the same except I could see the rock he is perched on
right through his mouth! His body is generally the size of a golf ball
and he was deflated to the size of a flat quarter, tentacles totally withdrawn,
with a hole the size of a dime right through him. I was sure he was
dead.
I yanked him (with the rock) out of the tank and put him in my QT tank
figuring he was a goner but you never seem to know with these guys.
He looked terrible, like a plate coral with a hole shot through the
middle.
Well, I checked him a few minutes ago and guess what? He has
reinflated, tentacles extended, mouth shut, and looks perfectly
normal??!!
I haven't fed them in a couple of days, did a water change two days
ago, and all the water parameters are fine. Everything else in the
tank.. fish, corals, inverts etc are fine. Do you have any idea what
happened here? Is he a dead man walking? Should I be doing
anything???? <Best place for him is where you have him
(QT). Either a dead anemone walking or quite possibly he is
trying to split creating two separate anemones. Without seeing it I
really can't give you a definite answer. Just keep an
eye on it. Wouldn't be in a big hurry to put him back in
the display tank. James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks in advance for your help. <You're welcome>
Pete
BTA Treatment Hi, <Hello
Fawn>
I have searched your site for information on how to treat an anemone
that has been damaged. I noticed my water was really murky
this morning and in searching for the reason, found my BTA had been partially sucked into
the power head. I have a sponge filter that fits over the
intake to avoid problems like this. However, is somehow got pulled off. The
BTA has a rip from it's mouth out through the side. The
foot appears intact. This is a beautiful anemone that I have had for
quite a while. Please advise me regarding what I can and should do.
I have done a partial water change and removed the pieces of the
anemone that I can find. Any help you can offer would be
greatly appreciated.
Thanks. <Fawn, for the best interest of the rest of the tank
inhabitants, do give the anemone it's last water change (down the
toilet). There is nothing you can do to reverse the
damage. In leaving the anemone in the tank it will soon die
and foul the whole system and more than likely wipe out the remaining
inhabitants. James (Salty Dog)>
Regards,
Fawn Curtis
BTA Tissue Regeneration -
12/31/05 I've been scouring your archives for an answer to
my new question, but I can't seem to find it. It's
not a huge question so I'll make it fast. The other day
one of my BTA's tentacles twisted. I left it alone for
about a day to see if he would naturally fix the problem, but the next
day it twisted more. I gently tried to turn it in the
opposite direction, but then I realized I didn't know which
direction opposite was so I left him alone. I just noticed
today that the same tentacle has fallen off. I'm
guessing it somehow twisted so much it pinched off.
<<Mmm, or maybe damaged by another tank inhabitant.>>
My question is will it grow back and is there anything I can do for him
for quicker tissue regeneration.
<<Best to leave it be. If water quality/tank
conditions are suitable for this animal and it is not diseased/harassed
by other critters it will take care of itself.>>
Thanks again for all your help.
<<Regards, EricR>>
BTA 12/26/05 /James Your site is fabulous. <Thank
you.> Great (needed) information.
Can you help. I have 30 gal eclipse system that I have
removed the fluorescent fixture and now use a CoralLife 130w
fixture. I have about 75lbs LR, 3" sand, 1
powerhead with undergravel filter and use the eclipse filtration
system. As for as fish, I have 1 clown, 1 lawnmower
blenny, angel (don't know what kind), 1 blue
damsel. I also have a cleaner shrimp.
My system is about 1 1/2 yr old. I do not have a
skimmer. I change 5 gal water with distilled water every
2 weeks. I have been rotating between phytoplankton and
ZooPlex (Kent) every 3 days. I feed the fish formula 1
& brine shrimp. Feeding small amounts twice
daily. I have been supplementing
with coral Accel (Kent). I only test Ammonia, nitrates,
nitrites, & PH.
All are excellent, with PH being 8.0.
My question involves my BTA which is about 8 mo.s
old. It used to open large to about 4
inches. It hasn't done this for quite some
time. It now spends more time as you see in attached
photos. It used to respond quickly to hand feeding
(small pieces raw shrimp), and was also
"sticky". Now it won't take
food. It has done so well for so long that it's
condition now has got me baffled. I'm hoping the
attached photos will give you some clue to help me.
<Gary, your email doesn't surprise me. Anemones
are not easy to keep for an extended period of time. Larger tanks
with good circulation, (10X tank volume) addition of trace elements
along with an iodine supplement increases your chances for success
with anemones. Larger tanks offer more stability with
much less swings in temp, ph, etc. Weekly 10% water
changes are more in order than twice a month. In looking
at your pics, I'd say the anemone is on its way
out. I would remove the rock that it is on and scrub the
anemone off. If it is allowed to die in the tank, and
especially in a small tank, you will more than likely experience a
complete wipe out. James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks for any help you can give. <You're welcome>
Gary |
|
E. quadricolor Troubles 12/24/05
/AdamJ
I have a 29 gal, CoralLife 130W lighting.
