bta help

[bjledbetter]

I got a new green and red bta last night and when i put him in the tank it attached to the rock and started to take a stroll. Well its stopped on the bottom of the tank in the middle of the cave i built in the live rock for the fish to hide, There is almost no light getting in there at all and i cant feed it where it is. Should I try to dig it out and make it move or just leave it alone and let it do its thing?

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Definitely leave it alone. It will move out on it's on when it is ready.

 

[halcyonism]

It took almost a month for my BTA to settle in a spot, just give it time and wait it out.

 

[bjledbetter]

Im just afraid that with no light and no way to feed it , it would die if it stayed there long. I have read of some that wouldnt move even tho they were starving and eventually died. Ill leave him alone for a few days and use the flashlight to keep a eye on it if it starts looking bad ill use flow from a power head to coax it to move. I hope he moves out on his own hes really nice looking and my clown liked it for the 20 mins before it went in the cave and i also have a mad coral banded shrimp bc hes been booted from his cave. Just another courious question ive also heard that some bta's change colors and patterns after there bought and stressed any truth to this?

 

[Trex]

What type of lights was it under?
What lights do you have? (( and what size tank ))
Did you acclimate it to your lights?

 

[bjledbetter]

It was under 250w 20k MH and actinic and its under 250w 15k MH and actinic now in a 90 gallon tank. I put it in at night when only the actinic were on and they soon shut off to only the moon light leds. Ive never saw it under the halides in the tank lol its never come out of the cave. Its still there today when the actinics come on

 

[Trex]

I would put 2 layers of window screening b/t the tank and the lights -- just to make sure, the 15,000K bulb should be putting out more PAR -- and remove a layer
every 5-7 days.
You can use egg crate to support the window screening.

Also, what are your current water parameters -- with numbers please.

This is what the window screening looks like -- your existing corals will be fine -- right side of the tank was being screened for a new S. haddoni.

 

[bjledbetter]

Everything checked fine saturday when i took it and had it tested. As a college student i cant really afford all the test kits so I take it to a local reefer and he tests it for me twice a week free. Nitrates and nitrite was 0. Alk i dont remember. PH was 8.5. Calcium was 460 something.

 

[bjledbetter]

The local reefer is the one who helped me set up the tank a little over two years ago. He is also where the bta come fro

 

[Trex]

Do you at least know the salinity/SG?

 

[bjledbetter]

Yea i have a hydrometer. Its 1.024

 

[bjledbetter]

Well I come home from class tonight to find that he had come out of the cave. I promptly fed it a piece of freeze dried krill which it gladly took and broadcast fed some live baby brine to the whole tank. So far tonight its not moved from where it was when I got home. I did move a sps though to make sure if he went for another stroll he didnt come in contact with it.

 

[REEFKEEPER10]

Your ph seems a little high but I think it just needed to adjust to the tank. If you keep up the parameters it should be fine. With that much light you probably don't have to feed it but I think it just depend on the nem because mine is happier with a silverside every week or two.

 

[bjledbetter]

Well this morning itss back in the rocks again, the joys of having a nem.

 

[halcyonism]

Well this morning itss back in the rocks again, the joys of having a nem.

Sounds pretty normal to me. My RBTA is about 12" when fully opened and it can retract so far back into the rocks at night that I cannot see it.

And if I were you, I would not feed it until it is in a better location. Feeding it while it is in a location that you do not see as desirable will encourage it to not move.

Just give it time, they can be finicky creatures.

 

[bjledbetter]

He had actually come out where i wanted it but when i turned the lights down to the moon lights it moved the whole thing back into the rocks. but it did come back out this morning. Now its really mad because I rearranged the tank to add some more corals

 

[bjledbetter]

Ok this thing is driving me nuts. It has moved all over the tank mostly hiding in the back of the rocks. It will come out at night and move on top of the rock and as soon as i turn the actinics on it goes straight back down into hiding all day till all lights are off again. This morning it was out and looking good but was right on top of my condy nem. As soon as the lights were on it wnrt back into the rocks, i noticed its not looking to well tonight its been deflated most of the day. Anything I can do to try and get it to settle and back healthy? My water test fine so I know its not the problem
SG--1.023
Nitrite/Nitrates---0
Ammonia (sp)---0
PH---8.2
calcuim--- 440
alk--Dont remember exact number