Is it normal for BTA to behave like this?

potatocouch · Mar 23, 2017

Folks, what's happening with my new BTA?

1st day when it went in, it maintained the size (approx. 6' quite inflated).
It was fully inflated at seller's tank and foot is good, mouth is good.
Light went off, it went to a ball shape (tentacles all inside the ball).

2nd day when light went on, it is deflated; tentacles look stringy.
Light went off, it went to a ball shape (tentacles all inside the ball).

At dawn (when light is still off), I watched TV with my newborn in the living room .. so the tank get subtle light ambience of the TV.
I noticed it looks healthier, tentacles quite inflated and it looks fatter in size too.

3rd day, light went on, again it's deflated.

No3 < 10 ppm.
Ammonia 0.
Nitrite 0.
Sg 1.026.
Temp 77.

I know it's not dying (yet), foot is set strong to rockwork and on 4th, it began to move a tiny bit, just tiny bit. How long will it be like this?

I did it the hard way, it wasn't drip acclimated or such .. it went straight in; must be stressed and not happy but I hope it'll recover.

Any opinion?

CNDReef · Mar 23, 2017

I always place anemones at the bottom in a shaded area that only catches a bit of light so they can find there home on its own. If current or lights are too strong it could stress it out as well

Webslinger · Mar 23, 2017

That's pretty much normal.

lambchops · Mar 23, 2017

I would never put an anemone straight in. I think they need to be acclimated for at least 30 minutes. But it could pull through, its probably just adjusting. What kind of light do you have?

Slot · Mar 23, 2017

Mine have bubble tips during the day, then very stringy at night. I think its normal, maybe a little stressed from going in.

potatocouch · Mar 23, 2017

lambchops said:
I would never put an anemone straight in. I think they need to be acclimated for at least 30 minutes. But it could pull through, its probably just adjusting. What kind of light do you have?

@lambchops Kessil A360WE

8 hours duration of lighting, ramping up from actinic to daylight to actinic.

I've reduced the intensity these past few days (after Anemone went in), as I heard I don't want to stress it up with high intensity straight away.

Flow: 2 x RW8 dialled to 3 speed to give it gentle blow (not direct).

Slot said:
Mine have bubble tips during the day, then very stringy at night. I think its normal, maybe a little stressed from going in.

@Slot when bought, it has never got the bubble, which is fine; the problem is it looks quite deflated when the light is off and look a tad fuller when the light is off (and getting ambience light from the room i.e. TV, window <not direct sunlight> ).

potatocouch · Mar 23, 2017

@all thank you ... one thing that I may have done it wrong is on the 1st day when it went it ... as I explained it was quite inflated at that time, I fed it a tiny piece of shrimp ... man, the tentacle is very sticky .. that's how I know it's a healthy specimen (at least it was, when purchased).

jhoop · Mar 23, 2017

Mine does that at night goes in to a ball. Then looks good in the day time. I think its normal.

BoomCorals · Mar 23, 2017

Feeding stresses the nem, so that might account for any possible odd behavior since it was already stressed from the move. That said, I don't think it's doing anything out of the ordinary. Has it been moving around at all? If not, that means it is probably happy where it is. As for the tentacles "bubbling" up, no one really knows why they do or don't bubble.

Slot · Mar 23, 2017

potatocouch said:
@lambchops Kessil A360WE

8 hours duration of lighting, ramping up from actinic to daylight to actinic.

I've reduced the intensity these past few days (after Anemone went in), as I heard I don't want to stress it up with high intensity straight away.

Flow: 2 x RW8 dialled to 3 speed to give it gentle blow (not direct).

@Slot when bought, it has never got the bubble, which is fine; the problem is it looks quite deflated when the light is off and look a tad fuller when the light is off (and getting ambience light from the room i.e. TV, window <not direct sunlight> ).

Good water parameters and good light... im thinking hes just acclimating. Theyre very dramatic sometimes and some stress might be doing that. BTAs are hardy though (for anemones) im sure he's going to be fine

Slot · Mar 23, 2017

Can you get a picture with lights on and one when the lights are out?

jmerideth1 · Mar 23, 2017

I have noticed mine sometimes getting a bit ugly half a day after feeding especially if it's too big a piece.

potatocouch · Mar 23, 2017

F3honda4me said:
Feeding stresses the nem, so that might account for any possible odd behavior since it was already stressed from the move. That said, I don't think it's doing anything out of the ordinary. Has it been moving around at all? If not, that means it is probably happy where it is. As for the tentacles "bubbling" up, no one really knows why they do or don't bubble.

@F3honda4me yeah I managed to do some reading and majority of them seems in the opinion to leave anemone alone when it's acclimating; do nothing to it.

The funny bit is that it hasn't moved a lot from the original spot. It is quite a big BTA; it's food quite massive... I'm getting the impression that it's a obese anemone that is lazy to walk hehe ... but to answer your question, yes it has now moved just a tiny bit from its original spot ... but literally, you can say it still in the original spot as most of the footing still in the original spot.

Yeah am not really bothered with bubbly thingo.

potatocouch · Mar 23, 2017

Slot said:
Can you get a picture with lights on and one when the lights are out?

Hi @Slot , it's currently 8 am Sydney time and light is currently OFF but tank is getting ambience light from the window (i.e. not direct sunlight).

It's looking like this at the moment:

Roy 9121 · Mar 23, 2017

I've had my BTA for 10 years, it has never bubbled.

happyhourhero · Mar 23, 2017

I always go straight in with nems. I feel it is normal for them to be all strange for the first couple of weeks and look like crap. As long as your parameters are good and stable, it should adjust. Once you have had it for a while, you will find they ball up every now and then or retract a bit but they do not shrivel up and look like the last pic.

potatocouch · Mar 23, 2017

jmerideth1 said:
I have noticed mine sometimes getting a bit ugly half a day after feeding especially if it's too big a piece.

@jmerideth1 for an anemone this size, I fed it considerably small portion of shrimp, IMO.

It was fed 0.2 inch shrimp.

potatocouch · Mar 23, 2017

happyhourhero said:
I always go straight in with nems. I feel it is normal for them to be all strange for the first couple of weeks and look like crap. As long as your parameters are good and stable, it should adjust. Once you have had it for a while, you will find they ball up every now and then or retract a bit but they do not shrivel up and look like the last pic.

@happyhourhero so when you mentioned "I feel it is normal for them to be all strange for the first couple of weeks and look like crap", the picture I provided looks worse than crap, in your opinion?

BoomCorals · Mar 23, 2017

potatocouch said:
Hi @Slot , it's currently 8 am Sydney time and light is currently OFF but tank is getting ambience light from the window (i.e. not direct sunlight).

It's looking like this at the moment:

I can't quite tell exactly what is what there. Is that the mouth on the left side, all the pink? That anemone does not look right to me at all.

potatocouch · Mar 23, 2017

F3honda4me said:
I can't quite tell exactly what is what there. Is that the mouth on the left side, all the pink? That anemone does not look right to me at all.

LOL we'll see. I'll keep you posted. I still have high hope for it.

I'll take another pic when the light is ON later today.

The mouth is not shown in that pic; that's part of its footing.