<Okay.>
System is about 1 ? years old. Lots of live
rock. 1 Percula Clown (lives in the anemone), 1 Angel,
<What type of angel? 99% chance it’s in too small of a
system.>
1 Blue Damsel, and 1 lawnmower blenny. I don’t have a
protein skimmer.
<You should strongly consider one with invertebrates in the tank and
such a heavy load.>
My question is regarding my Rose BTA.
<Sure.>
I have had it for about 8 months. It used to expand and get
fairly large. It was also “sticky” and would
respond quickly when fed with small pieces of shrimp
etc… Now it is no longer sticky, and stays
small. It is often “exhaling” and mouth
open. It looks healthy and stays in one spot, but is no
longer interested in feeding. I am alternating Phytoplankton
and Zooplankton every 3 days. Any thoughts?
<I’m guessing some nutrient accumulation with the heavy fish
load and possible over-feeding of liquid foods. What are your water
parameters? When was the last water change? How old are your light
bulbs?>
Thanks,
Still Learning
<Please answer the above questions and I will be able to help you in
more detail, until then please read up on www.wetwebmedia.com , use the
search tool and enter: E. Quadricolor (BTA) and read there for some
more insights. Until next time, Adam J.>
Re: E. quadricolor Troubles 12/26/05 Thank you for your
response.
<Quite welcome.>
I'm sorry I don't know what kind of Angel I have.
<Okay, I would try to identify it though, read through WWM re:
Marine Angels.>
It's about 2 inches in length, mostly gray in color except for the
fins and back part of tail which are black. I've had it about 6 months. It
seems to be the boss of the tank.
<I can imagine.>
My water testing is always excellent, but I only test Ammonia, pH
(8.0), Nitrates & Nitrites. I change 5 gal every 2
weeks.
I will be changing water today again. I use distilled
water.
<Careful with distilled water, some distillers use copper
coils.>
Light bulbs were purchased at same time as BTA approx. 8 months
ago.
<About time to replace in the next month or so.>
I have recently bought a 150 gal that I am slowly getting set up (very
expensive).
<Oh I know, hehe…Oh boy do I know.>
I would like to make this tank more dedicated to anemones
and less towards fish and coral.
<That’s great, Anemones really should be placed in species
tanks (only one type of anemone per tank). Start researching the needs
of these animals on WWM Re: Marine Anemones and E. quadricolor. Adam
J.>
|
Bubble Tip Anemone and Water problems 12/8/05 Hi. I am
having a few problems with my tank, one dealing with my Anemone and one
dealing with using marine builder to improve my water quality.
Bubble Tip Anemone: About a month and a half ago I bought a very young
BTA that had recently split from the pet store owner's Anemone.
Within fifteen minutes of being placed in it's new home, it had
found a crevice and happily found itself a new spot. Once a week I fed
it a small chunk of frozen shrimp, which it accepted with no problem.
It grew to about 3 inches, and looked very healthy until
recently.
It started by shrinking a bit on one side and retracting all of
it's tentacles on that side, which made them look like very small
nubs. The opposite side still had it's tentacles out and inflated.
A few days later, the position of the knobby tentacles switched to the
other side. I went to my local fish store and they assured me that the
Anemone was splitting, but now I'm not so sure.
The Anemone has now shrunk dramatically and it's tentacles are not
present at all. There are a few nubs around the mouth and they are
actually a purple color now. During the day the Anemone is closed up
fairly tight, and at night it opens but it looks as if it is pinched
horizontally right below the mouth, causing the base to bow out a bit.
It has looked like this for almost two weeks now, should I be worried
or is it really just taking a long time to split?
<It is possible that it is splitting, but it could also be
responding to some kind of stress. If you have not changed the lighting
or current recently, I would suspect water quality. A couple of decent
size water changes (25% or so) never hurts, and may help.>
Marine Builder: My kH and is only 6, and the pH stays at a constant
8.0. I am trying to get my pulsing xenias to pulse again, so I need to
bring my pH to a steady 8.3. After doing some research on your site, I
think the problem lies in my top off water. I did not know that the
RO/DI water needed to be prepared in a certain way before using
(buffered, etc.) I'm having to add about half a gallon every two to
three days, and have been doing this for about seven to eight
months.
