[Dnewtanker]

A few questions for you experienced folks, but first a bit of background: About three weeks ago , I got a rose BTA through the mail. He seems to have adapted well to the tank and my true perculas love him. I feed him silverbacks weekly and I have 260w (Actinic & 10,000k) with one powerhead blowing indirectly on him in the live rock.

Problem and questions
1. The temp recently spiked in our apartment and my tank jumped up to 81 degrees. As a result, the BTA shrank and his mouth gaped. Is this a natural reaction? (Once temp dropped, he went back to normal)
2. Nitrates in my tank hover between 20 and 40, and I can't seem to get them down. I do bi-weekly 5% water changes to no avail. Any suggestions?
3. Some times his tentacles are long and extended and other times small and bubble tipped. Should this be telling me something?

Thanks for any advice/tips that you can provide! .D

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by Dnewtanker

I got a rose BTA through the mail. He seems to have adapted well to the tank and my true perculas love him.

You're lucky. True perculas usually will not accept a BTA as host.

I feed him silverbacks weekly...

Silversides? You could also try small pieces of shrimp from the supermarket. Increase the feeding schedule to at least twice a week.

1. The temp recently spiked in our apartment and my tank jumped up to 81 degrees. As a result, the BTA shrank and his mouth gaped. Is this a natural reaction?

Eighty-one degrees is an ideal temperature for this animal. Sudden changes in any water parameters can shock almost everything. What is your salinity? Entacmaea quadricolor requires full strength seawater (35 PSU). That translates to a specific gravity of 1.025-1.026.

2. Nitrates in my tank hover between 20 and 40, and I can't seem to get them down.

This would have no adverse effect on the anemone. Nitrates of 20-40 ppm are too high for some corals, especially some Acropora spp., but should have no effect on a bubble tip anemone.

I do bi-weekly 5% water changes to no avail. Any suggestions?

You would have to give full details of what you are running. Describe your system in detail.

3. Some times his tentacles are long and extended and other times small and bubble tipped. Should this be telling me something?

This is quite normal and what it means is unclear. There are at least two or three different explanations and all of them are just speculation. I know of no controlled studies on this topic.



P.S. -- Recommended reading.

[Dnewtanker]

You're awesome Ninong thank you!

My tank specs: 75gal, Protein Skimmer, Fluval 404, 260w (actinic & 10,000k), dual biowheels and UV sterilizer.

SG: btn 1.023 & 24

Follow-up question: If the temp is fine and the nitrates are good, what caused my BTA to shrivel and leave his mouth ajar looking like death mourned over for several hours? Do you suppose it was the shock of the temp rising? Is this too just natural?

Thanks for taking the time to help out. .D

PS: thanks for the recommended reading too

[Dnewtanker]

Got home tonight, temp was 81.4 and here's how he looked...

Should I be worried? .D

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by Dnewtanker

SG: btn 1.023 & 24

Raise that gradually to 1.025. You can do that by replacing evaporation with saltwater instead of freshwater. No need to rush it.

Follow-up question: If the temp is fine and the nitrates are good, what caused my BTA to shrivel and leave his mouth ajar looking like death mourned over for several hours?

Your temperature is fine. Your nitrates are not actually "good" but they are not at a level that would cause problems for your anemone. You still need to lower your nitrates to under 20 ppm, preferably under 10 ppm.

Do you suppose it was the shock of the temp rising?

Probably not. I'm not even sure there is anything wrong with your BTA. I will ask zhenya to reply in this thread because he has lots of experience with these anemones.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by Dnewtanker

Attachment 8189Attachment 8190Attachment 8191Got home tonight, temp was 81.4 and here's how he looked...

Should I be worried? .D

I'm going to ask Gene (zhenya) to take a look at your pictures to see if he thinks your anemone is getting ready to split.

[Dnewtanker]

Again, Thanks Ninong! Given the configuration of my tank, any suggestions for lowering the nitrates?

Split? Does that mean I'm going to be a father?!

[zhenya]

Originally Posted by Dnewtanker

Again, Thanks Ninong! Given the configuration of my tank, any suggestions for lowering the nitrates?

Split? Does that mean I'm going to be a father?!

I would say that the first thing I would look into, if I wanted to reduce NO3, would be the power filters. Having live rock in the tank I would opt for adding a sump and remove the Fluval and any other power/canister filters you may have on that tank. Either that or make sure that those filters are spotless, change water at 5% every week instead of every other week and see where that takes you.

As far as being a father, I don;t think that's the case with your anemone. At least to me it does not look like it;s about to reproduce. Usually they will move into a sheltered area if they about to split, at least mine always do.
I agree with Ninong that temperature probably isn't the issue ,but if it did spiked over five or more degrees overnight, it may be the stressor and reason why your anemone is looking the way it does. I would raise salinity to 1.025-1.026 spesific gravity and see how your animal reacts. Mainly, though, I think your anemone looks OK and I would give it a bit more time ( 2-3 month) to adjust and make sure to feed it 2-3 times a week with silversides or raw shrimp, whichever it prefers.

[Dnewtanker]

This forum is so helpful. Thank you Gene.

Considering the money that I just laid out on a new lighting setup, a sump is something I will have to work towards. Currently, in my Fluval, I use Biozorb and Chemipure along with charcoal & bioglass. Would you recommend a different coctail to drop the NO3?

When I can afford a sump setup, what would you recommend? I just did an online scan and the Cylone Bio-Filter combines a wet/dry filter with a skimmer. Is this the type of setup you were suggesting?

I'll follow your advice on weekly water change and slowly begin to raise my specific gravity to 1.025-.026.

Thanks for putting my mind at ease with my BTA. I'll give him some time to adjust before writing him off... .Darren

[zhenya]

When I can afford a sump setup, what would you recommend? I just did an online scan and the Cylone Bio-Filter combines a wet/dry filter with a skimmer. Is this the type of setup you were suggesting?

Not really, I personally don;t like bio-filters outside of tank( read remote) of any kind. I did have wet/dry filter when I first started in this hobby and like you I couldn't bring NO3 down to undetectable levels, or at least lower than 20ppm, no matter how hard I tried or how often I did water changes.
Once I removed them, slowly, the NO3 dropped gradually to the point that I couldn't detect any with a hobbyist grade test kits. All I had in my tank was live rock, sand and lots of corals and one rose BTA (which is now the dominant species in this tank). What I am trying to say is that those filters are so adept at converting ammonia and nitrites to nitrates that it becomes a nitrate factory. The NO3 level rises without any place else to go, or be consumed fast enough.

Sump that I had in mind is just a place to house some of the equipment,like heater, return pump, etc., and maybe a section for a refugium but that is not an absolute must, although could be very helpful component in overall nutrient export mechanism of the system.
Do some searches in this forum for some threads discussing various set ups.