Bubble Tip Anemone losing its bubbles

[tjohnson139]

Hey. I'm hoping someone can help me.
I have a white bta. I've had it for probably 5 to 6 months now.
It split a little while ago.
Ever since its split, it's had fewer and fewer tips, now it has only a handful of very small tips that it rarely fills with water. It's losing its orange coloring on the tips.
My levels seem to be good - temp - 76, salinity 1.025, ph 8.0 - ammonia, nitrates and nitrites all 0. Phosphates are barely registering. That's all I test. I have pc lighting.
On a side note, I have a Xenia that's not doing well, either. It seems to just sit there - doesn't pulse or anything. I'm thinking something's wrong w/ my tank but I don't know what.
Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[dogstar]

Its very common for BTAs to lose their bubbled tenticals and to stretch them longer and longer over time in an aquarium. However the word white is highly unusual when describing one unless its bleaching from lack of good lighting.

 

[tjohnson139]

Thanks for the help.
I actually bought it from the lfs like that. It's more of an off-white color, but whatever happened, it was like that when I bought it.

 

[thomas712]

Sounds like a stress related split.
Do you feed it at all?
Would you be willing to tell me about your lighting?
Thomas

 

[tjohnson139]

Originally Posted by Thomas712
Sounds like a stress related split.
Do you feed it at all?
Would you be willing to tell me about your lighting?
Thomas
Yea. I feed it squid about every three days or so. It's been eating it up until about a week ago. It hasn't eaten since then. I'm thawing more out now to try again.
I have a 96 watt 12,000K and 96 watt actinic blue. My lfs said that was adequate lighting, but you're much more of an expert than they are.
Thanks for your help.

 

[sea_nacl_h2o]

IMO, your PH is a bit low, it needs to be 8.3 and anemones like the water temps to be at least 80F but the book by Ronal L Shimek says water temps should be 81 -84 F. Also try feeding it other things like silversides or rawshrimp. Give your anemone a variety, if your BTA is white it is bleached. No bta is normally white, don't be alarmed though.. with a lot of TLC its color will come back. Oh and feed it once every other day untill its color comes back, then go back to once every 3.

 

[thomas712]

Over feeding can also make a BTA split. You seem to have done something right to get it to do so.
Well that lighting is rather close to the usual min. that I recommend which is 220 watts at least. Generally you should have 4X the tank volume in watts for the lowest light requiring anemones like BTA or condy. So 50 gallon tank should have about 200-220 watts, I used 440 VHO watts over a 55 gallon for my BTA's, but I first used a 360 watt VHO. Then there are the ones that simply must have MH lighting..Sebae, Carpets....
I think you have the minimum covered, but anemones can be finicky, I'm sure your anemone would respond well with double your lighting, and I'd bet you would be pleased as well.
Almost nothing in this hobby is set in stone. If it works...great!
Thomas

 

[contrarymary]

Just posted this for someone else. Do a Google search for Karen's Rose Anemone's. Read everything...it helped me alot.

 

[fish1031]

I am interested in getting a BTA and was just reading up on it. Someone told me you can't have PC lighting and need MH... is this true?
Also the pic of the BTA on this site looks white
I will post it

 

[fish1031]

Originally Posted by fish1031
I am interested in getting a BTA and was just reading up on it. Someone told me you can't have PC lighting and need MH... is this true?
Also the pic of the BTA on this site looks white
I will post it
=

 

[tjohnson139]

When I bought it, my lfs said it was supposed to be white - it was a rare anemone. I believed them, but I've seen a lot of Thomas' posts on this site and I'd trust him more than them.
I've had my bta for months and it seemed to do fine with pc lighting until recently.
Just a side note - it's eating again, but it still has few tips.

 

[tjohnson139]

Originally Posted by contrarymary
Just posted this for someone else. Do a Google search for Karen's Rose Anemone's. Read everything...it helped me alot.
Thanks. I'll look into it

 

[cjml]

Karens anemone site is a great site for good info on anemones- they like silversides and do need to be fed....these guys came from one little bubble tip-(a total of 7 now) they bubble up at night or after they have been fed otherwise they extend their bubble tips to long tentacles....

 

[dreamsurf]

Here is Karens site.
http://www.karensroseanemones.com/index.htm

 

[porthosandjazz]

Originally Posted by Dogstar
Its very common for BTAs to lose their bubbled tenticals and to stretch them longer and longer over time in an aquarium. However the word white is highly unusual when describing one unless its bleaching from lack of good lighting.
Interesting. Mine is turning white.
But this is the thing... I keep trying to get it in a spot with good light, but it keeps shrinking out of the light into a cave or under a rock. WTF????

 

[dogstar]

The profanity is unnecessary.....
Without knowing the type of '' lighting '' ( or other details about your system ), I can not say if that is the reason for the bleaching, most likely though.
I suggest that you stop trying to move the anemone yourself and allow it to find its own place.....BTAs like to have their foot deep in a rock were they can retreat into, and then open out and up to the light...this is normal behavior for this animal. Bleaching ( turning white ) is most always due to them looseing the symbolic zooxanthellae ( photosynthetic algae ) that lives inside of the anemone that gives it its darker coloration. The zooxanthellae produces nutriants from the light energy that benifits the anemone more IMO than manual feedings do. Most often they loose the symbolic algae because of not enough or the wrong types of lighting for the algea to live.

 

[larryndana]

thanks dogstar, very informative.