<Adding buffers to top-off water can be helpful, but is not
necessary. In my experience, alkalinity is more important than pH when
it comes to xenia pulsing. I would suggest using double (or up to four
times) doses of a good quality buffer daily until you get your dKh in
the 10 range. You don't mention what your calcium level is, but
beware that aggressively raising the alkalinity will cause the calcium
to fall, so monitor both closely. If your calcium is low to begin with,
I would use a two-part additive like B-Ionic or C-Balance to raise both
Ca and Alk in balance.>
I know now that I need to add marine builder and marine buffer to my
top off water. My question is, If I use both of these additives in my
top off water and continue to use the water as I normally do, will it
cause problems in the tank? If so, what can I do to get the kH and pH
where it needs to be.
<I am not familiar with these specific products, but would not
suggest mixing them, as this may cause some of the ingredients to
precipitate. No one specific product is necessary and they don't
have to be added to top of water. They just have to get into the tank
somehow. Adding calcium and alkalinity in a balance fashion is
necessary. This can be accomplished with Kalkwasser, two-part additive
systems or separate buffers and calcium products.>
Sorry if both questions were a bit too wordy. Thank you very much for
your help and for your website. It has come in handy for many problems
that I have come across as a beginner and I'm sure it will help me
in many more ways in the future.
<Glad you have benefited from the site. Hope this helps. Best
regards. AdamC.>
Bubble Tip Anemone and Water problems part 2
12/13/05 I have recently changed the current in my tank to help
with the horrible Cyanobacteria problem I am having...
<A-ha! Change in current will often cause anemones to
behave oddly, especially if the change is drastic. Also, you
Cyano problem is an indicator of general water quality
issues. Try to arrange your current so the anemone's
tentacles are gently tossed about.... not blasted, and keep up the
regular water changes. Best
Regards. AdamC.>
Bubble Tip Anemone and Water problems part 3
12/15/05 The change came when I put in a second power head that
brought the current to 320 gph in my 29 gallon tank. I turned the
second power head off four days ago and the anemone is still closed up
just as it was before. As for the water quality, I only use RO/DI water
for top off water and for water changes. After doing research on your
site I saw that the water needs to be aerated before use, but I've
never done that before. Could that be the problem for my water quality?
If so, what steps should I take to get rid of the horrible outbreak of
Cyano that I have? Thanks again for your help! <Newly
mixed saltwater should be aerated overnight before use, but any
problems from skipping this step should be temporary. The
keys to beating Cyano involve nutrient control. Good
skimming, manual removal of the Cyano, water changes and discipline in
feeding are all important. Like any "algae"
problem, it takes sustained effort and patience (often a few months) to
really gain control. Best
Regards. AdamC.>
SICK ANEMONE? Please Help! 8/29/05 Hi Guys,
<Nate>
Thank you for your wonderful site, it appears to be the only really
useful one on the web. Unfortunately I've looked for hours and
can't find the answer to my question so i thought I'd just
ask...
Again, like many others I'm new to the game have a small tank-
I'm an Aussie so i have no idea how many gallons
<There's approximately 231 cubic inches to a
gallon...>
but i have live rock and two false clowns which were tiny when i
bought them and have now almost doubled in size over the past 5-6
months. I also have a little royal Dottyback that i recently
introduced. All well and happy. Not to your surprise the problem is
with my anemone i assume it's a bubble tip
<Yes>
and I've had it for about 4 months. first 3 it was thriving, i
feed it once a week with some liquid feed out of a bottle that the
pet shop recommended,
<Mmm, no... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/btafdgfaqs.htm>
seemed to be doing great always full and open. it's really
beautiful when it's open right up and my clowns have been madly
in love with it from day one. unfortunately over the past couple of
weeks it's decided to go walk abouts all over the entire tank-
don't know why because he seemed so happy but it squished
between the back rock and the glass and slowly started
shrinking,
<Something amiss with its environment... water quality, light
quality/intensity...>
i tried to move the rock so i could see him again and so he would
open up -maybe a bad move?
<Yes...>
but he didn't appreciate it and went straight back behind. now
he is completely shriveled up and is just clinging on the rock with
his big orange-brown foot which is getting darker in colour each
week. He inflates and deflates small parts of his 'body'
but never is full and open. He looks very unhappy and has tried
just about every position in every spot of the tank. He's been
like this for 3-4 weeks and I'm getting really worried? From
looking at your web site they are dying if they turn white, go on
their side or loosen off the rock. He's not doing any of these
but he is not happy. All my level's I've tested and they
appear fine. My pH went up from 8.2 to 8.6 so i did a 30% water
change and it now seems fine.
<... what was the cause of this pH swing?>
Please help... Thank you for your time, it is very appreciated, all
the way from Aus! Kind regards, Jodi.
Ps. here is a pic when he was happy...he's now about a quarter
of the size with a floppy gapping hole and no 'full'
tentacle arm thingy's they're flat and shriveled.
