Please help with my rbta!

[Dobyson]

I have a rbta that has been doing great till the last 3 days where it has been shrunk up some and the tentacles have been extra inflated. Today I noticed that 3 of the tentacles that I can see have what looks like openings in the very tips. Please help. I’ll attach some photos of the problem and 1 of what he normally looks like. I’ve had him for 5 months.

Ph 8.3
Ammonia none
Nitrate none
Nitrite none
Salinity 1.026
Calcium 400
KH 7.8
Mag 1160
Phosphate 0.25

 

[zoomonster]

Had many RBTA's over the years and never seen that. The only thing I can think of other than some disease is maybe you have something in the tank that bit those tips off?

 

[Jekyl]

@Lost in the Sauce might know.
other than that nitrate being 0 is an issue

 

[Dobyson]

the only thing I have in there in a spotted manderine, a clean up crew, and a Pom Pom crab… and more coral but nothing close to it.

 

[fishguy242]

@F i s h y @MERKEY ?
also add mag is also low .

 

[zoomonster]

@Lost in the Sauce mught know.
other than that nitrate being 0 is an issue

Agree but think that is a bad nitrate test result being it has .25 phosphate. RBTA's do love nutrients and LOTS of light.

 

[Dobyson]

It’s right under a Neptune sky and I haven’t been able to keep any nitrates in this tank.. ever. I’ll double check all the tests. Those are number that the legs gave me yesterday after I had tested my water as well.

 

[Dobyson]

I dose with reef roids and reef nutrition energy, so I think that’s where the phos is coming from.

 

[Dom]

I have a rbta that has been doing great till the last 3 days where it has been shrunk up some and the tentacles have been extra inflated. Today I noticed that 3 of the tentacles that I can see have what looks like openings in the very tips. Please help. I’ll attach some photos of the problem and 1 of what he normally looks like. I’ve had him for 5 months.

Ph 8.3
Ammonia none
Nitrate none
Nitrite none
Salinity 1.026
Calcium 400
KH 7.8
Mag 1160
Phosphate 0.25

Ammonia and nitrite SHOULD be zero.

Zero nitrates are an issue. I keep mine at 4ppm.

Alkalinity is also low. I keep mine at 8.5.

Phosphates are high. My last test came in at 0.10.

Overall, I think your RBTA looks good. I would suggest monitoring it closely and see if other tentacles develop the same problem.

 

[MERKEY]

Very interesting and good thoughts and ideas.

Waiting to see what other have to say as well.

Perhaps a crab went crazy and nipped the tips..

 

[Nano_Man]

The photo of your anemone looks to be happy.
I don’t know what is going on with the tips apart from damage from something else . But if a Anemone isn’t happy it wouldn’t look like that photo. And update from you ?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a rbta that has been doing great till the last 3 days where it has been shrunk up some and the tentacles have been extra inflated. Today I noticed that 3 of the tentacles that I can see have what looks like openings in the very tips. Please help. I’ll attach some photos of the problem and 1 of what he normally looks like. I’ve had him for 5 months.

Ph 8.3
Ammonia none
Nitrate none
Nitrite none
Salinity 1.026
Calcium 400
KH 7.8
Mag 1160
Phosphate 0.25

If there was a recent change in lighting or new water, even water flow, it may be expelling zooxanthellae which is its color and energy source often controlled by lighting.