Bubble Tip Anenome slow death?

[SaltwaterGardening]

We’ve had this green colored snowflake BTA for about 3 months now. Usually happily inflated and eats well. It never moved around the tank, staying roughly in the position he was placed initially.

About a week ago, we noticed he wasn’t inflating and stopped responding to feeding, even at all at this point. My goniopora also suddenly went deflated around the same time.

Pulled BTA from tank and placed in quarantine for last 3-4 days for careful watch. Continues not to inflate, not eat well. He still on occasion bundles up like an onion when lights are out. Attached photo below for reference. He doesn’t always have his insides hanging out and sometime they are white. All those things sound like dying based on research.

Thanks for any input! Happy for someone to take him for saving as well if there might be something else going on.

 

[hzheng33]

What are your parameters?

 

[ActiveAngel]

Yes, specifically temperature and salinity. And what do you use to measure each? And have they been calibrated or tested against another?

 

[SaltwaterGardening]

From Sunday
Ph 8.0
Alk 8.2
Salinity 1.027 (refractometer, similar at LFS)
Temp 78-80
Nitrates - I’ve read 20 Hannah vs LFS 0 (go figure)
Phosphates 0.2 (phosgard running)

Just found a tiny bristle worm underneath anemone while blowing off rock in quarantine, so maybe it was irritating him this whole time. I first saw that tiny bristle tooth worm when snail eggs were hatching. Took care of him, though I know they can be good to right owner.

 

[lmm1967]

Don't Feed it !! - BTAs do not need food under normal conditions.

You have what looks like a lot of green algae in that pic - so much so that you have O2 bubbles forming on the surface.

If that is true - you need to fix your nutrients.

33% water changes at least once a week until that algae is under control.

Nems won't normally die real fast and they are able to recover over time. They want stability though - I would not keep xferring between tanks - it's very stressful on them and they take a while to adjust.

 

[ActiveAngel]

Salinity: 1.027 is higher than I am comfortable and could potentially be an issue. What did the LFS get? Did you check the calibration of your refract? If you are off by just a little bit, you could potentially be higher than 1.027 which could be a big concern.

What type of thermometer(s) do you measure your temperature with?

 

[SaltwaterGardening]

Good things here, salinity is a bit on the high side for normal for us (1.025). LFS and home read same 1.027. Maybe dryness in home contributed more than normal evaporation. We have a gravity fed ATO, so will check for clogs tonight during water change. Water normally a 20% change weekly. We can do higher change every 3-4 days starting tonight, as recommended.

Other info about nutrients, the algae is manageable in my main tank with encrusting, not stringy growth. It took off in the QT tank from the higher white lighting and my neighbor over feeding this weekend while we were out of town, plus no snails or fish to eat it. After removing the bristleworm today, I moved him back to my main tank (rock and all) and will carefully watch under large tank with more stable parameters. Fish and snails should like the algae snack too. We will significantly cut back feeding of the nem in the meantime, to move to no feeding. He was white when we purchased him, but has since turned green, maybe due to our (over) nourishment.

We also removed the phosgard today in case it was in there too long and causing heavy metal contamination. Might be time to set up GFO reactor unless the phosphate is coming from water source. Checking that for base reading tonight too.

Thanks everyone!

 

[lmm1967]

Go S L O W

Don't strip phosphate too fast or you'll end up with dinos and/or cyano.

1 change at a time - wait some days unless things get worse. Nothing in our tanks react in a good way quickly so it's easy to want to keep trying things.

I would aim to lower salinity over the next week, do a larger than normal water change on your normal day (33% instead of 20%), stop feeding the nem all together - nothing at all. He's stressed and you mentioned he is turning his stomach inside out.

Wait a week and see where he is at.

As long as it has not completely released it's foot and is floating around the tank it's got a good chance to be fine with some time.

 

[SaltwaterGardening]

Thanks all. Great information!

 

[ActiveAngel]

I agree with doing only 1 change at a time, and that smaller changes are preferred.

But going from 1.027 to 1.025 is acceptable for an immediate change IMO. But you can always do half of that now, wait 24 hours and then do the other half. But I would do the 0.002 sg change in one go... assuming all else was good.

Also, answers to my other questions above could provide important insight and potential solutions.

 

[SaltwaterGardening]

If I missed any other questions, let me know. Thanks.

Refractometer for salinity, read usually matches LFS but not calibrated
Cheap non-mercury thermometer for temp
Hannah ultra low checker for phosphate
Hannah checker for alkalinity
Red Sea pH
Red Sea nitrates (corrected from above)

 

[ActiveAngel]

Temp: Ah, that could potentially be a big issue. Get a cheap glass (Mercury) aquarium thermometer. They cost ~$1 and are very accurate. Whereas cheap non-mercury thermometers, such as the popular digital ones, have a notoriously high inaccuracy.

Salinity: Ah ok! So when you said it was “Similar at LFS”, you meant it’s exactly the same at 1.027? That makes sense. But yes, absolutely double check it’s calibration. It takes 5 to 30 seconds and is worth it. I even triple confirm my calibrations every so often.

Overall, it sounds like your salinity may be barely dangerously high (and potentially even higher). And your temperature may be mildly high (but could be anything, high or low, until we can reduce our uncertainty).

This is in line with my previous tank consultation experience. If there’s an issue, then there’s a 95%+ that Temp and/or Salinity is off. Being slightly off on one of these can add a lot of stress to inhabitants relative to other parameters. Once that is solved, things nearly always improve.

 

[SaltwaterGardening]

Ready to give this guy up for trade or adoption. He moves around the rock often, but never extends tentacles, and definitely does not bubble anymore. I’m located in East Cobb.

Current photo - tulip shaped, BTA

Older photos - green with brown base snowflake BTA, in background