Help! BTA dying?!

[Cfellini91]

So I made this post a few days ago:

“I have a Bubble Tip Rose anemone that I put in my 30g tank in the beginning of October and it’s been doing great! I went on vacation a couple weeks ago and got back last Tuesday. When I returned my tank was a out of balance. My sister over fed and everything was whacky:
Last Tuesday my parameters:
Ph 7.8
Alk 10
Phosphate 1.0
Nitrate 20
Calcium 380
Magnesium <2000
Salinity 1.025
Temp 79

I did a 10 gallon water change over a three day period and have balanced everything out and since Saturday my parameters have maintained at
PH 8.4
Alk 9
Phosphate 0
Nitrate 5
Calcium 440
Magnesium 1400
Salinity 1.024
Temp 73

From last Tuesday to Friday the BTA was moving all over the tank and I could see was splitting. As of Saturday the BTA has closed up and has maintained in the same location and barely has opened.
Here are pictures from before and after My vacation”

Then yesterday I noticed it was expelling waste and today the BTA has moved locations and is not inflated and looks as if some tentacles are missing.
I found that while I was gone my Halloween hermit crab killed my two Scarlet hermit crabs. Would this cause ammonia to rise? I do not have an ammonia test kit.
Today everything maintains at

Salinity 1.024
Temp 75
pH 8.4
KH 9
Calcium 440
Mag 1400
Phosphate >.25
Nitrate 5

 

[dylana407]

If you have enough live rocks and water circulation, the bio. filtration should be able to handle of couple of dead hermits crabs.

 

[Cfellini91]

That is what I am thinking. I’m not sure what happened. I had a KH swing back a month ago and got it handled and lost my monti from STN due to it. I got back from vacation and somehow my water heater was turned up, I had high nitrates and phosphates and super high magnesium, now everything is back to normal.

 

[Amoo]

Ok, I have been following your posts for the last week now and have sat back while everybody has been telling you "oh it'll be fine, that's normal". I think you've been right to keep asking because you know something is wrong and this is not "normal". I think the 3rd picture you posted was evident of that and it has progressively gotten worse, not better. The drooping in the body, the open mouth...etc are all negative signs.

There is a sticky about Cipro in the top of this forum as well as my signature. IMO that's the way you need to go to save it.

 

[reef lover]

+1

 

[Cfellini91]

Ok, I have been following your posts for the last week now and have sat back while everybody has been telling you "oh it'll be fine, that's normal". I think you've been right to keep asking because you know something is wrong and this is not "normal". I think the 3rd picture you posted was evident of that and it has progressively gotten worse, not better. The drooping in the body, the open mouth...etc are all negative signs.

There is a sticky about Cipro in the top of this forum as well as my signature. IMO that's the way you need to go to save it.

Thank you for that.
It doesn’t seem like it’s alright whatsoever.
Now yesterday it’s tentacles were missing but nowehere to be found. Then I had a realization.

A couple months ago I had apatisa in my tank so I got 2 peppermint shrimp. They quickly devoured it and then they went straight to eating my green hammer coral. Once I spotted them eating it I banished them from the tank. The apatisa has come back so I went to the same LFS to get another peppermint. This time just one. He hides behind my zoas because he’s intimidated by the fire shrimp. Then it dawned on me, maybe this guy it eating the BTA. So I called the LFS and they were confused that peppermints would eat my hammer but said it can happen and they are all the same “batch” so it’s likely that’s what’s happening. So last night I banished this peppermint. The BTA is closed up but the tentacles are out a little bit. I’ll keep monitoring him.

 

[Captain Quint]

Thank you for that.
It doesn’t seem like it’s alright whatsoever.
Now yesterday it’s tentacles were missing but nowehere to be found. Then I had a realization.

