How before I consider BTA dead ?

[Dom]

If you look at my picture, isn’t it inside out ? It’s been like that for 2 days now.

No. It appears to have pulled in its tentacles. It looks like it ate. Are you missing anything in the tank?

 

[Dom]

Update : it died. There were just too many changes for it. The silicate dosing was the last straw. I’m still having to dose because of dinos so it could not survive.

I bought it at the worst possible time but I could predict the future at the time. I’ll get another one when dinos are under control.

Sorry to hear this news. May I ask:

1. Please post your latest water test results and when the date.
2. What lighting do you run?
3. Do you have supplemental flow?
4. Can you post a full tank shot?

This will help us determine what might be going on so the you have success with your next Nem.

 

[zoomonster]

When it turns inside out and/or starts disintegrating/turning to mush. The risk of nuking a tank because of a dying bta is massively overblown.

Well... I have had hundreds and never had one die let alone nuke the tank. On the other hand, I gave away some at a reef club and one person threw it in a tank where it quickly died and supposedly wiped the tank killing all her fish. I got the evil eye on that one.

IMO the BTA is just not happy and closed up the way many of mine do at night. Keep an eye on it and get it out if it starts melting.

 

[zoomonster]

Agreed. Mine sit as close as they can get to a kessil 360 at 95%

They LOVE light especially MH and Radions and always migrate upwards. Don't even need food with good light.

 

[Fishy888]

Update : it died. There were just too many changes for it. The silicate dosing was the last straw. I’m still having to dose because of dinos so it could not survive.

I bought it at the worst possible time but I could predict the future at the time. I’ll get another one when dinos are under control.

I’m sorry to hear that. Can you get some real live rock? That was the ultimate solution to my dinos.

 

[Idech]

Sorry to hear this news. May I ask:

1. Please post your latest water test results and when the date.
2. What lighting do you run?
3. Do you have supplemental flow?
4. Can you post a full tank shot?

This will help us determine what might be going on so the you have success with your next Nem.

1. Test results from a few days ago
PH : 8.1
Temp : 78
Nitrates : 13 ppm (I dose Neonitro as it keeps going down)

Phosphates : unknown because of silicate dosing but was 0.03 on my ICP test before Christmas. It has always been low. (I dose a small amount of Neophos along with Neonitro, to keep the ratio stable)

Calcium : 460
Mangesium : 1460
Salinity : 1,026
Alk : 9.8

Lighting : 4 x AI Prime 16 HD on 48 inches long tank (75 gallons)

Flow : 2 powerheads (one aimed at the surface 24/7), one filter, one skimmer (all in the DT, no sump)

Here is what the BTA had to go through in 4-5 weeks
- Polyp lab Reef Medic
- Ruby Rally Pro
- Prazi Pro
- 2 bid0g WC (about 50% total)
- daily silicate dosing
- dinos starting to grow

Thanks for your opinion !

This week

6 weeks ago

 

[Idech]

I’m sorry to hear that. Can you get some real live rock? That was the ultimate solution to my dinos.

I could never find any. The LFS around here don’t have any. It’s just not a thing anymore.

Also, I’d be too afraid of all the critters that could be hiding in there. Nobody has live rock around here and they don’t all have dinos. There must be something they’re doing that I’m not.

 

[C4ctus99]

Sorry to hear that man, let us know when you get a new one! Mine just went through a 2 day tank transfer process after a breakdown over a week ago. Hopefully he does well!

 

[Dom]

1. Test results from a few days ago
PH : 8.1
Temp : 78
Nitrates : 13 ppm (I dose Neonitro as it keeps going down)

Phosphates : unknown because of silicate dosing but was 0.03 on my ICP test before Christmas. It has always been low. (I dose a small amount of Neophos along with Neonitro, to keep the ratio stable)

Calcium : 460
Mangesium : 1460
Salinity : 1,026
Alk : 9.8

Lighting : 4 x AI Prime 16 HD on 48 inches long tank (75 gallons)

Flow : 2 powerheads (one aimed at the surface 24/7), one filter, one skimmer (all in the DT, no sump)

Here is what the BTA had to go through in 4-5 weeks
- Polyp lab Reef Medic
- Ruby Rally Pro
- Prazi Pro
- 2 bid0g WC (about 50% total)
- daily silicate dosing
- dinos starting to grow

Thanks for your opinion !

This week

Handsome tank!

Your numbers look fine to me, except that ALK is a touch high. But this wouldn't be an issue with the Nem in my experience.

Lighting and flow also appear adequate. You also have good placement of powerheads.

The only thing I would suggest is to make sure the flow of your powerhead is not in the same direction. You want flow to be chaotic, so try to get some of their flow directed at each other.