<Do read through WWM re all the anemone articles, FAQs files...
I would be looking at the age of your lighting/lamps, and doing
some very large water change-outs... Also do switch to larger,
meaty foods. Bob Fenner> |
|
Rose Bubble Anemone 7/25/05
Hi,
<Lovely day today?>
You guys have been so helpful in the past, hope you don't mind me
asking another question.
<Not at all :)>
My set up is a 5 ft tank, with MH lighting and significant water
movement.
<Not too specific there, but ok>
I've got leathers, fan corals, cup corals, mushrooms, green carpet
anemone, and a NEW Rose Bubble Anemone . ALL seems to be doing well,
except for the Rose.
<*sigh*. I'd be hard pressed to think of a more
unnatural mix of creatures from completely different geographic and
reef locations. Please, PLEASE don't put anemones
together with coral, and it's not a good idea to keep two anemone
species together. If you want my opinion, return that
anemone, and the carpet or the coral as well>
When I got the Rose 3 weeks back, it was about 2 inches in
diameter. I placed it in a prime location in the tank,
<?>
and was doing well for the first 2 weeks. In that time, it
grew about 50% in size. Suddenly last week, it moved to
another location to the side of the rock. Anemones move 'cause they
do not like the existing location, but moving to a shady location?
<Newly acclimated animals do not "grow". They
may expand themselves, trying to gather more light, but they won't
start growing until completely adjusted and their energy reserves have
been built back up. If it's moving, it's not happy,
and it probably just ended up in a shady location. If it can
still stick itself out towards the light, it should be fine>
I left it there till 2 days ago, when I rotated the rock so that it is
facing up towards the light again. However, it seems to be
"hiding" in the stone, showing only partial tentacles, as if
it were avoiding bright light.
<How was it acclimated? If it came from a dealer (with
usually inadequate lighting) it's probably suffering from light
shock. These animals need to be acclimated slowly to new
lighting conditions over days/weeks, not hours>
I tried feeding it commercial anemone food 2 weeks ago, but it did not
seem to like it. My older green carpet anemone easily
consumes the commercial food.
<What is commercial anemone food? You should be feeding
finely shredded seafoods, like shrimp, fish, scallops, crab and the
like>
One other point is, I've got 2 clown fish with the green carpet,
but the rose does NOT have any clowns.
<Good - just what a stressed out anemone doesn't need is
clownfish hosting in it. BTA's are only a natural host
for Maroon clownfish, anyway - your other clowns likely won't
move>
I heard of cases where after long periods of darkness during shipments,
anemones avoid light when they reach the tank as they are not able to
adjust.
<See above>
Should I continue to move the anemone towards light, or just leave
it?
<Leave it alone>
Should I but it a pair of clowns? What should I do?
<Clownfish are not beneficial to anemones, at least not in
captivity, they would only stress it further. For now, just
leave it alone, and let it move to where it wants>
Jason
<M. Maddox>
- BTA Problems, Follow-up - Hi, I
really do appreciate your time and I will cease emailing as it seems
the replies I get insinuate that I do no research. <If that's
how you took it, then that was unintended and I apologize. There are no
"experts" here, only folks with the urge to help and share
their knowledge. Additionally, we get 100's of emails each day
asking similar questions so we often refer folks back to previous
responses in an effort to not have to type out repetitive volumes of
information when it is already archived for all to see. If you've
read it all already, then we appreciate your diligence.> I DID read
through all the BTA facts and nothing described there fit what I was
seeing, and for the love of my pet, I emailed you for help, not
criticism on my lack of supposed NON-RESEARCH. <I don't believe
I criticized you for anything... only suggested some additional
reading.> I see replies from you all from 10 different emails
stating the same thing, and you post them all, and it is on SIMPLE
things, not the complex organism that is a BTA. <I can only
apologize so much.> Anyhow, to update you, an hour after I wrote
this my Rose BTA was fine! <Glad to hear.> I think you were
right, just expelling mucus. But, I have one more question
about star polyps and I will not bother you all again. I saw
a lovely Aiptasia on the rock that was sold to me with the polyps on
it! I was horrified as I did NOT see it at the
LFS. Anyhow, after reading the nightmares of this little
evil creature and the hardness of getting rid of it. I just decided to
take the rock out of the water and took a screwdriver and hammered the
sucker off. It was near the edge, so there were a few polyps
that came off with it, I figured like war, for the better of the
majority, a few deaths were acceptable! <I suppose... if you approve
of war... am not a fan of the axiom that you have to break a few eggs
to make an omelet. Life is not an omelet, and the day that one of those
eggs is a member of ones family, then omelets are not longer
appetizing. Back to the Aiptasia - could have been killed without such
extreme measures - am a big fan of Joe's Juice which is a very
effective spot-treatment against Aiptasia while being safe for other
life in your tank.> Anyhow, I took the few "tubes" of the
polyps that came off (they are just encrusted on top of the rock) and I
put those back in the tank. Now it has been 2 days and none
of the polyps have come out, either on the larger rock or the ones that
slid off the rock when I executed the Aiptasia. Will they be
okay, or did I just flush $29 down the toilet? <They're actually
pretty tough and will likely come back, although they may settle down
somewhere else.> Plus, I heard you can super-glue frags in places.
