Is this a bad sign for my GBTA?

ReefGirlSara · #1 10/31/2007, 06:28 PM

I just read this article...

http://www.karensroseanemones.com/sp...ofyourrose.htm

and it mentions white noodle things by the mouth of BTA being a sign that the nem is dying. Can anyone tell me more about this?

Is that what this is? If so, what should I do about it? In this pic, what I'm talking about is sort of in the middle of the anemone, it's two white lines that are kinda parallel. They have been there near it's mouth since I got it, and are mre and more noticeable all the time.

LPDK91 · #2 10/31/2007, 06:45 PM

Looks like it may be bleached. How long have you had him, what kind of lighting? I tryed three bta's with no luck. I was able to buy a carpet off of a local reefer and its doing well. My is under Vho lighting in a 150 gallon.

ReefGirlSara · #3 10/31/2007, 07:21 PM

175 Watt MH w/ 14K bulb, and a small t-5 actinic. I've had him about 2 months or so now, when I got him he was bright neon green, then he went to that lighter color, now his sort of flesh colored, and green and pink...I'll take a more recent photo and post it. It's really big, and looks nice, but it looks more like a Long tentacle, than a GBTA.

Subliminal · #4 11/01/2007, 08:09 AM

They say anemone have a very slow metabolism, so the problem could be a long time in the making, really.

Definitely doesn't look too happy, though.

smp · #5 11/01/2007, 12:02 PM

If he was green when you got him, he's certainly bleached now.
Not looking good.
How old is the tank, do you feed the nem? Does it eat when you feed it (tentacles sticky or no?)

sfarid123 · #6 11/01/2007, 02:03 PM

What are your water parameters?
how old is the tank?
The noodles are the guts sticking outwards and its a sign of stress, the lines are the mouth outline. When you get the noodles back in, you need to target feed it mouth size grated shrimp soaked in selcon every day for a month. Then feed it 1/4 shrimp every 3 days until it gets its color back. Send Karen a email, she is a great help.

::PixelFish:: · #7 11/01/2007, 02:13 PM

If it was neon green when you bought it(light almost clearish tentacles with electric green tips) then it was already bleached.

If the lines are just lines and not actual noodles hanging out of it's gaping mouth then I wouldn't worry about them. Is the mouth gaping open or is it closed? Is your anemone still sticky?

I would do a water change if your parameters aren't good, get that into order and start feeding your anemone meaty foods. Silversides and scallops soaked in Selcon. Don't feed it pieces that are too big, small pencil eraser size. If it's not very sticky, try and place to food close to it's mouth and make sure that the clowns and other fish don't take it's food. Good water conditions and feeding is important. Your anemone wasn't in good shape when you bought it but if you take good care of it, chances are you can bring it back to good health.

ReefGirlSara · #8 11/01/2007, 03:10 PM

It's a lot darker now, I'll post a more recent pic. I feed it whole lance fish, usually one fish twice a week, and it eats them just fine. It's tentacles are pretty sticky. Sometimes I give it some little pieces of chopped up shrimp too. It eats well, and seems healthy, but it has changed colors and shapes quite a bit. It hasn't really moved much at all since I first put it in the tank. It moved it's foot just slightly into the crack between two rocks, but it's only about 2 inches from where I first placed it.

When I bought it, it was very light bright flourescent neon green, with large bubble tips. After I had it for about a month, it lost it's bubble tips and was a little lighter in color, like the above pic. About a week ago, it really scared me. It shrunk way down, it's mouth was gaping open, and a little bit of stuff was coming out of it's mouth, and the clowns were biting at it as it was expelling this stuff. I was worried it was expelling it's zooxanthallea, but within a couple of days, it was fully inflated, if not bigger, and it is kind of a pretty color now, mostly pinkish brown, it's foot is pink, and it's 'body' under the pinkish brownish greenish tentacles is sort of pink and see through. I'll take some pics when I get home.

CHARLIE AGUILAR · #9 11/01/2007, 06:05 PM

TRhe stuff come ing from the anemone was proably just it poooo! As far as the white lines around the mouth it just markings that they have and it will be fine!!! All my RBTA have these lines they vary in # from 5 to 7 on each anemone!

ReefGirlSara · #10 11/02/2007, 08:45 PM

Updated pics, you can really see what I was talking about it having a figure 8 shape to it now...

This is a pic from about 10 days ago, I thought it was dying or something...but maybe just doing an internal water change, or pooping, or both...

ReefGirlSara · #11 11/05/2007, 07:51 AM

Any comments on the figure 8 shape it has? It's been like that for quite a while now (at least 3-4 weeks). Some of the pics above were taken with a flash, and some without, but all the colors never did come out accurately in the pics.

I don't think it is bleached- what do you guys think based on these updated pics?