Is My BTA splitting
- Thread starter krazekajin
- Start date
krazekajin
Active Member
I don't know what is going on. The top half still has a foot and is a little bit inflated. The bottom half is completely drooped and I can see the guts of the anemone. Look at the closeup pics and you can see the white spagetti like guts. I am confused. My water has never flucuated in large swings. I have kept everything pretty stable. I did have my water at 1.021 ever since I got my tank. But now in the last two days, i have raised my SG to 1.025 adn I will keep it there from now on. But still, my anemone has lived in this tank for over two months and grow to three times it size from when I bought it.
krazekajin
Active Member
Well, I don't have my camera today, but here is the latest on the bta splitting saga.
On Thursday night (March 16) i was looking at the bottom anemone and I realized that it looking very bad. Completely limp and some of the tenticles were dissolving. I was curious as to how attached the anemone still was on the rock, so I gently (Stress the word, Gently) pulled on the flap of flesh that still connected the two anemones. As I gently pulled it broke apart. On Friday, I looked at the bottom anemone that was now seperated. It looked dead and falling apart. I took it out and hoped that the top anemone will survive. As of today, it is starting to fill up part way with water and my clownfish can go in. I think it might survive.
Here is the kicker. . .
My salinity was 1.30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My hydrometer was broke or faulty. I thought my salinity was at 1.25. Also my PH was at 8.0. So I bought a new hydrometer. I am taking measures to buffer and keep my ph at 8.2. I slowly lowered my salinity to 1.025. I think my salinity was just going crazy because of my hydrometer.
Also, my cal is at 490. Is this too much and if so how can I get it down? I used Purple Up. I am going to lay off of purple up until my calcium levels get down to around 450.
I also am dosing with iodine now.
On Thursday night (March 16) i was looking at the bottom anemone and I realized that it looking very bad. Completely limp and some of the tenticles were dissolving. I was curious as to how attached the anemone still was on the rock, so I gently (Stress the word, Gently) pulled on the flap of flesh that still connected the two anemones. As I gently pulled it broke apart. On Friday, I looked at the bottom anemone that was now seperated. It looked dead and falling apart. I took it out and hoped that the top anemone will survive. As of today, it is starting to fill up part way with water and my clownfish can go in. I think it might survive.
Here is the kicker. . .
My salinity was 1.30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My hydrometer was broke or faulty. I thought my salinity was at 1.25. Also my PH was at 8.0. So I bought a new hydrometer. I am taking measures to buffer and keep my ph at 8.2. I slowly lowered my salinity to 1.025. I think my salinity was just going crazy because of my hydrometer.
Also, my cal is at 490. Is this too much and if so how can I get it down? I used Purple Up. I am going to lay off of purple up until my calcium levels get down to around 450.
I also am dosing with iodine now.
misfit
Active Member
Your cal. is just fine at 490.It should be between 450-500.You have to be careful buffering your PH-check your ALK.Refactometers are the best.I dont think your salenity being high caused this though. I had a similar experience when I switched to refactometer. Mine was 1.029but everything in my tank(210) was just perfect, I slowly lowered it to 1.026. If you are dosing Iodine, I hope you have tested the water first cause you shouldnt add stuff you cant test for,Keep us posted ,I 'm glad to hear that at least the one is doing good :joy:
krazekajin
Active Member
explain what is alk. I know that is is alkinity or something. But how do you test for it and what does it do.
krazekajin
Active Member
i do know this. My leather is doing much better now that i worked on my salinity.
T
thomas712
Guest
I am taking measures to buffer and keep my ph at 8.2.
Buffering does not controll pH!!!!
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/show...ight=buffer+pH
Buffering does not controll pH!!!!
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/show...ight=buffer+pH
krazekajin
Active Member
well, here is what I was told to do.
First off, my calcium level is at 495. I know that is higher than normal, but I don't know if it is dangerous. My LFS gave me the advice to put a large piece of very porus coral skeleton in my canister filter. He said that that would help buffer my PH. I don't understand ALK at all. I need to get a test to test for that, and no LFS tests for alk around here. I was told to use kent marine superbuffer-dkh for in order to get my ph from 8.0 to 8.2 and then I should be fine.
First off, my calcium level is at 495. I know that is higher than normal, but I don't know if it is dangerous. My LFS gave me the advice to put a large piece of very porus coral skeleton in my canister filter. He said that that would help buffer my PH. I don't understand ALK at all. I need to get a test to test for that, and no LFS tests for alk around here. I was told to use kent marine superbuffer-dkh for in order to get my ph from 8.0 to 8.2 and then I should be fine.
krazekajin
Active Member
bump. Thomas?????