<Yes, although I've not had much luck with super glue myself...
is suppose to work on polyps. You need the gel-type to get the best
adhesion.> Is that the parts that are on the rock still, or the ones
that slid off? <Either.> Thanks!
<Cheers, J -- >
BTA Not Doin' so Hot Good
morning!
<Good evening, Kim>
Thanks Salty Dog for your quick response yesterday.
<You're welcome>
I asked about my sickly BTA's chances for survival (lost color and
most tentacles seem retracted or gone). I have a better view of the
anemone today as it has moved during the night (5 gal. water change
last night). It has attached to another rock, open fully, and its mouth
looks to be in good health. Many of the anemone's tentacles seem to
be gone or severely shortened. It also seems to have begun to split on
one side (but not to central disc yet) maybe. Is this possible? Will
the anemone's tentacles begin to grow back? Should I give it a
while longer before I remove it? Thank you for your time.
<Kim, do what you are doing and, do not feed the anemone. I'd
say you have a 50/50 chance. James (Salty Dog)>
Re: BTA
James, <Kim>
I hate to inform you that I got nervous and flushed my poor anemone.
<Probably was the best thing to do.> It seemed to look a little
worse today and was attempting to move under a piece of rock; your
earlier advise to remove it then began to hit me. I really
did not want to risk the entire tank and I figured that I was beating a
dead horse. I am a bit regretful now but I will perhaps try
again in the future with a larger, more appropriate tank. Oh
well...I guess now I can think about making my 30 gal. hex a mini reef
(hopefully I will be more successful). Should I take
"bio bale" out of Bak Pak for a reef (I've heard of doing
this before)? <Only if you have plenty of live rock
(35-45 pounds). Anyway, thank you so much for your help; it
was appreciated. Have a great evening. <You're
welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Kim
Anemone Husbandry... Hello
<Hi there! Scott F. with you today!>
I have 2 questions. First, I bought a Rose Anemone for my Goldstripe
Maroon Clownfish. My Goldstripe is a 2 inch female and I got a 6 inch
Rose Anemone. The clown loved it, but then it kept going in and pushing
the rose around. The clown killed it.
<Hmm...to be honest with you, I think that it is unlikely that the
clownfish killed the anemone. Rather, I'd bet that some sort of
environmental factor stressed the anemone and led to its untimely
demise.>
Do I need a bigger anemone?
<No. You need to provide optimum conditions for anemones in order
for them to thrive. That's really the key.>
And I have it in a 10 gallon nano reef. Do I need a bigger tank?
<Well, I'll say an unqualified "YES!". You need to
provide environmental stability, and enough water volume to dilute
metabolic waste and area for the animal to grow. A 10 gallon tank
simply will not provide this. Not to mention the fact that you need
very intense lighting, which, in a small tank, can create major heat
issues. All in all, you need a larger tank to really do the job,
IMO.>
Is there any way I can keep it in the 10 gallon?
<I would advise against it, for the very reasons cited
above.>
I have a Rena XP3 filter. Thanks from Todd Encino California
<Well, Todd- I certainly don't want to discourage you from
keeping marine animals, but I do urge restraint and caution when
attempting to keep them in tanks of the size you mention. In the long
run, it's so much easier-and more beneficial for your animals- to
keep them in a larger system. Do your homework, then set up a tank to
meet their special needs. You can do it! Good luck! Regards, Scott
F.>
Bubble Tip Anemone Hi WWM guru's. I have a question about
my green BTA. I have a 46 gallon bow front, with 50 #s of LR, good
coralline growth, a 4 inch sand substrate bed with 2 sand sifting stars
and misc cleaning crew, a healthy finger coral, a healthy open brain,
healthy fire coral, xenia polyps and a 2" Derasa clam. I
have a neon Dottyback, a small 6 line wrasse, a (new) 2" maroon
Clown and a 3 " short fin lionfish. The water parameters are
salinity 1.023, PH 8.2, temp 79, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, calcium 400, nitrate 10.
