BTA help?!

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Beetlejuice

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
May 2, 2012
Messages
14
So a few days ago I fed my BTA a whole silverside (in pieces) after having this guy in my tank about a week.. This morning he was deflating and had a slimy substance coming out of him. He continued deflating over the next few hours and now he is fully deflated and sucking into himself with his mouth showing.

He's in a 20 gal tank with bio wheel hang on filter and bubbler. Using mixed salt water with stress coat additive. 5%WC weekly. Running T5-HO lights 28w total for around 8-10 hours per day. Tank has been running approx. 4 months.

He was only in this tank until our 60 gal is set up/cycled..... If he lives?

Thoughts, comments, suggestions please!? Thanks

Tank mates: 2 scarlet shrimp, 1 turbo snail, 3 sand snails, 1 linckia star
 

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28w of t5's on a 20g is not enough light. Nems also deflate while they digest so he could come around buy probably not if you dont get more light.
 
Thanks for the replies. Greatly appreciated. Just pooped, Gave me a scare there for a second. With the light, does anyone know the highest wattage that can be put into a corallife t5HO dual light? Know this isn't the right forum but if you come across this and know please do tell.
 
You need more bulbs you cant put any more watts through your current light. You need a bigger fixture. 4 bulb minimum. What are your tank dimensions? The nem will not survive long with current lighting.
 
So a few days ago I fed my BTA a whole silverside (in pieces) after having this guy in my tank about a week..
Probably not a good idea. I've had my sebae anemone around 10 yrs now and never once directly fed it.

You may want to read this 3 part article.
Anemones
AnemPt2
Untitled 2
"Underfeed, underfeed, don't feed! Underfeed, underfeed, don't feed! Most losses in captive systems are the result of over-feeding. How many more times do I feel I need to write this? Bunches! Some anemones have been kept for YEARS without any intentional external feeding. Know your stock! Many anemones (especially larger species) are detritivorous (a polite term meaning they eat poop), planktivorous, and largely chemoautotrophic/photosynthesizing species/individuals that hobbyists try to over-stuff with meaty/prepared foods. My bid for largest cause of loss of anemones is the consequences (lack of oxygen, hydrogen and other sulfide production...) from over-feeding. "
 
Just to show the other side of the coin, I've fed my Sebae every 10-14 days a silverside, and it's done very well. It doesn't move around, but maybe an inch every 4 months, and has gotten huge. I've had it over 7 years.
I don't really understand the theology behind not feeding something that is obviously designed to catch small fish and eat them.
All I can say is that I feed mine and it's done fine. Maybe i've been lucky, I don't know.

View attachment 96754

Sebae with a 5" Yellow tang.
 
obviously designed to catch small fish and eat them
That is where you are totally wrong. They do not catch any fish. In their natural habitat they host clownfish and the clowns keep any other fish away. They try to protect their home. A larger piece of food will never make it to the anemone. It will be eaten by either the larger reef fish or the clowns themselves. The anemone catches whatever small tidbits that may make it past everything else, but nothing large.
 
Fair enough, but I've never experienced anything detrimental, by feeding mine.
If they never eat fish, then why do you always here " be careful with smaller fish and a Nem together, because it will eat your fish"?
 
I definitely applaud you for having kept an anemone alive that long. The great majority of those who purchase anemones have them die in a short period of time...for various reasons.

As you mentioned, your anemone has stayed in the same place for many years. They don't actively hunt for fish. The fish we keep in our tanks all come off reefs. Those fish know better and stay away from anemones. Of course if a fish in our tank dies and gets swept into the anemone, it will try to eat it, but even in the pic you posted there is a tang near by. Why didn't the anemone catch and eat it? :)
 
Thanks for the compliment, much appreciated.
Yeah, that definitely makes sense, he knows better than to mess with the Nem, or the Maroon Mis-bar! Sucker bites me all the time when I get to close.
I suppose this is just another case of an uninformed LFS trying to sell more silversides, imagine that!!
Since joining the site, I've cut back on feedings, after reading all that's out there, but I felt just stopping altogether might shock it. So I feed him once every 14 days, maybe I'll slowly increase the time between feedings.
Since I started, almost 8 years ago, it's been ALL on my own. Just joined AA in Feb., wish I had this help from the start. Have relied on various LFS, some better than others. I hate for anyone to think I bought this set-up, I've slowly built it from the ground up, and I still love the hobby. Thank you for the polite banter, always learning! :)
 
My gbta is about 10 inches when opened up. He's done extremely well. I feed him a very small piece of krill once every few weeks and it does well.

True I may not have to target feed at all, between photosynthisis and the few pieces of brine or mysis it snags it would be fine, but anything in the reef tank should thrive on a varied diet.
 
I know where your coming from. Back when I setup my first reef tank about 25 yrs ago, there were no places on the internet to get information from. That was right after Al Gore invented the internet. :D
Anyway, I've been fortunate enough over the years to have been able to meet, see their presentations and have some long conversations with some of the top experts in the hobby. From Albert Theil, back when I first got started, to Eric Borneman, Anthony Calfo, Julian Sprung, Bob Fenner and Sanjay Joshi to name a few, when they spoke I absorbed what they had to say like a dry sponge.
For the most part, any advice I give is based on my personal experience and most of that is based on what I learned from those who really know. If I can help someone in any way, I feel I've done a little part in helping somone have a successful system. We all can always use some help and we all can always learn something new. :)
 
Wow...25 years huh? That's awesome!
Those people are some heavy hitters. Arguably the best out there!
Your attitude and aptitude are a credit to the hobby, and a great benefit to this community.
Not trying to kiss &@$, just speaking the truth.
Thanks for the knowledge, and best of luck in whatever you do!
Toby G.
 
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