BTA's not doing good at all!

Todd Kellley · Aug 12, 2019

So going to try and post some pics. Have not done this here before and may need to do so through the mobile app but basically I have a large Green BTA and a small RBTA. @ months ago both were doing great. I had an outbreak of cyno and depleted that. Water parameters are all good. Tested over and over with 2 different well known kits. Cyno has started to come back but very spotty. Lights have been changed for the better but that has been two weeks ago with adjustments to allow them to acclimate. About the time they started going south 2 anemone crabs and a pair of clowns started hosting the GBTA which I can tell irritates it but for them both to look this way has me worried that I can not get them back to were they were over the last month.

This is what they looked like June 8th. The last two pics are what they look like as of last night, both have moved. Difference in light is a blue reefbrite I have added but they both have looked like that for a month now. Please help! If it is the cyno or maybe even dinos so I start dosing H2O2? They never looked like this with the first cyno outbreak and it was much worse. Please help before I lose them!

Todd Kellley · Aug 12, 2019

Oh and as of this morning, the little RBTA looks like it split! This pic sucks but was the best I could get while running late for work! Lights were ramping up so only one light bar was on.

Dom · Aug 14, 2019

Todd Kellley said:
Oh and as of this morning, the little RBTA looks like it split! This pic sucks but was the best I could get while running late for work! Lights were ramping up so only one light bar was on.

It does look like it may have split. In my experience, I've had nems split, but never when getting so small.

How long have you had the nem?

laverda · Aug 15, 2019

What are your water parameters? Good means nothing. Anemones need some phosphate and like nitrate to be what most consider high.

LesPoissons · Aug 16, 2019

We need your parameters. Something seems to not be going well. Also if a mem that small splits, its usually its stressed/dying and trying to save itself. Also I would move them away from each other if you can. Nems can def war that close together. Not sure thats an issue here but I would move them. Do you run carbon?

Mykawl · Aug 16, 2019

Did you say you used hydrogen peroxide for the cyano? I’ve read they don’t like that

Todd Kellley · Aug 16, 2019

Dom said:
It does look like it may have split. In my experience, I've had nems split, but never when getting so small.

How long have you had the nem?

Sorry I had another thread going and have been responding to that one. Seemed to take a few days before anyone answered this one. When I got home it was not split. Must have just been twisted in a strange direction.

Todd Kellley · Aug 16, 2019

laverda said:
What are your water parameters? Good means nothing. Anemones need some phosphate and like nitrate to be what most consider high.

Sorry have not checked this thread in a couple days. I had been using conditioned tap water up until about 6 weeks ago the switched to RO/DI I had hi phosphates before to the point I had to use a couple methods to reduce them via filter media and dosing. Now I have zero phosphates, zero nitrites and phosphates are only at 3ppm. I think I am seeing signs of Dino which may be exactly why phosphates are at 0. Alk is 8-8.5 I am wondering if its stress from changing water source or the Dino. At the advice of a local well trusted LFS store (in the community for over 50 yrs) I have started feeding them more and they are eating. I have to fight the clowns off the big one which is another issue that may be adding to its stress.

Todd Kellley · Aug 16, 2019

Maya Ybry-Yagy said:
We need your parameters. Something seems to not be going well. Also if a mem that small splits, its usually its stressed/dying and trying to save itself. Also I would move them away from each other if you can. Nems can def war that close together. Not sure thats an issue here but I would move them. Do you run carbon?

They moved away from each other on their own before I took the second pics. Luckily the RBTA was not splitting but was just twisted in a strange way. Seeing I posted my water parameters in a reply to the last post I will include them here. Phosphates 0, Nitrate 0, Nitrites 3ppm. ALK 8-8.5. I used to have very high phosphates due to using conditioned tap water, but switched to RO/DI 6 weeks ago. I am starting to see signs of Dino and am thinking that may be why all of a sudden my phosphates are ZERO! I do run carbon constantly in my canister filter. Is that a bad thing? I have had tanks, salt and fresh for 40 plus years but always fish only tanks so the nems are new to me as is what effects them. Meaning any advice I can get is gold to me and I appreciate the time you have taken to reply.