I bought the BTA a month ago or a bit longer with its tomato clown. I
set the BTA in a rock near the bottom front of the tank and for a week
the BTA expanded to an unbelievable size and the tomato clown was doing his
thing also. The clown, unfortunately, died the following week (cause
unknown). The BTA started to wander and after about a week finally settled under a
rock ledge backside of the tank where I do not think it gets the best
light, but it attached and has been there ever since. So, that is when I bought
the new clown. Well, the BTA improved and the clown took to it right
away. Now, I
noticed the BTA is not expanding anywhere like it did in the beginning
and it does not seem to show all its tentacles and looks, well,
pathetic. The clown still lives there and seems happy.
I feed it weekly and I do notice other foods that I feed the
fish (brine, blood worms, small krill chunks also float by that area as
does phytoplankton.
After this long winded explanation, what do you think is up with my
BTA?
Thanks for the great site! <Rob, you don't mention the lighting
you are using. I am assuming that with the clam, you did
your homework on lighting required. Ten percent weekly water
changes are certainly a big help in maintaining water
quality. Most invertebrates do better with a higher salinity
(1.025). You might try raising it to that level slowly
during the next two weeks. A strontium/molybdenum addition
helps also. Good luck. James (Salty Dog)> Rob
- Anemone Losing Tentacles - Hello and thank you in advance for
your assistance.
I have what was sold to me as a captive bred rose
anemone. It is housed in my 110 gallon reef tank
that is lit with two (2) 250 watt 10,000 k halides and two
(2) 55 watt pc actinics. I have had the animal for
over one (1) year and it seems to be thriving. It
has quadrupled it's size, hosts a pair of true percula's that spawn ever 4-5 weeks like clockwork, and
has never wandered. Part of my daily routine
involving my tank, is to spend 5 minutes or so observing it
after the lights have gone out. Tonight when
I checked on my tank, I noticed two of the anemone's
tentacles no longer attached to the anemone. One
was on the substrate and the other on a piece of live rock
on the opposite side of the tank. The anemone itself
still seems healthy and no different than any other
night. Have you ever heard of this happening and
should I be concerned. <I've not heard of this before... and
I'm hoping that perhaps the reduced light is causing you to
misidentify perhaps a worm as a loose tentacle. Is just a guess really,
but the alternative seems too odd to be true.> I truly hope this is
not the beginning of the end. <Me as well... could also be it's
getting ready to split - in half, make two of itself.> Thank you for
any answers you may have, and if it would help, I can take
and attach photographs for your review. <If you prefer... just
don't make them too large.> Thank you for again for your
anticipated assistance.
Michael J.
<Cheers, J -- >
Re: anemone losing
tentacles So this morning and throughout today, the anemone
looked fine. It fully inflated and ate it's Sunday brunch of
scallop. Seeing it in full light, it definitely lost two (2) tentacles.
The flaccid tentacles were lying on the substrate (which I just
realized I ought to have removed from the tank) and the spots where
they were lost on the anemone were identifiable but seem to have
"healed." After I sent you guys my nervous E-mail last night
I scoured the web for some reference to this type of occurrence but
found nothing, nor was there any reference in any of the books I
have.
<Is strange>
I hate not knowing what this is, especially if there is something I
could or should be doing to help. If you have any further thoughts
please let me know. Thanks again! Michael S. Jacobs
<Anemones can anastomize (toss off, sort of like some lizard's
tails) tentacles that are damaged... Bob Fenner>
Shriveling and ballooning Bubble Anemone in a
tiny tank Hi there--
<Howdy>
I've been in the fishkeeping hobby for about 15 years, and finally
jumped into salt a year ago. I now have a 20 gallon tank with about 20
lbs of live rock, a cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp, and camel shrimp, a
black/white damsel, and a blue damsel. I also have a bit of pumping
xenia, star polyps, and green mushrooms. Recently, I acquired a rose
bubble anemone from a pet store. it had just recently divided, and
seemed to be healthy (albeit ratty-looking). It's been in the tank
for about 2 days now, and just keeps shifting shapes. It moved about 6
inches, and is now at mid-tank height. It goes from a loose, spread-out
look to being almost folded on itself, but most recently has been
looking terrifyingly desiccated. It shrivels down to almost nothing,
and the bubbles deflate into little raisins. I called the pet store and
asked for some advice, and I have turned off my powerheads (already
done), but also turned off the 10,000k daylight because I was told it
might be irritating it. (I also have a 50/50 light on the
aquarium--65watt actinic, 65 watt daylight). It's been about 2
hours since I turned off the light and the bubbles have re-inflated and
the anemone looks fuller and less death-like, but is still sloppy
looking, and I worry if it's being stressed by something.
