Sick/dying bta

[saltygoldfish]

So my Tank is a few weeks old and I stupidly got a bta yesterday it was in perfect health well earlier Today it was closed and halfway off the rock now it’s open with its mout a tiny bit open and half of its tentacles deflated. My ammonia is 0.5 ppm and I’m dosing prime x5 every day and my other fish and inverts are doing perfect (clownfish,cleaner shrimp,fire fish and some crabs) I put my anemone in a 5 gallon bucket with fresh salt water, a heater and an air stone with a coral light on it because i potientally don’t want its guts to ruin my tank can someone please help me to try to get this bta through the cycle or is it impossible I don’t know how to post photos I’m sorry my tank is 10 g and I have a new 5.5 gal started at the same time

 

[ZoWhat]

Both my BTAs deflate every couple of days bc they get fed well.

It's their way of pooping. So don't sweat it

 

[JAC-]

Maybe the blind leading the blind here, but I think you're ok. .5 on your ammonia is likely nothing when you consider ammonium. (assuming you are not accounting for that already) I'd dose microbacter7, turbo start, or whatever you choose and change as little as possible for the next few weeks, feed minimal and wait for the cycle to stabilize. If you see the ammonia rising go back to the prime. I'm making some assumptions on your experience and tank here, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

Best of luck friend

 

[CanuckReefer]

'So my Tank is a few weeks old and I stupidly got a bta yesterday' ....you said it..... sorry but I have to be blunt. Return to LFS if they will take it.

 

[MaxTremors]

'So my Tank is a few weeks old and I stupidly got a bta yesterday' ....you said it..... sorry but I have to be blunt. Return to LFS if they will take it.

I have to agree, your tank is nowhere near mature enough for an anemone. A tank that is a few weeks old just isn’t stable enough to keep an anemone. What are your parameters? Where are you getting your water? How did you cycle your tank? Do you for sure know that it’s cycled? Do you have real live rock in your tank? If your tank is cycled, there should be no reason to dose prime (there is no real reason to dose it ever).

If you were an advanced aquarist, and have experience with anemones and with keeping a new tank stable, you might be able to get away with it, but I’m assuming you don’t have that experience (I’m not trying to condescend, we all have to start learning somewhere). It sounds like you either didn’t do your research or made an impulse purchase, or you did do your research, knew better, and still made an impulse purchase. Impulse purchases rarely work out in this hobby. My advice would be to take it back to the lfs, it’s not going to do well in a bucket (that also isn’t a cycled, stable, mature aquarium), and take the next couple months to focus on keeping your tank stable and your current inhabitants alive. And once you’ve gotten the hang of things, then slowly start adding some easy corals (I wouldn’t add any anemones for at least 6 months, if not a year). Nothing good in this hobby happens quickly, and the experience you gain through just maintaining what you already have for a few months will give you at least some baseline knowledge and experience to be equipped to deal with issues like the one you’re experiencing now.

 

[Dolphins18]

Prime is for emergencies, not for cycling a tank. It's possible to get them thru.. but very difficult and I wouldn't recommend to anyone new in the hobby. Take the nem back if you can. You don't want it to die in there. It will all but certainly die in a bucket.

 

[saltygoldfish]

Thanks everybody for giving it to me straight I appreciate it! right now it’s hardly on the rock so I’m kind of just waiting for it to die I guess even though I’m still trying

 

[Jekyl]

'So my Tank is a few weeks old and I stupidly got a bta yesterday' ....you said it..... sorry but I have to be blunt. Return to LFS if they will take it.

This

 

[Jekyl]

Thanks everybody for giving it to me straight I appreciate it! right now it’s hardly on the rock so I’m kind of just waiting for it to die I guess even though I’m still trying

BTA require a mature tank to survive. I had an awful time even at 6 months. Once established they are very hardy.

 

[saltygoldfish]

Yikes I already see some goo stuck to the side of the bucket

 

[saltygoldfish]

I’ll definitely try again in about a year

 

[CanuckReefer]

Thanks everybody for giving it to me straight I appreciate it! right now it’s hardly on the rock so I’m kind of just waiting for it to die I guess even though I’m still trying

You'll know for next time at least. Nothing comes fast in this hobby. Check out some recommendations on various websites for different invert/ coral species in starting out. Or better yet post a thread here on R2R inquiring about suggestions to help you plan out your stock on a gradual basis. Lots of great advice is to be had here...

 

[saltygoldfish]

You'll know for next time at least. Nothing comes fast in this hobby. Check out some recommendations on various websites for different invert/ coral species in starting out. Or better yet post a thread here on R2R inquiring about suggestions to help you plan out your stock on a gradual basis. Lots of great advice is to be had here...

Ok sounds great! Thanks

 

[saltygoldfish]

This sounds terrible but should I put it out of its misery because I kind of want my light back and if it’s gonna die anyways I have no idea any I put?

 

[saltygoldfish]

Input*

 

[Jekyl]

This sounds terrible but should I put it out of its misery because I kind of want my light back and if it’s gonna die anyways I have no idea any I put?

Take it back to where you got it. Or post your area and say free Nem and a local reefer will take it. Someone with an established tank and some cipro on hand can save it.

 

[MaxTremors]

This sounds terrible but should I put it out of its misery because I kind of want my light back and if it’s gonna die anyways I have no idea any I put?

Can you take it back to the lfs? If you don’t, ethically, you need to give it every chance to survive you can, wanting your light back shouldn’t really be a concern. They can bounce back from seemingly bad conditions. I would put it back in the tank, it’ll have a better chance at surviving in a tank that is at least somewhat established. Keep an eye on it, so long as it’s falling apart, it’s still alive. If it starts falling apart/disintegrating, then take it out. The last picture you showed is not a dead anemone, it’s unlikely it’ll survive, but you took it into your care and have a responsibility to do what’s in your power to save it. I don’t have any advice on how you would ethically euthanize an anemone.

 

[saltygoldfish]

Can you take it back to the lfs? If you don’t, ethically, you need to give it every chance to survive you can, wanting your light back shouldn’t really be a concern. They can bounce back from seemingly bad conditions. I would put it back in the tank, it’ll have a better chance at surviving in a tank that is at least somewhat established. Keep an eye on it, so long as it’s falling apart, it’s still alive. If it starts falling apart/disintegrating, then take it out. The last picture you showed is not a dead anemone, it’s unlikely it’ll survive, but you took it into your care and have a responsibility to do what’s in your power to save it. I don’t have any advice on how you would ethically euthanize an anemone.

I can’t take it back to my lfs theyll probably just throw it away knowing them because they don’t want there huge tank with a million fish etc dying so I’ll try my best! are you sure I should put it back in the tank?

 

[Jekyl]

I can’t take it back to my lfs theyll probably just throw it away knowing them because they don’t want there huge tank with a million fish etc dying so I’ll try my best! are you sure I should put it back in the tank?

Find a local reefer to give it to. Tank that young won't be suitable.

 

[saltygoldfish]

Find a local reefer to give it to. Tank that young won't be suitable.

I’ll try my best I’m nervous about. Shipping but I’ll try