GBTA and lighting questions

[Octoman]

Actually, two questions. Fred (my GBTA) has not been looking so happy since Saturday. He's been about halfway deflated a lot of the time, and one side of him is a different color than the other side. But, at least once a day he looks almost fully inflated for a while. Water parameters are fine (listed below). Saturday, I did the usual water change. I put a new GBTA puree protection unit on my powerhead so the powerhead wouldn't slow down as much (the old protection sponge was clogging it so bad, it actually ran backwards...), so there is a little bit of increased flow around him but there is not any direct flow coming towards him. I also chopped a ric up into 4 pieces and its sitting in a cup in the tank now. All of the other tank inhabitants look very happy right now (except the ric...).

- Would the slight change in circulation make him that mad?
- Could the fragged ric be releasing something? (I added new carbon just in case)
- Could he be splitting? I have been feeding him pretty regularly, although I haven't fed him since he started looking bad.
- Any other ideas?

water params...
salinity 34ppt
alk 3.89meq/L
Ca 395ppm
pH 8.13
T 25.6C
I 0.05mg/L
NH4, NO2 - 0
NO3 - <10 (more like 0, but the test is hard to read)

Question 2 - Should I add a light bulb? I have 3 48" T5s with individual polished reflectors (it's a standard 55g). I could fit one more on, but I don't want to overdo it. The GBTA has been sitting happily at the bottom since I put him in (1.5 mos ago). If he wanted more light, would he have climbed up higher? Could adding another bulb be too much? I would add the light very slowly of course, an additional hour every few days.


Here's a photo of Fred, you can see the different coloration on the right side where he's a bit darker.

 

[BoomerD]

Fred looks like he's splitting into 2...Fred & Barney?

No, another bulb would NOT be too much. The anemone would most likely love it.

AS for the powerheads...you don't say what kind they are, but I could usually mod almost anything to make one of these work:

The larger one is just a standard Hagen Quick filter (available almost anywhere) without the filter insert. (big nitrate factories) and the smaller one is also a Hagen Quick Filter, but not as easy to find.
I used them on Maxi-Jets all the time with a bit of adaption:

As well as Rio's, Mag 5's and 7's, etc.

 

[Octoman]

Thanks boomerd. Maybe I will have a Barney soon. I really like the quick filter idea (I've got MJs), I've just got to figure out where I can get some. For now, I've got filter foam wrapped around the intakes, that seems to work fine as long as I keep them cleaned out.

The light is ordered and on the way...

 

[lcstorc]

I would get another bulb if you can. I don't think you can have too much light for an anemone.

 

[Octoman]

Thanks Lynn, I have another 54w T5 on the way and I'll soon have a total of 4 on the tank.

This morning Fred was looking much better, but today when I came home, he was very deflated and he's moved to the other side of the rock. I can't tell if he's stretching his foot to rip himself in half or not. I moved the toadstool leather that was next to him in case he moves some more. Still no reactions from any other corals, but the CBS is acting a little crazy. I guess all I can do right now is watch and wait...

 

[rmlevasseur]

beautiful nem. I'm rooting for ya both, be he does look ill to me

 

[burning2nd]

here was mine under t5's

 

[Octoman]

Thanks for the support rm! Nice looking nem b2!

This morning Fred was nice and full and happy looking again (before the lights came on). Now, with the lights on he's still pouting a bit, but looking better. Maybe he didn't like the new circulation pattern when I put a new filter on the powerhead. He moved to the other side of the rock, and now maybe he's getting settled in again. I'm not going to complain if he wants to sit on the front of the rock instead of behind it...

My pH (and alk) was a little low today - (pH7.8 and alk 2.9), so that might have been adding to the stress. I think I forgot to add Kalk to my Kalk water before I let it sit (I remember thinking it was strange how everything had dissolved :smack and I've had just DI in the top-off for a week. The pH I reported in the first post was from a week ago.


This morning in the dark...

This evening in the light...

 

[Octoman]

Well, Fred is looking like he's back to his old self, just in a new spot. Thanks again for the help and support everyone!

 

[Octoman]

Update...

Fred is not looking too good again. Shortly after the last update moved on around to the front side of the rock and would open for about 12 hours and shrink for about 12, and now he spent the last 24 hours shrunk up and hiding. His foot is still attached, his mouth doesn't seem to be gaping, and he doesn't seem to be deteriorating at all.

Water tests are good today:
pH 8.3 Alk 10.2
T - 78.2
Ca - 400
Salinity - 33ppt, 1.025
NO3 - 0.2
I - 0.05

I put my new light on, only runs a couple hours a day right now.

I'm at my wits end, is there any thing else I can do for fred other than wait? I tried to feed a couple times, but he wasn't interested so I didn't force it. Should I be trying to feed more? He doesn't seem to be expelling any zooxanthellae.

Another concern I've had is the silversides I was feeding him. I've never bought them before and they seem to be exceptionally stinky (I've smelled some stinky fish before, these smell much worse). Could rotten silversides have caused this kind of reaction? I fed them to my Rock nem too with no problems, but now I've quit feeding these.

 

[burning2nd]

if he bleaches that means he droped the zoo's and will need to be fed.... you said you tried to feed him? is it sticky? does he take it, then release it? if so he might not like what your feeding.

you should NOT be moveing it touchin it.. moveing anything other then whats in his way to be killed... (other coarls)

they do go bad..... should smell like a fishing peir.

i would get your lighting going normal and wait...

if you have good lighting and its not bleached it will live with out feeding

 

[Octoman]

Thanks B2,

He doesn't stick to the food when I try to feed him now. Before he would swallow the silversides right up. I do think they were bad, they are in the trash and long gone. He's not bleached at all yet, still very green.

I haven't tried to move him - When I got him in December, I dropped him on a rock and the rest was up to him. He settled in to one spot for a month and looked great. He didn't start this until a couple weeks ago. Now that he's moving around, I just move everyone else accordingly depending on where he wants to go.

 

[Octoman]

Final update- At 9:52 AM I removed Fred from the tank. Over a period of about 30 min he started to dissolve. I saw his "noodles" coming out and he was no longer attached to the rock. I did get all of him removed before he could foul the tank. Unfortunately, I guess I will never know what did him in. I hate losing anything in my tank

This is a lesson learned for me. There will not be a Fred V2. I won't ever put a BTA in my reef again. I realized that if he had dissolved during the night, I probably would have lost everything. Plus the stress of watching where he moved and worrying about the other corals was too much for things to be enjoyable. I may try another BTA one day down the road, but that won't be in this tank, I would set up a tank just for the nem.

Thanks for the support and advice everyone, maybe someone else can learn something from my experience.

 

[BarbMazz]

:cry1: Mark, so sorry to learn about Fred. I've been watching and reading about everything anemone, and hoping that one day I would be able to keep one.

Thank goodness you were able to get him out in time.

 

[tbittner]

So sorry to hear about Fred. It is very fortunate that you got him pulled out before he fouled the tank though. Run lots of carbon for a few days just to be on the safe side. A 25% WC is probably in order too.