<It is... from just being moved... being in a very small, variable
system (due to volume)... though this is about the best of large
anemone species for aquarium use, AND it's great to have a cultured
individual to start with... Most all the behavior you so well describe
is to be expected... but these animals are exceedingly hard to keep in
little tanks... as you will learn>
I fed the tank with Marine Snow the other day, but I don't know if
I should be feeding the anemone shrimp right now or not...
<This product... is a sham... it's the "Emperor's new
fish food"... of exceedingly little to no nutritive value>
any information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, because I
really don't know what I should do! Thanks for the help--you guys
are really great.
<I do: read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm
scroll down to the area re Anemones... go over their systems,
feeding... Bob Fenner>>
My water composition is pretty good too-- 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrite,
10ppm nitrate, specific gravity of 1.021, pH of about 8.2.
Thanks! Bryan R
Illin' BTA
Hi;
I just got home to find my Rose BTA lying facedown in the
sand.<Normal, I've been like that at some beach parties.>
It's tips are Rosy but flaccid and the tips are gray. I can see the
mouth quite clearly. The water is fine, and I have a 250 MH running
with 120 watts of Fluorescents, 60 of which are actinic. <Dan, your
lighting seems quite adequate unless you've got a huge tank. I
would place it in the quarantine tank just to avoid it dying in your
tank and really making a mess of things. There is not much you can do
to cure an anemone. Most people don't keep them alive more than two
years. Did you feed it weekly? They don't require much since they
do manufacture most of their food themselves. Here is a link on what a
healthy BTA should look like. http://www.wamas.org/photos123/showphoto.php/photo/342
. And, here is another link worthy of reading from the wetwebmedia.>
www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
Any suggestions? Should I remove it to a QT? <Do as outlined above.
Good luck Dan. James (Salty Dog)>
Many thanks, Dan
Bleached Rose <Hello, Ryan with you>
Hi, I just bought a bleached out Rose that I am attempting to bring
back to health. Anyway, I have some questions--if you don't mind:
<No problem>
1. What can I do to help it recover? Any reef supplements? Right now I
am just hand feeding it. <Lots of water changes, high water
quality. I would feed Cyclops-eeze, clams, shrimp, formula
1.>
2. I saw one a FAW re: propagation that you have a slide show that
demonstrates how to properly propagate BTA's, is there any chance I
can have it emailed to me? <I don't have the access to that
file...sorry.>
3. I placed my Rose BTA in the tank, and immediately my Maroon Goldbar
Clown took to him. Would it be imperative that I remove the clownfish,
or is it OK as long as the anemone is "opening-up". <This
can be overly stressful to the animal, and is not
recommended. I would actually remove the anemone to a
quarantine, as it sounds like it may or may not make it. Not
worth the chance of melting down in your system in my opinion.>
4. The "open-mouth" look of an unhealthy anemone; is that the
result of it being "hungry"?
<It's probably expelling it's symbiotic algae, thus
resulting in the "bleached" look. If it's
eating the food you give it, that's a good sign. Good
luck, Ryan>
Thanks very much! I really love the site, there are tons and tons of
useful information in the FAQ. I've found a new favorite reef site
:) <Enjoy, learn lots!>
Travis
-Bleaching BTA's- Hi all, <Hellooo, Kevin here>
I have a major problem. My 1 big rose BTA has split into 3 BTAs
<Sweet!> and they are getting bleached in my 60 litre tank.
<Not so sweet> They can't feed well because of the torn up
mouths but has healed up quite nicely over the few weeks. 2 of them has
moved into the top my tank into a dark corner and 1 has settled nicely
onto a rock with partial lighting. How do I feed them? <I suppose
you'll have to wait until their mouths have healed enough to handle
food.> Will DT's live phyto plankton help? <Not directly, but
it will help other critters in the tank which could be eaten by the
anemone.> they can't eat the Mysis shrimps that I have because
their stingers don't work and their mouths are still not quite up
to swallowing. Only their tips are a faint pink with most parts of
their tentacles being whitish green....Not a good sign I suppose.
<Not very good at all, but in a healthy tank they should recover.