Todd Kellley · Aug 16, 2019

Mykawl said:
Did you say you used hydrogen peroxide for the cyano? I’ve read they don’t like that

No I did not, but was just curious about it. Funny when you go to the LFS and ask them about H2O2, vodka dosing and vinegar they laugh at you. I was basically told those all come about by folks looking to avoid spending the money at the LFS by finding a cheaper home remedy. In fact it forced me to get my kids chemestry books out and some of what he said may be very true and scary to know what advice is given by some folks in forums. Take hydrogen peroxide as the example. Difference between that and water is 2 oxygen molecules instead of one. So once added to water the extra oxygen is released in to the tank. So basically everyone that says it works is just adding extra O2 to their tank. Does O2 on its own kill bacteria? I guess it can. They say it cleans infections but diluted to the extent it is at 1ml per 10 gallons I am having a hard time seeing how it can really make a difference. I am no chem major though thats for sure

laverda · Aug 20, 2019

Hydrogen peroxide does release the extra oxygen molecule into the water. You can see it as small bubbles raising of a rock if you rinse it in HP. None the less is does a very good job of killing many types of algae when used this way. Try a little squirt on your cyno bacteria in the tank and you will see instant changes.

Todd Kellley · Aug 28, 2019

laverda said:
Hydrogen peroxide does release the extra oxygen molecule into the water. You can see it as small bubbles raising of a rock if you rinse it in HP. None the less is does a very good job of killing many types of algae when used this way. Try a little squirt on your cyno bacteria in the tank and you will see instant changes.

You were not kidding! It is only growing in a few small spots. Off the sand is easy to get to, but the 2 rocks it is on are on the very bottom of my reef making it a lot of work to get them out to treat them so I have wanted to avoid that as long as I can. However I noticed it on my power heads and it spread on them fast, covering all the purple algae in a day! I pulled them out one at a time, sprayed hydrogen peroxide on them and watched it disappear! They still looked like they had some sort of red hue to them but within a few days back in the tank are completely clean!

Jon Fishman · Aug 28, 2019

From my experience with mine:

Yours look a little irritated but certainly not critical or even close to death

I would NOT put any H2O2 or other things that will irritate them in the tank. Stick to lighting schedule and make sure the flow is really good but NOT aimed at them

Don’t worry about algae. They enjoy a dirty tank. Don’t feed anything directly and just keep feeding the fish good quality stuff. A dose of Reef Roids will probably get them opened up after 12 hours or so too.

good luck

Edit, NOT aimed at them

Todd Kellley · Aug 29, 2019

Jon Fishman said:
From my experience with mine:

Yours look a little irritated but certainly not critical or even close to death

I would NOT put any H2O2 or other things that will irritate them in the tank. Stick to lighting schedule and make sure the flow is really good but aimed at them

Don’t worry about algae. They enjoy a dirty tank. Don’t feed anything directly and just keep feeding the fish good quality stuff. A dose of Reef Roids will probably get them opened up after 12 hours or so too.

good luck

Thank you! Are you feeding Reef Roids to them with a baister, around them so it flows to them? Just trying to figure the best way. I have increased my water change frequency by changing 10% every 3 days instead of 20% once a week which helped as well as I started running a UV sterilizer a week ago that has also helped make them more active and start to open up more. Still not opened like they used to with bubbles but the sings of improvement or certainly there.

Jon Fishman · Aug 29, 2019

Todd Kellley said:
Thank you! Are you feeding Reef Roids to them with a baister, around them so it flows to them? Just trying to figure the best way. I have increased my water change frequency by changing 10% every 3 days instead of 20% once a week which helped as well as I started running a UV sterilizer a week ago that has also helped make them more active and start to open up more. Still not opened like they used to with bubbles but the sings of improvement or certainly there.

I don’t directly feed them anything, and now that I have a dedicated anemone tank with no other corals, the only food that goes in is a very small amount of rod’s frozen because there is one clown and one chromis in the tank.

My Anemones haven’t been directly fed in the 7 months I’ve had them, and the shop didn’t feed them either.