T
thomas712
Guest
Originally Posted by KrazeKajin
My LFS gave me the advice to put a large piece of very porus coral skeleton in my canister filter.
:hilarious
This is like the old question of crushed coral or aragonite sand, both are calcium carbonate (sortof) based. So wouldn't both give you that so called buffer ability. Never mind I'm not going into it.
Crushed Coral is Calcium Carbonate and Magnesium Carbonate but also contains a central structural molecule of Calcium Hydroxy-appetite. The significance of this is that when the crushed coral dissolves, it leaves behind the insoluble Calcium Hydroxy-appetite which is not a contributor to pH stability. You may see it work for a week, but then its gone and the crushed coral sits there and does nothing, nothing at all, and from my understanding your pH would have to be pretty bad for it to truley dissolve for you to be able to benifit from those buffers anyway. Putting fresh crushed coral in gives you the buffer dust from the processing and in the pours, once thats gone its gone.
You might simply want to try the baking soda method, you might also try taking a air pump outside and run the tubing to your skimmer, get the fresh air in there and that could very well take care of your pH.
All in all I'm no expert when it comes to chemistry, but I firmly believe the crushed coral buffering garbage to be just that, garbage. Its just advertising.
My LFS gave me the advice to put a large piece of very porus coral skeleton in my canister filter.
This is like the old question of crushed coral or aragonite sand, both are calcium carbonate (sortof) based. So wouldn't both give you that so called buffer ability. Never mind I'm not going into it.
Crushed Coral is Calcium Carbonate and Magnesium Carbonate but also contains a central structural molecule of Calcium Hydroxy-appetite. The significance of this is that when the crushed coral dissolves, it leaves behind the insoluble Calcium Hydroxy-appetite which is not a contributor to pH stability. You may see it work for a week, but then its gone and the crushed coral sits there and does nothing, nothing at all, and from my understanding your pH would have to be pretty bad for it to truley dissolve for you to be able to benifit from those buffers anyway. Putting fresh crushed coral in gives you the buffer dust from the processing and in the pours, once thats gone its gone.
You might simply want to try the baking soda method, you might also try taking a air pump outside and run the tubing to your skimmer, get the fresh air in there and that could very well take care of your pH.
All in all I'm no expert when it comes to chemistry, but I firmly believe the crushed coral buffering garbage to be just that, garbage. Its just advertising.
krazekajin
Active Member
thanks.
krazekajin
Active Member
I don't have any new pics.
But the top part has survived, but it does not look good. It keeps wandering to the back of my piece of live rock that is right where the bubble diffuser from my Protein skimmer is. I am scared to leave it in because I have to be gone from my tank for about five days. I have people feeding my fish, but I don't want a dead anemone killing my tank.
I want the guy to survive, but I am not sure I can take the chance if he doesn't.
The top anemone still inflates and deflates, but he does not look healthy or at all like a BTA should look. It is as if he inflates to about 1/4 of the way.
But the top part has survived, but it does not look good. It keeps wandering to the back of my piece of live rock that is right where the bubble diffuser from my Protein skimmer is. I am scared to leave it in because I have to be gone from my tank for about five days. I have people feeding my fish, but I don't want a dead anemone killing my tank.
I want the guy to survive, but I am not sure I can take the chance if he doesn't.
The top anemone still inflates and deflates, but he does not look healthy or at all like a BTA should look. It is as if he inflates to about 1/4 of the way.
T
thomas712
Guest
Well I finally saw one of my BTA's split, rushed to get the camera and it looked just like yours, in the time I snaped two pic's, looked around the tank, looked back at the BTA it was done, the one with the stretched strand was now two, it only took minutes to complete.
krazekajin
Active Member
I am completely confused. I am still watching my one remaining very ugly looking anemone. I am going to give it a few more days or a week and then I am going to either remove it or pray for it.
cowfishrule
Active Member
my bta did the over nite split thing months ago.
lights went off, 1 anemone.
lights kick on, 2 anemone.
lights went off, 1 anemone.
lights kick on, 2 anemone.
krazekajin
Active Member
mine was in a split condition (see above pics) for about two weeks. Finally when I did break them apart, I realized that the lower one was dead. But the top one is still kinda alive