I'm sure tearing yourself into three parts is quite stressful, and
I'm sure I would bleach as well should that happen to me!> Is
there anything I can do to restore their colour to the rich rose and
also, is there a way to feed them? <You can't force feed them,
so you'll just have to keep trying every couple of days until they
start taking food again.> Will strong lighting help? <No, not if
they're bleached, they won't be able to handle large amounts of
light. Given some time, if the tank is in otherwise good shape, I would
suspect that the anemones will begin feeding once again and regain
their zoo., Good luck! -Kevin>
Cheers,
Ben Chua (Singapore)
-Bleached BTA clones- Hi Kevin.. Thanks for the
information. I shorten the lighting time to about 8 hrs a day ... <I
would keep the photoperiod the same, no use getting all the other
critters out of their usual day-night cycle.> However I think I am
jeopardizing my clams but I think those clams should be all right for
awhile. <I'm sure nothing negative will happen to your clams,
but I'm sure the sun rising and setting at strange times is rather
upsetting to them at first :) > Just another few questions. I think
they healed up pretty well but they are still bleached. I managed to
feed them mashed up prawns and they seem to be really hungry. However,
roughly just how long will they be able to regain their zooxanthellae
and be a normal rose BTA again? <Time will tell, no definitive
answer here. I'm sure they'll be fine in the interim. Just keep
on feeding!> They have been like this for about nearly a month
now... Do you need pictures to see how badly they are bleached?
<Would be interesting, but regardless they should (keyword: should)
regain their proper coloration and symbiotic buddies in due time.
BTA's are as hardy as they come, just be patient. Let us know what
happens! -Kevin>
Banged-Up BTA? (Anemone With Whitish Streaks) Greetings
Crew!
<Hi there! Scott F. with you today!>
First let me start by saying how much I enjoy the new Conscientious
Aquarist Online Magazine. A great addition to an already
incredible site!
<Glad to hear that you like it! Adam and I really want to make it
better and better. This is just the beginning! We're lucky to have
some great people here to help us make it all happen! Look for next
issue in July, and monthly starting next year!>
Now for my question. I just got a rose BTA for my
minireef. I have been on the lookout for a BTA for quite a
while and just none came around that looked truly healthy for
me....until this one. I fell in love with it as soon as I
saw it! I examined it closely in the store and being
satisfied, brought it home. It immediately wandered in my
tank for a day and has been in the same spot for several days and
looking happy.
<A good sign>
I noticed several white streaks around it's "mouth"
(don't know what it should be called)
<yeah- "mouth" is just fine!>
that I did not notice when I bought it. They have not
changed in the last few days and it is still in the same spot,
looking
good and readily eating the small tidbits of food that I feed
it. I know that white on most any anemone is bad and I am
concerned. Attached is a pic. Is this anything to
worry about or is just the natural coloration of this
specimen?
<Well, to me- this specimen looks otherwise healthy. If you are not
noticing necrotic areas, or obvious physical traumas to the animal,
then you are probably okay. Sometimes these streaks are simply areas
where the animal came into contact with something in the immediate
environment (i.e.; a rock, etc.), and are analogous to a scar on a
human. it may simply be coloration, too. Do keep an eye on the animal.
However, if it appears otherwise healthy, reacts to stimuli, and feeds
regularly, I wouldn't be overly concerned.>
Thanks again for all your help and keep up the incredible
work. You guys (and gals) don't get nearly enough credit
for all your hard work. Ray
<Ya know what, Ray? just knowing that we're helping others enjoy
the hobby that we all love so much is pretty darn cool! keep sharing
with others and growing in the hobby yourself! Good luck! Regards,
Scott F>
Bubble Tip Anemone Question I just inherited a tank which
contained a BTA. We have had the tank for about a month and
I have noticed the BTA has changed colors and has started to shrivel
up. He just does not look good. Can you tell me
if something is wrong and what do I need to do? Thanks
<Hi, since you haven't told me anything about your system, all I
can do to help is refer you to an article about these
animals. Please read over the FAQ's for an understanding
of how this system works. Thanks! Ryan>
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/e_quadfaq1.htm
BTA happiness with
light My bubble tip anemone used to puff up rather large
on a regular basis, now it is mostly hanging down and
stringy. It used to get this mostly when the
lights were out but not as often as now. Most of the time it
is small and stringy. There is also a stingy thin hair like
film coming from it or getting caught
on it. I thought it was dead, but it puffed up and I fed it
(which I do 3 times a week).
It hasn't moved, well just about an inch to the left, but has been
happy.
50 gallon bow, 70# live rock, aqua c remora, canister
filter. 192 watt PC Coralife light.
I think is enough light!?! <<Hmmm, doesn't sound like much
light to me. I would be like to see more, or at least the
anemone near the top. >>
Now, I feed it Mysis shrimp or krill, chopped up fine.
Water : 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, low to zero nitrates.
Fighting to keep phosphates low, but with water changes, keeping it
low.
Alkalinity is high, around 20dKH << Wow, how did you manage
that? Most people struggle with low dKH. I would
think that could definitely be a problem. What is the pH?
>> which in turn is keeping calcium around 200 good water
flow.
what else, I don't know, is it just been very sleepy lately.
Need anymore info?
I have a maroon clown loving it.
mark
<< Adam B. >>
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