Unhappy bubble tip

[dana&pj]

I have a bubble tip anemone whose tenticles seem to have shrunk. They aren't deflated, just smaller. He has also shifted to the back of the tank where it is darker. Anybody got any thoughts on this?

Also I only spot feed him once a week or so. (By this I mean that I make sure to put the frozen brine or myses shrip near him, but his clown brings him some now and again too)
100 gal tank
no nitrites
<10 nitrates
0 amonia
PH 8.1
temp 78
I check my water regularly and I have it double checked at a good Reef store, and I haven't had any drastic water quality changes since the very beginning.
All my other critters are good including zenias, torch, galaxy, & cup corals, and lots of mushrooms and polyps. and crabs and fish are doing well.
I lost a Sebane not long ago, because he had aninjury to his foot and never got settled into the tank, but this one footed within a few hours and seems ok except for the shortening of his tenticles.
:help:

 

[thomas712]

Three other things I want to know.
1. lighting
2 alkalinity
3 calcium
You might also tell me something about your filtration. Skimmer or no?
Is the water always 78? There should be some difference with lights on during the day and lights off at night?
Thomas

 

[beachbumtx]

How long have you had this one?
When I got my BTA, I did some reading. Short tentacles could simply mean that he is not hungry. If they become long and thin, its a sign that he is hungry. BTAs will move about constantly. Mine moves around on a daily basis. He has spent a lot of time in the past two weeks on the back side of the rocks where there is more current. He still gets light, but not as much as if he were on the top or front of the rocks.
I am curious as to what type of lighting you are running.

 

[dana&pj]

lighting
Strait pin compact florescent 2 - 65 watt actinics and 2 - 65 watt 10,000 K
(I think I've heard them called power compacts, but it doesn't say that on the box. How can I tell?) They run 13 hours.
Calcium is 420
Alk - I'm not sure of the number, but it was in normal ranges.

 

[thomas712]

Sounds like you have Power Compacts of 260 watts on a 100 gallon tank. This only gives you about 2.6 watts per gallon. We don't normally follow the watts per gallon rule but that really does come out to rather low wattage for that size tank. I have found that BTA's will do well with 380 watts of VHO but could use more to really thrive and grow. I am currently housing 8 BTA's.
I assume that you have not had this BTA for very long.
Here are my thoughts.
1. Feeding; using a clean (aquarium use only) turkey baster, squirt the food directly into the anemones' tenticals not around it. Do not use brine shrimp as they are nutritionally worthless. Stick with thy mysis shrimp. Perhaps even soak it if you can in some vitamin suppliment like Selcon or Zoe.
With your low lighting perhaps you should feed it 2 times per week. I personally do not like to see anemonies over fed much more than that.
2. Since these are photosynthetic creatures you should look into some stronger lighting, for the size tank you have.
3. Since the anemone is rather new to the tank it could very well be looking for its own "Perfect Spot", and since it is moving then it will not necessarily be fully extended while it spends its energy on the move.
4. I like the use of protein skimmers on tanks with anemonies as it helps to keep the water oxygen rich, as well as removing DOC's in the water colum that most of us can't test for.
5. Be patient, but alert. These animals will almost always do what they want. Keep it away from any open powerheads or ones that do not have sponge guards on them. If it finds a spot that you like up near the lights where it can plant its foot in a cave or crevase then immediatly feed it so that it also thinks that it found an ideal spot.
13 hour lighting schedual is a rather long time, are you having any problems with algae? Perhaps cut it back to 10-12 hours.
Good luck and keep us informed.
Thomas

 

[beachbumtx]

Great info Thomas. I missed the size of the tank. Great catch.....and I usually take a look at the colum at the left before replying.

 

[dana&pj]

Thanks for the info. I am planning on adding lighting, but I have a room dividing tank and I have only been working on one side so I have the light pushed all the way to the front of the tank. I expect to double my lighting over the next six months. The anemone is near the top of the tank and has been in that same spot for about 4 weeks. He looked good until he flipped around to the dark side of the tank about a week ago. In fact I had been thinking that he might be starting to split. He started to pinch in on the sides, but He looks round again now.
:nervous:
I do have a skimmer, and I usually have to empty about two tablespoons of pretty dark liquid out of it about every week or ten days.
I have no problem with algae, and that and the lower than optimal lighting is why I have it on such a long time. when I get the second light I will cut the "daytime" back.
Thanks so much for the info.
Dana