When I look at all the treatments the Nem has endured, this is likely the cause as Nems require a very stable environment.

The real problem with all you've tried over the weeks is this:
Because there are so many different products involved, we can't know which of the individual products or more likely, combination of products that irritated the Nem.

Logistically, in a tank as large as yours, I understand that 20% weekly water changes are difficult, but they can be done.

If it was my decision to make, I would do FAITHFUL, WEEKLY 20% water changes for the next several weeks to get all the additives out of your tank. Running carbon will also help with this.

Doing this will allow the tank to reset itself.

Then we can re-evaluate in a month or so and make corrections from there.

Clean slate mate!!!!

 

[Idech]

Your numbers look fine to me, except that ALK is a touch high. But this wouldn't be an issue with the Nem in my experience.

Thank you for your time. Alk has gotten a bit higher because I changed salts from Red Sea blue bucket to Aquaforest Reef salt. I’m not too fond of it so I will probably go back to Red Sea.

The only thing I would suggest is to make sure the flow of your powerhead is not in the same direction. You want flow to be chaotic, so try to get some of their flow directed at each other.

I had a power head on the opposite side that died. Since I have the filter and skimmer on the opposite side, I figured it was okay. I’ll do a test; I’ll switch the Nero 5 on the empty side and see how it goes.

Logistically, in a tank as large as yours, I understand that 20% weekly water changes are difficult, but they can be done.

If it was my decision to make, I would do FAITHFUL, WEEKLY 20% water changes for the next several weeks to get all the additives out of your tank. Running carbon will also help with this.

At the moment, with dinos, I can’t do water changes. They came back because I did a 15 gallons WC twice. I dose AFR daily so nutrients are okay.

Even when dinos will be gone, I can’t physically do more than 5 gallons at a time. So it is what it is. I knew that coming in the hobby and the goal was to manage to have the best tank with those limitations.

 

[Fishy888]

Handsome tank!

Your numbers look fine to me, except that ALK is a touch high. But this wouldn't be an issue with the Nem in my experience.

Lighting and flow also appear adequate. You also have good placement of powerheads.

The only thing I would suggest is to make sure the flow of your powerhead is not in the same direction. You want flow to be chaotic, so try to get some of their flow directed at each other.

When I look at all the treatments the Nem has endured, this is likely the cause as Nems require a very stable environment.

The real problem with all you've tried over the weeks is this:
Because there are so many different products involved, we can't know which of the individual products or more likely, combination of products that irritated the Nem.

Logistically, in a tank as large as yours, I understand that 20% weekly water changes are difficult, but they can be done.

If it was my decision to make, I would do FAITHFUL, WEEKLY 20% water changes for the next several weeks to get all the additives out of your tank. Running carbon will also help with this.

Doing this will allow the tank to reset itself.

Then we can re-evaluate in a month or so and make corrections from there.

Clean slate mate!!!!

He’s right. The medicines and other stressors likely caused the nem’s demise. It sounds like you have a fairly stable system otherwise. If you don’t have SPS or if you have easy SPS I’d do a 50% water change. The next week another 50% water change. The week after I’d do a 20% water change and every week after as well. In a month or two I’d feel safe about getting another hardy anemone.

 

[Fishy888]

He’s right. The medicines and other stressors likely caused the nem’s demise. It sounds like you have a fairly stable system otherwise. If you don’t have SPS or if you have easy SPS I’d do a 50% water change. The next week another 50% water change. The week after I’d do a 20% water change and every week after as well. In a month or two I’d feel safe about getting another hardy anemone.

I forgot you had dinos. Once you get past the dinos I would run activated charcoal if you aren’t already. You can have an amazing reef even without water changes. You’ll have to dose the elements water changes would have provided. Search R2R for the details of the Moonshiners method.

 

[Fishy888]

@Idech how large is your system again?

 

[Idech]

@Idech how large is your system again?

It’s 75 gallons, no sump.

I did run carbon for about a month but stopped because I don’t like running carbon when I have a tang in the tank.

I ram zeolite for a few days to rid the system of metals, if any. I forgot to say, but I didn’t rinse it enough, it made a huge white cloud and the poor anemone had to endure that as well. I’m making so many mistakes as I go…

 

[Fishy888]

It’s 75 gallons, no sump.

I did run carbon for about a month but stopped because I don’t like running carbon when I have a tang in the tank.

I ram zeolite for a few days to rid the system of metals, if any. I forgot to say, but I didn’t rinse it enough, it made a huge white cloud and the poor anemone had to endure that as well. I’m making so many mistakes as I go…

We’ve all been there. I still make them. Even the best reefers make mistakes every now and again. Things will get better.