A couple months ago I had apatisa in my tank so I got 2 peppermint shrimp. They quickly devoured it and then they went straight to eating my green hammer coral. Once I spotted them eating it I banished them from the tank. The apatisa has come back so I went to the same LFS to get another peppermint. This time just one. He hides behind my zoas because he’s intimidated by the fire shrimp. Then it dawned on me, maybe this guy it eating the BTA. So I called the LFS and they were confused that peppermints would eat my hammer but said it can happen and they are all the same “batch” so it’s likely that’s what’s happening. So last night I banished this peppermint. The BTA is closed up but the tentacles are out a little bit. I’ll keep monitoring him.

I'm sorry. Please keep us advised.

I'm pulling for you and the BTA.

 

[dylana407]

I had peppermint shrimps before. The only thing they have ever done to anemone and euphyllia is stealing food. Good luck.

 

[Cfellini91]

I had peppermint shrimps before. The only thing they have ever done to anemone and euphyllia is stealing food. Good luck.

It’s uncommon for them to eat Nems or really any corals but if they ate my hammer, I wouldn’t put it last eating my BTA. Not to mention BTA was healthy and happy, I introduced the peppermint last Friday and Saturday the BTA was moving and and Sunday it was stressed.

 

[Captain Quint]

It’s uncommon for them to eat Nems or really any corals but if they ate my hammer, I wouldn’t put it last eating my BTA. Not to mention BTA was healthy and happy, I introduced the peppermint last Friday and Saturday the BTA was moving and and Sunday it was stressed.

I do not doubt you at all. I'm wondering why the BTA did not devour the peppermint. I've seen them consume a molt off one of my scarlets before. Strange critters they are.

 

[Cfellini91]

UPDATE
I removed the peppermint and since then the BTA moved and has stayed put. He is droopy and won’t perk up, ideas?!

 

[Cfellini91]

 

[Wirat]

Im not too sure there is anything you can do at this point. I recently had a nem look similar and over the course of a week and a half or so, it went back to normal. Just keep the water conditions stable. It looks like yo uhad a pretty large temperature change from 79 to 73. Try to keep that as stable as possible as nems are pretty sensitive to temperature among other parameters. Good luck!

 

[Cfellini91]

Im not too sure there is anything you can do at this point. I recently had a nem look similar and over the course of a week and a half or so, it went back to normal. Just keep the water conditions stable. It looks like yo uhad a pretty large temperature change from 79 to 73. Try to keep that as stable as possible as nems are pretty sensitive to temperature among other parameters. Good luck!

Thank you Matthew. My fear is it dying and crashing my system and killing all my other corals and fish. Should I try feeding it or let him stay? It looks like more tentacles are gone

 

[James M]

Don’t feed it....when it dies they fall apart

 

[Cfellini91]

Don’t feed it....when it dies they fall apart

What falls apart?

 

[Wirat]

Thank you Matthew. My fear is it dying and crashing my system and killing all my other corals and fish. Should I try feeding it or let him stay? It looks like more tentacles are gone

Well a good sign is the foot is still attached so it doesnt seem like its decomposing or anything yet. I wouldnt recommend feeding as it will probably just spit it back out or not take the food in. Keep a close watch on it to see if it begins to get any worse.
Check out this vivid aquariums vid and look at when he shows the dead anemone. If it looks anything like that you should probably take it out.

 

[James M]

What falls apart?

When it dies the anemone it’s self will fall apart and smell rotten.

 

[Cfellini91]

Well a good sign is the foot is still attached so it doesnt seem like its decomposing or anything yet. I wouldnt recommend feeding as it will probably just spit it back out or not take the food in. Keep a close watch on it to see if it begins to get any worse.
Check out this vivid aquariums vid and look at when he shows the dead anemone. If it looks anything like that you should probably take it out.

Thank you for that response and the resource!

 

[Cfellini91]

Thank you all for your help!
Last night there were significant tears in his foot and not long after I saw a piece of him float up, so I removed him from my tank and set in in QT. He did not make it. Thank you all for your help and insight!