Please help.
- Thread starter Jenaleigh1
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Reeferella
Community Member
I agree that it's a BTA and for whatever reason, it's lacking zooxanthellae.
That said, offering live zooxanthellae may help. There is a product called PhycoPure Zooxanthellae and Live Aquaria is currently running a sale on it. It's not a magic cure but IMO it's close when offered to a relatively healthy zooxanthellae-challenged anemone. The fact that your nem continues to eat is half the battle. Kudos to you for keeping the animal in such good condition for so long without the help of zooxanthellae. Normally when a nem bleaches, at least some zooxanthellae remains and eventually reproduces to replace what was lost. But IMO, your anemone has no zooxanthellae left whatsoever. The faint color you see is mere pigment not to be confused with zooxanthellae. Therefore, unless the nem gets some donor zooxanthellae, it will remain transluscent and dependent soley upon you for nutrition which is not the optimal approach to anemone keeping. An opaque BTA could also serve as a passive zooxanthellae donor as could some coral- the closer the proximity the better providing allopathy isn't an issue.
Regarding your lighting. I believe it's Marine Double Bright? That fixture may or may not provide enough PAR to keep a BTAs zooxanthellae intact. I'm not going to say it absolutely won't but I will say I suspect it won't. The fact that the nem has worked it's way to the very top of the tank is a clue it may not. For what it's worth, my BTA's seek PAR in the 150-200 range and in the world of reef-lighting, that's not much. BTA's have minimal lighting needs in comparison to other anemone species. I recommend learning what the PAR capabilities are at certain depths for that particular fixture, which I don't believe was manufactured for reef purposes.
That said, offering live zooxanthellae may help. There is a product called PhycoPure Zooxanthellae and Live Aquaria is currently running a sale on it. It's not a magic cure but IMO it's close when offered to a relatively healthy zooxanthellae-challenged anemone. The fact that your nem continues to eat is half the battle. Kudos to you for keeping the animal in such good condition for so long without the help of zooxanthellae. Normally when a nem bleaches, at least some zooxanthellae remains and eventually reproduces to replace what was lost. But IMO, your anemone has no zooxanthellae left whatsoever. The faint color you see is mere pigment not to be confused with zooxanthellae. Therefore, unless the nem gets some donor zooxanthellae, it will remain transluscent and dependent soley upon you for nutrition which is not the optimal approach to anemone keeping. An opaque BTA could also serve as a passive zooxanthellae donor as could some coral- the closer the proximity the better providing allopathy isn't an issue.
Regarding your lighting. I believe it's Marine Double Bright? That fixture may or may not provide enough PAR to keep a BTAs zooxanthellae intact. I'm not going to say it absolutely won't but I will say I suspect it won't. The fact that the nem has worked it's way to the very top of the tank is a clue it may not. For what it's worth, my BTA's seek PAR in the 150-200 range and in the world of reef-lighting, that's not much. BTA's have minimal lighting needs in comparison to other anemone species. I recommend learning what the PAR capabilities are at certain depths for that particular fixture, which I don't believe was manufactured for reef purposes.
Jenaleigh1
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Thanks, it's still eating fine, and it has started getting "stickier"- the other day it caught a few shrimp by itself while feeding. I hand feed it every day now. Seems to be gaining a little more yellow. Will take another progress pic and post. The app won't let me post pics right now. I think it's actually the flow it likes at the top of the rock. In my smaller tank it would always put itself right in the path of the strongest flow at the bottom of the tank and that's what it's done in this tank as well. I'm ordering some more lighting for the tank for Christmas. Maybe that will help as well. 
If I don't start seeing a little more color progress in the next few weeks I'll order the zooxanthellae from online. It seems all my other corals are doing great, and I've moved several close by just in case that helps.
If I don't start seeing a little more color progress in the next few weeks I'll order the zooxanthellae from online. It seems all my other corals are doing great, and I've moved several close by just in case that helps.
Jenaleigh1
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Trex
Valuable Member
Let's start from scratch ---
What size tank?
What are your current water parameters --- with numbers please, including SG/salinity and how you measure it.
Are you using RO/DI water, if so, what is the TDS?
What lights are you using? (( sure you posted it before, but easier to have all the info in one post )).
How long has the tank been set up?
What size tank?
What are your current water parameters --- with numbers please, including SG/salinity and how you measure it.
Are you using RO/DI water, if so, what is the TDS?
What lights are you using? (( sure you posted it before, but easier to have all the info in one post )).
How long has the tank been set up?
Jenaleigh1
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55g
PH 8.4, Ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 10ppm (Sunday water change tomorrow).
Salinity is at 1.025, measured with a hydrometer (Coralife) - I rinse it after every test and seems to be in line with the lfs' meter
I use distilled water. RO/DI is a twenty minute drive.
Have Marineland reef bright light, added a hidden blue led bar and a white hidden led bar, also marineland right over the anemone. It likes it, but I haven't seen much improvement. I can't afford thousand dollar lights- we have a PCS move coming up and contrary to popular belief, the military does not pay for everything.
I set up the tank in October, but used rock from two other established tanks I had and added about 30 more pounds of base rock. Have 60 pounds of sand in there. Everything else is doing really well.
PH 8.4, Ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 10ppm (Sunday water change tomorrow).
Salinity is at 1.025, measured with a hydrometer (Coralife) - I rinse it after every test and seems to be in line with the lfs' meter
I use distilled water. RO/DI is a twenty minute drive.
Have Marineland reef bright light, added a hidden blue led bar and a white hidden led bar, also marineland right over the anemone. It likes it, but I haven't seen much improvement. I can't afford thousand dollar lights- we have a PCS move coming up and contrary to popular belief, the military does not pay for everything.
I set up the tank in October, but used rock from two other established tanks I had and added about 30 more pounds of base rock. Have 60 pounds of sand in there. Everything else is doing really well.
