RBTA #3, another attempt

Kizmar

Kizmar

#derpface
So I picked up another Rose Bubble Tip Anemone a few days ago. I started this one out higher in the tank where it gets stronger light and more water flow. It hasn't moved more than an inch from where I had initially placed it (yet).

Had a couple questions as I try to make sure this one gets optimal attention.

  1. Is it possible to over feed an anemone - considering it can/will release food if it's not hungry?
  2. How many hours of full light per day do these need? (Keep in mind I have sun rise and sun set light with the Radions, don't know how much that light counts.)
 
I almost never feed my nems. At the most once a week. At the least, once every few months. lol
Any normal amount of light should be fine.
 
d2mini said:
I almost never feed my nems. At the most once a week. At the least, once every few months. lol
Any normal amount of light should be fine.
Click to expand...

What would you say a normal amount of light is? I ask because I'm not sure how to count the sunrise and sunset time of the Radion cycle.
 
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I guess what I'm saying is if you have your lights on anything like any other normal person, you're probably fine. If it's getting too much light it will go hide somewhere. If its not getting enough it will climb to the highest point and reach for it. As long as your water quality is good and your lights come on every day you should be good to go.
 
Alright, this is getting personal. I refuse to accept that I can't keep an anemone in my tank because of the water chemistry. I know damn well that's not an issue this time.

My current RBT has great color, eats when food touches it... yet I'm still seeing it's tentacles getting shorter and looking damaged on the tips. I can't tell if it's eating it's tentacles because something is irritating it, or if something (*cough Peppermint Shrimp*) is picking at it.

I talked to the LFS today about this. Asked if maybe my clowns hosting in it was too much based on it's size (maybe it was too small). He said that's very unlikely... at least that it would irritate it to the point of death.

The only thing in my tank that has any possibility of bugging the RBT are the Peppermint Shrimp I got (before any of the nems) to get rid of the aiptasias (which are now only in my sump).

If that's the case... if the shrimp ARE doing this, I want them out. OUT!!! So how can I get them out of my tank - short of tearing it all apart, which I won't do at this point. Is there a trap method anyone knows of?

One day... ONE DAY... My tank will be balanced. Until then, it's war. ;)
 
hmmm a glass with some food in it maybe. I know that works for crabs.

Maybe pantyhose with food in it (never tried this but seen it suggested a few times)
 
Have you been getting them from the same place? Maybe that is the problem?

Shrimp aren't going to get caught in a cup. They are more mobile than crabs.
 
I made two 20oz bottle traps, like this one. Tossed some garlic soaked jumbo mysis in them and put them in the tank.

I've been sitting here since the tank went dark, looking at the traps every few minutes. So far I've caught 4 Peppermint Shrimp, and dropped them in the sump. There are 3 more that I've seen, and up to 8 more total (if none have died). I'm hoping I've caught the most active and most likely to be the anemone pickers. It's only been a couple hours, so maybe I can catch a few more here...
 
There are few people in my area that having a lot of trouble keeping nems under the LEDs. Im not totally convinced its the whole story, but it sounds more like your nems are melting away instead of being eaten.
 
bjohanson1234 said:
Have you been getting them from the same place? Maybe that is the problem?
Click to expand...

I have gotten them all from the same LFS, but I have a long history with this place and would be surprised if they all were doomed from the beginning, however, there's always that chance.

Based on my research, testing, and the way these anemones appear, I'm pretty sure something is irritating or picking at them. The color has been great, they're eating fine, and they don't move around the tank.
 
little_fish said:
There are few people in my area that having a lot of trouble keeping nems under the LEDs. Im not totally convinced its the whole story, but it sounds more like your nems are melting away instead of being eaten.
Click to expand...

Do you know how the nems appeared as their health went downhill (under LED's)? I'm seeing tentacles get short and white tipped. It seems to happen mostly overnight. Other then that, I see nothing wrong. Color is amazing, they eat, they're not moving around.
 
Ill have ask a bit more about it at the next meeting, I just heard them all complaining about LEDs and nems. Im not sure it was an overnight thing, but I suspect not.
 
little_fish said:
Ill have ask a bit more about it at the next meeting, I just heard them all complaining about LEDs and nems. Im not sure it was an overnight thing, but I suspect not.
Click to expand...

I'm very curious to hear what they say.

What I'm seeing: The nem looks good for some period of time after I acclimate it. The last one was three weeks, this recent one was only a few days before it started. I start seeing tentacles get short and the ends look pinched off. It seems to start in sections, not all tentacles at once. This process happens over two to three weeks before the nem gives up. During that time, though, the nems have had great color and take in food. They don't move around or reach up for light. The last one was bulbing up pretty good until the downward spiral really sunk in.
 
Regardless of what's causing the anemone's tentacles to shorten, those traps I made caught me 7 (of possible 12) Peppermint Shrimp in one night. They've all been happily relocated to my sump. So, that worked great.

We'll see if the condition of this RBT improves now that that factor has been (mostly) removed from the display tank.

I have my fingers crossed in hopes that its not as simple/not simple as my LED lighting causing this.
 
I have a RBT, which I have had for about two years. It started out under MH, then moved to my 180 under LEDs. A lot of moves in the last year, but still under LEDs now and doing fine. I have never been able to keep pep shrimp alive long enough, so not sure if that is the problem but I would say it is not the LEDs, mine are AI.
 
Update

3 days after all but one of the Peppermint Shrimp have been removed from the tank...

The anemone so far is looking better. It's been fully extended and healthy-looking the last two days, and the tentacles that were getting shorter and looking white at the tips are now growing back out.

It's too soon to say with 100% certainty that removing the Peppermint Shrimp fixed the problem with this RBT, but it sure looks like that's the case so far.

I'm guessing the one that's left in there isn't an anemone eater (the whole "1/3 will eat aiptasia anemones" thing).
 

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