RBTA Advice

CodyRVA · Jan 8, 2016

I have had a RBTA for about 6 months now. Specs of the tank below. As indicated in the pictures, when i bought this from a local friend the RBTA looked great and slowly declined over an extended period of time. It split about a month ago, and now looks to be splitting again. I started dosing Iodine once a week as I was told this could help (Kent Marine Lugols). At one point the RBTA's tentacles weren't even sticky, when spot feeding it didn't respond. Fortunately it has rebounded and quickly reacts to food. (Feeding L.ReefFrenzy) The person I bought it from said it was on a rock on the sand bed when he had it, so as you can see in the pics, when it started really going down hill I moved the rock to the sand bed. The RBTA doesn't seem to want to move what so ever, however the newly split one did just move a few inches away a day ago. Any advice or info is greatly appreciated.

Tank:
Age: 1 year
ALK: 8.3 (Carbon Dosing Pellets)
Ca: 440
MG: 1400
Salinity: 1.024
Phos: .03
Nitrates: 0

KorD · Jan 8, 2016

anemones have a personality of their own... they either can be very loving of a place you put them, or very finicky. I would just keep monitoring it, and let it do what it wants to. If it does not like where it is, it will find a better spot.
From the pictures, they seem to be happy and healthy.

CodyRVA · Jan 8, 2016

KorD said:
anemones have a personality of their own... they either can be very loving of a place you put them, or very finicky. I would just keep monitoring it, and let it do what it wants to. If it does not like where it is, it will find a better spot.
From the pictures, they seem to be happy and healthy.

Thanks! Yea i've been keeping a close eye on it, with it being basically bleached, i've been spot feeding more to compensate for the loss of zooxanthellae. The pictures are posted in a time lapse more or less, the first image is when i first got it, the last image being the most recent, so you can see the decline over time.

KorD · Jan 8, 2016

That is a lot of bleaching now that you mention it.... What lights are you using, and what is the par for that section of the tank.

CodyRVA · Jan 9, 2016

Not sure on the par, AquaticLife 4 bulb T5

surfnsalt · Jan 9, 2016

What are you feeding and how much/often. I'm no nem expert but had a similar experience with a bta. I was feeding but not enough or the right thing. Got myself some silversides and started with a cube size piece a week. Fix my problem in about 2 months.

joshkirkland83 · Jan 9, 2016

Id get an iodine test and see how much is in your tank.

CodyRVA · Jan 9, 2016

I'm feeding L. Reef Frenzy, I was doing small amounts twice a week, now every other day to make up for the loss of zooxanthellae. The iodine isn't a contributing factor, I started dosing in hopes to help the Nem, I do one drop of lugols a week on 35 total gallons, calls for 1 drop weekly per 25 gallons.

surfnsalt · Jan 9, 2016

CodyRVA said:
I'm feeding L. Reef Frenzy, I was doing small amounts twice a week, now every other day to make up for the loss of zooxanthellae. The iodine isn't a contributing factor, I started dosing in hopes to help the Nem, I do one drop of lugols a week on 35 total gallons, calls for 1 drop weekly per 25 gallons.

Does it ever spit up the food you give it 10 to 30 mins after feeding?

trio91 · Jan 9, 2016

If it's too much for him or too big of a piece sure....its usually best to give em smaller pieces

joshkirkland83 · Jan 9, 2016

CodyRVA said:
I'm feeding L. Reef Frenzy, I was doing small amounts twice a week, now every other day to make up for the loss of zooxanthellae. The iodine isn't a contributing factor, I started dosing in hopes to help the Nem, I do one drop of lugols a week on 35 total gallons, calls for 1 drop weekly per 25 gallons.

Oh ok. Well i have three rainbow bta, a ritteri, a rock nem, and a colorado sunburst. I have NEVER treated a nem with anything besides cipro. And I would never add anything to my tank i cant test for.

CodyRVA · Jan 9, 2016

Yea I understand. I wasn't adding any iodine until after the Nem bleached more or less. I've never seen it spit up food. At one point the tentacles weren't sticky or holding onto the food. Now when I feed them every other day, they close up fast as soon as they feel the food.

spspirate · Jan 9, 2016

Looking good Cody!

surfnsalt · Jan 9, 2016

CodyRVA said:
Yea I understand. I wasn't adding any iodine until after the Nem bleached more or less. I've never seen it spit up food. At one point the tentacles weren't sticky or holding onto the food. Now when I feed them every other day, they close up fast as soon as they feel the food.

Hopefully some better nem problem solvers chime in. I was feeding things like mysis and brine shrimp but it wasn't meaty enough apparently because as soon as I swiched to pieses of silverside I saw a difference and went from feeding once a week to once a month, and now I feed even less.

joshkirkland83 · Jan 9, 2016

CodyRVA said:
Yea I understand. I wasn't adding any iodine until after the Nem bleached more or less. I've never seen it spit up food. At one point the tentacles weren't sticky or holding onto the food. Now when I feed them every other day, they close up fast as soon as they feel the food.

Id stop with the iodine. I have always fed mine table shrimp, chopped to size. No bigger than their mouth. Ive also seen success with feeding it a tentacle of a healthy nem of the same species after you get it eating. It jumpstarts the zooxathellae.

trio91 · Jan 10, 2016

surfnsalt said:
Hopefully some better nem problem solvers chime in. I was feeding things like mysis and brine shrimp but it wasn't meaty enough apparently because as soon as I swiched to pieses of silverside I saw a difference and went from feeding once a week to once a month, and now I feed even less.

I was always told that silversides weren't the best choice to feed nems with. So for me my guys haven't only eaten mysis and brine shrimp. Also know that I never target fed my guys directly, my clowns did all the work for me

CodyRVA · Jan 10, 2016

Yea Ive never fed silversides, I've heard the same negative side affects. I have a pair of clowns, don't seem to be mates, only one ventures into the nems and it doesn't feed the thing, I've actually seen it try to take food from the Nem, this is why I target feed.

surfnsalt · Jan 10, 2016

Well my nem sure seems to love them. Haven't seen any problems with feeding them. I used to chop off head and tail but now I don't even do that unless it's too big of a piece. This is the nem.