Help RBTA dying?

techhnyne · Oct 29, 2017

I picked up a rainbow BTA and when i got it a piece of if split off like 1/8 of it I put them both in the tank and they looked full and good but since then its been looking worse and worse the lil one disappeared probably died under a rock and the big one cornered himself in a cave and is laying there flat with his face open and testicles flat to the side it is still alive cause its moving but i had it almost 6 days and he hasnt eaten and lost his bubble look not its just skinny frail testicles shriveled up not even extending

what to i do please help

temp 79 degrees
PH 8.3
1.25 Salt
0 ammonia
O nitrate
0 nitrite
.20 Phosphate

nautical_nathaniel · Oct 29, 2017

Tentacles. They're tentacles. Not testicles.

How old is your tank and what are you using for lighting? Is this the first thing in the tank or are there other fish as well? If so, are they acting any differently than normal. If I'm following along correctly, you need to try and find the little one and remove it from the tank before it has the chance to break down and cause a nutrient spike.

techhnyne · Oct 29, 2017

nautical_nathaniel said:
Tentacles. They're tentacles. Not testicles.

How old is your tank and what are you using for lighting? Is this the first thing in the tank or are there other fish as well? If so, are they acting any differently than normal. If I'm following along correctly, you need to try and find the little one and remove it from the tank before it has the chance to break down and cause a nutrient spike.

lmaoo auto correct put testicles LMAOOO

tank is about 3 months not much in it its a 125g with 10 small fish and a small clean up crew and some frags. the RBTA was one the first bigger pieces i put in.
I have Mitras LX7 lights running a blue hue program not too bright

nautical_nathaniel · Oct 29, 2017

3 Months might be a bit too young for a RBTA, I've always heard you need a fairly mature tank to keep one long term. Your lighting should be okay but the anemone being under a rock is not a good sign, you may want to try and move it to a more lighted area and see how it reacts.

Are you having any algae issues right now? How healthy was the RBTA when you got it? No tears or white marks on the foot or the mouth area?

techhnyne · Oct 29, 2017

nautical_nathaniel said:
3 Months might be a bit too young for a RBTA, I've always heard you need a fairly mature tank to keep one long term. Your lighting should be okay but the anemone being under a rock is not a good sign, you may want to try and move it to a more lighted area and see how it reacts.

Are you having any algae issues right now? How healthy was the RBTA when you got it? No tears or white marks on the foot or the mouth area?

The bta split a piece off in transport. Then there is was split insaw white tissue it looked like but it keeps the split part hidden i cant ever see it

He has a strong food hild on the rock i dont want to pry him off and hurt him more. I can maybe move the rocks above him?

nautical_nathaniel · Oct 29, 2017

It actually doesn't look as bad as I was expecting. I would try feeding it something like a small piece of shrimp and see if that perks it up.

This is what one looks like when it's in trouble:

karo25 · Oct 29, 2017

That doesn't look bad to me. They will inflate and deflate. I'd check it tomorrow and see if it has reinflated. They do tend to hide for awhile. Mine hid for a week before I finally removed a the rock over it. Then it proceeded to move again and hide so I left it alone. It was over another week before it started moving partially out of the cave to get some light. I'd leave it alone, but definitely find that piece if you can and remove it if its dieing.

techhnyne · Oct 29, 2017

My PH did drop low to like 7.9 before i realized. I quickly brought it back up to 8.4. Could that be a reason?

nautical_nathaniel · Oct 29, 2017

techhnyne said:
My PH did drop low to like 7.9 before i realized. I quickly brought it back up to 8.4. Could that be a reason?

Quick changes like that can make them upset. Consistency is key in this hobby, so try to keep pH steady.

techhnyne · Oct 29, 2017

I tried to feed him silver sides which i heard was his fav from previous owner. Raw jumbo shrimp pieces . Mysis shrimp he disnt eat any

I just removed the rocks above him so he getting more light now

karo25 · Oct 29, 2017

just to give you an idea...

earlier today

Now

techhnyne · Oct 29, 2017

So i moved the rock he was on to a higher spot and he climbed back down to the floor. And just sitting in the sand right now

I know his foot is damaged. Thats where he split from

JaimeAdams · Oct 29, 2017

Yeah, he really does not look that bad. I totally agree with the stability. 7.9ph isn't bad. It's about keeping it stable and NOT chasing numbers. I would just leave him be and stop messing with him. Let him settle in on his own. I think the worst thing that we as aquarists do is keep messing with things. As long as he keeps his mouth closed and not like the picture that @nautical_nathaniel posted I would just leave him be. I would not try to feed him until he settles in.

techhnyne · Oct 29, 2017

Ok thanks so mich guys!
I am going to read on how to keep better ph stability. If you know any good links please direct me

Lance M. · Oct 30, 2017

Let it attach to a rock and give it time to heal. I would stop handling it.

Healing and getting use to the new tank will be stressing it out for awhile. Looks ok though.