BTA tentacle issue

michael.lennon · Jan 9, 2022

Good morning,

you guys are always a wealth of information so hoping you can help me out. My BTA only has tentacles on one side of its body. It’s about 1 year old and some days looks better than others. Have fed shrimp and is active in feeding but have left it alone for about two weeks. Doesn’t get any bigger regardless of what I do. I have a carpet and LTA that both thrive but the BTA always looks pathetic. Sorry for the blue pictures. Using water box 130.4 with two hydra 32.all parameters are fine. Thanks for any insight.

Rtaylor · Jan 9, 2022

Turn off the blues, can’t really see anything. Are you saying its missing tentacles on half of its body? Like from an injury?

michael.lennon · Jan 9, 2022

Rtaylor said:
Turn off the blues, can’t really see anything. Are you saying its missing tentacles on half of its body? Like from an injury?

It’s not injured. But yes tentacles on half of its body. I’ll take new pictures and post soon.

michael.lennon · Jan 9, 2022

Rtaylor said:
Turn off the blues, can’t really see anything. Are you saying its missing tentacles on half of its body? Like from an injury?

Rtaylor · Jan 9, 2022

They extend tentacles differently based on light & flow. From what I can see it has tentacles, they are just retracted. As long as it continues to look healthy otherwise it’s nothing to worry about.

Dom · Jan 9, 2022

Did you just get that Nem?

It looks to me like it was part of another Nem that just split. It looks like the piece that split off.

michael.lennon · Jan 9, 2022

Dom said:
Did you just get that Nem?

It looks to me like it was part of another Nem that just split. It looks like the piece that split off.

I’ve had it for about 10 months. It’s done this before but not to this extent. They say BTA are the easiest to grow but I have had miserable success with these things. (Had two before) Most have committed suicide through intakes or power heads.

michael.lennon · Jan 9, 2022

Rtaylor said:
They extend tentacles differently based on light & flow. From what I can see it has tentacles, they are just retracted. As long as it continues to look healthy otherwise it’s nothing to worry about.

Ok thank you.

Jekyl · Jan 9, 2022

michael.lennon said:
I’ve had it for about 10 months. It’s done this before but not to this extent. They say BTA are the easiest to grow but I have had miserable success with these things. (Had two before) Most have committed suicide through intakes or power heads.

List of parameters and lighting used? My nems grow like crazy

michael.lennon · Jan 9, 2022

Jekyl said:
List of parameters and lighting used? My nems grow like crazy

0 Nitrate
0.5 phosphate. (Running GFO,carbon, bio pellets)
1.026 Salinity
78% F Temp
490 Calcium
7.8 dkh Alkalinity
8.3 ph
Using 2 hydra 32 and running an AI programming for mixed reef. Peak period 10-5 with a 3 hour ramp up/down

michael.lennon · Jan 9, 2022

michael.lennon said:
0 Nitrate
0.5 phosphate. (Running GFO,carbon, bio pellets)
1.026 Salinity
78% F Temp
490 Calcium
7.8 dkh Alkalinity
8.3 ph
Using 2 hydra 32 and running an AI programming for mixed reef. Peak period 10-5 with a 3 hour ramp up/down

Carpet and LTA seem to be doing good.

Jekyl · Jan 9, 2022

I'd say the 0 nitrate is the problem.

vetteguy53081 · Jan 9, 2022

Location plays a vital role for them as does water flow and light and my guess is lighting is inadequate and you have just a tad too much flow on the side that has the least tentacle showing.
They need light to produce the zooxanthellae that provides them both color and energy.

Dom · Jan 9, 2022

michael.lennon said:
I’ve had it for about 10 months. It’s done this before but not to this extent. They say BTA are the easiest to grow but I have had miserable success with these things. (Had two before) Most have committed suicide through intakes or power heads.

Nems will move around the tank until they find light and flow conditions that they like. If they continually move about, and never settle into a spot, its likely that they were unable to find suitable conditions.

In my view, when this happens, it is related to water quality.

Generally, you parameters look good, although, your ALK is a bit lower than I keep mine (my latest test has my ALK at 8.5).

It is my experience that the look of your Nem is consistent with low ALK.

How old are your posted parameters?

michael.lennon · Jan 9, 2022

Dom said:
Nems will move around the tank until they find light and flow conditions that they like. If they continually move about, and never settle into a spot, its likely that they were unable to find suitable conditions.

In my view, when this happens, it is related to water quality.

Generally, you parameters look good, although, your ALK is a bit lower than I keep mine (my latest test has my ALK at 8.5).

It is my experience that the look of your Nem is consistent with low ALK.

How old are your posted parameters?

Thank you. I’ll raise that. I have focused on calcium for corals but didn’t think about alk!

reefiniteasy · Jan 9, 2022

Alk is fine. I keep my tank at 7.9dKH and here are my nems. Your other anemones are fine so don’t go chasing parameters because one isn’t happy. Remember, he can move if he wants to. I don’t have answers for you, but I don’t think Alk is the problem.

Could be a nitrate and phosphate issue but not sure.

michael.lennon · Jan 9, 2022

reefiniteasy said:
Alk is fine. I keep my tank at 7.9dKH and here are my nems. Your other anemones are fine so don’t go chasing parameters because one isn’t happy. Remember, he can move if he wants to. I don’t have answers for you, but I don’t think Alk is the problem.

Could be a nitrate and phosphate issue but not sure.

Those look great! Thanks for the advice. What do you recommend for phosphate and nitrate? I’ll do a larger water change in the next few days so might improve the quality a little.

reefiniteasy · Jan 9, 2022

michael.lennon said:
Those look great! Thanks for the advice. What do you recommend for phosphate and nitrate? I’ll do a larger water change in the next few days so might improve the quality a little.

Just a regular water change before you go changing things. 0 nitrate would worry me, but your other stuff is fine. Phosphate seems high but again your other stuff is fine. Just a normal water change. Can’t make a ton of changes for one unhappy coral/nem. The side with the no tentacles looks like when I got my black widow. That was the side it split from.

Jekyl · Jan 9, 2022

@Eagle_Steve any of these nems have issues with warfare? Anything else to add?

Eagle_Steve · Jan 10, 2022

Jekyl said:
@Eagle_Steve any of these nems have issues with warfare? Anything else to add?

I only have issues when mixing wild and long term captive bta. nitrate worries me for healing whatever happened. Iwill say, if the nem did roll across the carpet, that will melt tents. If that happened, it should heal. Will need easily available nutrients to do so though. Being as po4 is ok and available, nitrate needs to come up. Either by cutting skimming some or by dosing sodium nitrate. I would start with reducing the time the skimmer is on first. Just want it detectable and feed more doesn’t fit as po4 is already available.