Why is my bubble nem like this?

[ChaseB143]

I have had this guy for several weeks now, and he is slowly looking worse and worse. When we first put him in, he went on the bottom of the rock that is one the top of my arch. After a week or so, he started to look kind of bad and droopy. Then, after several weeks he started to look really bad, so we took him off the rock and moved him to where he is now( I didn’t hurt his foot when I took him off the rock, he actually came off really easily.) I fed him a chunk of shrimp a couple days after I moved him, but I’m not sure if he ate it or it got stolen by a shrimp.

 

[Cment]

It may take several weeks for a BTA to settle in. They will move around a lot until they find the best spot for them in regards to lighting and flow. Best thing to do is leave it alone and not mess with it in any way. I would also not try to feed it any more until its found its finally resting place. Keep your parameters stable and maybe even cover any power heads temporarily so it doesnt wonder into one and create a potential serious problem. If for some reason it looks like its turning itself inside out, you may want to remove it to a observation tank since it could be on its way out.

 

[GThompson]

Yours looks a lot better than mine did. Mine started looking droopy and then started expelling stringy looking stuff out of him so I moved him to qt just in case. Hope yours gets better

 

[mta_morrow]

What kind of light do you run and what are your nutrient levels?

 

[ChaseB143]

What kind of light do you run and what are your nutrient levels?

AI Hydras, I think is what they are called. I have actually been fighting phosphates lately, and I haven’t really remembered to check nitrates. But, I have two other bubble nems that are doing great. One of them is actually recovering. It wasn’t big enough and my clowns basically beat it to the brink of death.

 

[hockeyhead019]

Definitely keep an eye on it. It doesn't look too far gone but definitely looks grumpy.

Any big changes in the tank lately?

 

[mta_morrow]

AI Hydras, I think is what they are called. I have actually been fighting phosphates lately, and I haven’t really remembered to check nitrates. But, I have two other bubble nems that are doing great. One of them is actually recovering. It wasn’t big enough and my clowns basically beat it to the brink of death.

Ok.....

Good to know you have 2 others doing well.

It appears to be a little unhappy, but not really all that bad.

I would recommend making sure it has a gentle amount of flow for now and just give it some time.

 

[ChaseB143]

Definitely keep an eye on it. It doesn't look too far gone but definitely looks grumpy.

Any big changes in the tank lately?

No, not that I can think of.

 

[Jon Fishman]

I personally don't feed BTAs, but if you do, they can close up and look grumpy as they digest it. Also, if you have Emeralds and Hermits, if you give them a big enough piece, the crabs can, and have been known to, dig right into the nem to get to the food..... so if you feed something large enough, keep an eye on it so nothing is digging through its' foot