Button trouble!

[Dval]

Help!

I have two little brown buttons that piggy backed into my tank on a piece of LR. I've been nurturing the little guys trying to get them to grow and reproduce. It seems like they may be in bad shape though. Lately they have been wrapping their heads and tentacles down their stalks. They aren't closing up like you would expect. They are closing up in an external motion instead of an internal motion. I'm worried about the little buggers. It just doesn't look healthy. They will do it for about a day or so then go back to normal. (or what I think is normal.)

Any ideas on this? Anyone seen this behavior before?

Thanks,
D

[reeferman06]

first of all what are your light and flow looking like, mines do that but only when I had suppliments to the water(calcium). if the are opening up, they are fine, sometimes it takes them time to get use their "new" home

[Dval]

I'm using crummy regular florescent lights. I do believe they are 10K bulbs and I have 4 of them for my 75 gallon tank. The buttons are mid to high in the tank and have a medium / high flow over them. The reason I got worried now is that this isn't something they have done in the past. It started within the last month and I have had them for two months.

[Pea-brain]

My largest polyp (out of 4 lol) started doing that after I did a 3 day lights off cycle. I believe it is a response to low light. Now if it does that I throw some food in its mouth (cyclopeeze and formula one pellets). The way I figure it is that they need more energy and since I can't provide enough light I can give them food....

Dan

[Dval]

Sounds like you may be on to something there Pea-brain. I've just started to direct feed them and I noticed afterwards they seem to perk up.

Thanks for the info,
D